A discussion I have often heard amongst practitioners of self-defence and Krav Maga systems is whether sparring should be included in the curriculum. There are many valid arguments for both sides and different schools and instructors approach it differently. Here are my two cents.

Christmas and the New Year are always a time for reflection, and are also the cause of a phrase that now reeks of unfulfilled potential and wasted gym fees:

‘New Year’s Resolutions’

Everyone has made resolutions that they haven’t kept before. But why are they so hard to stick to? And how can you improve on keeping those resolutions?

Whether your goal is to lose weight, gain confidence, fit into those jeans or learn how to defend yourself, learning how to effectively set goals is key to achieving them.

The process of effective goal setting is not only relevant to your training, fitness or health regime, but is just as relevant for maintaining great relationships, building a successful career, and pretty much everything else in life!

Martial arts are, in a very real sense, a way of solving problems.

These problems can be broadly defined - improving fitness or learning to defend yourself from an attacker, or more specific, such as how to land a particular punch against a particular opponent in a particular bout.

The parallells between this and solving problems in business or personal life are easy to see. Dealing with difficult customers, expanding your skill base, managing stress and finding opportunities where others see difficulties are all part of this. Not sure how? 

Is self-defence a lifestyle?

A very interesting point of discussion in a seminar with Richard Dimitri and Chris Roberts recently has really got me thinking on a different aspect of self-protection training. While it is something that I am acutely aware of, I have never really verbalised it. So here goes.

But before we proceed… A key word throughout the next few points is moderation. Read all the way to the end and you’ll see what I mean!

A while ago I discussed the ‘Dojo Syndrome’.
I had received some very positive feedback about the first two articles (you can read them here and here), with many instructors saying ‘this is exactly what happens!’ and had a few requests to post some more tips. I hope this helps you with your training!

Each martial art and each instructor have their own way of testing, grading and preparing their students for whatever it is they train for, be it fitness, competition, self defence, etc.

Students and/or parents of students often do not know what to expect when starting at a new school and so may not always ask questions when they see things that do not seem right. In my previous article, Martial Arts Fairytales, I highlighted this fact – people are often drawn to the mysticism of martial arts and accept things for granted, even things that defy all logic, like masters who can knock people out with a word, or accepting given techniques as ‘realistic’ simply because someone told them to.

Martial arts have always carried a certain amount of mystique, which are often associated with ancient practices and traditions. As practitioners, we are asked to respect and follow these, often without question. But is it really something we should do?

Often, the style we prefer to learn is determined by the preferred learning style we have. Nice tongue twister. But what does it mean?

Our first sparring day featured three rounds for each matchup - one Kickboxing, one MMA and one Stick Sparring.

Congratulations to all who joined in. Was a great morning of brotherhood and fighting spirit. OSS!