I was having a discussion with a 2nd Dan teacher about using some different drills and how to set them up. She voiced her opinion about liking a certain “type” of drill because it made more sense to her. The example used was a warm-up drill that we call “Kick/Switch” because she had a partner […]

As I scour the networking sites for more knowledge and information, I came across this LinkedIn post, Personal Branding And Identity: Experts Read Between The Lines, by Stephan Trano. In the post he discusses how presenting yourself in social networking can affect the way you are perceived and what capabilities you have. The vast majority of how […]

“If serving is below you, then leadership is beyond you.” – Unknown which leads to…   The problem is that people tend to see “serving” only in terms of commercial roles such as sales, food service and customer service. They also view public service as unworthy and not profitable. Personally, all of the public service […]

Recently, there has been a couple rants posted in my circles about belts and certificates. Here is my rambling on the topic. Capabilities and knowledge are by far the most important representation of what a person is like. The belt can be purchased. In fact, In fact I have wholesale accounts with three different vendors […]

You will find it in the advertising for almost every martial arts school around. The pitch to make you a “Black Belt” has been sold for decades. Several schools use it as their main marketing catchphrase or something that infers a Black belt. Is it a wonder that the public thinks a Black Belt is […]

The path that Supreme Grand Master Ro, Byung Jick traveled to learn and train. His path was named Song Moo Kwan. Not many had gone before him. It is also the path that Sensei Ueshiba took.The path continued and grew as Grand Master Hyon, Jun Sun traveled along with Supreme Grand Master Ro. Nearby Sensei […]

“Tradition is tending the flame, it’s not worshiping the ashes” – Gustav Mahler, a 19th century conductor and composer. I came across this quote when reading another blog that talked about people missing the point of keeping traditions. His take on it was quite accurate. You shouldn’t keep things just to say they are tradition. […]

Well, that is to say that the martial arts principles and strategies can be applied to everything in daily life as a way to solve problems easier and create greater success. Most people do many of these things already but haven’t recognized it. Through martial arts training or (non-physical) coaching these principles an be explained […]

Twice this year I have had the fortune of receiving awards. It is the second that is most humbling as it comes from a completely unexpected source. I have been training in Song Moo Kwan Taekwondo for 35 years now. The first 10 years with the Karate North organization lead by Master Tom Sullivan. This […]

The current social perspective about competition and rewards has lead to having an undue amount of each, in my opinion. I first noticed this as a colored belt in Taekwondo participating in tournaments. This weekend was this “Championship”, the next would be that “Championship”, then some other “Championship”. This was confusing after growing up watching […]

Often, when watching highly skilled athletes, we see amazing skills. Usually, though, what we think we saw is not what happened. Seidokan Aikido founder, Shihan Roderick Kobayashi, regularly stated that “advanced techniques are basic techniques made simpler.” The problem is that beginning and intermediate students intellectually understand the thought but don’t connect the concept when they […]

So, you’ve been training in the martial arts for a while now. You have know stances, blocks, kicks and patterns. You have worked on personal protection techniques and sparred. You KNOW what you’re doing. Are you sure? My father used to tell me “It’s good that you know all the answers, too bad you don’t […]