There are always jerks. No matter how old you are, what you do, or where you are in your life, that one thing remains true. They exist just as much at work when you’re an adult as they do in school when you’re a kid. There are just some people out there who feel the […]Read more

Grand Master Park almost never talked about other fighters.  That’s why I was very surprised when he told me about this one fighter he had seen, whose abilities he admired. That fighter’s name? Mike.  He was a world champion fighter. He was also one of the sweetest, [...]Read more

The best piece of advice Mr. Myagi gave Daniel-San in the Karate Kid? “No be there.”  I tell my students all the time, “they can’t hurt you if you’re not there.” Self-Defense is a very ambiguous term. Is it shooting an attacker? Fighting off a bully? Putting a threat into a [...]Read more

If you think of Tae Kwon-Do only as a sport, you’re missing about 90% of what we do.  Tae Kwon-Do is the best way to train your body and to learn how to fight. But it has nothing less to do with personal development and character, not to mention your health and [...]Read more

The original “Karate Kid” is one of my favorite martial arts movies of all time.  Martial arts and Hollywood have a complicated relationship. There have been some very realistic portrayals, and some very unrealistic ones.  The “Kung-Fu Theater” films of the 1970’s [...]Read more

I have a confession to make. I didn’t think I was ready for 8th Dan.  A true martial artist never feels ready for the next rank. Especially as you move through the degrees of black belt. Schools with a decent educational program require 3-4 years to achieve a first degree [...]Read more