Media for Martial Artists

There are few things as frustrating to a martial artist as wanting to train and simply not being able to. Sometimes people can’t train because of illness or injury. In a way that makes things easier, because the body doesn’t feel able to train. When both the mind and body are ready to train, but circumstances prevent it, that’s a truly miserable feeling.

I’m compiling this list to help ease the boredom of martial artists who are home bound during the Covid-19 outbreak. My hope is to offer some resources to percolate the brain and, perhaps, suggest exercises that people may find beneficial. While this is prompted by a very specific circumstance, it’s my hope that this resource list will be of general value. I intend to update this post as I discover more worthwhile material. If any of my readers have suggestions on that front, feel free to contact me through the form at the bottom of this page.

Let’s get started…

First off, some things people can read for free:

Anybody who is interested in coaching martial arts should read Matt Thornton’s blog Aliveness 101. I’d also recommend it for people new to the martial arts as he makes some clear arguments as to what constitutes best practices in coaching. It can help people who are shopping for a school to discern the wheat from the chaff. I recommend paying particular attention to the “I” method. In my experience a lot of problems arise when coaches don’t understand, or fail to distinguish between, the three “I”s (Introduction, Isolation, Integration).

The Gentle Art is a blog written by Cane Prevost. Cane is a black belt under Matt Thornton, so his methods clearly build on the Aliveness 101 foundation, but Cane is also a professional educator and his understanding of pedagogy is evident in his writing and coaching. Pay special attention to his writings about “Posture, Pressure, Possibilities.”

Next up: the must have books:

Facing Violence by Rory Miller should be required reading for anybody who thinks “martial artist” should mean not just a performing artist or combat athlete, but someone capable of defending themselves and others from real world harm. Miller does an impressive job of clearly and concisely explaining the dynamics of violence in general and criminal violence in particular.

The Fighter’s Mind by Sam Sheridan is a book that interviews elite combat athletes and coaches about their mental approach to training and fighting. Given the diversity of people interviewed, there isn’t really a single central thesis or conclusion that I think defines the book, but there are some great ideas thrown out by some of the all-time greats. It’s definitely a fun and worthwhile a read.

I should note, that, while I have numerous books in my home library that describe the techniques of different martial arts, I don’t believe books are the most efficient way of recording and transmitting instructions on physical movements. I love books but, if you’re trying to learn physical skills without in-person instruction, the modern marvel that is video can’t be beat. I know this statement seems rather heretical coming from a Historical European Martial Arts practitioner, but there you have it. Later on, I may add a section on technique books to this list, but for now…On to video recommendations:

There are three main ways to find martial arts videos: you can buy videos (either as digital files or DVDs), you can pay to stream content hidden behind a paywall, or you can browse Youtube. The price point can be daunting with the first two, and with the third it can be difficult to find quality material given the signal to noise ration on Youtube. There is some good news: given these extraordinary times, some prestigious instructors have chosen to put out free downloadable videos for people who want or need to train alone.

John Danaher just released Solo BJJ Training Drills for free. He’s a Jiu-jitsu coach with a PhD in philosophy and it shows in the meticulous way he designs and articulates his lessons.

Judo at Home Workout from Olympic silver medalist Travis Stevens is also available for free.

If you are willing to spend money on some videos, my friend Andy Hung has recently released several instructional sets. Andy is one of the instructors at Portland Judo. He has black belts in both Judo and Brazilian Jiu-jitsu. Osoto Gari is his favorite throw and he is very good at it.

Okay. That’s it for now. When I get the chance, I’ll post a part 2 with Youtube video recommendations and anything else that occurs to me. If anything occurs to you, let me know through the form below.