One key technique to learn flow in Boxing and other martial arts is to practice Loading and Reloading. That means you turn the body with one side further away from your opponent. This will give you some distance to build power which is what we call Loading. Then instead of punching with the other hand, you will turn your body again and punch with the same hand. It's very easy to fall into a predictable pattern of Left, Right, Left, Right, etc. However this drill will help you break that predictability and develop flow!  

Wing Chun is a fantastic martial art and one which I've spent many years practicing. One of the best things about it is the fact that it's so simple. Really the concepts and principles of the system and techniques can be taught in less than an hour. Obviously that doesn't mean you'll have a deep understanding or the ability to actually pull it off, but you will know what it's all about. This is unlike some martial arts that will take forever just to learn what the techniques are. The first form which is called Sil Lim Tao (translating to "The Little…

This well known phrase was first coined in 1913 and based on an old Pembrokeshire proverb from 1866. They may not have known all these things at that time, but it turns out they were right! Let's take a look at the benefits of an apple a day.   APPLES ARE HIGHLY NUTRITIOUS Here's a quick breakdown of the nutrition in an average sized apples   95 calories 24 grams of carbs 4.5 grams of fiber 9% daily value of Vitamin C 5% daily value of Copper 4% daily value of Potassium  3% daily value of Vitamin K   APPLES SUPPORT HEART HEALTH One study with over 20,000 adults found that eating higher amounts…

These are some of my favourite bodyweight exercises for strength and conditioning for sports. When you're figuring out a workout for sports, you need to first understand that you need to train the entire body. Never mind the Bro Split where you train one or two muscles a day. That's a program designed specifically for bodybuilding and has absolutely no place in a sports program. You use your entire body in any sport. Therefore you must train the entire body and learn to use it as one unit. This means that compound or multi joint exercises are the focus and…

Using the hips is probably the most important part of making your martial arts techniques effective. Many people will punch and kick and only think of the hands or feet. This is essentially the same thing as focusing on the arrow while having a poor bow at the same time. No matter how nice and sharp your arrows may be, without a good bow to launch it, it will be useless. That's why we always emphasize the hips and feet for proper movement as well as power and health benefits.  

I've been asked recently by several people what my personal strength and conditioning workout routine is, so that's what we're going to cover today. Although I post a lot of videos and it may seem like I workout every day, I don't. I often film several videos in one day and then post them over different days. Having recovery time is important as well as maintaining balance in your life. Working out is a part of your life, but you can't let it control your life. You are the one in charge. If you don't feel like it on a…

This is an exercise method where we superset two exercises. This means that we alternate between the two rather than doing all the sets for one exercise before moving onto the next. Then we start at 10 reps for one of the exercises and 1 rep of the other exercise. With each set, one exercise decreases in reps while the other one increases. So by the end, the first exercise is down to 1 rep and the second exercise is up to 10 reps. It may sound a bit confusing hearing the explanation, but when you see the video it will…

Wing Chun is a very unusual martial art. It's principle based rather than technique based. This causes a lot of confusion including ridiculous arguments about what is and isn't Wing Chun. So instead of looking at and memorizing an endless list of techniques, we're seeing techniques merely as expressions of the principles. If for example, my right hand is closer to my opponent than my left, I'll use my right hand since it's more efficient. If I can avoid a fight entirely, I will since I want to always save time, movement, and energy. In any case, I hope this video…

This is absolutely one of the best drills you can do to correct a number of issues including :   1. Not getting your hips and body into your strikes 2. Leaning into your strikes 3. Telegraphing 4. Poor balance   By removing the hands, all you have left is your body. Therefore you have no choice but to use it properly!  

You know the old expression "Too much of a good thing"? Unfortunately it also applies to health and fitness. I've heard it countless times over the years. "I love the way working out makes me feel. I want to do it every day". There's also "I just need to workout every day. My day just isn't complete without it". And of course we have "It's been months since I ate any junk food. I love the way healthy eating makes me feel. I don't ever want it again".   At first glance, someone might ask "What's the problem?". Let's look at these…

The weapon is an extension of the hands. This is a very common understanding in the world of martial arts and one particular weapon where this applies perhaps more than others, is the Wing Chun Butterfly Swords. They essentially resemble large butcher knives with hand guards. Basically every technique you can do with your hands can be done with the swords. In fact, I don't think it's possible to truly understand the proper energies of Wing Chun without the swords.    When you look at empty handed techniques, they're done with what we call a small frame. Everything is tighter and more…

It's been a tough winter so far here in Southern Ontario, Canada. We got a ton of snow so far this year and we've also had some bitter bone-chilling cold weather. Luckily, we have a bodyweight workout that can be done anywhere. This is a circuit workout for either two or three rounds. Here are the exercises.   Dips Punisher Squats Chinups Tabletop Thrusts Fist Pushups Wideouts Bicep Body Rows Spiderman Mountain Climbers   Of course, certain changes can be made but this is the exact workout I did. Try to keep the reps high and the rest to a minimum. Working out doesn't have…

The battle ropes are a very versatile piece of equipment. They're great for strength, endurance, body connection and coordination, and even for training sport specific skills. On top of that it provides am amazing cardio workout and can really help melt those pounds off. In this video, I cover my favourite exercises on the ropes.    One thing to keep in mind always is that you must use the body as one unit. In the Chinese internal arts, we like to say "One part moves, All parts move". With the ropes it's very difficult to not do this. For if you don't then…

Here's a 9 Exercise Bodyweight Circuit for you. No equipment is required. Here are the exercises.   1. Punisher Squats 2. Pushups with Alternating Widths 3. Frog Jumps 4. Pike Pushups 5. Side Lunges 6. Knuckle Pushups 7. Bear Crawl 8. Ape Crawl 9. Crab Crawl   These are done back to back in a circuit. 2 to 4 total circuits are done. It's a tough one, but effective! Check out the video!  

Jumping on the trampoline is one of my favourite types of exercises. It's fun, it's simple, and it has tremendous health benefits. One major benefit is it helps you feel youthful. Look at kids running, jumping, and playing. They're so light on their feet and moving easily. Unfortunately it doesn't take long before you start to stiffen up and most adults have completely lost that supple feeling. It doesn't have to be that way however. Trampoline jumping is one of the best ways to get that feeling back. Another benefit is that it promotes lymphatic fluid flow. Jumping up and…

This has been a challenging time to say the least. With so many things closed and put on hold, how can you stay motivated to workout and live the fitness lifestyle? The easiest thing is to make small changes. Don't tell yourself that you'll never have a cheat day again. That won't work. All you'll end up doing is driving yourself insane only to end up going nuts one day and finishing off a large pizza and a container of ice cream. I've seen it happen! So what are some of the ways we can do this? Here are three…

During these times, it's important to be able to workout anywhere. Gyms are closed or open with restrictions. But we still need to stay in shape. How can this be done and how can we keep the workouts fun and interesting? There's more to it than just saying to do 100 squats, 100 pushups, 100 sit ups a day. Sure that may work for a bit and you may even get some decent results from that. But eventually you'll get pretty bored and stale on that.    A big part of keeping things fresh and to get better results is to change the…

Forms practice is a very large part of the traditional martial arts. They serve many purposes. One is that in the old days it served as a glossary of the techniques of a martial art. The majority of the population was illiterate at that time and forms were a way to physically pass down the techniques and spirit of a martial art. Another is that it helps to ingrain the techniques into your subconscious improving muscle memory. And a third is that they are good exercise and in fact great for cardio as well as coordinating the body.   However for our…

This is a bodyweight workout that can be done anywhere with just a bit of floor space. There are four major categories of exercises that all need to be trained for a balanced workout. They are  1. Squats 2. Upper Body Push 3. Upper Body Pull 4. Core Work   At least one exercise from  each category should be done. In this case I've done three from each. Here's a full list of the exercises.  1. Squats 2. Beat Your Boots Squats 3. Wideouts / Pop Squats 4. Pushups 5. Hindu Pushups 6. Knuckle Pushups 7. Swimming 8. Renegade Rows 9. Body Rows (Lebert Equalizers) 10. Spiderman Climb 11. Frog Crunch 12. Side Plank Raise   Click below to see the workout. https://youtu.be/Wd1OHc7yWrU And send…

In our society, many people have been trained to feel helpless. As if they have no control over things. If something is wrong with your health, take a drug. If you suffer from Depression take a drug. If your back hurts there's nothing you can do about. You're old and that's just the way it is. Or you could take a drug for it. If you're diagnosed with Diabetes take a drug. If you have High Blood Pressure, take a drug. Do any of these remedies involve taking control of your life in a a healthy way. These are all legitimate…