Have you ever had a teacher or coach that made a difference in your life? Can you think back to something they said or did that you have repeated or emulated? Maybe you are a coach or teacher and can think of times when a student thanks you for the impact you’ve had or theContinue reading “What a Golem Can Teach Us About Teaching.”
Tag Archives: Coaching
Training as a Relationship: Partners Aren’t a Food Group.
Training is a relationship. If your interests are not in keeping your training partner safe, healthy, and able to continue to train, then it’s not a positive relationship. Training is about give and take. Ancient gladiators in Rome practiced different skills and with various partners to prepare to fight to the death in the arena.Continue reading “Training as a Relationship: Partners Aren’t a Food Group.”
A Way With Words: John Danaher and the Transmission of Knowledge
John Danaher is arguably one of the best Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu coaches in the world. He’s known for his incredible insights in BJJ and martial arts in general. He has a philosophy degree, which adds a feather to his cap to me. Danaher’s teaching method is something that martial arts coaches and academics alike should study.Continue reading “A Way With Words: John Danaher and the Transmission of Knowledge”
How Do You Find Motivation?
I’ve had several students at my college come to me lately asking what I do for motivation. I admit I am not a motivational expert. I don’t have any witty or sensational quips to offer them. Instead, I take a different tactic, one that involves a brief history lesson. When we begin to doubt ourContinue reading “How Do You Find Motivation?”
A Judoka walks into a Wrestling room…
In my last post, I discussed several elements and techniques that translated from Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu into Wrestling. I would be remiss if I didn’t also discuss some of the similarities between Wrestling and Judo. These two arts share similar rule-sets and have arguably borrowed from each other through the last century. The parallels between themContinue reading “A Judoka walks into a Wrestling room…”
A Jiu-Jiteiro walks into a Wrestling room…
While helping coach wrestling at my local high school for five seasons, I also trained Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu in the off-season. It was a whirlwind of techniques and rule-sets, with each system using various leverage points. There were similarities and differences between the systems, but I tried to focus on what united them. They were bothContinue reading “A Jiu-Jiteiro walks into a Wrestling room…”
Poetry in Motion: A Philosophy of Jiu-Jitsu
(Photo by Richard Bustos on Unsplash) Is there a philosophy of Jiu-Jitsu? It makes a great metaphor for life, but there are also great analogies to explain the learning process of this beautiful art. Let’s address the question with a little help from Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu phenom and MMA fighter Ryan Hall. In a recent video,Continue reading “Poetry in Motion: A Philosophy of Jiu-Jitsu”
Bruce Lee Broke Out of Plato’s Cave
When we first begin our martial arts journey, we start from a void, a vacuum where we know nothing. This idea holds for almost any kind of learning. As we expose ourselves to more knowledge and experiences, we slowly fill that void. But as we grow, part of learning must also come through our ownContinue reading “Bruce Lee Broke Out of Plato’s Cave”
Fighting Without Fighting: 3 Details You Should Know.
I’ve had young guys come in the gym trying to exert their physical dominance or display their machismo. You might say they are looking for a fight. One day, you realize the muscles weaken, the speed slows, and the hairline recedes. You can’t be the young lion forever. But, if you train correctly and focusContinue reading “Fighting Without Fighting: 3 Details You Should Know.”
Playing Not to Lose Until You Learn How to Win.
Have you ever felt like a loser because you just couldn’t win at anything? Here is an idea you can try to start winning, but it will take time, learning, and a willingness to lose in the short-run. I played the game Connect Four with my son the other day. After he lost several timesContinue reading “Playing Not to Lose Until You Learn How to Win.”
Joshua Clements Writes 