A Warrior's Thougts on the Martial Arts

Shinergy is an ever-evolving art. So are our training methods. "If it ain't broken, don't fix it" doesn't really apply. There's always a way of doing things in a better way. Of course, you also have to spend some time on things in order to be able to actually evaluate them. So, after evaluating our warmup routine for quite some time now, here are some tweaks to help make it even better - People usually mess up the bent over t-spine mobilisation due to insufficient hip mobility. Instead of keeping the spine neutral, they'd go into flexion. Spinal flexion plus rotation, over the long term, is no good. Hence, a better place to do this stuff is right after our three - way lunge, with one shin on the ground (i. e. ,  with a fixed pelvis and lumbar spine ). This is a pose many know from yoga. Also, when stretching the hamstrings from this position in a subsequent exercise, it's so easy to introduce an additional dorsal flexion at the ankle and reap the add...

Quite a lot has been going on lately, especially when it comes to the [Warrior Warmup] . Couple of weeks ago, I presented the current version at this years Shinergy [instructor academy] . The whole concept has been cleaned up. For me, the three way lunge is something of a highlight, as it's scalable and highly function in a multi-dimensional way. Well, how 'bout you judge for yourself... there's a long, detailled version and a quick'n'dirty go-along version of around 12 minutes. Lean back and enjoy! A detailled paper on the concept behind all of this is due to follow anytime soon now (it's already as good as done), so stay tuned. So long, take care

Over the last years, I’ve worked relentlessly at creating an S&C training system for my students. The system I came up with was nothing new, at all – rather, it was the adaptation of known ideas and methods to our (i.e., martial artists) needs. The basic premise was that each session needs to improve all the physical attributes a fighter needs to display: speed, power, strength and endurance. Note that I’m not listing anything like ‘mobility’ or ‘flexibility’ here. [Science tells us] that eccentric strength training is one of the best ways to improve flexibility. Still, I believe that the best way to train the type of functional mobility needed for any given martial arts style is, well, to practice that style. Practicing all attributes in a single session follows a [holistic] line of thought. Personally, I prefer to call that an ‘organic’ training form (a term I picked up from [Ronny] ) in that the smallest element (i.e, a single session) contains everything the whole program ha...

At this years Shinergy[instructor conference], the Warrior Warmup Routine was introduced as the standard warmup for every Shinergy class. Below you'll find video footage of the official presentation. After the detailled walk-through, we did everything again, at a higher pace, so that the translations between the individual exercises went smoother. That part didn't make it to the tape, however, due to battery shortage. Anyway, enjoy the clip and feel free to post your thoughts, questions and remarks to the comments section! So long, take care

The Background Over the course of the last year or so, I mentioned my new warmup routine on quite a few occasions. Now, after a lot of research and actual field-testing in the dojo, the gym and even the [competition area] , I finally feel ready to publish the whole thing. Just about time, considering the fact that come sunday the Shinergy[instructor conference] takes place and I've been invited to hold a class and teach the routine to my fellow instructors. You see, the Shinergy[instructor conference] is an annual meeting of all certified (and active) Shinergy instructors where new topics are discussed, presented and officially declared Shinergy standards. So, presenting this new warmup at this meeting is a great honor for me - after all, it'll be this exact routine that'll form the core of every Shinergy warmup in the future. On a sidenote, the Warrior Warmup routine is also going to be my black-belt thesis. You see, earning a Shinergy black-belt isn't limited to t...