New martial arts students are a nervous bunch. So much is unknown… What are the rules? Will I get hurt? Do I look like a complete idiot? Why can’t I remember anything? Why am I not getting any better? The answer to all of those questions is DON’T WORRY! All beginner martial arts students start…
Author: Ando Mierzwa
Ando Mierzwa is a martial arts teacher living in Los Angeles, CA.
Why I Practice Martial Arts and Not Yoga
Martial arts and yoga share many similarities. √ Both seek to connect, or yoke, the mind, body, and spirit. √ Both improve flexibility and strength through movement and breathing. √ Both come wrapped in the mystique of exotic times and places. √ Both have lineages spanning decades, centuries, or—depending on your faith in legends—thousands of years….
Smash Through the Maze Between You and Your Goals
My wife and I recently met up with our family for breakfast. I wound up seated between my nephew and nieces, ages five, eight, and 10. On the table was a cup of crayons and paper placemats with games and activities to keep the kids, and their uncle, busy. And if you think this uncle…
#9: Smash Through the Maze [Podcast]
Welcome to Episode #9 of the Fight for a Happy Life podcast, Smash Through the Maze! Setting goals is simple…but reaching goals can be complicated! You might feel lost in a maze of obstacles. You might even want to give up. But before you fall to the ground and claw at the dirt to bury…
Is That the Real You or Just Window Dressing?
On a vacation stroll through the historic neighborhoods of Savannah, GA, my eyes were drawn to a pair of weathered, blue shutters. They caught my eye because they were attached to a home with hinges, not screws or nails. In short, these were real shutters. Where I grew up, shutters were merely for show, a…
Surprise Attack: The Way to Win
The original meaning of the word “surprise” is to attack or capture suddenly. So, a surprise attack is really an “attack attack” or double attack. I learned to respect the power of a double attack the hard way. When I started in Tae Kwon Do, I wasn’t a true beginner as I had already been training…
#8: Surprise: The Way to Win [Podcast]
Welcome to the eighth episode of the Fight for a Happy Life podcast, “Surprise: The Way to Win.” The original meaning of the word surprise is to attack or capture suddenly. I’d call that a sucker punch! We discussed the “dark side” of surprise in Sucker Punched by Life. Now it’s time to talk about…