10 Step Upper Body Pushing Progressions
10 Step Upper Body Pushing ProgressionsBy Logan Christopher Back in 8th grade my older brother started training me to get ready to go out for the football team in high school. He was a star player and hoped I would follow in his footsteps. Unfortunately, to say I was weak and unathletic was an understatement. When…
Why Body Skills are Critical to Martial Arts
Body skills are the foundation of ALL martial and athletic movement. In fact, in my mind, they are the foundation of all good, powerful, pain-free human movement! What are body skills? They are the qualities that connect, support, mobilize, and strengthen the body from the inside out. They create a highly resilient, dynamically stable body…
Top 30 Testosterone Boosting Foods
It’s no secret that our manhood is in jeopardy. Lack of proper nutrition and exercise, processed foods, and environmental toxins are all conspiring to plummet men’s testosterone levels to an all-time low. Optimal levels of testosterone are absolutely necessary to help us burn fat, build muscle, reduce depression, be successful, and, all other factors aside,…
Musashi on Posture in Strategy
In his classic work on the art of strategy, Go Rin No Sho, Musashi gives the following instructions on Posture in his art. “Keep your neck straight, putting some force in the hollow of the nape; lower your shoulders, with the sensation that the torso from the shoulders down forms a unity; keep the back straight,…
5.5 Principles for More Effective Striking in ANY Martial Art
Part 1 of this series, Conditioning the Fists for Striking can be found HERE. Being able to strike with power and precision involves a lot more than merely knowing the technique. Practice must include these principles of effective striking techniques for all martial arts… 1. Whole Body Power All movement in real life happens in…
Conditioning the Fists for Striking
One of the most underdeveloped aspects of the martial artist’s arsenal is the conditioning of his fists for striking. The tendon strength, wrist strength and flexibility, and the overall structure of the strike is an exploitable weakness that needs to be addressed. In this article we will examine several different push-up variations and isometric exercises…
The Strength of Structure (and How to Train It)
As we discussed in the previous post (see here), all martial movement must be based on a platform of both mobility and stability. Today we will discuss stability. Kamae is much more than just a stance or ready position. It is the platform from which all movements are made and from which all techniques are…
Daily Mobility Practice – The Fountain of Youth
All movement skills, especially martial movement skills, must be built on a foundation of both stability and mobility. Today we will cover mobility. A complete mobility practice moves each joint in the body through its complete range of motion bathing it in synovial fluid. Movement is the only way your joints get nutrition! Many trainers…
Be Dangerous to be Kind
Inside the heart of every man lives a warrior waiting to be unleashed. Unfortunately, this fierceness, for the majority of men, lies dormant and untested. But, I assure you, it is there. As boys we pretended to be superheroes, Jedi knights, or ninja warriors. I know I did all 3 with matching costumes, capes, and…
10 Books Every Warrior Should Read
I am what you would call an avid reader. Some would even say my reading habit borders on a reading obsession since at any one time I can be found to have at least three, sometimes four books going simultaneously. I have several on my nightstand next to my bed, a couple on the coffee…
Lost Empire Herbs
