I was remembering a story the other day from a few years back. We were in the tai chi class.  I’m teaching a few moves into the form.  Of course we’re moving very smooth and slow.  The students, in general, weren’t real experienced and still learning the tai chi sequence. Half way into the class,…

Taking a promotion exam can be a scary and challenging thing – especially for newer students.  Most often, very advanced practitioners sit on a judges panel and watch every move the student makes.  It’s a succinct moment where the student will pass or be delayed;  and that kind of pressure can throw someone off their…

There’s an old saying that “if all things are equal, the fighter with the better eye control will win”.  I could probably leave it at that but here’s an exercise that will really help you out a lot in regards to eye-control. Pick up a peg-board.  I use one that is approximately 4 feet by…

It’s a common theory that you must tense the muscles during a punch or kick.  I can see where that comes from and respect the folks that believe it.  However, one of the major hindrances  of powerful punching, is the negative aspects of antagonistic muscle activity.  The problem with indiscriminate tensing, is that even the…