So there is this idea that adding a sports competition element to the martial arts can actually hurt or undermine the efficacy of the self-defense aspect. I’ve heard variations of this argument from multiple sources. You hear this argument mostly from Krav Maga people and old-school Karate guys, so most people who compete in MMA,Continue reading “Combat Sports vs Self-Defense”
Tag Archives: Brazilian Jiu Jitsu
Meditation on Mental Elasticity
One of the best compliments I’ve received in martial arts in the past few years came from a Jiu Jitsu brown belt at my gym. We’ll call him Juan since that’s his name. I’ll paraphrase as well as I can: “You are constantly learning and improving. I’ve rolled with a lot of guys your ageContinue reading “Meditation on Mental Elasticity”
Reasons NOT to do Combat Sports
Oh hey everybody. A while back, I wrote an article about my reasons for doing martial arts. Typically, I use the terms “martial arts” and “combat sports” interchangeably. However, most people associate the term “combat sports” with specific types of martial arts, such as Muay Thai, Boxing, Wrestling, Jiu Jitsu, MMA, etc. which are theContinue reading “Reasons NOT to do Combat Sports”
Original Artwork – RollBot
Being a Jiu Jitsu practitioner can suck when there’s no one to drill or roll with. Luckily, some sociopath I mean genius invented RollBot, a semi-sentient automaton who definitely won’t try to subjugate humanity at all. No SkyNet type hijinks here. What could go wrong?
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”
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”
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”
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 