Stop talking about yourself! Learn about prospects by asking questions. You may be an expert in martial arts, but you’re not an expert in what a prospect wants. Too often this is the pitch, “Here we do xxx under yyy’s lineage” and then an implied question is left hanging that I guess is, “(please) would[…]
Practice to make the most of your training situation Our preferred practice methods may not always be available to us as conditions change: partners become unavailable, facilities downsize, our own schedule alters—any number of reasons may signal changing the focus of our practice may be more useful to our growth. Here’s today’s video on practicing[…]
Cross training doesn’t have to be the typical Muay Thai, BJJ, FMA, yoga mix Shawn Zirger shares his perspective about the beautiful space he’s created at FAC Toronto Shawn speaking about his space One thing I love about Shawn and many of the people I meet doing this project is the independent spirit while still[…]
It’s not the art, it’s who’s better that day I was going to write a totally different post, but saw something on Facebook/YouTube that got me diverted. Imagine that? Adam Chan, the creator of this video, states himself that it’s just one idea, one possibility, and that it’s not bullet proof. Enough said.[…]
A rational look at authenticity People often search for and advertise, “authentic (martial art here).” There are many forms of authenticity, most of which don’t have tremendous value to your life. Let’s look at some: With technique of a past era. So either tactics, tools, requirements, or rules have changed. Maybe the art has become[…]
Even when you’re awesome, keeping it fun keeps me watching I have no idea if this is the official, personal whatever, but Saenchai’s Instagram feed is the one I love. Why? Because he’s having fun and doesn’t post stupid motivational memes. A more detailed look I suppose: It’s a mix of action, personal, and casual[…]
Because you stop caring for even a serious hobby when it stops being fun My old friend and teacher Christian Malgeri was in town last week and I was reminded of not only what excellence, but the pursuit of excellence looks like. It was humbling, motivating, and fun, and—all respect to my local martial arts[…]
Develop 2-3 go-to moves for each art you practice They’re famous–Ronda Rousey’s arm bar, Mirko Cro Cop’s left head kick. Go-to moves that are unstoppable even when you know they’re coming. There are 2 main benefits to having go-to moves aside from winning. First, it will quickly give you some measure of success and therefore[…]
You won’t get good training 2 hours a week, so time to re-calibrate expectations Shit, did I just break my rule about over-promising headlines? If you’re casually training MMA and are only able to make it in twice a week for an hour, what is that, an hour of Muay Thai and an hour of[…]
Advice from Joey de los Reyes, head trainer at Kombat Arts in Mississauga, ON on building a successful gym When I first met Joey de los Reyes’s group the first thing that struck me was their friendly demeanor. Having driven 4 hours to attend a seminar that evaporated due to miscommunication, they took it in[…]