Better Punch Bag Practice Times Two by Keith Pascal I often see heavy bags hanging in martial arts workout areas (dojos). Sometimes they’re just hanging there motionless, and other times, you see a student working over the bag. Rarely, even when the bag is being used formally in a class exercise, with everyone lined up, […]…
Incredible Punch Power On Your Desk by Keith Pascal Who would’ve thought that a holiday closeout could be this useful for building punch power? No kidding. It started the other day, when my wife and I found what was called a desktop punching bag. It was originally $20 during the season, but on the sale, […]…
Who’s The Master … a Quality of a Martial Arts Master by Keith Pascal Looking around the room at a martial arts “event,” can you tell which of these men and women are beginners, advanced students, teachers, or … the true martial arts masters? In your mind, are you saying … No, no, no, no […]…
Is Martial Arts an Emotional Cure? by Keith Pascal We know that kids are often put in martial arts to develop discipline. They learn and embody self control. We also know that martial arts practice teaches you to master aspects of body coordination. It also helps you imprint physical movement of a self-defense nature. All of that, to me, is […]…
Don’t Fool Yourself: This Martial Artist Fights the Biofeedback Machine by Keith Pascal Can a martial artist really control his or her autonomic functions of the body? Reality of realities, a few years ago, my doctor diagnosed me with high blood pressure. It ran in my family, but I thought, for some reason, that it […]…
Never Get Caught By Surprise … Verbally! by Keith Pascal It’s the holiday time, once again. This means that my wife and I get to go out in public and observe some truly mean, stressed out behavior in others. I really don’t like that Christmas, Hanukkah, and Kwanza seem to bring out both the best […]…
Martial Artist’s Guide to Getting Older and Defending Yourself … In a Nutshell by Keith Pascal You’ve been into martial arts for years, you’re getting older, yet you don’t want to lose your skills as you age. Isn’t there a way to be able to defend yourself all the way to the end of […]…
In the last post, we talked about shocking your opponent by being better than expected at the one aspect of martial arts where you’d assumed to be worse than the average. This week, let’s take some specific steps to actually acquire said surprising skill. Keith Super Speed, Power, or Range — Pick One! by […]…
A Distinct Martial Advantage: I Am “The Other Guy” by Keith Pascal Are you the other guy, too? If you’re what this article describes as the other guy or gal, then you absolutely need the advantage outlined below. When I say “other guy or gal,” what am I talking about? Imagine that you’re in a fantasy novel or […]…
How To Make Your Enemy React in Almost Slow Motion by Keith Pascal In my last blog post, I talked about the slow block of a bodybuilding blocker. It’s funny; sometimes, a martial arts tactic is so ingrained in you, that it becomes an “automatic” in your self-defense arsenal. So ingrained in my responses, that […]…