Episode 88 - Guro Chris Thompson

Today's episode brings us Filipino Martial Arts (FMA) practitioner Guro Chris Thompson. With a background in Goju Karate, Guro Chris found his passion in a very different style - and we talk today about that transition. While not as well know as karate, Filipino arts are starting to receive global acceptance and recognition. If you're unfamiliar with the systems of the island nation, you'll learn a bit about their origins today, including why they're so diverse in their approaches.

I had a lot of fun talking to Guro Chris, as I do with all of our guests. (You've all likely figured that out by now. I truly enjoy what I do.) We'll be having Guro Chris Thompson as one of our featured instructors this summer at the Martial Arts Weekend, so check that out! Sign up soon, because space is limited.

Today's featured whistlekick product is our shinguards. Double-thick over the tibia (shin bone) they hold up very well against both time and your partners or opponents. One of our favorite ways to demonstrate them is to kick door frames with our shins while wearing them at events. That brings a lot of attention!

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Episode 87 - Martial Artists Are Their Own Worst Enemies

When we consider the space that martial arts occupies in the Western world, specifically the United States, it's easy to see the impact. Our movies are full of martial arts-inspired fight scenes. Popular culture lifts up the skilled fighters from the UFC. A man who has been dead for forty years is one of our most recognized icons. Yet, when we break down the numbers, martial arts participation in the United States is around 5 million people, or 1.5% of the population. Compare that to approximately 3.5% globally, and you can see a large disparity.

Why is that the case? I'm sure there are a multitude of factors, but the one we're discussing today is foundational - the attitude that martial artists have for each other. If you're a martial artist, and you've been genuinely criticized for what you do, there's a good chance that criticism came from a martial artist. Within our ranks we have a large percentage of participants that are so concerned with historical accuracy or theoretical superiority that they'll let their opinions create rifts in the martial arts community.

It's not helping anyone and it needs to stop.

On today's episode, we're talking about the ways martial artists cut each other down, rather than lift up. The politics, the infighting, the "my art is better than yours" debates and so on. We explore where these attitudes came from, why they've carried on and how they're hurting us. Later, we talk about how we can move past them and what the impact of just such a world might be.

At whistlekick we have a very foundational belief - that the world would be a better place if everyone spent time in martial arts training. Clearing out this stumbling block - the popularity of what is, essentially, bullying within our own community - is essential to reaching that goal. Thank you for listening and, if you found value in today's episode, please share it with others. Train hard, smile, and have a great day.

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Episode 86 - Miss Jessica Henderson

Today's episode is with one of my long-time martial arts friends, Miss Jessica Henderson. Over the last year we've heard from a lot of different people - different styles, different paths and different outlooks on the arts. I believe strongly that everyone has a story to tell - wisdom to share. Miss Henderson is no different, and the fact I was able to sit down with her in person was a bonus.

Most of our guests started their martial arts training as young children. For those that started at an older age, most of them have been training for decades and they don't have full memory of the context of what it was life to start their journey. Heck, few of the guests have more than a few memories of that time as so many years have passed. Miss Henderson, though, is different. With just over 10 years of training, she remembers what it was like to start training at 16 and we spend a fair amount of time talking about that. You'll hear through our conversation that her step in the martial arts was pivotal for her, and I don't think it's an exaggeration to say it completely transformed her life. Thanks for listening.

Your humble host

Jeremy

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Episode 85 - Martial Arts Curriculum

Today's show topic started as an email from a listener. This listener was feeling conflict with the vast amounts of information that was expected to be taught to students at their martial arts school. As they wrote, on the one hand, diversity of techniques is very much in line with the artistic side of what we do. Yet, on the other hand, it makes it more challenging to achieve a level of proficiency with any of it.

It's a great subject, and we tackled it for today's episode. We offer suggestions on how to break down the problem and how to make improvements in your school as an instructor or owner. If you're a student, we offer some advice, too, on how to deal with a large body of training information.

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Episode 84 - Master Chris LaCava

Today's episode is with another of the wonderful martial artists I first met in 2015 at the Super Summer Seminars event. (As of this episode, the others we've heard from that came out of this weekend are Sensei Katie Murphy & Kyoshi Dave Kovar) We didn't get a lot of time together, but I had a good feeling about him and what he offered as an instructor. I then saw him in January at Sifu Alan Goldberg's Hall of Honors Mega Weekend in New Jersey and again had a chance to learn from him. I knew it was time to get him on the show, and here we are.

Today's episode could have easily gone off the rails, as you have two self-proclaimed martial arts "nerds" in conversation that also share a similar sense of humor. While we absolutely wander at times, I felt the places we ended up were wonderful. This show has always welcomed tangents, and our time with Master Chris LaCava was no different. I hope you enjoy the conversation, and I'll guess that you'll share at least a few laughs with us.

Your host, Jeremy

Today's featured product is the full line of sparring gear you can find

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Episode 83 - Destination Training

 

Most people that have trained in the martial arts for a time have had some type of external training - meaning training outside their typical location from people other than their typical instructor(s). These could be seminars or visiting another school, whether it's of a similar style or something completely different. There's a lot of value in learning different things, even the same things from different people. Everyone learns a bit differently and having another set of eyes watching over you can really hone your skills. This is why martial arts schools with several instructors (that are on the same page) often turn out better students than the schools with a single instructor.

Along all of these lines is destination training. These opportunities can look very different - they may be a seminar series covering different topics or an intensive training focused on a single martial arts subject. The value here isn't just in getting other people to look over what you're doing - it goes so much deeper. When you travel for your training and stay overnight, it changes your mindset. You're typically with other people who are doing the same thing. Thus, everyone that is participating really values their training time. These events are rarely free, so you get people that have made a financial sacrifice to be there.

Many of these events, maybe even most, are presented as a "camp" experience, either with people sleeping outside or in spartan conditions. Some involve sleeping in university dorms over the summer or in cabins. For many attendees, it's not the training that they find most valuable from these experiences but the relationships they build. When you get a group of martial artists together, they tend to talk about... martial arts. There's a lot of sharing that goes on outside the training space and this is just as much the reason everyone should attend such an event.

For that reason we're hosting our own, held this year from July 8th - July 10th, 2016. You can learn more at MartialArtsWeekend.com Today's episode will talk about what we're doing, and why we're doing it, but it's not a commercial. Our format came out of a lot of discussion with martial artists about what they liked and didn't like from their destination training. Whether you have attended one of these sessions or not, or even if you have no interest in attending, you will still find today's episode valuable, so check it out.

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Episode 82 – Mr. Michael Rowe

Today’s episode is with Mr. Michael Rowe, a martial artist with as diverse a training history as anyone I’ve ever seen. With experience in Karate, ninjitsu, taekwondo, hapkido, and a lot more, under a number of different instructors, Mr. Rowe brings a lot to the table. An insightful man, his stories are wonderful – they’re entertaining, they’re honest and they’re real. So sit back, and let’s hear from today’s guest.

 

Today’s featured product is the whistlekickSparring Head Gear – super comfortable and even more durable than you’re used to. Check it out. 

For full show notes and other episodes, please visit: http://www.whistlekickmartialartsradio.com/082-michael-rowe/

 

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Episode 81 - Martial Arts Warmups

n today's episode we're talking about martial arts warmups and the four phases of an effective warmup and how most martial arts classes miss the boat. These are: low-risk cardiovascular movement, joint mobility, intensifying cardiovascular movement, flexibility (aka stretching). We discuss what they are, how to handle them, why to approach them in this order, how long to do them and so much more. If you're often feeling like you spend your first 15 minutes of class just "getting going" it could be due to a poor warm-up. Check out the episode and let us know what you think.

For full show notes please visit: http://www.whistlekickmartialartsradio.com/081-martial-arts-warmups/

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Episode 80 - Mr. Taimak Guarriello

Our guest today is the star of one of the most-beloved martial arts films of all-time, Mr. Taimak Guarriello. The Last Dragon is one of those rare martial arts films that had an impact that transcended martial arts culture, and could be felt in general society. Here we are 80 episodes in, and the news of his Mr. Guarriello's appearance created more buzz than any other guest we've had. While even his first name is synonymous with his role in the 1985 movie, there's a lot more to him than his time as Leroy Green, both as a man and as a martial artist. We get to know a lot about both of those sides, and I hope you enjoy your time with him.

 

For show notes and a lot more, please visit: http://www.whistlekickmartialartsradio.com/080-taimak-guarriello/

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