“Bowing is an expression of gratitude and respect. In effect, you are thanking your opponent for giving you the opportunity to improve your technique.” – Jigaro Kano So, yeah. Themed seasonal blog post this time, but a worthy topic nonetheless. My grandfather once told me that when he wakes up each morning, he meditates onContinue reading “The Benefits of Gratitude”
Author Archives: Martial Arts Nerd
Gear Maintenance Guide
Over the years I’ve used and abused all sorts of martial arts training gear. I’ve wondered why the velcro on my hand wraps or fight shorts won’t stick anymore. Or how my rash guard started unravelling. I’ve also accidentally dyed a gi pink before. I’ve done a lot of dumb things when it comes toContinue reading “Gear Maintenance Guide”
Xu Xiaodong: A Modern Martial Arts Hero
Bullshido: martial arts instruction that is fraudulent, inept or otherwise not worth trusting (from a portmanteau of bushido and bullshit) Perhaps I am an idealist, but I am of the conviction that integrity is an essential, core tenant of being a martial artist. In Muay Thai, we spar to stress test our skills against live,Continue reading “Xu Xiaodong: A Modern Martial Arts Hero”
Should You Compete in a Brazilian Jiu Jitsu Tournament?
Short answer, probably yes. But obviously it behooves you to understand the level of hard work and sacrifice involved: preparing through rigorous training, conditioning and diet. Or the financial investment as well, since tournaments aren’t free, and you may need to travel and/or take time off of work. And of course, the fact that youContinue reading “Should You Compete in a Brazilian Jiu Jitsu Tournament?”
Of Health and Hedonism
In my early 20s, the pursuit of pleasure was one of my primary motivators. The majority of weekends, I was out looking for adventure, whether that entailed getting high as fuck at a concert, drunk as fuck at a house party, or doing hallucinogens in the forest with a good friend or three. I alsoContinue reading “Of Health and Hedonism”
Martial Arts vs Combat Sports
I tend to use the terms “Martial Arts” and “Combat Sports” interchangeably because in my mind, they are. I realize there are purists out there who get weirdly pedantic about that. “Wrestling and Boxing aren’t martial arts.” Yes, they are. I don’t care, dude. They are. Generally it seems like this distinction is important toContinue reading “Martial Arts vs Combat Sports”
How Boxing Benefits Martial Arts Training
Hello everyone. So for those of you who know me or have read some of my previous posts, you may know that I am a big advocate of cross training. The concept of stylistic purity is outdated and serves no useful purpose. For example, Brazilian Jiu Jitsu is my primary art. But I make roomContinue reading “How Boxing Benefits Martial Arts Training”
4 Reasons to Do Martial Arts
Hello everybody. As documented by this totally modest blog, I am an advocate for martial arts. I believe it to be a viable path towards self-improvement, not to mention learning different ways to beat people up is just a ton of fun. But how does learning to beat people up translate to self-improvement? Well, martialContinue reading “4 Reasons to Do Martial Arts”
After Neglecting this Blog, I’M BACK!!!
So yeah, I started this blog a year ago, posted 3 things, then totally fucked off. My bad, everybody. My excuse is that in November of last year, my father had a stroke, and now a year later, as the oldest of my siblings, I am still dealing with the fallout from that. On topContinue reading “After Neglecting this Blog, I’M BACK!!!”
Starting Your Jiu Jitsu Journey
So as some of you may know, I love cross training but Jiu Jitsu is the art I spend the most time with. In this article, my intent is to help people new to it get started in their journey, but with the benefit of my experiences. I think that many of these principles probablyContinue reading “Starting Your Jiu Jitsu Journey”
Karate: The Recessive Gene of MMA
When we think of the origins of MMA, we think of fighting styles such as Wrestling, Boxing, Muay Thai, Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, maybe even Judo or Dutch Kickboxing. We think of the earliest UFC events in which Royce Gracie dominated larger fighters with Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, or in which Mark Coleman pioneered the brutal “groundContinue reading “Karate: The Recessive Gene of MMA”
Blog Post the First
Oh, hello everybody. I didn’t see you there. You shouldn’t creep on me like that, though. I could’ve accidentally killed you with a pressure point punch or some shit like that. Your heart would explode and everyone would laugh and it would be super embarassing. Okay I’m just making stuff up, sorry. The point ofContinue reading “Blog Post the First”
Strangle Buddies 