A Warrior's Thougts on the Martial Arts

Here we go - some footage of yesterday's sparring session. I have to say, everyone did me mighty proud. I won't go into a lot of detail here, but truly, everybody either performed at their best or accomplished something they've never done before (e.g., score with clean bodyshots in the short distance, stop an advancing sparring partner with a rear straight, or scoring with a high kick). Best of all, [Andy] is back in training! Even after his long break, the boy still knows his game. He's still exhibiting some phenomenal reactions and head movement. Some things never change... Well, without any further ado, enjoy the show! Our next stop is going to be the international polish championships in Wieliczka, on March 12th and 13th. After yesterday's sparring, I'm convinced we'll do at least as good as [last time], most likely even better. As always, I'll keep you up to date. So long, don't get hurt Music: The Four Seasons (Vivaldi) ( John H...

Below you'll find video on our fights at the Open European Taekwondo Championships 2012 in Wieliczka, Poland. It's neither a lot, nor is it particularly high-quality, but then it just has to suffice. Not going to comment much on what happened there - just enjoy the clips. Come saturday, the Shinergy[battle] winter 2012 will take place. Needless to say, my boys will be there and compete. Also, it's pretty obvious I will be there as well, coaching and taking video. I'll cover the event in a post sometime next week. So long, take care

As promised, here's the first piece of video footage from our summer camp in august. I'm not a VJ, so I just packed all the clips I have into one big clip, so don't expect any fancy art here. Anyhow, I think this footage gives you an idea of what sparring looks like at my Dojo - sometimes we play it fast an rough, sometimes smooth and easy, but always with a big deal of respect and caution. Sparring is just a form of training, an opportunity for both participants to learn and grow. Getting injured in sparring is a waste of time. Let me emphasize that: Being injured sucks. That's not just me being a softy, I've been there, done that and bought the t-shirt. All it ever did for me was keep me from competing. Not something I envision for my students. Took me a while to realize the true meaning of sparring, even longer to introduce a sensible sparring culture in my classes, but I believe it's been well worth the effort. Since this is primarily a post about the ...

I'll comment at the end of the week. Until then, it'll be video footage only. Enjoy.