The Philosophical Fighter

3 Things You Need to Know About Being Prepared

There was a time in my life where I tried being a preacher. Public speaking was natural to me and I enjoyed looking for little nuggets of truth or application in the texts I read, particularly the Bible. I still search for bits of wisdom there though I stepped away from the pulpit several yearsContinue reading “3 Things You Need to Know About Being Prepared”

Why Complicate Teaching?: What I Learned from my Students.

Due to having back surgery, I have had to let a few upper-level students teach my classes. Usually, I hate relinquishing control, but in this case, I didn’t have a choice. After class one night, one of my assistants messaged me. He had a revelation about teaching while filling in for me, one which isContinue reading “Why Complicate Teaching?: What I Learned from my Students.”

You Only Live Once (Chasing the Will-o’-the-Wisp)

Sitting in a political philosophy class in college, my professor noticed many students on their phones, texting or surfing social media. We then took a detour from Plato and Aristotle for the rest of the period. Instead of political theory, we discussed something more permanent, yet forever fleeting. That class was the first time IContinue reading “You Only Live Once (Chasing the Will-o’-the-Wisp)”

Crap Happens: Accept It and Keep Going.

Judo and Wrestling phenom, Justin Flores, posted a video on his Instagram recently of female UFC fighter Cat Zingano accidentally elbowing her training partner while drilling a technique. Have you ever done that? Or have you been on the receiving end of a stray knee to the groin while your partner is passing guard? Yeah,Continue reading “Crap Happens: Accept It and Keep Going.”

How to Be Happy Despite Fate’s Fickle Ways.

I received some pretty rough news. I have a herniated disc and a possible fractured vertebra. The degenerated discs in my lower back are likely due to years of training, competing, and rough-housing with big boys on the mat. The fractured vertebra came from a recent “Hey, y’all, watch this,” moments. I don’t know howContinue reading “How to Be Happy Despite Fate’s Fickle Ways.”

Back To The Primitive: Finding Your Tribe.

How do you think of your teammates? Do you see them as a few welcome acquaintances that you meet with a couple of times per week? Or are they something more, a necessary support group you can’t live without? In many martial arts (and fitness groups as well), we often hear a term, but weContinue reading “Back To The Primitive: Finding Your Tribe.”

Winning: It’s all in his head.

In one of my Judo matches several years ago, I was in an intense struggle for grips, and I was losing the battle. I heard my coach yelling, “You’re not moving him, Josh. He’s moving you.” My coach was right. I was letting my opponent lead the dance. In the famed Japanese swordsman and martialContinue reading “Winning: It’s all in his head.”

Family Traditions: A Recipe for Realization

At a family gathering, a young woman was asked why she cut the ends off the ham she had brought to the meal. “My mom always cut the ends off,” she replied. The young lady asked her mother later why she cut the ends off the ham. “I’m not sure, but my mother used toContinue reading “Family Traditions: A Recipe for Realization”

We Were Meant To Be Courageous

What does it take to stand up for your beliefs? Have you ever asked yourself what you would do if you were faced with giving up or fighting back? We are witnessing an interesting phenomenon in our country and our world right now. People are fighting back, sometimes literally. The unrest is real and palpable,Continue reading “We Were Meant To Be Courageous”

Readings: Man’s Search For Meaning (Suffering and Success)

In many ways, Viktor Frankl’s “Man’s Search For Meaning” is a memoir and a treatise on human tenacity. In one way, it tells of Frankl’s hardships in the Nazi imprisonment camps, Auschwitz being the worst. In another manner, the book gives us insight into how we can endure in the hardest of times and theContinue reading “Readings: Man’s Search For Meaning (Suffering and Success)”