There's an old samurai maxim, which says 'a man who has attained mastery of an art reveals it in his every action'. While I do not consider myself a master, I am obssessed with martial arts and so I am always looking for parallels I can draw from training to pretty much everything else. While my experience in art revolves around music and martial arts, I believe that these principles apply to every other art, as well as to business, life, the universe and everything. Recently someone on Facebook shared this post about being a professional session musician. I was instantly amazed at how relevant this was to being a proficient martial artist, especially one who is interested in multiple disciplines and styles. I'd like to share my thoughts on this with you in the hope it helps you with your art, whatever it may be!

'Principles of Pugilistic Propulsion'... Say it 5 times quickly!

The theme for our Krav Maga classes at CAIA this coming month is striking. Personally, I’ve been on a journey over the past 2 years specifically exploring the pugilistic martial arts styles for my own enjoyment and personal growth.

As we are going to focus on these over the next few weeks in greater detail in class, I wanted to share some of the principles of effective striking that Dr Gavriel Schneider highlights. Please note that I am only reiterating and interpreting material here.

So… what are the secrets for generating power in your strikes?

A quick blog on something that has popped up in conversations several times recently, and I've been experimenting with these variations of one of the most fundamental techniques in Krav Maga - The 360 defence with a counter - to find what works best for me.

Want to know which varaitions works best for you? Read on!

Speed. It’s a great attribute to have, whether you are looing at self-defence or competition. To watch fighter with blistering speed is always awe-inspiring. But too often speed is looked at as how fast your hands are moving, or have fast you can move your feet. While this is definitely important, speed encompasses a lot more than just that, and is really a term that encompasses a variety of skills! So what is speed really made of?

A while ago I wrote about the false notion (at least in my eyes) that traditional martial arts and modern combative applications, most predominantly Krav Maga, do not mix well or, as some even claim, are diametrically opposed in the martial arts sphere. But are they?

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.

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!

Sunday April 19th 9AM - 12PM

Three hard hitting hours covering crucial elements of the Krav Maga curriculum. Great for self defence and will be a fantastic cardio workout as well.

No experience is necessary.

The infamous phrase ‘reality-based training’ once again returns to feature in an article…