There are more martial arts schools than ever, and most of them will take your money without delivering what they imply they’re offering. Finding a school that’s actually good — that will make you a competent practitioner of something real…
The debate about whether martial artists should lift weights has largely been settled: they should. The question worth examining now is what kind of strength and conditioning work transfers to performance on the mat or in the ring, and what…
Women train in martial arts for different reasons than men — often, but not always. Self-defense is a more prominent consideration. Physical size and strength differences are a genuine factor. And the training environment matters in ways that a male…
The gap between what looks good in practice and what works in real conditions is one of the most important — and least discussed — problems in martial arts training. Techniques that are drilled cooperatively against compliant partners look clean…
Every technique in any striking or grappling art has a range at which it works and ranges at which it doesn’t. A kick works at kick range. A punch works at punch range. A clinch throw works when you’re too…
The punch is the most commonly used technique in a real confrontation. It’s also the technique most people practice incorrectly for years without understanding why their punches lack the power and accuracy they’d need to matter. The problem isn’t effort.…
Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu is the most developed ground fighting system available to civilian practitioners. A serious BJJ student who trains consistently for three to four years develops genuine ground fighting capability that transfers well to self-defense contexts. This is not in…
Most striking arts are taught as if fights happen at a fixed distance. The students practice punching and kicking combinations against a stationary heavy bag or a cooperative partner who holds pads and stays in the correct place. The techniques…
Geoff Thompson, the British self-defense instructor and author, developed and popularized what he called “the fence” — a pre-contact positioning concept that addresses the gap between formal martial arts training and real-world defensive encounters. The concept is simple, practically powerful,…
Most martial arts systems include some form of knife defense in their curriculum. Most of it is inadequate for real encounters with an edged weapon. This is not an indictment of traditional training — it reflects an honest assessment of…
