Combat Sports Historian and Martial Artist
Posts about martial arts concepts and principles.
On Thursday, January 31, 2020, Grandmaster Pat Weseman promoted me to 4th Dan in Taekwondo at the Advanced Class. When I started classes with Grandmaster Weseman and her husband Art, I did not foresee reaching this milestone. I originally started taking classes with my nephew Jim in Spring 1995. After getting married in 1996, I stopped taking classes for several
The first three ranks in the Zimmerman Self-Defense System are Yellow Belt, Orange Belt, and Green Ranks. These ranks represent the beginning curriculum. The intermediate ranks are Blue Belt and Purple Ranks. The advanced ranks are Brown and Red Ranks. After training for a minimum of 4 years and being at least 16 years old, a student can test for
When I started martial arts in my mid-twenties, I thought my skill level would always continue to improve even as I aged. Since I regularly lifted weights, performed cardio and stretched, I thought I could battle Father Time to a draw. Like so many combat athletes before me, I discovered Father Time beats us all. Whether we want to face
Marvel Studios released the series Iron Fist on Netflix on March 17, 2017. The series based on the Marvel comic about Danny Rand, a young man presumed to have died in a plane crash. Rand is rescued as a child by monks, who teach him martial arts in the Himalayas. The series contains a number of great martial arts fight scenes.
As I’ve gotten older, I’ve come back to more traditional bodybuilding training as a supplement to my martial arts training. Traditional bodybuilding is less ballistic and leaves me less vulnerable to injury. When I was younger, I never worried about injury nor did I get injured often. Once I passed 35 years old though, I started getting injured much more
A few weeks ago, I started another twelve week program focused on putting on muscle mass. The primary focus of the program is lifting heavier weights and using free weights primarily. The well-respected personal trainer, who designed the program, insists that you follow it “as written”, a common ask from program designers. I trained legs on the first day. When
I recently watched the Eddie Bravo Invitational 13: The Lightweights, where über talented Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt Gary Tonan defended his title. I enjoy the EBIs more than most of the other non-UFC events on UFC Fight Pass, the Ultimate Fighting Championship subscription streaming service. Tonan is famous for his leg locks but I noticed most of the competitors were
We included four or more martial arts in our academy’s curriculum. When I look at these arts, I see a distinct reason that I studied each one. These arts cover striking, grappling, ground fighting and a practical self-defense weapon, the cane. I started studying Shotokan karate in the Fall of 1994. I switched to Taekwondo with my nephew in the Spring of 1995. Taekwondo brought
At our fantasy football draft this year, one of the other owners asked me who I thought was the best mixed martial artist of all time. I told him that based on skill, the greatest mixed martial artist of all time was Jon “Bones” Jones. However, Jones’ frequent problems outside of the Octagon would keep him from being considered the
This week my oldest son Kenneth turns 19 years old. Besides finishing school, Kenneth’s biggest focus is the martial arts. He is particularly passionate about teaching self-defense. Over the years, I have trained 14 nieces and nephews plus all three of my children in the martial arts. Last week, the first member of the third generation started with us. To