Several months ago, I posed a question to my Facebook friends about what martial arts topics they wanted me to cover. Slowly but surely, I’m making my way around to each of them. My friend and former colleague Jeff Tillett asked me my thoughts on staying inspired after black belt. This list is by no means… Continue reading How to Stay Inspired After Reaching Black Belt
Tag: karate
A Brief History of Okinawan Karate
I’ve studied Okinawan karate for nearly a decade, though interestingly enough, I’ve focused mainly on the movements. Only within the last several years have I made a pointed effort to start digging deeper to discover the roots of my art. The history and culture surrounding the martial arts, and especially Okinawan karate, are as interesting… Continue reading A Brief History of Okinawan Karate
Four reasons why you should cross-train
Five months ago, I began to cross-train. Sure, I’ve taken tae kwon do for a year from some instructors who happened to be taking lessons from my karate instructors. But they were still in my school and influenced, to an extent, by my instructors. Reaching out to an entirely different art and going beyond my… Continue reading Four reasons why you should cross-train
Martial arts: the basics
In our tai chi class, we’ve been focusing on our short form. We’ve done it several times each class since I started in August. Last night, we had our first “observation.” Mr. Aldus didn’t want to present it as a test, instead asking for volunteers to perform their version of the form. Four of us… Continue reading Martial arts: the basics
Martial arts: The application vs. the health benefits
Almost every class, Mr. Aldus makes the point that he’s trying to balance showing his students the health aspects of the martial arts and the practical application of the martial arts. Some students, he says, are there solely for health benefits. While he hasn’t specifically mentioned health benefits, I could take a stab at some… Continue reading Martial arts: The application vs. the health benefits