Some feel that certain techniques are “cheap shots.” There was a time when leg locks were ‘cheap’ or when you take a wrist lock… nonsense! Now, in a self defense situation there is no such thing. Context is everything in everything. Whenever I hear someone say, “That was cheap!” I always say, “A cheap shot is a great deal” and smile. Now, don’t be an asshole, or malicious, unless it is necessary, and you better know when it’s necessary. However, when you see an opportunity, take it! Some people don’t want to jump on an opportunity before someone else because they think it’s a ‘cheap shot’. Go back to the asshole rule. If they don’t act and you do that is not a cheap shot and you are not an asshole. So, son, a cheap shot is a great deal. Take’m when you can!

Training hard and pushing yourself day in and day out is the secret to being mentally and physically tough. There is no secret pill and no hacks to make things easy. Hard training is hard! You get tired from training and purposefully push yourself to the edge. It builds heart, a tough mind and a willingness to push through perceived limits. But, if you don’t build that heart and you get tired in a fight, your opponent will feel it, see it and keep attacking to break you… and that is bad, bad, bad!

I’ve always been active and training, pushing boundaries and testing myself. However, I’ve have never been tested so much as when I was battling cancer. Now, looking back I was training hard but, I was not sleeping enough, wasn’t eating as well as I could have, always on the go burning the candle at both ends and the middle was melting. The same mental and physical toughness that I developed to push my limits to become stronger may have played a part in my eventual cancer. However, that mental and physical toughness allowed me to never give up when I was at my weakest and frailest, crawling through the valley of death. Now, I am still training, but I sleep, eat healthy, do things to develop my energy and well being, focus on health and happiness, live life like I love it, with excitement and enthusiasm. Believe me, everything is easier after fighting for my life and now living a lifestyle to be energized, healthy, happy, have a positive mental outlook with overall well being.

Pretty simple. The more you push yourself in realistic training the tougher you become. The tougher you become the more you push through in training. Victory favors the Tough and Trained!

Seems obvious, well it’s not! The problem is most people choose the easy choice, which often is the wrong choice. If you don’t know what to choose then you’re leaving it to chance, and that’s not a good choice. However, once you have chosen to do the work to build and develop your skill (in whatever area), you. start to choose the better choice more often. Keep choosing the better choice and pretty soon the better choice becomes the easy choice to choose. Life is change, growth is optional, choose wisely. 

Seems obvious, well it’s not! The problem is most people choose the easy choice, which often is the wrong choice. If you don’t know what to choose then you’re leaving it to chance, and that’s not a good choice. However, once you have chosen to do the work to build and develop your skill (in whatever area), you. start to choose the better choice more often. Keep choosing the better choice and pretty soon the better choice becomes the easy choice to choose. Life is change, growth is optional, choose wisely. 

There is so much theory and nonsense in the martial arts. Yeah, I get it, it’s physics, but is knowing all of the theories and understanding all of the equations behind your movements going to help you? Maybe, if you are a smarty pants that can kick ass. How about you prove or disprove your theories by actual physical testing in the laboratory of physical combat. Compute your numbers as fists and feet are flying at your face, and your bones and body parts are being bent and bounced off the mat. Sweet my college paid off to make a Frick’n Instagram post! No scars, no proof!