Another Systema article

An excellent, longer article elaborating on the formal vs. flinch vs. flow and the purpose for slow training in Systema, used by Russian Special Forces. Talks about the risks of flinch-response based training vs. a flow approach. Mentions some similarities with bagua, taiji, xingyi, and aikido.

Systema article

An article on Systema describing Formal vs. Flinch vs. Flow approaches to training.

Egan Inoue: Racquetball and BJJ world champion

Holy Moly. I was impressed that Josh Waitzkin could hold national chess championships and world PH championships and now aims for world BJJ championships. Egan Inoue has won multiple world racquetball championships followed up by multiple world BJJ championships. He also won mma world championships, though I can’t find with what organization. His younger brother [...]

Slightly back weighted

I am increasingly aware that my standing posture is slightly weighted toward the back. I can feel it, I’ve seen it in the mirror, my friends have helped me correct it a bit. Now, the Wii Fit is making it even more clear by drawing two lines, one vertical, one horizontal, then showing a red [...]

Machida Ortiz

Who knows how long this one will be up:
http://www.mmaroot.com/lyoto-machida-vs-tito-ortiz-ufc-84-video/
Very entertaining due to Machida being so technically proficient and “unorthodox”. The double kicks, the smoothness. Suddenly appearing, suddenly disappearing. Excellent feints. Renders Ortiz’ clinch useless. Always “connected”. The old story about Yang Cheng Fu and the string comes to mind. That is the kind of mma [...]

Totally offtopic: 10/20/30 presentation rule

Guy Kawasaki talks about his 10/20/30 rule for presentations:

Read his blog entry.
An awesome site he recommends: Presentation Zen.

Random Dao De Jing quote

We desire to understand the world by giving names to the things we see,
but these things are only the effects of something subtle.
When we see beyond the desire to use names,
we can sense the nameless cause of these effects.

Too weak

Last week, jiu jitsu did me in. The novelty of the types of strength required was definitely a good workout. E.g., repetitions of upa against resistance from a live human are just hard. jiujitsu365 has a good post on just that topic. All fine and good. The problem was, after that I could barely do [...]

MA cults of personality

I’ve personally seen, heard and read some shocking behavior and expression that I see as evidence of a cult of personality around some “master” whose students follow him with totally blind adulation. The blind worship almost always goes beyond appreciation for great skills to extend to some kind of attributed leadership of virtue, heroism, or [...]

MAF vs. MAFS

Not sure who coined this term, “MAFS” (martial arts fantasy syndrome). Probably Tabby Cat. It describes a syndrome in which the MA student has some ridiculous fantasy he (probably afflicts only males) will have to use his “devastating” skills he’s learning in some David vs. Goliath standoff one day. That is the big underlying motivation [...]