Recently I heard the sad news that one of my high school teachers passed away. I was fifteen when I started her Honors U.S. History course, and it was not long after that I started fantasizing about ... Continue Reading
7 Important Lessons on Listening to Your Body
Good athletes are typically good at listening to their coaches. But they're not always so good at listening to themselves. Truth is, your body knows what you need better than your brain and all the ... Continue Reading
Critical Learning: How to Read and Respond to Fitness Info on the Internet
I was reminded by a video shared on Facebook how important it is to never lose your critical eye. You should question everything, including YouTube videos, fitness articles, and even your coach’s advice. ... Continue Reading
May I Make an Observation? The Benefit of Letting Our Senses Do the Work
In my academic life, one of the courses I teach is on qualitative research methods. Qualitative methods are distinct from quantitative methods, which identify statistical relationships between two ... Continue Reading
How to Deal with a Bad Training Session
If you are anything like me, there are not many things in life that can put you in a bad mood. Most of the time it’s not worth it. However, having a ‘bad’ training session used to have me walking around ... Continue Reading
The Secret Pact of the BJJ Fistbump
Every now and then a reader will suggest a topic for me to write about. My usual response is to thank him/her and then suggest that s/he write about the topic him/herself. As often as not, the reader will ... Continue Reading
Do Cartwheels: Why You Need Learning and Fun in Your Training
The gym and life are a lot alike. For any shot at being successful you have to come to terms with being uncomfortable. We all know that the most productive workouts are the ones that push us to a new ... Continue Reading
Learning Sucks, But You Should Do It Anyway
When I was four years old I could read at a fourth grade level, but I couldn’t tie my shoes so they weren’t going to let me into kindergarten. I have a September birthday, so I was one of those kids doomed ... Continue Reading
Successive Approximations: What the Berimbolo Taught Me About Learning
The other day, I was drilling a grappling sequence called the berimbolo with my friend/teammate/teacher German. I have heard that “berimbolo” means “scramble” in Portuguese, but I have also heard from ... Continue Reading
Exercise Aids in Retention of New Motor Skills
Everyone knows that exercise has a positive effect on health. Most people associate those benefits with the physical side of things. There is evidence, however, that exercise can also improve brain ... Continue Reading
Start Small to Learn Big: Learning in Manageable Pieces
You gotta start somewhere. The journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step. One day at a time. Put one foot in front of the other. Slow and steady wins the race. Sticking your finger down ... Continue Reading
Simple Don’t Mean Easy – Knowing vs. Doing
I spend a lot of time talking about the basics. And for good reason! You can't run if you can't walk. We all know it, we've heard it, but we rarely take it to heart. When you are trying to learn something ... Continue Reading
