Anxiety

Anxiety has a habit of creeping up on you. It could be part of a constant backdrop to which we relate to the rest of the world. We are unaware of its power but it can be there without us realising, Influencing everything that we do, wondering why we are under so much stress. I…

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Winning without fighting.

So, I got up and as usual sat in meditation for 30 minutes and was feeling pretty good. At 8am I decided to go to the local pool and do some laps. Now I am still in my floaties as my fitness is re building after having 3 months out after my ankle operation. I…

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Supermarket Self Defence

Supermarket Self Defence

There is a very thin veneer between living our lives in a community that is based on civility, good manners and being good law abiding citizens and people that live outside the bell curve of what we consider good.  Evil is sometimes only a breath away and within a blink of an eye you can…

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Martial arts and money.

Martial arts and money.

Martial arts and money. Attending martial arts and working towards your black belt takes time and discipline. Each class that you attend is one step closer to your eventual goal. There are no short cuts. Saving money and paying off loans is the same. Saving for the long term takes discipline and commitment. Paying off…

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Fear

Fear

Fear It’s with out a doubt one of the main reasons we find ourselves stuck. Many people just roll along happy with their lot, never having the need or desire to challenge the outer edge of life. This email is not for you people. This email is for the person that has a desire, need,…

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10 unique ways to develop a peaceful life

10 unique ways to develop a peaceful life

1. Develop a sincere curiosity. Instead of judging or criticizing replace the urge with ” that’s curious” 2. Replace negative thoughts with; the beauty of…..the beauty of sitting in traffic is that I remind myself of the beauty around the great city I live in. 3. Bathe in the present moment and give each task…

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Learning to live fully and not just exist.

Learning to live fully and not just exist.

Live Now. This sounds like a pretty easy thing to do…Live now, because if you are not living now then where and when are you living? In a practical way this is true, but it is important to not confuse living with existing. While the body exists in a space we are easily taken away…

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Defending 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…

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Surviving 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…

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The 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…

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The 3 Secrets and the Biggest Loser.

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…

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What 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…

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10 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…

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A 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…

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Is 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?

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Are 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…

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Is 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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How would you go in a street fight?

A Martial Artist view on self defence Martial arts is well renowned as a great way to learn self defence but how to you think it really stacks up. With so many reality fighting contests martial arts has been put through the pressure test.

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