How does standing in a ready stance lead to academic success? People do not always understand the benefits of structured rituals in martial arts class. Why do students need to stand in a ready stance? Why do students need to put their shoes with heels to the mat? Why do teachers demand students sit a…
Author: Shihan Josh Moree
Making it Stick
Martial arts schools are going to adopt different means of training and motivation. Much of how martial arts is taught Punishment vs Stimulus Self Exploration Deliberate Practice Lecture v/s Quizing Mindfulness of Emotions Immediate feedback Micro Training Be Slow to be Fast Draw analogies Patience and empathy Make it real. You’re already there. Trick the…
It's Supposed to be Difficult
Martial arts practice will definitely give you the opportunity to deal with a spectrum of emotions. In my own experience, I can tell you that overall I love every chance I get to practice! …if you couldn’t already tell. However, it’s also very challenging and full of difficult moments, both emotionally and physically. When I…
"I don't wanna go!"
Parents, We’ve all been there. You enroll your child into a new activity and eventually they’re going to say something along the lines of “I don’t want to go.” How do we handle that as parents? Every parent will have their own answer, but it’s something we have to consider when signing kids up for…
The Importance of Student Teachers
The road to black belt is a long journey. And 1st Dan (degree) Black Belt is even the start of a new journey! The title of Sensei is honored to those Black Belts who will also be teachers, this title is awarded by their instructor. However, not all Black Belts will be a Sensei. But…
Keep the 'Nasties' away!
Sweat, blood, and rock and roll! At least the first two are things you’ll find in most every Dojo. Some Dojos you can also find nasties that come with that, different types of fungus, ringworm, bacteria, blood pathogens, staff, and more. Yes, scary stuff! We are diligent about keep our Dojo mats clean by wiping them…
Intensity in Training
When is it ok to have 100% intensity in Kumite or Rolling? The answer is never. For the sake of this thread, I’ll use the term Kumite to cover kumite/sparring/randori/rolling. It seems almost necessary to see how far you can push yourself in Kumite. How do you know how you will perform in a ‘real’ fight…
2018 Recap
A Recap of 2018: We had a lot happen at AKJ in 2018 and are looking forward to building skill and community with each other in 2019. Empower the World! Since 2008, AKJ’s motto has been “Empower Yourself!”. One of the goals of martial arts is to better yourself though self-cultivation and self-awareness. But the…
The Choice of Learning and Failure
There is a stigma that not-winning is directly associated with failure. However, failure is a result of giving up, blaming someone else for our own shortcomings, giving into the adverse feeling of defeat, or the unwillingness to learn from the situation. Winning/Passing may be contingent upon other factors, but failure and learning are always a…