Defending slow motion training from critiques

McDojo life basically made a video attacking a clip of Rory Miller doing his one step drill. He received backlash so he did a follow up clip having BJJ experts, MMA fighters and combat experts all smashing the clip. One theme was many didn’t like the nature of slow motion training, including Sensei Seth whom

New perspective as a martial artist after having a family(and a writer)

First the martial arts: So whether it’s karate or MMA, I never understood for a long time why people with disposable income and a car never cross trained outside the gyms they were a part of. Shit I had no consistent income or a car and I still tried to cross train! My parents helped

The cold war is why BJJ is the foremost grappling art and not SAMBO.

So I often complain a great deal about BJJ culture and BJJ as a sport. But the fact is I am more of a BJJ player in my grappling than the wrestling and SAMBO I admire. If you read the history, you’re own identification with an art you do fades when you’re faced with the

Martial Artists need to be honest with themselves.

People who do martial arts often need a reason to do what they do. The combat sports guy would say stuff about how MMA or boxing is the ultimate test of manhood, that it’s proven to be the best method of combat and thus they want to be strong. They will talk about the high

Franca, Fadda, Santana and the history the Gracie family did not want you to know about.

So when people think of Brazilian Jui-Jitsu they immediately think of the Gracie family. They think of Royce Gracie in the first UFC defeating bigger stronger men(Usually using footwork and distancing not taught in most BJJ academies today) along with the narrative of Matsuda Maeda teaching the Gracie family Jui-Jitsu, which they then refined and

Khabib and the cage: Why he would be MORE dominant in a ring.

Khabib is not a perfect person or even a perfect martial artist. He has areas he’s weak at, etc. Hell when I saw him fight Edson Barbosa, I thought the way he just plodded forward would get him countered against McGreggor. But when Khabib fought McGregor, he didn’t plod forward, he controlled the distance very

What was Sonny Umpad and his students secret to success?

I’ve made two blog posts about “The Hustler” and it’s author Maija Soderholm(I probably mangled her name) Thing is she talks extensively about her teacher Sonny Umpad, how he trained and how he taught her to think. And it’s not just Maija who was impressed by him. He’s not well known, but those who know

One of my biggest pet peeves about aging martial artists.

Lets talk about aging martial artists and strength. So relying on strength when trying to learn technique is not a good thing. Most people would say that. Now if the technique requires a level of strength(Like a high crotch) it still must be executed smoothly and with good body mechanics, the maximum levage. The fact

Speed is an expression of strength.

Many years ago I was talking to my senior in my karate classes. He’s got very fast hands. I remember mentioning that speed is actually an expression of strength, but he said emphatically it isn’t, it’s technique. We didn’t argue, we never got a chance to hash the discussion out. But he was almost(i literally

Combat training is perishable: The bright side and down side of change and evolution in a martial artist.

One problem in martial arts is people never evolve. They never try to change things to suit their own body or their students body, just repeating what sensei, sifu or coach taught them. Always doing the same thing. Now it certainty isn’t the worst thing to do. A boxing gym that did the same thing