Everything you do is important. The quality of execution in small details can lead to big successes or huge failures. Imagine a busy contractor building a house.  In a rush to finish the job, he takes small shortcuts. He follows the building plans, but sometimes he doesn’t add as many nails as he should. Tired, he sometimes does not quite measure and cut everything true. He makes it "good enough” so that he can get the job done.   Some of the shortcuts may not really matter, but many together add up to create significant weaknesses in the structure and potential dangers to those who will live there. In the end, the house looks ok, but really all the small shortcuts, overlooked details, and imperfections could make the whole house crumble. The house appears normal, but, ...

In a recent article, I discussed the Resistance, an unseen, insidious guerrilla force determined to stop you from reaching your goals. In this article, I will give you some tips on how to fight it. The Resistance is a tough opponent. The Resistance fights dirty. It will use anything to undermine you. Because of this, you must cultivate powerful weapons to defeat it. When fighting the resistance, you must be persistent. You must fight every attack no matter how big or small. Even if you take a hit, you have to continue. You have to keep bearing down. You have to put everything into it whether you think you will win or lose. You cannot let the Resistance get away with anything. You must be relentless. You must be relentless when fighting for your goals. This means you must be unyielding and ...

If training were simply a matter of doing the right drills and exercises, everyone would be a badass. But it’s not just physical, it’s mental. If your mind is not already strong, then consistantly following the steps it takes to reach your goals is hard. You find seemingly legitimate reasons to postpone, skip, or even give up on the actions you must take.  Most of us end up fighting our thoughts, and in doing so, sabotage our dreams. A closer look at what’s going on inside your mind will help you take action and learn to fight for your goals. The Resistance The world is out to kill you. No, you’re not paranoid. It’s true. You reach for high goals, but life fights unfairly. You were supposed to workout, but something came up at work. You want to train, but your shoulder is hurting agai...

Developing prowess in the Filipino martial arts requires access to quality instruction, hours of training alone and with partners, and a real dedication to improvement. It requires the development of coordination, timing, and a variety of other skills specific to the application of the Filipino martial arts. However, there is some low hanging fruit that can greatly approve your capability to apply Kali. This low hanging fruit is simply developing well-rounded athletic fitness. This is not ground breaking news, but it is significant. If you improve your ability to perform basic athletic movements (running, jumping, throwing, etc.), you will notice a significant improvement in your Filipino martial arts skills. If you develop strength, you will see it replicated in your strikes, takedowns, a...

The Role of Fitness in Self Defense and Martial Arts If you do not have a physical foundation, you’re dead.   Imagine a military comprised of only extremely unfit men: Men who could not do a pushup or climb a flight of stairs without running out of breath.  What if not one of them could run 50 yards or lift anything heavy?  What if they only ate food from McDonald’s.  It would be absurd.    These are men who need to be strong both physically and mentally.  They need to be able to endure hardship and overcome an enemy that is trained, deadly and determined.  A military force like that would not survive it's first encounter.  The same is true for us.   If we are studying self defense for anything other than a fun pastime, then we need to be p...