Photo credit: http://www.elvispresleyindex.com.br/2014/05/elvis-e-o-karate.html Being the good parent that I am, I recently made my children watch all of the Karate Kid movies (except the one I dub as Kung Fu kid for reasons I might reveal in the future). I hadn’t seen some of them in their entirety in many years. As we watched, itContinue reading “Even Elvis Had a Black Belt”
Author Archives: The Philosophical Fighter
Don’t Stop Beating Yourself Up - Use It
Who needs truth when you have an incredible tale to tell? Alexander the Great, one of the most successful conquerors of all time, was purported to have wept when he surveyed the size of his kingdom and realized there were no more lands to subdue. This story makes for a great analogy even if IContinue reading “Don’t Stop Beating Yourself Up - Use It”
High Expectations and T-Rex Arms
I had a wise friend once tell me, “Aim low and achieve your goals. Don’t be disappointed. Eagles may soar, but weasels don’t get sucked into jet engines.” While I found his wisdom hilarious, I also thought about the weasel getting a shotgun shoved up his nose by the farmer when he caught it inContinue reading “High Expectations and T-Rex Arms”
Enjoy yourself. It’s later than you think.
What I learned from a dying friend. On vacation at the beach with my family, we decided to take a stroll through an antique store. We do this ritual every year around the fourth of July, so I have seen most of the items in this shop over the last several years. Nothing new toContinue reading “Enjoy yourself. It’s later than you think.”
Prepare for Days That Kick You in the Face
One night after class, I had a conversation with a student who rarely misses. I mentioned to him about having to cut back on his training in the future if he gets married and has kids. His reply was, “I won’t get married if she won’t let me train three or four times a week.”Continue reading “Prepare for Days That Kick You in the Face”
Letting go improves your grappling… and your life.
A couple of months ago, I broke the ring finger on my left hand. Unable to use that hand effectively, I gripped harder with my right. This ended up with me breaking my pointer finger on my right hand. With two bum hands, I had to figure out a way to train safely to letContinue reading “Letting go improves your grappling… and your life.”
To drill, or not to drill?
Early in my martial arts career, we would drill the same techniques repeatedly throughout the class. This might mean doing armbars for thirty minutes or having to rep fifty on each side before we could do anything else. At the time, I disliked this style of training because I became distracted or bored. Looking back,Continue reading “To drill, or not to drill?”
Joshua Clements Writes 