Excerpt from the MATA Certification Program. A common misperception is that ignoring misbehavior—or addressing it by praising students who are behaving (proximity influence)—is the least invasive form of intervention. But ignoring misbehavior is the most invasive...
If you teach martial arts for a living, read this carefully. As a parent, if you saw your child clearly underperforming in class yet the instructor proclaims he is doing “awesome!” would you trust that instructors’ feedback on how your child is doing? I wouldn’t....
HOW TO TEACH A MARTIAL ARTS CLASS THAT MAKES SENSE. Martial arts does not encourage free-thinking, but the pursuit of success requires it. Most classes contradict everything they taught in the first half of class.Which half of a martial arts class makes sense?First...
It's crucial to understand what habits you're teaching your students. Teaching them complex moves won't be as helpful if they need to defend themselves in the real world. What if you could do both? The idea of that is appealing to me, but it's not realistic. For...
This Video Exposes One Of The Major Gaps Kata Creates In Striking In The Ring Or In The Street.When teaching martial arts students sparring, it's critical to understand the habits you're creating. When virtually every technique of traditional kata contradicts...
The block that convinced me to stop teaching it.Please read this objectively as you can. Some martial artists are easily insulted, which is not the purpose of this article. The goal is to stimulate thought and discussion. As martial arts professionals, most of us...
From about 1984 - to 1993, I had a cable TV show, USA Karate. In 1992, I drove over to Orlando to interview Tony Robbins, who had recently earned his black belt from Jhoon Rhee. Tony was conducting his Fear Into Power weekend seminar that concluded with everyone,...
