This is what happens when 3 martial artists, who happen to also be dancers, meet at a bellydance/martial arts fusion festival – and a free photoshoot is offered. It was an honour to ‘duke it out’ virtually with my amazing dance colleagues Daniela (Aikido Master) and Senta (Karate Master) from the Netherlands. Representing here (as… Read More All is One
One of the most interesting (and unexpectedly fun!) things we got to practice during this weekend’s MartialArts4Children workshop day was ‘ground work’ techniques for MMA. In other words, I survived my very first jujitsu-esque experience. I found it incredibly intriguing. Playing with gravity, using the flow of movement (or at least trying to!) and awareness… Read More Gravity and Flow
As they say in Taekwondo: Achieving your first grade black belt means you are finally ready to start your ‘real’ training. You have survived the basics. And now the actual work begins. I love that. Let’s do dis. I am looking forward already enormously to continuing our training. The lessons will go even deeper, and… Read More The Journey Begins
Every Monday and Thursday, before leaving for Taekwondo and Haidong Gumdo class, I fold our doboks. It calms me, and it helps me get into the ‘learning zone’. What about you? What are your favourite pre-practise (or performance!) habits/rituals? Bonus geekery: The way of the Fold, by Marie Kondo
This week’s TaeKwonDo epiphany is brought to you by quantum mechanics. Not kicking quantums – that is something that intrinsically happens. We’re always kicking quantums. Anyway. Recently, as I was struggling with a turning kick in Taekwondo, our Teacher made the remark that I will have to let go of trying to check what my… Read More Quantum Kicking
After an amazing adventurous and dance-filled weekend, it’s back to martial arts practise today. As our 1st grade black test is coming up in just a few weeks (eek!) and Taekwondo training (practise and classes) will be the main focus for a while. It feels a bit strange to ‘flip the switch’ – from deep… Read More Flipping the Switch
Boards don’t hit back.. or do they? It’s so interesting how much more difficult it suddenly seems to kick a board with relaxed attitude (and the required precision) once you anticipate it might possibly hurt when it doesn’t quite work out.. The mind is a powerful thing. It needs the practise as much as the… Read More Mind and Matter
The adventures of the past few days made me think of how much freedom we gain once we let go of expected outcomes. Surprises can jolt us into consciousness, if we let them. For me it was – at least today – a new-to-me student in Haidong Gumdo and Taekwondo class today. Incredibly talented –… Read More Go with the Flow
Do you know the difference between taekwondo, boxing, thaiboxing, self-defense, karate, jujitsu, judo and MMA? I don‘t. At least: not yet… But I‘m about to find out this spring! And so can you 🙂 Dance4Children (the charity support team I have had the honour to join since this January) is hosting a ‘MartialArts4Children’ workshop day… Read More All the Martial Artses
One of the unexpected side-effects of studying TaeKwonDo is that it has become nearly impossible to watch a Martial Arts scene in a film without shouting out the techniques that are being employed. And.. judging them. Even when – or, perhaps, especially when – the movements are ones I am still very much struggling with… Read More The Martial Matrix