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To put one’s opponent into obedience is to force them into predictable action based on threat and cover (control of their attacking lines). You can think of obedience as making your opponent dance to your tune. This concept is pretty central in a lot of weapon based martial arts, it is certainly well represented in…
Devon Boorman ·
Fighting for less two than minutes I was already gassed. The first minute of the finals match had been active but not enough to warrant the level of exhaustion I was feeling already. What happened? Was I pushing myself too hard? Had I peaked too early in the event? That’s when I realized, I wasn’t…
Devon Boorman ·
When I set out to write this article I was reminded of this old Jim Carey sketch from In Living Color (be warned it involves some stab wounds and bad 90s humour). In the sketch, Jim Carey as the martial arts instructor informs his demonstration partner, who has just stabbed him with a knife, that…
Devon Boorman ·
On our Friday night open sparring sessions I like to get in and do a few fencing passes like everyone else. It’s not uncommon for one of my students, after we’ve fenced for a bit, to ask me for some feedback on their fencing. I’m glad to be asked this question, and I’m glad that…
Devon Boorman ·
This is not an accounting of how you "are a failure." Quite the opposite: it is an accounting of how you "are someone who dares."
Devon Boorman ·
Every martial arts meetup, whether it’s a class, a study group, or a tournament, is a type of gathering. It is so easy to approach these in the way we have inherited from others, rather than thinking intentionally about our purpose in those gatherings and what it takes to foster the community, learning, training, or…
Devon Boorman ·
Whether you call it randori, kumite, sparring, or touching hands, many martial arts provide space and time for students to explore the art in a less constrained environment. In my school we call this time “Open Floor”: it has typically been a weekly 2–3 hour block of time where students are invited to come and…
Devon Boorman ·
Having a form that you can practice without a training partner provides structure for improving and maintaining your martial ability when training solo, and allows you to explore and enjoy the internal side of the art that is not about competition or self-defense.
Devon Boorman ·
Solo forms are a part of many different martial arts from around the world, and European martial arts are no exception. Solo and partnered martial forms appear in many different Italian fighting manuscripts, particularly from the Bolognese tradition, as well as in German sources like one included in Döbringer’s treatise. Forms play a diversity of…
Devon Boorman ·
The main failure I see in most people’s resolution setting is that the resolutions themselves tend to live in a vacuum without any clear systems around them for support. If you are relying solely on your willpower and excitement to get you to some new achievement you are likely to run out of both—well before…
Devon Boorman ·
