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In this video I discuss the ins and outs of training hard. I cover how hard training should be, as well as look at a few unhealthy and unproductive forms for “hard”.
I have a love of world mythology. They are such great stories … and the reason they are so great, and the reason they have been told for thousands of years, is because they resonate with us by telling us something about the human condition. We see part of ourselves reflected in the heroes, villains and beasts. It’s not just the ancient tales either. Popular modern tales such as Star Wars, Harry Potter and the sagas of the various superheroes also reflect things back to us. Things we intuitively know at a deeper level, but are often best expressed via storytelling
Welcome to the YouTube version of The Martial Map! Originally, this was an audiobook / podcast that I shared in January 2011. I believe it to be one of the most important things I’ve produced, and it’s certainly been one of the most popular. Now that we are at its ten-year anniversary, I thought it would be a good time to share it here too. I also see a growing number of people referencing it so a YouTube version will no doubt help with its accessibility.
In this video we discuss the Hierarchy of Correction. It is essentially a simple model martial arts and self-protection instructors can use to identify and correct the things that will see the greatest increase in performance for the student.
This is not a hierarchy of instruction (as explained in the video), but a guide for identifying the things that will yield the greatest improvement in performance when observing and correcting a student during drills.
In this video we discuss the concept of “sen” and the three timings for seizing the combative initiative. We cover the strengths and limitations of each kind of sen in both consensual fighting and self-protection. We also look at the limitations of the idea when we move from academia to application. The concept of sen is often expressed in subtly different ways across the martial arts. This video is therefore not intended to a definitive and universal guide, but instead to share my personal take on this concept.
A short clip showing bunkai for the “cup and saucer” position to the angular knife-hands of Kanku-Dai / Kosokun-Dai / Kushanku. This clip was taken from a two-day event and obviously does not capture all that came before and after. The video is therefore not a complete explanation of the underlying concepts nor can it explain how such drills fit into the wider training matrix.
My thoughts on the greatest martial arts movie of all time! Discussions so far would suggest I’m out on a limb with my view … BUT please watch the whole video so you know where I’m coming from. Hopefully, you will find my take on things entertaining and interesting even if you disagree.
In this video we discuss why so many karateka are seeking the original versions of kata. We also discuss the value and practicality of that quest, the evolution of kata over time, and debunk a few common fallacies and misunderstandings along the way.
This video quickly runs through a flow drill and a pad drill for Saifa kata. The purpose of such drills is the time efficient practice of the core methods of the related kata. To fully realise the value of kata we also need to include bunkai based live drills, semi-live drills, many other pad drills, variation drills, etc in our practise. When any drill is isolated from the whole its purpose and value can become obscured. For detailed instruction on these drills, and all related methods, please check out the iain abernethy app.
This video is a follow up to “Five things martial artists get wrong about self-defence”. The message of that video was one that seemed to resonate with many. However, I also noticed a number of those expressing enthusiastic support for the video were making the very mistakes the video highlighted!
It seems many remain confused about what self-protection is. It then inevitably follows that they are also confused about the differences between self-protection and martial arts / fighting. In this video I cover four key differences:
