Category: Training Blog

Unless you plan to die ten years from now, there’s still plenty of time to gain a notable level of proficiency. Now is your only starting point. As …

Any plan based on willpower for success is doomed. Success in anything is largely based on rhythm. The ability to take gradual and reliable steps towa…

Training is at least 50% mental and 50% physical. If you’re truly down-and-out sick, then just let yourself be sick. No sense resisting the sleep yo…

I want to get as close to the original martial art as possible without actually putting myself, my training partners, or my students in mortal danger.…

There is certainly something ingrained in our culture to get bored easily in repetition (I see this in myself and students). Our minds are hungry for …

Swinging a steel sword at someone, even a blunted one, seems risky. That's because it is. How can we keep practicing it—often rigorously—for a lon…

A study group is a group of peers devoted to helping each other get better in a particular martial practice. If you don’t have an experienced and sa…

In its simplest form, practice is about identifying challenges, understanding them, solving them, and training through them. Then repeat. If you’re …

For many years I have kept a training journal. This is a log book of personal practice goals, training plans, progress toward those goals, and a ticke…