Teaching Martial Arts by Combat Learning

It’s not a mystery at all why so many people quit jiu jitsu and martial arts generally, and coach Andre and I dissect why.

Other subjects covered:

* Praise the process, not the outcome (fostering intrinsic motivation)

* Warmups

* Athletic skills

Bring your CLA coaching and ecological dynamics knowledge to the next level and upgrade to the premium combat learning newsletter.

It's the best way to support the show, and you'll get access to ...

I didn’t watch the debate, but I know it sucked.

What I found in the comments is embarrassing.

Snort.

A study lol.

Why would scientists call a neurological phenomenon “muscle memory?” Doesn’t even pass the smell test.

The article states that muscle memory is making muscles remember movements, but then Zahabi says it’s neurological.

Sloppy, sophomoric, embarrassing, does not even merit reply, frankly.

EDIT:

I just noticed he calls it “musc...

Interested in eco/CLA but stuck in a traditional school?

Or maybe you’re frustrated with your progress, want to try something new, but are stuck inside a learning environment you don’t control.

Either way, you still have some options. Of course, it’s optimal to run your own club or gym, but you can take ownership of your own learning journey and get started with CLA even if you don’t.

Here’s the 5 best options I know.

Bring your CLA co...

My friend Daniel Marino made a critical observation about the karate community:

“It’s about looking good, not learning how to fight.”

Now, if you’re a part of the so-called “practical karate” or “practical bunkai” movement, you might think that you are exempt from this statement…but you’re not.

Dan wasn’t just talking about the most traditional of the traditionalists. He was talking about the practical karate people, too.

I haven’t add...

Positional sparring is consistent with the constraints-led approach (CLA) to coaching—and by extension, scalable live training (SLT)—but positional sparring tends to have a less flexible scope of practice.

So whereas all positional sparring can be CLA, the CLA is not simply positional sparring: it can be much more or much less, depending on the necessary scale.

Bring your CLA coaching and ecological dynamics knowledge to the next lev...

Today I’m reviewing a video by YouTuber Josh Beam BJJ, with Craig Hutchison from Carpe Diem Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu helping him assess and develop a passing game.

This episode explores the vital considerations we need to make about how we manipulate constraints, if smaller is actually better, and what information we’re losing when we scale dow...

Today, I review and criticize (in good humor) some videos I found on YouTube.

I’m analyzing the utility of several drills and games related to developing lead leg kicking tactics in taekwondo, a.k.a. cut kick and cancelling. Relevant to kickboxing and beyond.

But I’d like my awesome followers to get involved, too!

* Found an interesting training video you’d like me to assess?

* Have a video of you or your students’ training you’d like...

Major ecological researcher, Dr. Duarte Araujo, joins us on combat learning to discuss all things ecological cognition and sport psychology.

Other topics include…

* Knowledge of vs knowledge about

* Technique vs task space

* Repetition without repetition

* Affordances

* Decision-making and sport expertise

* Representative learning design

Dr. Araujo is professor of Psychology and Motor Behavior at the University of Lisbon, Head of the CIPER...

Everyone agrees that the fundamentals are the essence of martial arts skill, but nobody can agree on what they are exactly.

In this article, I outline and briefly comment on five different conceptions of martial arts fundamentals.

* Fundamentals as Basic Techniques

* Fundamentals as Principles of Play

* Fundamentals as Basics + Principles

* Fundamentals within Functional Movement Skills

* as Regulatory Conditions

* as Necessary Strategic ...

Information processing and ecological dynamics are both theories of perception and learning. They explain your relationship to the environment and how that affects your internal states and vice versa. As such, they inform training methodologies, but they are not methodologies in themselves.

Or, put another way, they have clear implications for how you should train, but as theories of perception and learning, they do not constitute o...

MMA coach and ecological approach to martial arts pioneer, Scott Sievewright, returns to Combat Learning to discuss his newly published academic paper on ecological dynamics for MMA and his evolving conception of martial arts ideas such as “the fundamentals.”

We also talk about problems of practice in the constraints-led approach, especially how difficult it is to scale proper constraints-led coaching to a growing mat.

On top of that...

The first combat learning live Q&A! We discuss…

* How you don’t have to intervene during training and you don’t have to generate feedback for students if it’s not necessary.

* The power of external instructions, especially with young children acquiring movement skills.

* CLA for coaching poomsae and kata.

* Overcorrecting and junk coaching.

…and more!

I’m going to do more live Q&A sessions. If you have a question you want answered, comme...

This is an audio version of a previous combat learning article, Tao of Aliveness.

Bruce Lee superfans have to pretend about his fighting prowess because, to them, that’s what makes him legendary. It bolsters the legitimacy and mystique of his jeet kune do system. Jeet kune do, as Lee taught it, is the chief artifact of his legacy in the eyes of martial artists who can only see formal systems and styles.

The philosophy stuff is cool t...

DPT, licensed physical therapist, CSCS, and fellow martial artist Patrick Jacobs joins me to unpack rehabilitation and injury prevention for martial artists from a constraints-led approach to PT practice.

Want to upgrade your coaching?

Bring your CLA coaching and ecological dynamics knowledge to the next level and upgrade to the premium combat learning newsletter. It's the best way to support the show, and you'll get access to exclus...

The original There is No Perfect Technique article can be found here.

It’s the air we breathe from our first day of school to our last day in the workforce and beyond…

Repetition, repetition, repetition. Practice makes perfect. Perfect practice makes better.

Everywhere we’re washed over with some form of messaging about how to learn that involves drudgery and drilling. But that repetition is not just to get it “into muscle memory.” Th...

Adam Singer joins us again to discuss how he balances safety and productivity using the constrains-led approach to teach 100% live sparring classes from the ground up, beginner to advanced.

Remember to sign up for the FREE Combat Learning Newsletter. You'll get an introduction to motor learning for martial artists PDF, a transfer of learning cheat sheet, tons of other free coaching resources, and you'll never miss an podcast episode...

Long-time MMA coach, SGB affiliate, and martial arts veteran Adam Singer talks about the old days of Jeet Kune Do, the introduction of MMA, and the development of aliveness from Bruce Lee through Matt Thornton to today.

Remember to sign up for the FREE Combat Learning Newsletter. You'll get an introduction to motor learning for martial artists PDF, a transfer of learning cheat sheet, tons of other free coaching resources, and you'll...

Today I'm joined Sony Sahota, owner of Praxis Gym and a teacher of judo, wrestling, and jiu jitsu.In this episode, we discuss how Sony approaches training through the lens of embodied cognition, specifically enactivism. Sony recounts how it changed his entire approach to training, and then we move into a deep philosophical discussion about embodied cognition.One of my favorite parts of the discussion was when we discussed the role ...