Do you guys watch YouTube Shorts? Check out my Shorts! Over the past few months, I have taken videos of my private lessons. All videos were obtained with the clients' or students' consent. A couple of my students were too shy or hesitant to appear in public videos. Totally understandable. Why did I do this? It's easier to scroll through the private lesson videos and find short videos to post to…

Jesse Enkamp (aka the Karate Nerd) and Eddie Hall entertained me with their attempt to replicate Bruce Lee's 1965 workout routine. Judging by the reactions of Jesse and Eddie, it sounds like an insane workout. Keep in mind that Bruce was 25 years old and approaching his physical prime. Eddie Hall, along with Thor Bjornsson, is among the strongest men in the world.

While working on a technique sequence designed to fortify their fundamentals, students may occasionally ask to do material that is beyond their skill level. I'll often answer them in two ways. Either I will demur and tell them that their fundamentals aren't where they need to be yet. Or I will use their hunger for advanced material to polish their fundamentals.

I chuckle every time I see this quote by Notre Dame coaching legend Frank Leahy. He was the head coach of the Notre Dame Fighting Irish from 1941 to 1943 and from 1946 to 1953. He missed the 1944 and 1945 seasons due to serving in the US Navy during WWII. He compiled an insane record during his 11 years as Notre Dame's head coach.

Dang! I've gone too long without writing a post! I've been buried in more work than usual over the last few months, juggling work across three municipalities. The summer months were especially intense. Things have slowly been returning to some normalcy - only a year or two before I retire for good. I think I see the light at the end of the tunnel....or is that a train coming at me?

I do some solo training with heavy sticks three or four times a week. Check out the solo training video below. This workout typically lasts 20 minutes. Any shorter than 20 minutes is unsatisfactory to me. This is purely a conditioning session for me. What you see in the video is a template that I've been doing for the past month or so.

Recently, I asked ChatGPT, "Which hand is most predominant in machete attacks?" Not surprisingly, it answered that right-handed people carry out the vast majority of machete attacks. The full answer from ChatGPT: "Most studies and reports on machete attacks indicate that the dominant hand of the attacker—usually the right hand—is more frequently involved in such assaults. This is because the majority of people are right-handed, which influences their grip, control, and swing technique.

I've been attending the Annual Michigan Camp since the late 1990s, and every one has been a blast. This year should be no different. Professor Chuck Gauss and Professor Ken Smith are the featured instructors. Both learned directly from the late Professor Remy Presas and have been on a mission to share the Professor's beloved art of Modern Arnis. The host of the Camp, Professor Chuck Gauss, is below:

The other day, I tested my right shoulder with a brief carenza with a pair of kamagong sticks. It turned out surprisingly well and represents a small step forward for me. First, what is "carenza" in Filipino Martial Arts? A short answer is that it is a freestyle exercise where a player improvises FMA moves. It is akin to shadowboxing and is popular among FMA players.

That was the delighted reaction of one of my private clients last week. I had offered him the option of training in my garage or at the ABS Training Centre, the usual location for our sessions. He chose the former. It's a great change of pace for three reasons. First, it's summer! I often leave the garage door open during our sessions.

When I arrived at the ABS Training Centre (located in Pickering) last Thursday night to teach my weekly class, the door was locked. I was not surprised. You see, just before I left the house, I received an alert on my iPhone from the Durham Region Police advising folks in the area to shelter in place due to a fatal stabbing attack on an 83-year-old woman.

When I arrived at the ABS Training Centre (located in Pickering) last Thursday night to teach my weekly class, the door was locked. I was not surprised. You see, just before I left the house, I received an alert on my iPhone from the Durham Region Police advising folks in the area to shelter in place due to a fatal stabbing attack on an 83-year-old woman.

First, watch this video on whether Arnis works in the street. From David James' perspective (as well as mine), it depends! I believe Filipino martial arts (FMA) are a powerful asset for street self-defence. FMA empty-hand techniques and weapon training can be seamlessly applied to any situation. Training in Filipino Martial Arts sharpens fluid movement, situational awareness, and striking effectiveness, enabling individuals to react quickly and decisively in high-pressure environments.

One of the more interesting teaching ideas I've encountered is video homework assignments for students. Specifically, the idea is to video private lessons and upload them to Google Drive for them to watch and analyze. The inspiration for this idea comes from Maija Soderholm, one of Sonny Umpad's students. According to Soderholm, Sonny insisted that his students study the videos and learn from their mistakes.

More specifically, what if I had started in Filipino Martial Arts/Modern Arnis before age 33? From age 18 to 33, I trained in Cooper Ryu and Kenpo Karate and dabbled in BJJ and Aikido. Years ago, I wondered what my skill level would have been if I had started in Modern Arnis much earlier. I now think that it's an irrelevant exercise.

Sorry for the radio silence. I've been busy and buried under a lot of things. Is that why I haven't blogged as consistently as I would like? No. I tend to want to pick the perfect topic or wait until I produce a video to upload before publishing a blog. Consequently, my need for the ideal conditions to post a blog has often presented a barrier to consistent production.

Estimated reading time: 6 minutes Before discussing my data experiment, I apologize for the month-long radio silence due to being (a) buried in work and (b) having a family get-together. That said, I'm happy to blog again! After a private lesson with Rosh, the owner of ABS Training Centre, we started discussing coaching and teaching. It's part of a long conversation that has spanned a couple of years about teaching.

The great heavyweight boxer George Foreman recently passed away at the age of 76. Foreman has long fascinated me, especially since the iconic "Rumble in the Jungle" fight against Muhammad Ali. I was 10 years old at the time. The sports pages of the day extensively covered the fight. I didn't get to watch it since it was broadcast live on closed-circuit TV in theaters rather than on network TV.

Heeeyo! Let's talk about the high palis-palis, specifically the left-hand version. I use this technique to counter high-line attacks. This maneuver is effective against angle 12 strikes and high versions of angles 1 and 2, but it has limited utility. Sweeping the attack over my head is the key, as seen in the video below. The right-hand version of this technique is easy enough, but doing it left-handed is a challenge!

Last night, I binge-watched the last five episodes of "Cobra Kai," released four days ago (Feb 13th). All I can say is "WOW." I love how the writers wrapped it up all by the final episode! Semi-Spoiler Alert ahead! Suffice it to say that Cobra Kai stuck the landing in the final five episodes. They contained a satisfying mix of redemption, resolution, and catharsis, particularly for the main characters from the Karate Kid movies (Daniel, Johnny, Kreese, and Silver).

Estimated reading time: 6 minutes My wife and I recently binge-watched Season 5 of "Cobra Kai" and immensely enjoyed it. I loved every bit of it! It looks like Season 6 is possible, although Netflix, as of this post, has not committed to it. Realistically, I think this show's writers and creators can wring one more season out of this franchise.

YouTube video by An American Living In Canada

“Abanico Corto” is Spanish for “short fan.” Many of my students love this wicked technique. I have posted several abanico corto videos on my YouTube channel. Among the left-hand material I've been working on is left-hand abanico corto. In the video below, I demonstrate the left-hand abanico corto against Troy. As many of you know, I've been dealing with a bad case of tendonitis in my right shoulder.

As many know, Season 4 of "Cobra Kai" dropped on New Year's Eve. My wife and I decided to wait before we delved into the new season. We took our time, watching the entire series in three nights. What a delight! Having previously written about this series, I couldn't wait to write about Season 4! There are so many themes to dig into.