MONDAY MINDSET: ADVERSITY WEEK OF 8/5/24 “Adversity introduces you to yourself.” That is a quote I heard many years ago, when I was just getting off the ground as an amateur fighter. For some reason, it resonated with me, and became a core tenet of my approach to training and dealing with obstacles in […]
MONDAY MINDSET: WEEDS ARE WEEDS WEEK OF 7/29/24 I’m sure some of you wonder what the creative process is like for these articles, right? Well, would it surprise any of you to learn that I often sit down on a Sunday afternoon, scratch my head a bit, and either dip into the archives (yes, […]
MONDAY MINDSET: CHANGE REQUIRES CHANGE WEEK OF 7/22/24 Change requires change. Obvious statement there, of course. If we want things to be different, then things will need to be different. Yet this seemingly simple idea is incredibly difficult to implement into our lives and habits. As a martial arts coach, I am constantly inspecting, […]
MONDAY MINDSET: SEEING PROGRESS WEEK OF 7/8/24 I often field e-mails from students (at the academy, and abroad – we have a decent social media reach here) – about their frustrations with their progress, or perceived lack thereof. Beginners, or those with the “Beginner’s Mindset,” have trouble seeing progress, as if it’s some opaque, […]
MONDAY MINDSET: YOU DON’T NEED A SEATBELT… WEEK OF 5.13.24 …Until you do. As combat sports athletes, we walk a razor’s edge each day as we balance intensity and productivity with risk mitigation. Gloves, shinpads, floor mats, pads, rules, etiquette, no bare feet off the mats (wink wink)– these are all active filters that […]
MONDAY MINDSET: THE KEYSTONE WEEK OF 4.29.24 Coaches, Athletes, and Keystones– There should exist a natural tension between the athlete, who desires to grow, mature, and overcome boundaries, and the coach, who works to contain the athlete inside of a structured training protocol. People generally shy away from conflict or from disagreement, as if […]
MONDAY MINDSET: INSIDE OF US ARE TWO CHIHUAHUAS WEEK OF 4/22/24 Inside of us are two Chihuahuas. You’ve all heard the “ancient wisdom”: inside of us are two wolves. One wolf good, one wolf bad. Which one grows? The one you feed. Blah blah blah. To distance myself from this kind of TikTok brand […]
MONDAY MINDSET: FEAR IS A COMPASS WEEK OF 04.08.24 Fear is a compass. Well, not always. We don’t necessarily want to run into a pack of hungry, wild wolves. But when pursuing our passions, we often find that fear will not let us freely move forward. Often this is fear of failure, fear of […]
MONDAY MINDSET: THE WARRIOR PATH WEEK OF 4.01.24 Pop-culture often makes a big deal of “The Warrior Path,” making it seem that the apprentice fighter must walk over coals, survive in the wilderness with just their wits, defeat hordes of faceless enemies, and stand on poles for days. And while extreme challenges will confront […]