There’s a certain reverence in martial arts circles for the old-school mentality; the grit, the grind, the stoic endurance of pain. We’ve all heard it: “Push through.” “Pain is weakness leaving the body.” “Tape it up and keep going.” “Suck it up, buttercup.” “Walk it off.” Injuries, in this mindset, aren’t just inevitable. They’re worn…
Category: Martial Arts
Reflections on Aging in the Martial Arts
I turned 56 yesterday. That number feels different than the ones before it. Not heavier, but more textured. It carries decades of sweat, bruises, blood, breakthroughs, and quiet moments of clarity. It reminds me that I’ve spent most of my life in the martial arts and that the path I walk today looks different than…
How the Martial Arts Build Essential Life Skills
As parents, we want our children and teens to succeed not just in school but in life. We sign them up for activities, hoping they’ll gain confidence, discipline, and maybe even learn a new skill. If your child is in martial arts, you might be focused on the physical benefits, the strength, coordination, and self-defense….
Empowering Teens through the Martial Arts
I had a wonderful student years ago, and for our purposes here, we will call her Lisa, but that isn’t her real name. Lisa was not a bad kid by any stretch of the imagination. She did have some trauma in her life before she became my student. She also had some odd choices in…
I Love the Smell of Dit Da Jow in the Morning: A martial view at 55
I turned 55 at the beginning of October. I never had a thought that I would last this long, but here we are. As fate would have it, someone read an old post that I wrote when I turned 42, and in it, I wrote my thoughts on being an aging martial artist. I will…
Wallace Smedley 