In the Israeli Army, where I served, new recruits have six months to go from high school graduates into soldiers. Instructors need to squeeze every bit of training into these weeks, and there is never enough time to cover everything. The West Point Military Academy is a far different system. As this is a professional army, this is a military college where students learn how to become officers. There, they learn the skills to lead their soldiers into battle. Therefore, the cadets prepare the way one would for any other career. It was a privilege to enter a completely different world. Cadets are selected from the top students across the United States. Once accepted, they will have access to the finest facilities and have entire semesters to perfect their skills over a four-year period until they graduate as officers and attend active duty. At the end of four years, most Israeli soldiers have been released from service for a year and are backpacking through South America. Even officer training in the Israeli army is only, at most, fourteen weeks. My afternoon with Matt Larsen, Combatives Director at West Point, allowed me to understand what was possible with a vast amount of time and resources but also outlined the principles which can be applied to all martial arts students and teachers. This fits with the idea of the program. The training these cadets get is not typical of the average soldier. Larsen reports that they will be in charge of maintaining the fitness of their soldiers and working with their subordinate officers to maintain the standard. Having a high degree of knowledge will allow them to set and maintain a high standard for the entire company. Here are the top three principles I learned from the entire program that every school should implement. (I learned so much from Matt Larsen himself, I filled up an entire second article) Principle: Learn How to Move The West Point combatives program starts with learning the fundamentals of movement. Cadets study the basic forms of running, climbing, and falling, as well as basic gymnastics. This allows them to be able to control their own bodies in space, allowing for efficient and ergonomic motion. Although it seems strange to begin combatives by going so back to basics, this foundation allows them to pick up techniques in more advanced classes much more quickly. One especially important movement that students must learn is swimming. Not everyone comes to West Point knowing how to swim. By the end, they must learn not only how to do so but how to do so under stressful conditions such as not having use of their feet and hands. While this may not seem like combatives on the surface level, the skills of keeping their composure in stressful situations are vital for being able to function on the battlefield. Principle: Learn the Rules, Then Break Them After movement, comes classes in actual combatives. The first class is boxing. Of course, students are not expecting to go three rounds with terrorists. However, learning to punch, block, move, defend, and pivot will become the foundational fighting skills. After that, students learn a form of ground combat that also allows for striking. The final class is a close-quarters combatives class that brings in weapons. Each class builds on the other, in order to create students who are able to fight in close-quarter situations. Although one would imagine that soldiers would primarily use weapons, Larsen illustrated that many times, using weapons would be counter-productive and seen as brutal when working in foreign countries, and soldiers must be able to defend themselves without resorting immediately to shooting. Larsen described the learning process as getting from short-term memory to long-term memory. He compared it to learning letters, and then building them into words, and then making use of those words to form independent thoughts. Students first learn the basic principles of combatives, but then learn to work them together to be able to form battle strategies of their own. The emphasis isn’t on memorizing but on making combatives natural to the student. This is shown by the way each semester builds on the other, utilizing the skills from previous ones to build a more rounded skill set. From movement comes boxing. From boxing comes the groundwork. And the final class creates the well-rounded warrior. Principle: Learn to Cultivate a Spirit of Healthy Competition by Competing for Mutual Improvement I was surprised by how hard the students were going at each other. During the tests, hard strikes were allowed on the body. Cadet Caitlin, one of the students about to test, explained that any strikes above the hip and below the clavicle were permitted, making them extremely painful. Also, these tests were given in public before all of their peers, which means the losers would be known to everyone. “Fighting publicly, the fear of public humiliation, that is something you just have to overcome with every single class,” she explained. Since the events were publicly graded, cadets had to get used to being criticized publicly and taking it with grace and honor. Given that the students work and live together in such close proximity, I wondered if there would be hard feelings. Cadet Fahad, the other of the two students I interviewed, said no. “It’s all about maintaining your composure.” But after class? “It’s all love.” He shared how they go really hard on each other in class, but afterward, everyone was extremely supportive of each other. “They’re breeding warriors here, but at the end of the day, we can go back, do our homework together, and laugh it off, It’s a new day.” West Point has created an atmosphere where students go hard on each other to improve each other, so the harder one goes on one’s partner (appropriately), the more camaraderie it shows. Most gyms can’t replicate the West Point Academy experience. Most armies can’t even do it. But the principles from this elite program can be brought to training everywhere. I know I have been inspired.

In this fourth installment of John Wick, Keanu Reeves suits up once again to dismantle those who are out to kill him. An official trailer has been released along with a scheduled movie release date of March 24th, 2023. In 2014, the John Wick franchise made its debut and has been a tremendous success ever since. With the addition of martial artists and action stars, Donnie Yen and Scott Adkins, things are taken to the next level. John Wick 4 (JW4) will see the return of familiar characters, Lawrence Fishburne as the Bowery King, Lance Reddick as Charon, and Ian McShane as Winston. This action-packed movie will also feature actors with serious martial arts skills, the most notable additions being Donnie Yen and Scott Adkins. After the franchise's third installment opened to great success, JW4 was confirmed as the fourth installment. Originally, John Wick 3 and 4 were intended to be shot back-to-back, but due to covid-19 and Matrix Resurrection, JW4 was delayed. The latest film began shooting in the summer of 2021, in multiple countries. It’s said to continue where John Wick 3 left off. In the trailer, you can see Wick (Keanu Reeves) training as he prepares to take on the highest authority of the underworld, the infamous High Table. The Bowery King shows up holding Wick’s iconic black-on-black ensemble. Upon being asked whether he is prepared for the task at hand, Wick replied, "Yeah." As usual, Wick dresses to impress, no matter who he's killing at the time. The John Wick franchise knows its fanbase very well. People who enjoy nonstop, fast-paced action with a simple storyline. The trailer by Lionsgate does a great job of appealing to its base by showing some of the action that can be expected. There are several new high table members revealed in the trailer, which is one of the most exciting things to take away from it. Who doesn’t want to see John Wick go to war with Bill Skarsgard’s character Marquis and Donnie Yen’s character Caine? Bill Skarsgard, who played Penny Wise in the movie IT, appears to be one of the main antagonists of John Wick along with Asia Kate Dillon. Although having a part in the movie, there is no information on Scott Adkins’ character yet. In the end, Wick may have to face Caine, played by Yen, a high-ranking member of the High Table. This is something I am very much looking forward to. We can expect more trailers as the film's release draws closer. With the release of more trailers, more information about the plot and characters will be explained. Other than the latest trailer, no further details have been revealed about the plot of JW4. However, when you combine Donnie Yen's and Scott Adkins' martial arts prowess, this installment is bound to be a box office hit.

The majority of martial arts training is geared toward all of the things that you need to do to improve and advance. Regardless of style, there is usually a long list of techniques to learn, exercises to do, drills to perfect, and so on. With so much time spent on what we should do, perhaps it would be a good idea to consider the things that we should not do.Minimalist Martial Art. The whole idea of minimalism, de-cluttering, and other philosophies geared toward getting rid of the junk that we seem to accumulate, but don’t need, is a concept easily applied to martial arts training. This is certainly not a new idea. If one pays attention to the wisdom of the venerable samurai Miyamoto Musashi, and his treatise on strategy from the 17th century, The Book of Five Rings , he spells it out quite simply: “Do nothing which is of no use.”The first step in the process is to question why we do what we do. This can be difficult, I know it was for me, as we tend to do what we’re told by our teachers, our fellow students, and do things that we’ve picked up elsewhere (books, videos, etc). However, we all learn and grow, and something that may have been a great drill, exercise, or technique years ago, may not serve the same purpose any longer. It may be time to move on. Here are some questions to ask yourself: What do you practice, and what are your goals? Does your practice match what you want to achieve? That may sound simple, but I know for myself, my practice was quite different than my goals. I wanted to get better at weapons, but I was hardly practicing them at all. Why? I didn’t want to give up time on things that I had done for years. A change was needed. Either I was going to have to cut some things and add others, or reevaluate what I was trying to accomplish. How long have you been doing a particular drill, technique, or exercise? That’s not to say that you should jettison something just because it’s old. The purpose is to remember the reason why you started doing it in the first place, and consider whether it is still valuable to you. I was still practicing drills to fix a bad habit long after the bad habit had been fixed. The drills had done their job. Time to tick the box, and move on. Do you have a program of practice with metrics to determine success, or is it just a familiar activity? We like what we know, and it can be very uncomfortable to make changes. While we shouldn’t necessarily make changes for change's sake, we shouldn’t keep doing what we’re doing just because we’re used to it either. Evaluate The act of questioning your practice and focus is an important first step. The next step is to evaluate whether the things you do are effective or not. If you are doing a kicking drill, is this the best one? Are the kicks getting better? If I video myself now and compare it with a video from months ago, is there improvement? As with many things in life, the secret to success lies in the questions we ask ourselves. If you are going “back to basics,” are you improving your basics? If your basics are the same as when you learned them, then something is amiss. The goal should be an improvement upon those basic skills to bring them up to a higher level, and not just to be good at practicing them. There is a difference between busy and productive. They can appear similar, but the results are very different. Execute If you have questioned the efficacy and effectiveness of your practice, then most likely, for some things, it will be time for the axe to fall and sever that which no longer serves you. As a big believer in lists, I suggest simply sitting down and creating a new training schedule or routine. Write it out and start making the necessary changes. Here are the steps: Question why you do what you do. Evaluate if the activity is truly building your skills, abilities, or techniques or just keeping you busy. Eliminate anything extraneous or that no longer serves a purpose. Execute a newly pruned-down and powerful practice program that gets you to your goals. As I mentioned previously, questioning can be difficult, but it is important to do. If things are merely done by rote, then we run the risk of making our practice a ritual that may not yield the benefit it once did. I think one should question most things. Question authority. Question convention. Question your own beliefs. It is important to know why you do what you do, and deal with things how they really are.

One of the greatest influences in the Martial Arts world has been Bruce Lee. There are, of course, naysayers that like to focus on his lack of a prolific professional fight career that many MMA stars benefit from today. To argue what Bruce Lee could or couldn’t do in the Octagon is really a moot point. It reminds me of the comparisons of the Michael Jordan Chicago Bulls team versus today’s best teams. All that we really know and can prove is who is the best in their day. That said, one of the best at promotion and creating excitement regarding the Arts in his day was Bruce Lee. Bruce captured the audience’s imagination and wowed them with his skillset at his formal introduction to the American Martial Arts world via American Kenpo Grandmaster Ed Parker’s Long Beach International Karate Championship. His impact then and through the remaining years of his life was so profound that we still discuss him to this very day. One of Lee’s greatest contributions to the Arts wasn’t based on his physical talents. Rather it springs from his philosophical views and the establishment of the proper mindset for the ultimate benefit of our studies. Together with you, I would like to explore a few quotes from Bruce Lee and see how they can serve as guideposts for our training. Let’s dive in. “Empty your mind. Be formless, shapeless, like water. You put water into a cup, it becomes the cup.” Whether you are an experienced Martial Artist or a brand-new beginner, establishing a proper mindset is perhaps the most important thing you can do to prepare for success. When approaching something new or different, we frequently use past experiences or fabricated beliefs which falsely shape what we are about to learn. As Bruce points out, it is vital to clear the mind and be willing to assimilate and be shaped by what we are taught. When we submit to this idea, we are prepared to learn. “Don't speak negatively about yourself, even as a joke. Your body doesn't know the difference. Words are energy and cast spells, that's why it's called spelling.” As you train and work to be like water, the temptation for self-talk is unavoidable. As Bruce points out though, what you tell yourself is of the utmost importance. Speaking negatively about oneself may happen for several reasons, but it doesn’t do anything positive for us in the long run. We should use caution and make sure what we tell ourselves during training is positive. Build yourself up rather than tear yourself down. “I fear not the man who has practiced 10,000 kicks once, but I fear the man who has practiced one kick 10,000 times.” As you’re working to assimilate knowledge with the proper mindset and positive self-talk, focus your training in a way to maximize your results. The continual temptation for Martial Artists is to spread themselves so thin that they do a lot but master nothing. As Bruce talks about the man that practices one kick 10,000 times, he seems to be purporting mastery of a few skills rather than dabbling in a multitude. “Adapt what is useful, reject what is useless, and add what is specifically your own.” Take the skills you develop through much practice and make them your own. Bruce then says to reject and get rid of that which you find useless IN THE MOMENT. This jives with his thoughts on the one-kick ideology but allow me to suggest a simple possibility. That which is “useless” for you today , may not be useless tomorrow . Furthermore, it may be helpful to someone you’re teaching in the future with a different natural talent base. For this reason, even when applying Bruce’s philosophical ideas to my training, I like to return to the beginning mindset and approach my training with an open and clear mind. “The ego boundary is the differentiation between the self and the other. It is not a fixed thing. If it is fixed, then is becomes a character or an armor like the shell of a turtle.” On the flipside of focusing on little rather than exposure to much, Bruce talked about the ego . This is a humbling warning reminding us not to me overly confident with that one kick that has been practiced 10,000 times. Yes, focus and build a strong skill, but always be willing to be humbled and learn something new. Your ego may tell you to identify as a turtle, but that may be holding you back. To survive in the wild, you may need to evolve into something other than a turtle. For a real-life example, look at the evolution of MMA and the fight game over the last few decades. You can’t deny the evolution of the fighters, and the skillset changes over even that short period of time. What would have been enough to be a champ in 1990, may not be enough to even make the UFC roster today. I don’t want to get too far off-topic with combat sports. My main point is that our skills must evolve with the real-life threats of today, and we can’t let our ego hold us back from learning something new. “Punch when you have to punch. Kick when you have to kick. Forget about winning and losing; forget about pride and pain. Let your opponent graze your skin and you smash into his flesh; let him smash into your flesh and you fracture his bones; let him fracture your bones and you take his life!” When push comes to shove, and there is no referee to make sure a fight is fair, you must be willing to do what is necessary. Bruce expresses that you should be ready to take some damage and deal with pain. But he also makes it abundantly clear that you must have the fortitude and skills to take it one step further than any attacker you may face. You must be able to push through adversity and unquestionably defeat anyone with ill intent toward you or your family. “Don't think, FEEL.” If you find yourself in the situation where you must exercise your skills for self-preservation, you will be well served for having practiced extensively with intensity and intention. For in the moment of battle, you can’t spend time thinking. You must feel and act on the instinct you have developed through your years of directed preparation in the dojo. Bruce Lee brought so much to the Martial Arts world. It was not only his physical skills, but his philosophical views which are some of his most significant contributions. I hope you’ll consider these guideposts from Bruce’s quotes and use them in shaping your studies to develop a training approach that helps you become the best Martial Artist you can be. Salute, Ian Lauer 3rd Degree Black Belt American Kenpo 1st Degree Black Belt Tae Kwon Do 1st Degree Black Belt Hapkido 1st Degree Black Belt Coszacks Karate

Jason David Frank, an accomplished martial artist who starred in numerous versions of the "Power Rangers" franchise, died in Texas Saturday at the age of 49. Though no official cause of death has been revealed, TMZ is reporting he died was the result of a suicide. Frank originally came to prominence in 1993 portraying the Green Ranger, a villain who eventually became a hero and was later known as the White Ranger. Overall, between various reboots of the TV show and movies, Frank appeared 200 times as a Power Ranger, more than any other actor . Frank frequently displayed his martial arts abilities on the show, skills he began developing at the age of 4, initially training in karate under noted Southern California instructor Louis D. Casamassa and his son, sport karate champion Chris Casamassa. He would go on to study a number of other martial arts before creating his own system, dubbed "Toso Kune Do," and opening several karate schools in California and Texas. Frank debuted in mixed martial arts in 2010 at the age of 36. He went 4-0 as an amateur and 1-0 as a professional winning all his bouts in the first round, though there were allegations the matches were fixed .

This week’s blog is by my good friend and colleague by Steve Scott . Using strangles and chokes is serious business and is not for the immature. It’s better to tap out than pass out. The action of strangling may often (but not always) cause pain, especially when using the legs, and could have lethal consequences if applied long enough. That’s why they used to hang bad guys in the Old West: it hurt, and it was effective. Aside from that obvious point, cutting off the blood supply to the brain deprives the brain of oxygen and causes unconsciousness. The fact is, when you strangle or choke someone you are depriving him of his breath, and no matter how tough a guy is he still has to breathe. Apart from the physical effects, depriving someone of his ability to breathe has a big psychological impact on him. You usually want to focus your choke on, or directly below, the Adam’s Apple (thyroid cartilage). The thyroid cartilage is located right under the hyoid bone, a small bone that supports the thyroid cartilage and has many functions in swallowing. The trachea (windpipe) is located below the thyroid cartilage and is a flexible tube made up of cartilage. All these things are tough but not really made for having somebody else squeeze them with great intensity! The sides of the neck contain the carotid arteries, which are large arteries and the brain’s major source of blood. When they are constricted, most of the blood going to the brain doesn’t get there anymore. Deprived of oxygen for even four or five seconds, the brain starts to shut down and unconsciousness occurs. If the brain is deprived of oxygen for four to six minutes, clinical death can occur. Whether you make an opponent pass out from constricting his carotid arteries or constricting his windpipe and connected organs, you still deprive him of oxygen. Using strangles and chokes is serious business and is not for the immature. I have coached for many years specializing in submission techniques and sincerely believe strangles and chokes are more dangerous than armlocks. A broken arm or leg can mend, but the effects of the brain cells lost from being choked cold always stay with you. The lack of oxygen to the brain kills brain cells and these brain cells don’t grow back. Lose enough of them and neurological damage can take place. It’s better to tap out than pass out, especially in training. Don’t be macho and risk serious injury and possible problems later in life. By the same token, if you’re strangling an opponent or training partner and he taps out, he means it. Release the pressure and stop choking him for his safety. An old saying goes, “When in doubt, tap out.” You’re not any less brave, less tough, or less of anything. You’re using your survival instinct to let your opponent know it’s time to stop choking you. Don’t risk your health or be a risk to the health of others. Practice safe and practice smart. It’s better to tap out than pass out. The Difference Between a Strangle and a Choke It’s common to interchange the words “strangle” and “choke.” Specifically, “strangle” describes all the techniques we associate with any technique or move that attacks the neck or throat. “Choke” is more specific and refers to an action that obstructs or blocks the windpipe. Often, we refer to any strangle aimed against the side of the neck and the carotid arteries as just that, a strangle. Any strangle that close, blocks, or obstructs the front of the neck at the throat is often referred to as a choke. A choke makes an opponent gag and sputter and is often more painful than when you cut off the blood supply to his brain pressing against his carotid arteries. But we all use the words “choke” and ‘strangle” to mean either action, so it really doesn’t matter if you call it a “strangle” or a “choke.” We all know what is meant. Triangles Chokes from the Bottom Guard Position The oldest and most basic way of performing a triangle choke is when the attacker is on the bottom fighting from his buttocks, back, or backside. As a result, this position produces a large number of opportunities (and as a result a large number of applications) for a triangle choke. Historically, fighting from the bottom in what is now commonly called the guard position has been known in Japanese judo (both Kodokan judo and its offshoot Kosen judo) as newaza (grappling techniques from a supine or reclining position). Japanese judo athletes, especially those who followed the Kosen form of judo where the emphasis was (and continues to be) on ground fighting, favored strangling techniques, and triangle chokes from the bottom were developed to a high standard. Likewise, Brazilian jiu-jitsu exponents have traditionally favored fighting from the newaza or guard position and have developed highly refined triangle chokes from this position. The triangle chokes applied from the bottom guard position have proved to be a mainstay in many modern forms of sport combat including MMA (mixed martial arts). From a coaching perspective, initially presenting the fundamental skills of the triangle choke from the bottom guard position seems to be the most effective way to develop the technical skills necessary for effective triangle chokes from any starting position. This is what I do as a coach, and it has been my experience that athletes who initially learn triangle chokes from the bottom guard position gain a better fundamental understanding of what the triangle choke is about and ultimately progress in skill acquisition more quickly and develop a more disciplined approach to applying triangles from any position. Literally, the best way to learn triangle chokes is from the ground up. The attacker on bottom lies at an angle and sideways to his opponent (the two bodies forming somewhat of an “L” shape) as shown in this photo. The advantage of this side angle position is that it allows the bottom grappler to “have longer legs.” In other words, the side angle of the bottom grappler’s body in relation to the top grappler’s position closes the distance between the two grapplers and allows the bottom man to extend his legs further, trapping and forming a triangle easier. This side angle also allows the bottom grappler a good opportunity to roll his opponent over onto his side to complete the strangle or apply an armlock. The Primary Parts of the Triangle: Anchor Leg and Tie-Up Leg Each leg has a specific function when forming a triangle. Fundamentally, the triangle with the legs is formed with (1) an “anchor” leg and (2) a “tie up” leg. The anchor leg is the leg that the attacker slides over his opponent’s shoulder and initially uses to trap the defender’s head. The tie-up leg is used to form the triangle by hooking onto the anchor leg. Think of it this way: both legs trap an opponent’s head, shoulder, and arm, and the leg that the attacker initially slides over his opponent’s shoulder to wrap around his neck is the anchor keeping the opponent’s head in place. The other leg is the leg that is used to tie up, secure, and form the triangle trapping the opponent’s head, shoulder, and arm to create the strangling action. The above is an excerpt from The Triangle Hold Encyclopedia, by Steve Scott, Pub Date May 1, 2022, YMAA Publication Center, ISBN 9781594396496. About the Author Steve Scott is a professional judo, sambo and jujitsu coach residing in Kansas City, Missouri. He was born in 1952 and is a graduate of the University of Missouri-Kansas City. He holds 8th dan (Hachidan) rank in judo and 7th dan rank in shingitai jujitsu. Steve is the author of over a dozen published books on the subject of judo, sambo and other Martial Arts. Starting his judo career in 1965 and his sambo career in 1976, Steve has been active at all levels of competition and coaching.

Frederick "Skipper" Ingham, regarded as the father of karate in Bermuda and a quiet force in the development of professional sport karate, passed away Wednesday at the age of 92. Born in Bermuda, Ingham moved to New York in 1947 eventually becoming a merchant seaman. Sailing the world, he became interested in martial arts on witnessing a demonstration in Japan. Among those Ingham learned from were Filipino karate pioneer Latino Gonzalez and Okinawan goju-ryu master Eiichi Miyazato. His main instructor, though, was American goju karate pioneer Peter Urban, with whom he began training in the early 1960s in New York alongside future greats like Black Belt hall of famer Chuck Merriman and martial arts film star Ron Van Clief. Ingham returned to Bermuda founding what's said to be the island's first karate school in 1970 . Perhaps his biggest impact on martial arts came when he secured the backing of wealthy local businessman John Deuss in supporting his Bermuda Invitational Grand Championships tournament in the 1980s. The tournament was successful enough to convince Deuss to fund the Atlantic World Karate Team , the sport's first professional squad. Coached by Merriman and Ingham and manned by the best tournament competitors of the day, the Atlantic Team ignited a new era of professionalism in sport karate and would inspire a host of future teams.

Martial arts movie icon Bruce Lee was named the recipient of the AAPI (Asian American and Pacific Islander) Film Pioneer award at the 18th Chinese American Film Festival Friday in San Gabriel, Calif. Part of the Golden Angel Awards ceremony that opened the festival, Lee's daughter, Shannon, was on hand to accept the honor. Variety quoted her as telling the audience on behalf of her late father, “Thank you for recognizing his impact, his fight for Asian representation in Hollywood, for his desire to create and share authentically his culture with the world." The 2016 movie "Birth of the Dragon," a fictionalized account of Lee's challenge match with kung fu master Wong Jack Man, had previously won a Golden Angel Award. Lee died in 1973. He would have turned 82 on November 27.

Malaysian martial arts pioneer Thamby Rajah died on Sunday at the age of 96. Credited as being the first Malaysian to earn black belts in judo and aikido, Rajah began his martial arts training with instruction in Japanese ju jutsu following World War II. This initial training inspired him to travel to Japan in the early 1950s where he continued to learn various forms of budo. While in Japan, Rajah practiced with such notables as judo 10th dan Kyuzo Mifune, famed aikido instructor Gozo Shioda and legendary American martial artist Donn Draeger. But it was Shioda who became his primary instructor. Rajah would return to Malaysia to open the country's first aikido school in 1960 teaching Shioda's yoshinkan style through his Shudokan Institute. Rajah's students would eventually go on to spread his brand of aikido in Australia and the United Kingdom.

MMA is the best sport on the planet. I love it with all my heart but one major issue that has plagued the sport since its origin, regardless of organization, are pokes to the eye. It seems almost unavoidable. Given the nature of what you're doing and the gloves you're doing it in. There have been multiple fighters calling for new gloves. From unranked guys, to coaches to current champions. After watching some devastating eye pokes that could have left permanent damage, like when Leon Edwards made Belal Muhammad scream in pain mid-fight, or the injuries that DC and Stipe exchanged during their first two bouts and lets not forget the infamous Jon Jones lead hand frame that has penetrated almost all of his opponents. It's safe to say that, something definitely needs to improve, but improvement won’t come easy. The knee-jerk solution to it is to curve the fingers slightly so they cannot flare as easily. Issue being that you need full articulation of the fingers for MMA. So, a simple rounding of the fingers like in the PRIDE days might not be the easy solution it appears to be. As is the case with anything, there’s going to be trade-offs. With rounded gloves it allows for a much more secure Gable/S grip as well as adding difficulty to post on the ground, cage or person. This change might give grapplers an upper-hand or it might not be a factor at all. Perhaps the rounding is necessary though given that it would, in theory, improve safety all round. Maybe stricter punishment to the fighters that foul, intentionally or unintentionally, would lead to more adherence to the rules. (Even though you will currently hear an official vocalize concern anytime a fighter has his fingers facing toward his opponent.) Maybe even still the rounded gloves would lead to some unforeseen issue that turns out to be worse than eye pokes, assuming they go away or even reduce. I don’t have a permanent fix, I’m simply showing that the solution isn’t as apparent as MMA forums and podcasts imply it is. There have even been multiple high-profile individuals pitching their design to the UFC without any of them being officially adopted. Coach to multiple world champions, Trevor Whitman has one with his company Onx Sport, even the Notorious himself Conor McGregor wasn’t able to ink a deal with UFC brass. Both designs are well thought out and are fantastic products themselves but still aren’t satisfactory to the conundrum. Are eye pokes in MMA just a necessary evil that we all need to accept? I hope not but it is a fistfight after all.

I invite you to stop a moment and ask yourself to remember your grandmother’s, great-grandmother’s, great-great-grandmother’s lineage. Recall their stories. Where did you come from? What is your history? This knowledge is critical not only to how we move through the world today, but also how we support our sisters, mothers, aunts, wives, grandmothers, daughters. How we were taught the ancestral understanding of expectation and duty determines the fate of womankind today. And, the fate of womankind ultimately determines the fate of mankind. Wouldn’t you agree? Most of us grow up among human practices so ancient that the job of the female is to produce offspring, guard the home, and serve. Unless, that is, you are a lioness, an elephant, or a praying mantis. In my previous article, Before We Were Martial Artists, I described how if the invader made it into the kingdom or home, the male guardians had failed. At that point, the enemy still had to battle the women. These women protected their families, not with martial arts, but with the knives and swords they kept hidden in their skirts. This was not because our female ancestors were not interested in learning martial arts. It was simply because the basic human task at the time was to survive, protect, and serve. Consider the story of Choon-Ok Harmon. “Below, in the dimly lit ocean, Mother looked for what she had come for. There it was: seaweed. She reached for it but missed. She tried again and got a hold of it, but it was so slippery that she lost her grip. Her sight was blurry, she felt lightheaded, and the birth contractions began. She ignored the pain. She had come for food and she would get it. Her four children had to eat. If she didn’t get anything today, there would be no food on the table.” -The Iron Butterfly. Memoir of a Martial Arts Master, Choon-Ok Jade Harmon, page 17. This excerpt illustrates the warrior frame of mind most women have needed to maintain throughout the ages. Men and women alike were hunters and gatherers, tribal members, leaders of dynasties, and warriors. Increasingly, women are joining the ranks of leadership in the martial arts. Choon-Ok’s story is the deeply personal tale of a young warrior woman who succeeded in the male-dominated world of martial arts. It was the 20th century, so her story represents the many women who came to train and practice as an art form, not as a necessary means of survival. As the practice transforms, so does the struggle faced by many women as they step into their power as female martial artists. Here in the 21st century, martial arts is understood as an anti-aging, wellness, fitness, mindfulness practice. We draw on ancient studies of stances and strikes, as in Jungshin Fitness, but we apply them to the present day demands of living in an overpopulated, computer and screen-based society. Today, even the most by-the-book doctors recommend meditation—or martial arts— as a tool for health. Cultural representations of women warriors are changing accordingly. We see expressions like, “Women hold up half the sky,” blasted around the internet. In the new book, Squire, by Sara Alfageeh and Nadia Shammas, we learn of Aiza, who overcomes her second class status to become a knight. We see more and more films depicting women warriors. Two recent films of note are: The Woman King and The Little Mermaid. While The Little Mermaid is a sweet and gentle dive into the magic of a young mermaid, The Woman King is fierce and roars with power. These stories speak to every woman on the planet. Along with increased cultural representation, we are witnessing the current upheaval against old rules that no longer serve women, as exemplified by the courageous female warriors in Iran today. The contemporary struggles of women are connected, whether they are businesswomen, martial artists, or a young girl who dreams of becoming a knight. If you are a lioness, elephant, or praying mantis, you have already achieved knighthood. But if you are human, like me, then we have a long way to go to honor the female warriors who walked before us. It is important that we support female-owned businesses like New Generation Martial Arts in Lexington, MA. Shihan LeMay opened her successful school 30 years ago and it is still thriving. “Life is full of bloody noses, literally and figuratively,” she says. “As a martial artist, we have all the tools available to evolve, be flexible, and show up for our community.” Another great way to honor our female ancestors is to share cultural representations of women warriors, like the ones mentioned above, with our daughters and granddaughters. And we can always express our appreciation.Try sending a note to a woman in your life, thanking them for everything they have weathered to bring you here, today, reading this article. Wuwei, the art of doing and not doing. This is the Yin and Yang of it all.

The Hindu festival of Vijayadashami, also known as Dasara or Dussehra, was held at various locations in India Wednesday accompanied by several traditional martial events. An annual stick fighting clash between two groups occurred in the Kurnool District despite the efforts of local authorities to stop it after past events have lead to fatalities. Though no one was killed this year, more than 70 people were reported injured. Meanwhile, the annual vajra mushti bouts were held at the royal palace in Mysore. An ancient Indian gladiatorial sport that can best be described as mixed martial arts with brass knuckles, a pair of exhibition bouts are held each year on the royal grounds. Though the sport traditionally combined striking and grappling and, at one time, often ended in death, the fights now end as soon as one fighter draws blood by striking his opponent with an ivory knuckleduster worn on the right hand. Both bouts concluded after about 30 seconds this year.