Tag: Blackbelt

  • Blackbelt Reading List

    Blackbelt Reading List

    I’ve been working on this project for over ten years. It’s not finished, but I’m sharing this work-in-progress in the hope that it will become a community project. So, the original idea was to have a list of books that will guide the Blackbelt Candidate and help focus their mind on training. It has expanded,…

  • Martial Art Endurance Training

    If you are a student of mine or a reader of this blog, then you know that I’m working hard on endurance training. That’s what this article is about. There’s a kind of “hierarchy of needs” to martial art training. When we come in as a White Belt, everyone has a different level of talent, knowledge,…

  • Lessons Learned from a Failed Test

    Lessons Learned from a Failed Test

    Maybe this is bad business. I’m a huge believer in transparency though, and there are lessons here. As difficult at this is to admit to my students and readers, I failed my last Blackbelt Test. It’s happened before. Actually, nearly every time I test with my instructor, Pyung Kwan Jang Nim (PKJN) Ben Mitchell, I…

  • Finding Kuk Sool Won

    I’ve been practicing Kuk Sool for about fifteen years or so now. From the time I was a child I had always wanted to learn “karate”. I lived outside of town and we usually only had one car, which my dad took to work. He was always tired when he got home and leaving to…