Research Notes: The Plum Blossom Connection To Mantis Boxing
Praying Mantis Boxing (táng láng quán 螳螂拳) upon closer inspection, has a deeply rooted past that is intersected and conjoined with the plum boxing. There are a multitude of references in names of mantis boxing sets, movements within forms, and even branches of the mantis boxing style that split off from the main line and went on to brand themselves more specifically as plum blossom praying mantis boxing. It goes beyond mere symbolism. To understand this we have to…
Crushing Step (Bēng Bù)
Last week kicked off the new course I’m teaching on the mantis boxing set known as Crushing Step. Each week in live stream classes I’ll be taking you step-by-step through the fighting applications of this old boxing set; thought to be one of the originals of the style.
Join me as I give you an in-depth view of how these striking, kicking, and takedown applications work, and how to practice each move on your own.
Mantis Boxer Meets A Karateka - A Chat with Iain Abernethy
Fight Chat with Jerry Liu of Fight Commentary Breakdowns
Jerry Liu of 'Fight Commentary Breakdowns' & 'FC Chats' stopped by for a great discussion. Jerry runs some popular YouTube channels but has been a life long martial artist from Kung Fu as a kid, to Kempo, Muay Thai, and BJJ as he continues his journey. Join us as we go the rounds and attempt to change one another's minds, or agree on topics such as:
His Dark Roots - Interview with Stephen Kesting
Pandora's Box of Podcasts - Martial Arts Psychology with Sensei Ando
12 Boxers Principles to Succeed in Fighting
5 Tips to Setup Your Home for Martial Arts Training
Here are 5 tips to help you with setting up, and training martial arts (boxing, Brazilian jiu-jitsu, wrestling, judo, etc.) at home. Today I'll go over good training practices to make sure you stay with your training, ideal locations and how to adapt to what type of space you live in, types of heavy bags and how to size them, throwing dummies, grappling dummies, and type of mats you want to look for if you do any ground work/takedowns/grappling or wrestling.
What is Active Recovery? w/ Dr. Kate Kelly - Training Tips, Injuries, Training for Women, Aging/Adapting
Today I had the distinct pleasure of interviewing Dr. Kate Kelly of Active Recovery Boston [ https://www.activerecoveryboston.com/ ]. Dr. Kelly has helped me work through a myriad of injuries over the past 10+ years. She is one of my first stops whenever I have something getting in the way of my training.
We had a great discussion on…
Scholar Warrior Interview - Dr. Peter Lorge
Using Chess to Solve Martial Arts Problems
"How Long Does It Take To Be A Black Belt?"
Guest Appearance: Are Forms/Kata a Waste of Time in Martial Arts? w/ Sensei Ando
I had the great pleasure of returning once more as a guest on Sensei Ando’s channel Happy Life Martial Arts. We had an amazing, and thought provoking discussion on martial arts forms training, solo training, and more. We even threw some virtual punches, and a shadow Heimlich maneuver was almost necessary. Check out the video for a great podcast.
Our Brain on Solo Training
How to Train Martial Arts on Your Own
These times require us to innovate and adapt to the changes in our lives, routines, and day to day activities. For weeks many of us have been without a class to attend. The good news? We can still train martial arts without a class or partners, and continue to develop our skills and improve.
What does it take to make this happen? You can watch this video I made this week telling a story on why I had to learn to train myself in martial arts, or you can skip below and jump to the bullet points so you don’t have to wait any longer to train.
Either way, rest assured
Are Head Hits in Boxing/MMA Good or Bad? The Truth...
Countering the Hip Toss
Cracking the Black: Thomas McNair
How to Escape the Clinch - Continued
Here is another follow-up to the videos we shot in LA with Sensei Ando last year (May 2019) as we catch up with the backlog of footage. In this one, Thomas and I will cover the Reverse Hook and how to use it to gain control of the clinch, along with options for follow-up such as: crushing knee, wicked knee, and hanging hook.