As a young martial artist coming up through the ranks, I really tried very hard to be a tough guy. I thought it was the most important thing. I fell into the whole trap of posturing, of ego and of trying to impress other people. And then on top of that, I fell into the trap of … [Read more…]
When I was taking karate growing up, one of the things I loved about it was the translation of the word itself: the two characters mean “empty hand”. It helped me to understand that I didn’t have to hit someone over the head with a stick or cut someone with a knife. That idea was immensely … [Read more…]
In the past, I’ve said that when it comes to teachers, my personal preference is to have a very rigorous and strict one. I want someone who can be at the helm of my progress. I don’t want it to be any other way, because I know that in order to get to the next … [Read more…]
Yesterday my mentor told me that as part of her practice, at every meal she leaves something on her plate to share with her family. And she doesn’t leave food on her plate because they don’t have enough food…it’s because she works to think less of herself and more of others. Now that might be … [Read more…]
My teacher’s daughter told me the following story exactly like this, without exaggeration: When he was six years old, Mr. Vizzio sat on his instructor’s doorstep every single day for a year. But his instructor – the master – did not acknowledge him. Then at seven years old, Mr. Vizzio was allowed to get tea … [Read more…]
During the five years between blue belt and purple belt, I was the enforcer in the classroom. If you’re a sports fan, you know that in hockey, the enforcer’s function is pressure and intimidation. His role is to set a precedent with the other teams: he sits on the bench and when things get sticky, … [Read more…]
When I visited Japan, the most profound thing that I noticed—and that I didn’t expect in my wildest imagination—was that, in Japan, there were no garbage cans. If my life depended on it, I could not throw a piece of paper away properly. And on the streets in Japan, any place we went, there was … [Read more…]
Those of you have trained over at 13th Avenue know that on Friday nights the neighborhood can seem pretty wild…and Dunkin Donuts is a hot spot—dozens and dozens of kids go there to hang out. So there’s usually some kind of conflict brewing. One recent Friday night, two teens got into it out on the … [Read more…]
Mr. Vizzo and I were discussing an acquaintance we share from decades ago. He’s an accomplished sportsman on the world stage and a gold-medal Olympian, among other achievements. But I’ve begun to notice that recently, his social media posts really diminish what’s going on in his sport. He writes things like, “Yeah, these guys now … [Read more…]
Personally, I reject the notion of “having a game” in Jiu-Jitsu for many reasons. A “game” limits the practitioner’s ability. It tends to funnel the practice to preferred methods of training, which keeps us in a comfort zone. This results in becoming blind to the practice as a whole. That’s why you’ll often see that … [Read more…]