Posts by Andy Dickinson
De stress your life and create emotional stability and resilience.
All of us have had to weather hard times, it is a part of life. Good and bad work off of each other. In Taoist philosophy it says that in order to feel the good you must know or have felt the bad. No one wants bad but you can’t avoid it, it happens to…
Read MoreThe martial artist, the street fighter and the MMA fighter?
The age-old question; which is the tougher, more superior way of fighting? The only way to truly answer the question, one really has had to have experienced a lot as it really is not as clean cut as it seems. Trying to answer this question in broad terms would actually be a gross in justice…
Read MoreDefending my self over Easter.
So I was feeling pretty good after teaching submission and sparring techniques in class, followed by a couple of cold drinks and pizza with the students. Driving back along Darling St I could see that there were families out and people were enjoying the last of the warm weather. I was relaxed and attentive, slowly…
Read MoreSurviving a knife attack
SURVIVING A KNIFE ATTACK I had been studying martial arts for 10 years or more was a 2nd Dan Black Belt in Taekwondo, ample experience in Ju Jitsu, competing regularly and working security on night club doors. All in all in pretty good shape. It was about 7pm and a friend and I had just…
Read MoreMake it count….
Our lives are really full. There is a powerful pre occupation with “doing” that keeps us really busy. We step out into this world from the cocoon of our parents and launch ourselves onto the treadmill of life. As life gains momentum we zing past events and quickly move onto something new and what was…
Read MoreIt’s up to you.
It is up to you! There is a quantum leap in your awareness when you realise with certainty that you are responsible for your own life. Once this awareness sits in your soul, you can shape a life by design and not by default. Designing the way that you want to live means you take…
Read MoreThe 5 Essential Elements of Martial Arts
There are no techniques that will satisfy every situation, no one magic technique is guaranteed to work. That is why the foundation and fundamentals of the system have to be well thought out so that regardless of any situation that presents it self, you can apply the basics effectively. Learn them well and you will…
Read MoreA Flight Attendant’s Revenge: Fat Pizza
This video is was a heap of fun. It was filmed for season 2 of the “Fat Pizza” series on SBS.
Read MoreThe 3 Secrets and the Biggest Loser.
On biggest loser you see the end product of years of habitual conditioning which generally revolves around a deep seated dislike of who they are. Eating and a lazy lifestyle have thrust them into a deep hole of dispair. Luckily they have realised it and have taken massive action. With the help of a boot…
Read MoreWhat is the latest martial arts trend?
Through out my 38 years of martial arts training I have seen many, many fads and trends come and go. Kickboxing was huge in the late 80’s followed by Taebo in the early 90’s and now we have MMA. All hybrid versions of martial arts and all great methods of exercise. They have great appeal…
Read More10 Martial Arts Truths.
The individual desire to study martial arts is diverse and interesting at the same time. For many the intention is to learn a way of fighting so that if the unfortunate situation arises and you have to defend yourself then you can do so. The trick in martial arts is to teach the student to…
Read More10 points to taking massive action and changing your life
I have the equivalent of 29 Black Belts and have won several championships around the world. The preparation for each test has been the same. This is the method that I use to prepare for any challenge and it works :
Read MoreA Masters approach to street fighting.
Yesterday as I was walking out of the post office at Balmain a man walking past me caught my attention. Just for an instant I looked at him and him at me….I thought, “wow what an interesting hair cut and hey, tattoos…he is covered in them, he is not the usual person you would see walking…
Read MoreWhat if ?
What if? What if? The possiblities are endless? You have a choice in each action, to open and embrace uncertainty or to be a prisoner to your own limitations.
Read More50 possible ways of cutting 100 calories a day
50 possible ways of cutting 100 calories a day Reaching our weight loss goal needn’t be as difficult as it may seem. The secret to losing weight successfully is making small and progressive lifestyle changes until we develop completely new lifestyle habits and achieve our ideal weight. Here are 50 painless ways to cut 100…
Read MorePowerful Women Who Inspire.
Cynthia Parr. Cynthia stars in a documentary about her life called “By your side.”
Read MoreThe last of the great Martial Arts: Daito Ryu Aiki Ju Jutsu
Little is known about Daito Ryu Aiki Ju jutsu in the West. Even in Japan, it has long been considered a relic of a pre war era, at best the poor cousin of its modern day cognate Aikido, but nothing could be further from the truth.Daito Ryu has always been a conservative and some what…
Read MoreBlack Belt Bouncer & the Scottish Rugby Team.
The first night I worked as a bouncer was at a popular night club in Sydney city in the early 80’s . At that time this particular nightclub was probably “The” place to be seen when discos were at their peak of popularity. I did not need the money as I was working full time, I…
Read MoreThe Fighting Flight Attendant.part 1.
When I was 24 I left the shores of Sydney and did not land again until I was 40 years old. I spent 16 years travelling, training and learning. By the time I was 24 I was already a Black Belt with many years experience and had competed many times. In a way I had…
Read MoreBut I don’t like the way you speak to me!
Did you think that it was going to be easy? Did you think that Martial Arts was going to be like any other sport, pastime or hobby? I keep saying time and time again that martial arts is more than just a physical movement. Martial arts is marketed as a body , mind, spirit, way…
Read MoreThe Black Belt and the Bouncer.
For a while there I would do anything for experience. Some times I would go to great lengths to see if I really had what it takes and to push my martial arts training to the limits. Upon getting my Black Belt at 21, I soon found myself craving real life fighting experience. Not that…
Read MoreIs tradition important in martial arts?
Do martial arts hang onto their traditional roots just for the sake of it? Does it enhance or impinge your learning experience? What would it do to martial arts if there were no uniforms, no stances, no bowing etc? Have a think about how you would feel?
Read MoreAre the days of the good samaritan over?
Are the days of the good samaritan over? You see a man hitting a woman on the street. You have never met these people before… What would you do and why? As in all conflict the age old advice “look before you leap” is probably the best option before launching into something that you have…
Read MoreAre you really loyal?
So many people profess to love you and say they are loyal yet the first sign that their ego may be threatened and they will cut your throat, metaphorically speaking of course. Here is a news flash, for most people are loyal only at the wims of their own ego! And what exactly is this…
Read MoreIs this Martial Arts?
With the modernisation of martial arts, there has been an explosion of hybrid style competitions that are now far more popular than boxing or any other combat sports. Competitions such as UFC and Pride in Japan, have taken blood sports to the next level. They call these kind of competitions “Mixed Martial Arts.” Watch the…
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