Category Archives: Martial arts

Beat It: Martial Arts Training Involution #203

Posted on April 4, 2020 | Leave a comment

Setting goals is not optional.  If you are not setting goals and doing what it takes to hit them, like establishing performance metrics and tracking methods, developing programs, setting benchmarks, etc., you are not going to get past the intermediate level — at anything.

Click here to visit Mitch’s General Store

In this week’s T.I. you are going to start setting goals, and maybe even beat the old man at his own game.

I’m so sure this will benefit you, and so excited to see you try, that I’m giving away a 25% off coupon good at Mitch’s General Store to everyone who faces any of the benchmarks in this week’s T.I.!  Just post a link to a video in the comments below.

If this sort of stuff interests you, you might really enjoy my new newsletter SHIFT which goes live April 30th.  Sign up now to get tips, fun and inspirational articles, quizzes, meditations, exercises, and more — all 100% free — and guaranteed to shift you in a new whole new gear.  SHIFT isn’t a martial arts newsletter.  It’s where everything I do and teach comes together — fitness, motivation, nature observation and primitive skills, martial arts, management, coaching, financial advice, DIY, and of course my spiritual teaching.  

Beat It: Martial Arts Training Involution #203

  • Warm-up thoroughly for at at least 8 minutes. I generally do 8 minutes of MBF or either 2-3 minutes each of (a) jumping rope (b) light calisthenics and (c) shadowboxing, forms, or light heavy bag work.
  • 150 max power kicks vs. the heavy bag.  Warm up by doing 8 x 5 kicks with each leg at 50% power, alternating legs each set.  Take a 1 minute break and then start your stopwatch.  Kick the bag with maximum power 150 times as fast as you can.  Switch legs as needed.  Write down your time me and make regular attempts to beat it.  I hit my personal record (PR) earlier this week.  It was 4:00.
  • Constant Contact Drill.  Walk off the kicks for 3:00.  Now glove up and go after your heavy bag with hands, feet, elbows etc. with maximum speed.  There should be some part of your body in contact with that bag pretty much at all times.  See how long you can go before you have to stop.  Write down your time me and make regular attempts to beat it.  I set my new PR this morning.  It was 2:27.
  • Balboa Run.  Start a stopwatch and run your chosen distance — punching the air the whole time.  Beginners go 1/2 mile, intermediate and advanced, 1 full mile.  If you have to rest, do so in place and leave the clock running.  When you finish, write down your time me and make regular attempts to beat it. My half mile PR is 6:15 and my 1 mile is 14:29.
  •  Reflection.  Cool down for about 3 minutes, then sit down with your training journal and do a goal review.  Are you hitting goals, establishing proper metrics, setting PRs, structuring your training in order to hit goals and PRs, etc.?  If you don’t keep a training journal you had better start! 

If you enjoyed his training involution you’d probably enjoy my books and other products.  Why not check them out?

 

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The 3 Keys to Practical Weapon Skill

Posted on April 1, 2020 | Leave a comment

Are you working out, or training?  Are you actually getting more skilled with your weapon?  If so, can you prove it?  These are some of the questions answered in this week’s martial arts video, “The 3 Keys to Practical Weapon Skill” at the bottom of this post.

If this kind of thing appeals to you, consider signing up for a martial arts distance learning program.  The Cabal Fang Hermit Path program is 100% free and provided by the non-profit I founded in 2009 — click here to sign up today!

Interested in the fighting arts, survival skills, lifeways and ethos of the colonial and indigenous peoples of North American during the frontier period — 1607 to 1912?  Click here to find out more about my Bobcat Frontier Rough ‘n’ Tumble program — just  $19.99/month.   

Or how about a bi-weekly email to designed to inspire and motivate you find your inspiration,  establish and hit goals, and feel more alive?  SHIFT your OUTLOOK.  SHIFT your EXPECTATIONS.  SHIFT your POSSIBILITIES.  Sign up here.

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New Video, New Newsletter, and More

Posted on March 29, 2020 | Leave a comment

Lots going on in these parts!  I’ve decided to launch a free newsletter on/about May 1st.  It’s going to be called SHIFT.  It will unify of all my diverse projects — martial, philosophical, physical, and spiritual — into a cohesive source of inspiration for those who want to SHIFT perspective, SHIFT priorities and SHIFT into a new personal, professional, or spiritual gear.  Sign up now for SHIFT — featuring cutting edge research, information, tips, exercises, games, meditations and coupons for discounts in my web store.

I’ve also done a ton of work on my Patreon profile.  I’ve consolidated my tiers, created new benefits, and re-dedicated myself to creating more value for my patrons, like monthly Q&As, deeper discounts on my products, and more.  Sign up for as little as $1/month to get access to exclusive content you can’t get anywhere else.

And of course here’s my Sunday religious video — episode #8 in my series Christianity for Doubters.

 

 

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Rock and Roll: Martial Arts Training Involution #202

Posted on March 28, 2020 | Leave a comment

I’m sick of talking about “the ‘rona” (as the kids are calling it these days) but the fact is, as martial artists, it’s going to be a little bit longer before we can train together.  Gotta stay active in the meantime folks — gotta keep movin’.  And I’m here to help you with that.

But first, a brief commercial break.

On May 1st my new newsletter SHIFT goes live.   This is where everything I do will come together — my fitness work, my primitive skills and martial arts material, my management, coaching and financial advice, and of course my spiritual teaching.  Sign up now to get tips, fun and inspirational articles, quizzes, meditations, exercises, and more — all 100% free — and guaranteed to shift you in a new whole new gear.

And now, back to your regularly scheduled program already in progress…

Rock and Roll: Martial Arts Training Involution #202

  • Warm-up thoroughly for at at least 8 minutes. I generally do 8 minutes of MBF or either 2-3 minutes each of (a) jumping rope (b) light calisthenics and (c) shadowboxing, forms, or light heavy bag work.
  • Forms.  Set a timer for 15 minutes and perform every form you know.  If it takes less than 15 mins, repeat the ones you know until the timer beeps.  If you don’t do forms in the traditional sense, do flow drills, technique chains, and/or combos.
  • A modified constitutional.  In Cabal Fang we create a new constitutional every month and we complete it twice a week.  That can get a little boring when you’re training alone.  Thank goodness nobody ever said we have do them the same way every time!  Jazz up this month’s constitutional by spreading out the Sprints and throwing in some vaults and rolls.  Here’s how.  Find yourself an obstacle — a fence to vault, a park bench to run along, etc. and get started as follows:

Lunges(50)
4 x 10 yard Sprints with 1 Vault or Roll midway through each
Push-ups(50)
4 x 10 yard Sprints with 1 Vault or Roll midway through each
Get-ups(25)
4 x 10 yard Sprints with 1 Vault or Roll midway through each
Crunches 3-Way (25)
4 x 10 yard Sprints with 1 Vault or Roll midway through each
Prisoner Squats (50)
4 x 10 yard Sprints with 1 Vault or Roll midway through each
Wall Touches (100)
4 x 10 yard Sprints with 1 Vault or Roll midway through each
Sprints (25)
4 x 10 yard Sprints with 1 Vault or Roll midway through each

  • Contemplation.  Cool down for about 3 minutes, then set a timer for 10 minutes.  Have a seat in your posture of choice and regulate your breathing.  Leave your eyes open, and do not fidget, wiggle or scratch.  Now think about exactly nothing.  Clear your mind as completely as you can and allow yourself to stop thinking in words while maintaining total awareness of your surroundings. 

If you enjoyed his training involution you’d probably enjoy my books and other products.  Why not check them out?

 

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New Tiers, New Benefits, at Patreon

Posted on March 24, 2020 | Leave a comment

Last night I updated sponsorship tiers Stalwart and above over on Patreon.

I added two new benefits  — discounts on products at Mitch’s General Store and access to the new SHIFT self-improvement program.   This is exciting stuff.  Go getcha some!

  

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Christianity for Doubters 7: A World Transformed Part 2

Posted on March 22, 2020 | Leave a comment

The seventh video of my series Christianity for Doubters is now live.  Only three more videos to come in this series –there’s still time to catch up for the big finish!

If you’re in Richmond, VA and you want to begin your journey in Christianity, consider joining the St. Barachiel’s of Richmond Meetup Group.  Just click the logo on the right to join!

 

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Survivor Mix: Martial Arts Training Involution #201

Posted on March 21, 2020 | Leave a comment

Part of this T.I. was created using the dice I sell at Mitch’s General Store. Click the photo to get some.

Last week I warned against getting distracted by “viral” training methods and  encouraged you to be steadfast in the face of the real viral threat that we’re facing right now.  This week I’m going to hit you with some practical martial arts solo practice to keep you sharp during this long, dark social distancing period.

Survivor Mix: Martial Arts Training Involution #201

  • Warm-up thoroughly for at at least 8 minutes. I generally do 8 minutes of MBF or either 2-3 minutes each of (a) jumping rope (b) light calisthenics and (c) shadowboxing, forms, or light heavy bag work.
  • Wrestling and grappling mix.  Select a sandbag or heavy bag appropriate to your size and fitness level (I used a #70).  Set timer for 3 x 3:00/1:00.  Do Scarf Hold Switches from hip to hip until you can’t do any more, then drop the bag and run Wrestling Clocks until you fail.  When you do, put the bag in your Bottom Scissors and squeeze until you gas, swap your ankle wrap and squeeze again until you gas.  Then go back to Scarf Hold Switches and repeat until the bell rings.  When it does, shoulder the bag and walk laps for your 1:00 “rest.”  When the 1:00 is over, pick up where you left off and do that two more times.  When you’re done you should be “moist.”
  • Sprints.  Set a timer for 30-second intervals.  Sprint for :30 and then walk for :30.  Repeat 9 more times for a total of 10 minutes.
  • Contemplation.  Cool down for about 3 minutes, then set a timer for 10 minutes.  Have a seat in your posture of choice and regulate your breathing.  Leave your eyes open, and do not fidget, wiggle or scratch.  Now think about exactly nothing.  Clear your mind as completely as you can and allow yourself to stop thinking in words while maintaining total awareness of your surroundings. 

If you enjoyed his training involution you’d probably enjoy my books and other products.  Why not check them out?

 

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Antiviral: Martial Arts Training Involution #200

Posted on March 14, 2020 | 1 comment

Last week I warned you not to get distracted by “viral” training methods, tools, and techniques promising easy results.  This week I’m encouraging you not to freak out over another “viral” phenomenon — coronavirus a.k.a. COVID-19.

Something’s always “going viral.” Most of it is either snake oil (like the Thighmaster or the Versaflex) or  drama (gossip or train wrecks).   Both are wastes of time, money and attention.

So — what about the real virus that’s “going viral” right now — COVID-19?  Is this all just manufactured drama?  No sir.

This is not a drill.  COVID-19 is for real.

Which reminds me of a clever atheist quip I heard recently (as a member of the clergy, I spend a lot of time witnessing to atheists): “If God really wanted to save us, why didn’t he give us a good book about the germ theory of disease instead of the good book as in the Bible?  He would’ve saved way more people.”

For an answer I turn to 1,500 year-old words of  St. Augustine of Hippo.

“What grace is meant to do is to help good people, not to escape their sufferings, but to bear them with a stout heart, with a fortitude that finds its strength in faith.”  ~ St. Augustine of Hippo

God didn’t “give us a book.”  Hebrews and Christians wrote a bunch of books about what they learned from God, and they were brought together into a library of books called the Holy Bible.  And God doesn’t solve our problems for us.  God helped us a fish a couple of times, but His real goal was to teach us how to fish.

“Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day; teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime.”

God helps those who help themselves.  So follow the advice of the CDC — especially in the hand-washing department.   Say your prayers, have faith, and be strong in God.

Antiviral: Martial Arts Training Involution #200

Gyms are a great place to expose yourself to diseases of all kinds.  Good news is, you can exercise just find at home with this zero-equipment, solo training session.

  • Warm-up thoroughly for at at least 8 minutes. I generally do 8 minutes of MBF or either 2-3 minutes each of (a) jumping rope (b) light calisthenics and (c) shadowboxing, forms, or light heavy bag work.
  • Complete this month’s constitutional.   Intermediate and advanced folks should be able to get this done in under 15 minutes:  Lunges(50), Push-ups(50), Get-ups(25), Crunches 3-Way (25), Prisoner Squats (50), Wall Touches (100), and Sprints (25).
  • 250 kicks as fast as you can.  Set a timer and complete 250 kicks vs. air.  Don’t to them in static isolation — do them in combos while you move around realistically.  Intermediate and advanced should be able to get these done in under 10 minutes.
  • “Antiviral” contemplation.  Cool down for about 3 minutes, then set a timer for 10 minutes.  Have a seat in your posture of choice and regulate your breathing.  Leave your eyes open, and do not fidget, wiggle or scratch.  Now think about exactly nothing.  Clear your mind as completely as you can and allow yourself to stop thinking in words while maintaining total awareness of your surroundings. 

If you enjoyed his training involution you’d probably enjoy my books and other products.  Why not check them out?

 

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How to Avoid Getting Punched in the Face

Posted on March 11, 2020 | Leave a comment

Anecdotal evidence suggests that people who are violent will sometimes try to hit you in the face.  In my personal experience, practicing the below method for moving out of the way results in absorbing fewer blows to the face.

If you enjoyed his training involution you’d probably enjoy my books and other products.  Why not check them out?

 

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Drag Strip: Martial Arts Training Involution #199

Posted on March 7, 2020 | 1 comment

You don’t need a fancy sled to do drag work. This 95 lb tire feels like 200 lbs when being dragged across concrete.

 

 

“There’s no sense getting serious about my training until…”

Stop delaying.  Stop surfing YouTube for the perfect training tricks, drills, tools and secrets. Stop combing magazines and books and websites searching for the perfect program or tool.

Strip away the bullshit. The training you do right now is 100% better than the training you put off until next week.

Shut your laptop, turn off your tablet or phone, and complete the training session below.  Tired,  weak, sore?  Old?  Rehabbing from an injury?  I was all of those things when I did this training session.  Modify the exercises to suit your limitations.  Lower the weights, reps or intensity as needed.  Anything you do is better than nothing.

Strip it down.

Drag Strip: Martial Arts Training Involution #199

*  Warm-up thoroughly for at at least 8 minutes. I generally do 8 minutes of MBF or either 2-3 minutes each of (a) jumping rope (b) light calisthenics and (c) shadowboxing, forms, or light heavy bag work.

*  16 minutes of survival martial arts.  Set a timer and complete 2 minutes each of Drags, Strikes, Shoulder Rolls, Strikes, IMT Sprints, Strikes, Drags and Strikes.  Take as few 12-second rest breaks as you need to finish.  For the the striking rounds, you can shadowbox, work a heavy bag, or do whatever you want.  I did tomahawk swings, braces, toe and eye strikes and cocking drills. Here’s how the rest work.

  • Drags: Go out to the shed or garage and find something to drag.  Here’s a rig I made with a trashcan lid.  Cargo straps make perfect harnesses. 
  • Shoulder Rolls: If you’re a martial artist and you don’t know how to do a shoulder roll, that’s a problem.  Watch this.
  • IMT Sprints.  IMT stands for Individual Movement Technique, and it means running, dropping to avoid being targeted, and popping up to run some more. Read more here.

*  “Stripping it down” meditation.  Cool down for about 3 minutes, then set a timer for 10 minutes.  Have a seat in your meditative posture of choice and regulate your breathing.  Leave your eyes open, and do not fidget, wiggle or scratch.  Now think about what makes you special.  What makes you unique?  Your favorite foods, colors, movies, books?  Your behaviors, your little quirks?  No, that’s just the bullshit that make you just like everybody else.  Meditate past your mask and seek the “true I.”

If you enjoyed his training involution you’d probably enjoy my books and other products.  Why not check them out?

 

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