Perth Martial Arts News
The Definition of Winning, and the Importance of Losing
One of the best things about martial arts training is that, especially early on, we lose often. Whether that’s doing scenarios, whether that’s sparring, rolling, randori, etc., the fact that we lose helps us develop resilience, analyse our performance and get better over time.
That being said, if we lose over and over again, it can be a real hit to motivation and become so frustrating that we may stop training altogether.
At the same time, if you are only training in an environment where you win every single time, your training is probably unrealistic – whether that’s for self defence or combat sports. Developing the perception that you will always win can lead to developing a big ego or false confidence in your skills that can put you at risk.
We need to find a balance between winning and losing that will encourage us to grow, show us are weaknesses and motivate us to get better. So how do we do that?
AMWA 2021 Summit
Australian Modern Warrior Alliance
MAY 22 & 23 | BRISBANE
JUN 12 & 13 | BRISBANE
Includes:
- 2 Days of Krav Maga training
- + an internationally recognised Grading
- + a closed Black Belt Grading
Featuring:
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Dr Gavriel Schneider 7th Dan
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Sensei Noah Greenstone 6th Dan
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Sensei Dave Hughes 4th Dan
-
Master Mannie de Matos
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Sensei Ron Amram 3rd Dan
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Sensei Hylton Silver Shodan
-
Sensei Max McGregor Shodan
$195 Full price
$150 Interstate Participants
Does not include airfare or accomodation
Secure Signup On Our Booking System - CLICK HERE
Perth Saturday 14th NOV, 11:30AM
100 rounds of kickboxing for a great cause.
Proceeds from the funds raised through this event will be donated to a CAIA family member who is battling a brain tumour.
The Concept: A friendly 100 rounds of sparring - with the proceeds going to a great cause!
How it works: This is friendly endurance event in which fighters do 100 rounds of kickboxing and get sponsors in order to raise funds for a worthy cause. Each round will be one minute and fighters will change partners every round for 100 rounds of pure adrenaline.
We are seeking sponsors for each fighter for 100 rounds! You could donate a dollar per round, or it could be ten cents per round. Every dollar helps.
What can I do? Fighter Registration is now closed. PLEASE SPONSOR A FIGHTER by filling in the PayPal form below. If you are thinking of coming down to watch, make sure and arrive early as space is limited!
Why You Should Encourage Yourself to Explore Violence... and How to do it Safely.
Today’s society is more divided than ever about the role and place of violence.
On one extreme, we see a segment of society who proclaim violence is evil and has absolutely no place in a civilised society whatsoever.
On the other extreme, we see a segment of society who explicitly support the use of violence as a way to resolve most arguments.
Combine this with the fact that we, as a society, are grossly misinformed and underinformed about the realities of violence. This creates unhealthy and often inaccurate polarised opinions about what violence is and where it can and should be used, if at all.
So where is the place for violence in society?
Training for Self Defence and Violence Management in the COVID Era
COVID-19 has seen the world change many aspects of life that were considered basics, given or even a god-given right.
It has also resulted in an increase in aggression and violence. Self defence training feels more important than ever.
Unfortunately, quarantine, isolation and contact restrictions have also limited and changed how we can train for self defence.
So how can you train for self defence in the COVID era?
The Missing Ingredient in Self Defence
What do you think is the most important element of self-defence classes?
Giving the student real self defence skills, in all their facets, is the obvious answer, but is it the first one and the only one?
Usually the argument will then go to discussion about technique, or scenarios, or the level of contact or how long it takes to get a black belt. These are all valid discussions, but often miss one important point.
Read more to find out what that point is!
Acceleration and Gauges: Thoughts on Less Commonly Discussed Aspects of Adrenaline Management in Self Defence
Adrenaline is one of the realities of self-defence. If you have never experienced violence, you are 100% guaranteed to be adrenalized if something happens. And even if you are very experienced in dealing with violence you are likely to experience adrenal dump – you are just likely to manage it much better.
There are a couple of factors that are not discussed as often when talking about adrenaline:
1. The level of adrenaline you are experiencing
2. The effects of adrenaline on other people (attackers, people you are protecting, bystanders, first responders)
3. The root cause behind the adrenaline
These are crucial pieces to understanding what kind of situation you are dealing with, whether it can be avoided or de-escalated and how far things might go if it deteriorates into a physical confrontation.
Read on to find out why!
Perceptions and Reality, Pt 2: Language Matters
About 5 years ago I wrote this piece on how we perceive violence happens.
In the 5 years that have passed, many things changed, but what was discussed in that article still holds true.
Today I’m going to revisit that idea, and discuss how the language we use impacts our perception, and vice versa, and how that impacts our understanding of, and response to, violence and self-defence.
Below are some of common phrases that are often used interchangeably in self-defence classes. But are they really interchangeable?
Read on to find out!
'I Hate Violence': Thoughts on Tools, Idealism and Misconceptions
I remember describing to some family members, in excited fascination, some new insight I got into self defence and violence prevention. To my amazement, they were horrified by what I was describing. The general consensus was that ‘it’s all so violent’. The discussion went on to the moral opposition of violence, and eventually the following sentence came up:
‘I hate violence’.
Well, I’m here to tell you something. If you say that you hate violence, you are either naive or silly.
Don’t believe me? Well, read on and I’m sure I can change your mind!
Trick Question: Where Does Real-World Violence Happen?
A fight is about to start. You know it. You tried to avoid and you tried to de-escalate with no success. The person is pointing at you, shouting that he is going to punch your teeth down your throat. He is closing the distance quickly and starting to angle his body, so you know a right haymaker is coming next.
You are not worried. You’ve practiced your moves in the dojo thousands of times and you know what to do.
As he closes the distance, you shift your weight and for a front kick to push him back, like you’ve done a million times in training…
… but you lose your balance and fall on your butt. He is right on top of you, and about to try and curb stomp you into oblivion.
Where did you go wrong? Read more to find out.
More...
Spreadsheets, Processes, Goal Setting and Developing Training Plans
Let’s start with something you (hopefully) already know. Combat sports and self-defence are not the same thing.
If you think they are, then I recommend you read this. If you still don’t believe me, then you should probably stop reading here.
At the same time, there is so much that self-defence practitioners can learn from combat sports! You can read more about this here. Again, if you still don’t believe me then you should probably stop reading here.
So, if you are still reading then hopefully, we are on the same page. So, let’s talk about some of the training methods that are useful for both, how they cross over, and at a great structure and toolkit for your training.
Ready? Read on!
'Roses Really Smell Like': Reasons, Excuses and Recognising Your Own BS
Knowing when to train and not to train can be a tricky minefield to navigate.
Every martial artist has experienced this. Whether it’s soreness, injury, family or work commitments, car trouble, bad weather or just not feeling like it, we can always find excuses not to go to training.
Where this gets difficult is knowing the difference between ‘excuse’ and ‘reason’.
Knowing the difference can help you in so many important ways: preventing injury, maximising your performance, and improving relationships with your training partners and teachers, and also with your relationships outside of the dojo.
So how can you tell the difference? Read on!
Defending You from You: Self Defence, Defence of Self, and Defence From Self
So good to be writing again! It's been 3 long months.
What does ‘self defence’ mean to you?
To most people it means being able to defend themselves or their loves ones in the event of a violent attack.
And yes, that’s a pretty good reason to learn self defence.
But there’s another part to the equation, that’s just as important. Want to know what it is? Read on!
Not Just a River in Egypt: The Most Dangerous Thing You Say to Yourself is...
$hit Happens. All the time. To everyone.
We watch the news and see a story about someone getting mugged, assaulted, sucker punched, raped, murdered.
But that stuff happens to other people. I lock my doors at night, and I have insurance. Besides, I don’t live in that part of town and I don’t associate with those sorts of people.
And then what do you say?