First, let me apologize for being away so much recently. I am finishing my master’s in the next few weeks and have had to buckle down on my thesis. That process has taken much of my time and mental energy. As a brief break from the mental drudgery, I spent the weekend at The GreatestContinue reading “Catching Up With Old Friends”
Tag Archives: Growth
What Does “Know Thyself” Mean?
Gnothi seauton Know thyself is not a question, but a command. The phrase was inscribed at the entrance of the Temple of Apollo in Ancient Greece. People traveled to this temple seeking divine counsel from the oracle of Delphi, the messenger of Apollo. It was there to remind those who entered of their place inContinue reading “What Does “Know Thyself” Mean?”
What a Golem Can Teach Us About Teaching.
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.”
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…”
How does Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu fair against multiple attackers?
A question on Quora made me think critically about Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and how it may fair in a fight against multiple attackers. I think one of the common misconceptions of BJJ is that it is seen as a sport or grappling-only art in recent years. While that is true in many cases, BJJ is oftenContinue reading “How does Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu fair against multiple attackers?”
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”
Readings: Thinking, Fast and Slow (and What That Means for Martial Artists).
Daniel Kahneman is a Nobel Prize winner in Economic Sciences (decision making) and a former professor of psychology at Princeton University. His 2011 book, “Thinking, Fast and Slow,” is still a popular book for people trying to figure out how our cognitive selves operate. Though he is intelligent and highly educated, he can take theContinue reading “Readings: Thinking, Fast and Slow (and What That Means for Martial Artists).”
Joshua Clements Writes 