Mark Hatmaker recently asked why the human animal so often places its dominant side to the rear whenever power, precision, or survival are at stake. His list was broad and historically informed: the boxer with his power hand back, the batter with his strong foot behind the plate, the quarterback and pitcher who coil theirContinue reading “STRONG SIDE BACK”
Tag Archives: winning
KNIFE WORK
My initial attraction to martial arts was through the weapons as artifacts. I was entranced by the beauty of the swords at the Boston Museum of Fine Arts.[1] I still covet and collect weapons but the pragmatist in me knows this is a servile and dangerous affliction. The importance isn’t the tool, it is theContinue reading “KNIFE WORK”
JOINT CONTROL
Any martial artist must study the use and limitations of the body; its structure and mechanics – and specifically its joints. (The banner image shows the major synovial joints of the skeletal system.) In Aikido, we are principally concerned with the control of the opponent’s “center” but the techniques achieve this by working from theContinue reading “JOINT CONTROL”