Rejoining the Tao (retired)

Travis Stevens on YouTube, https://youtu.be/xLNpi2HHPsU Travis Stevens, American judo Olympian, spent over two hours on YouTube describing how to fix the American competitive judo system. He said he has spent several years advocating these changes and pitching it to multiple audiences. This post is my attempt to summarize his main points. I thought his presentation was compelling, so I wanted to capture highlights. If you want it straight from him, please watch the video. The First Step: Startup Revenue Through Seminars The First Step The first step is to hire a coach to perform two main functions. The first is to teach judo cadets, those under age 18 years of age. The second is to have that coach teach 18 seminars per year, across the US. (That's 18 seminars, not just seminars for 18 year olds.) Figure 1 below shows the revenue that a single seminar could generate, depending on the attendance and the cost per person. Figure 2 shows shows the revenue that 18...

I've been a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu practitioner since the very end of January 2017. I listen to several BJJ podcasts, and I sometimes hear participants critique Krav Maga. Some of the popular comments include the following: Krav Maga is mainly groin kicks, eye gouges, and palm strikes.  You don't need a long time to learn Krav Maga. In fact, you could learn the system in a week. If you practice authentic, self-defense Gracie Jiu-Jitsu, you don't need to learn a so-called "reality-based self-defense system" like Krav Maga.  Krav Maga students say their techniques are too deadly to train against live, resisting opponents. Yet, "aliveness" is the key to training. Therefore, Krav Maga is of little use in real confrontations. I've been training in the Krav Maga Global system since January 2016. I'm a "practitioner 3" who has completed the first five days of our 24 day General Instructor Course. I'm no expert but I'd like to o...

Are you a martial artist who pushes his or her limits? Do you look for ways to extend your experiences outside the martial arena? Over the last few months I've tried a few new exercise programs to complement my martial arts training. I describe them here and share why I think they could help you as well! 1. Jungshin Fitness.  In August I attended an instructor workshop for Jungshin Fitness . Jungshin is a Korean term meaning “straight spirit” or “awakened mind.” I learned about Jungshin via this Fox News Health TV segment . Annika Kahn, a fourth degree Kuk Sool Won black belt, developed Jungshin as a physical and mental conditioning program. Jungshin workouts are unique in that they use either one 40" wooden sword or two 21" wooden swords as levers to enhance the exercise experience. Classes integrate strength, breathing, balance, precision, aerobic conditioning, and meditation. Participants execute a variety of sword cuts, footwork drills, stance transitions, fin...

Iain Abernethy's Martial Map For the last month I've been listening to the outstanding Iain Abernethy Podcast , starting with the first episode from 2006. The January 2011 edition was titled The Martial Map , and it introduced Iain's model for thinking about what he calls self-protection, martial arts, and fighting. He argues that these are three distinct disciplines, but they do overlap. The graphic depiction of this concept appears in the figure at left, and Iain's podcast (which he describes as an "e-book" due to its length), explains what the seven areas mean for those of us doing combat-related practices. I really enjoyed learning about this model because it helps me better understand my own journey. However, it does introduce some problems. For one, is there an overall term that captures all three elements? Naturally I would expect the term "martial art" to include self-protection, fighting, and the activities Iain labels "martial ...

Have you ever broken a board? If you practice a Karate or Tae Kwon Do-related system, I assume the answer is yes. So what's the point, especially for kids? In this post, part of my series on martial arts business practices, I will share why board breaking might be a tool for attracting and motivating younger martial artists, and perhaps even their families. Several of the  Martial Arts SuperShow (MASS) speakers talked about the power of board breaking, especially for kids. At the time of the show, I had little experience with the kids version of the exercise. I had only broken boards as an adult during my year in military intelligence school, when I studied Tae Kwon Do. I remembered thinking it was a fun exercise, and that I needed to pay close attention to placement and punching or kicking "past the board." So how could this be useful for kids? The MASS business consultants discussed board breaking in several contexts. First, they offered four benefits for kids...

Does your martial arts school run using systems? I was unfamiliar with this approach until I attended the Martial Arts SuperShow earlier this month. I participated in several excellent business-oriented seminars designed to help martial arts school owners and instructors improve the quality of their operation and offerings. I took pages and pages of notes, and here I will begin converting them into coherent posts that I hope you will find valuable, either as a martial arts school owner, instructor, or student. The term "systems" refers to methods of conducting business or offering services to prospects and clients. In my military and corporate lives I've heard the terms "playbooks" or "standard operating procedures" (SOPs) as synonyms. The idea is to define sets of actions that you purposefully implement in order to maximize your chances to accomplishing a desired and explicit goal. For example, your school could establish systems for any or...