Step into many dojos today and you’ll see students moving through kata and floor drills with a kind of casual rhythm. Their stances are loose, their strikes lack conviction, and their eyes drift as if the mind is somewhere else. The movements are performed, but the spirit is absent. This is not how martial arts…
Tag: be here now
The Forgotten Pillar of Self-Defense: Situational Awareness
In the realm of self-defense, there is one skill so foundational, so universally applicable, that its neglect borders on malpractice: situational awareness. Yet in far too many training halls, this essential concept is treated like an afterthought, relegated to a brief mention before the flashier techniques take center stage. Why? Because it’s not cinematic. It…
What is Missing
I’m not here to preach. I’m just an old martial arts instructor who’s seen a lot, too much. Maybe. I’ve watched generations grow, stumble, rise, and fall. But lately, something feels different. Not just in the dojo, but everywhere. In schools, online, in the streets. There’s a kind of emotional chaos that’s hard to ignore….
What is “Re Tire?”
Recently, I shared that I’m beginning my 24th year with Chuck Norris’ Kickstart Kids. Twenty-four years of character-building, lesson planning, and watching young people grow into their best selves. It’s been a journey filled with grit, grace, and more than a few bruises. After that post, someone asked me a question I hadn’t considered in…
Be Here Now
It is a really simple concept in Zen, but it is terribly difficult for most people to pull off in reality. Be here now. I had a class working on a series of kicks using kicking shields. As I counted and the kiddos were “working”, they started talking about nonsense while kicking. There is a…
Wallace Smedley 