We just crossed the point of 10,000 views of this website! I thank all of you who stop by, and I especially want to thank those of you who comment or send emails letting me know that you like what I am doing here. I am humbled and appreciate you more than you know. I…
Month: May 2013
Strategies for Teaching Martial Arts: Student Praise
As we return to the subject of teaching martial arts, I want to address the subject of praising the student’s progress. There are many opinions on the topic, and mine may just be one more thrown in the mix, but working with more kids on a daily basis, and teaching more classes in a day…
Strategies for Teaching Martial Arts: Attitude
I am going to offer a series of articles intended for instructors who teach children, but I think there may be something of value to those parents of children who are training in the martial arts in that I may be able to offer a way for the parent to judge the effectiveness of their…
Still MORE fake mystical nonsense…
This is an older video which turned up in a discussion on Iain Abernethy’s forum, I decided to share it here and give my take on stuff like this again, as there are still people who believe this sh…stuff. First, the video: I was impressed with only one point in the video, the part where…
Violence and Conflict: Thinking of the children
Violence and Conflict From our earliest days, humans have had to live a life of violence and conflict. Whether we were hunting for food, defending a tribe or village, or marching to war, violence and conflict were there. We are, as a species, adaptable and violent. And we always have been. In our modern world,…
Reality Check: Kids and the Future
I work with kids, almost exclusively. As a T.E.A.M. Member for KICKSTART KIDS, I work in a public middle school, and the vast majority of my students are in the 6th, 7th, or 8th grade, with the rest of my students being former middle school students who are committed enough to continue training with me…
Martial Arts Leadership
Leadership within the context of a martial arts school or style is not often examined properly. As often as not, the leaders or founders of a school, style or system feel themselves to be the authority on the subject, and they wish to have all power within the group, they feel that all decisions are…
Wallace Smedley 