“I always say pain is the best teacher”, he grinned, as he twisted and compressed my wrist a little more. I laughed too. Although it hurt, he was kind and fully in control; and not inflicting anything dangerous or intolerable.
But after class, my female friend said: “This is such great training. Nothing ever hurts here! This is how martial arts should be.”
What was going on . . . ?
Here’s my latest article on the Good Men Project . . . it’s about martial artists training through severe injuries, when maybe they’d be better off just taking a break sometimes . . .
Last Christmas was tough for my friend John (not his real name) and his family. He’s the sole breadwinner, and was between contracts, with nothing new in sight […]
Would you like to be loved by someone who is always there for you? Who helps you and takes care of you unconditionally when life is hard. Who can always be relied on to hold the fort, no matter what … Continued
Picture credit: Aikido by Kesara Rathnayake. Licensed under CC-by-sa 2.0 What does a typical student / sensei relationship look like in a 21st century dojo? Lori O’Connell suggests three forms it can take: Exalted Guru (very formal – student submits … Continued
Martial arts are my lifeline, and my training literally pulled me up out of the abyss at one point. At one point in my life, I was thrown into deep trauma and grief, of an intensity seemingly beyond all endurance. … Continued
At first I was intimidated by his very senior rank within the company. But then he opened up about his own vulnerabilities and fears . . .
Have you ever walked into an unfamiliar situation, and completely misunderstood what you saw in front of your eyes?
Only to be shocked as the truth suddenly dawns on you, and your mind flips over into a completely new reality . . .
These underachieving teenage boys were desperate for good male role models in their lives—and I certainly didn’t fit the bill as a woman . . .
Male/female relationships don’t have to be sexual to be meaningful and enlightening. Until now, my closest relationships have always been with family members, female friends, and male partners – nothing groundbreaking there. But over the last couple of years, my … Continued