Ten Pressure Points that can be useful in martial art practice The use of pressure points has a long history originating in Chinese medicinal practices including acupuncture, which uses needles to stimulate the points. These points are spots in the body which energy flows through. They can be detected not just by pressing a point […]

You may be familiar with catnip as an herb that cats can’t seem to stay away from. It is also an herb in the mint family that can often be found commonly growing throughout the United States as a naturalized alien plant. Catnip, or Nepeta cataria by its scientific name, is delicious to nibble on. […]

On Saturday I attended Master Pearson and Sensei Gardner’s 12 hour Taekwondo and Aikido class at Eastern Sky Aikido in Rochester. My challenge began in the morning as I got up early after a late night working hard at my job and drove to Rochester to find the dojang [Korean for "training school"; dojo in […]

For this week’s post I have interviewed Ms. MaryBeth Quandt, a student and instructor of Shin Ho Kwan Taekwondo. Ms. Quandt has been learning and teaching Taekwondo for many years. Her husband and two daughters are also black belts in our association. I have long been inspired my Ms. Quandt’s dedication to training and teaching […]

This week I am not so much sharing with you my ideas of Taoism, as I am sharing with you a blog in which another blogger shares his thoughts about Taoism. The first post I read on this blog site is comparing thoughts that come from the nature- inspired writer Ralph Waldo Emerson with ideas […]

Wide Angle Vision Wide Angle Vision is a lesson I first learned through Tom Brown, Jr., wilderness survival instructor and founder of the Tracker School in the Pine Barrens of New Jersey. I first read about it in one of his books. Later I learned more about it in person at Hawk Circle Summer Camp, […]

It is not easy to be a martial art student and live far away from your instructor. This much I know from personal experience. Beyond that I am not sure I am qualified to offer advice to others on this subject. I will share what I have found to be helpful, and perhaps I will […]

The name “Tangrams” refers to an ancient Chinese puzzle which consists of 7 pieces (originally of wood, more recently they can also be plastic) made into very specific shapes. From these 7 shapes, a seemingly infinite number of shapes can be created. “Over 6500 different tangram problems have been compiled from 19th century texts alone, […]

The Dragon (Jin from Korean), the fifth animal in the Chinese Zodiac, is the only animal represented that is (as far as we now know) mythical. It has been a source of stories and beliefs for thousands of years and holds its own special place in the 12/ 60 year cycle. It is known as […]

Lao Tzu is known as the author of the Tao Te Ching, a mysterious book of philosophy from China that has been around for 2,500 years, and inspired the philosophy of Taoism. The name Lao Tzu is also translated “Laozi” as well as other variations of spelling. The word “Tao” translates literally to a “way” […]