To the student this is often just a neat effect, not to mention a little test of timing. But to the instructor it has more meaning, and therein may lie a lesson.
Feb
21
2013
21
2013
Nov
15
2012
15
2012
That Deadly Double Weighting
But I find the “double weight problem” to be considerably more interesting and definitively more useful than most people make it out to be
Nov
1
2012
1
2012
Sticky Telepathy
This is one of those things that veteran martial artists know; once in a while we mention it but we don’t talk about it…
Feb
29
2012
29
2012
The Eternal Ring of Wing Chun
Here is the first book in English on the practice of the Bamboo Ring particularly as it relates to Wing Chun and other southern forms of Kung Fu.
Feb
13
2012
13
2012
The Kung Fu Flail
The idea of the nunchaku may bring up images of a screaming Bruce Lee wannabe devastating a half dozen overweight gangsters in shirts so ugly they deserved the beating from the moment they walked on the screen.
Jan
17
2012
17
2012
The Speed of Thought
The point is not that they should try to hurry up their moves, but that they should abandon speed as something they can “control” or “will” into happening.
Oct
27
2011
27
2011
Instructor’s Notebook (INB) #25: A Horse Lesson
I was watching a competitive match on Youtube the other day (I do not do this regularly or I would have to spend days screening samples and answering people’s questions). A Muay Thai fellow was pitted against a Kung Fu practitioner.
Sep
2
2011
2
2011
INB #24: Modes of Locomotion
The problem isn’t going through the first grade, the problem is being stuck in the first grade forever.
Apr
25
2011
25
2011
Unusual Weapons: Door God’s Sword: The Jian
The Jian and the straight sword resemble each other in appearance, but the Jian has no blade, and its body is segmented.
Apr
20
2011
20
2011
INB #23: Your Biggest Critic
The corrections you are so concerned about are probably the wrong ones…
Mar
7
2010
7
2010
INB #21 Fooling the Flash
Personally I like speed practice because true speed suggests efficient neurological path ways and that seems beneficial to just about everybody.
Sep
9
2009
9
2009
INB #20: On Becoming a Teacher
I’ve heard it said that most people get into the Martial Arts not simply to become Martial Arts practitioners but to become Martial Arts “Masters” …
Aug
15
2009
15
2009
INB #19: What to teach?
A kung fu teacher’s ruminations on the nature of students and content.
Oct
30
2008
30
2008
INB #18: The Creek
A large rock squats in the middle of the creek. The water circles the rock without hesitation, uninterrupted in its career.
May
30
2008
30
2008
INB #17: Assistance on Assistants
Your classes are well enough attended for you to need some assistance. . .
Sep
9
2007
9
2007
INB #16: Teaching the Combination
Combination techniques occupy a special place in martial training.
Dec
1
2006
1
2006
INB #15: No Auditions!
I never demonstrate the move to be learned, at least not at first.
Aug
29
2006
29
2006
INB #14: The Loop
Here’s a place where you can use your creativity and at the same time benefit your students.
Jun
13
2006
13
2006
INB #13: “Airplane”
Here was a little game we played at the end of each instructor’s series.
May
25
2006
25
2006
INB #12: The Rules of Correction
You can’t raise a hand without Jake saying, “No. That’s not it.”
Dec
23
2005
23
2005
INB #11 The Four Levels of Instruction
Instruction comes in a number of levels. It helps to know which one you are using.
Jun
3
2005
3
2005
INB #10: Reasons for Liking Bagua Zhang
Systems have personalities, just like people.
Nov
27
2004
27
2004
INB #09: The Truth About Kicking
There is no other aspect of martial training that so walks this very thin line than that of kicking.
Jun
14
2004
14
2004
INB #08: The Demands of Teaching
Your students are all healthy and in fact glowing. They’re having fun. They’re doing something that fascinates them. They’re gaining new confidence.
But what about you?
Apr
18
2004
18
2004
INB #07: Showing the Sword
I think that most martial arts instructors enjoy teaching weapons. It’s a charge keeping alive tradition. It’s a break from the rigors of normal physical training. On the other hand …
Mar
23
2004
23
2004
INB #06: For the Head Instructor: Your Team
A school rides the backs of its instructors.
Feb
14
2004
14
2004
INB #05: Telling Lies
I was one of them. I admit it. There’s a certain phrase that countless that many instructors throughout the centuries have boldly declaimed …
Feb
9
2004
9
2004
INB #04: Those Advanced Sets, especially Weapons
There are a lot of fun forms I can hardly wait to teach.
Jan
17
2004
17
2004
INB #03: The Use of Analogy
A teacher in the martial arts soon learns that knowledge is a dangerous thing – to you.
Dec
21
2003
21
2003
INB #02: Adient and Abient Training
It doesn’t matter which aspect of Martial Arts you’re discussing, there is always an adient and abient face to it.
