By Sensei Serge Sognonvi and Carmen Sognonvi
Originally published at http://www.urbandojo.com/blog
Here’s a round-up of the best martial arts-related news stories and blog posts that we came across this week.
How to Improve Your Success Rate in Applying Submissions
With so many tutorial videos online nowadays, anyone can figure out how to do a basic submission. But in this post, jiu-jitsu instructor and blogger Lori O’Connell explains that videos won’t allow you to learn “the finer points that helps you actually complete these moves against a live, resisting opponent.” She breaks down the 3 key concepts you need in submission grappling.
Guts Are the Anesthesia That Deaden the Pain of Fear
Why is it so important for martial arts students to compete in tournaments? In this post, kenpo instructor and blogger Sam Bowley explains that the courage a student develops by competing is invaluable because if they find themselves “in a more intense situation, like a fight or flight problem, they’ll have developed the guts they need and won’t freeze.”
How to Become a Better Fighter with Kata
Many people dismiss kata as that “old-school stuff” and think that in today’s martial arts landscape, with the increasing popularity of MMA, it has become irrelevant. But did you know that fighters like Lyoto Machida, Mas Oyama, Andy Hug, and even Georges St. Pierre use kata as part of their training? In this post, martial artist and blogger Josh Skinner explains how kata is still useful for martial artists and combat athletes.
Are Martial Arts Ruining Action Movies?
Provocative headline, huh? In this post for the blog Vulture, Kyle Buchanan declares that “with little in the way of stakes, a sameness in presentation, and no blood or bruises, martial arts have turned action scenes into dance scenes, and while those can be fun, they’re not usually renowned for their suspense.” What do you think?
Karate Analytics: Test, Think, Triumph!
In this post, karate blogger Jesse Enkamp details an exercise/experiment he did in which he had some junior black belts teach some intermediate students a section of a kata, then had everyone switch so that by the end of it, each “instructor” had taught 5 students and each student learned from 5 “instructors.” What did the junior black belts learn from this exercise? That by teaching the kata, they were able to learn it better themselves. In other words, teaching = learning.