A Warrior's Thougts on the Martial Arts

So today and yesterday the Shinergy[instructor conference] took place. The instructor conference is a freshly established event where Shinergy instructors from all schools get updated on methodology, concepts, breakthroughs in sport science etc. etc. etc. Yesterday, the program was: Shinergy[skills] Here, we discussed some novelties and eliminated discrepancies between theory and practice. The hand position in the on-guard stance was tweaked to better protect the centerline. Also, the straight fist position was abandoned in favor of a 45-degree one. Besides, there was quite some discussion about proper striking mechanics. That's one of the things I love about Shinergy - stuff gets cancelled out if it doesn't work. Things are put into question. Now of course, not everyone's happy if certain holy cows (traditional stances, concepts, etc.), but then in most styles there's no discussion whatsoever. Shinergy[young stars] To further motivate young trainees, the grading syst...

Today I took the qualifying examination for the officially recognized "fitness instructor" course. The test had us complete a cooper test (running 2600 meters in less than 12 minutes) and some body-weight exercises (20 Pushups, 20 Crunches, 10 Pullups and a flexibility test). Also, each applicant had to present 5 strength exercises for each of three randomly chosen muscle groups. For me, that was "shoulders", "shin" and "hip flexors". Now maybe that's just me, but training the tibialis anterior for strength seems strange. I can't think of a sport (not even Muay Thai where you'd block a low-kick with the shin). I even question training the hip-flexors in an isolated way. Isolation training as a whole is a dubious concept for most trainees. Anyhow, as I was going to present handstand-pushups, divebombers etc. as a means of strengthening the shoulders, the examiner told me to show him isolation exercises with the dumbbells. So, I ended u...