The MartialBody Blog

In this final article on the subject of ‘training’, we are going to look at some of the ways in which we avoid the difficulties inherent in Martial Arts training. Some may strike a cord with you, some might remind you of training partners current or past. It is important to point out that I have personally done many of these things, especially early in my martial arts training life. So this shouldn’t be read as preaching but as coaches guide from my experiences and observations...

Leading on from my last article on the challenges of solo training, now I would like to look at the topic of ‘stagnation’ & the linked phenomena of ‘plateauing’ in Martial Arts training. I think it would be fair to say that for almost all martial artists who have trained for some time, in any style or method, this feeling will crop up from time to time. Unfortunately, I have seen it be the undoing of many a talented individual. Hopefully this Article will serve as a b...

For over 20 years now I have been immersed in training for the creation of the MartialBody. Until I crystallised the process of attribute training, this work was done under many other names, Nei Gong, Jibengong, Tanren, Tenko-no-Jutsu to name but a few. But regardless of the label placed on the methods one undeniable fact remained about these methods, the work is largely done alone.In the martial arts there is often a focus on training with the partner. Of course, to be an effective fighter it i...

Examining the prevalence of over-reaction and ‘Woo’ in certain martial arts.To some, this subject will be a fun exploration of some of the more ridiculous reactions found in the martial arts world, to others a topic that hits close to home. Either way, I think that a close look at this side of the martial arts may be of merit. I have been considering how and why the sorts of things I discuss in this article arise. Not least because a large proportion of my training history prior to B...

Breath training, in one form or another, is a core component of many martial arts. From the Chinese styles to the Russian ones, almost every martial tradition has a component devoted to the study of breathing. It is understandable that the martial arts placed such a great emphasis on breathing methods when we experience the effect of combat or stressful situations. In this introductory article we look at some of the varied breathing methods and the context in which they are used.The Nature of br...

In a previous article I outlined the importance of the centre point. This point, when unmoving in relation to the tissues and structures around it, allows the exponent to rotate so as to diminish incoming forces. But, once we have developed our idea of the centre point and our ability to utilize it, we can move on to train this general area of the body more deeply. This further exploration is to develop what I call the ‘working centre’, an area of the body that has been the subject a...

Martial arts from around the world employ a huge variety of tools to aid their solo or partner training. From specially designed heavy weapons to strange contraptions of steel spheres hung from frames, if you dig into the various martial traditions you can find almost any object used as a training tool. In this article we will look at why using tools is so important for body skill development and the general approach to using tools like sticks, balls, clubs and weights in our MartialBody trainin...