I can think of no more worthwhile aim than pursuing mastery in this craft while transcending one’s own limitations.

But when I sat listening with the other Aikido students and teachers on the mat at the Kumano Juku Dojo, all of us dripping with sweat and focused intently on the practice of Aikido in...

The historic beauty of BJJ rests not with its ability to allow a smaller man to maim a larger man, but with its ability to allow any man of any size to survive.

Through Jiu Jitsu I have developed many of the most meaningful relationships in my life, and if that were the only benefit of my practice, Jiu Jitsu would still be the best endeavor I have...

The warrior learns of the spiritual realm by dwelling on the cutting edge of the sword, standing at the edge of the fire pit, venturing right up to the edge of starvation if necessary. Vibrant...

I have been given the rare opportunity to teach Jiu Jitsu for a living. This is a privilege that I wake up everyday grateful for, and a responsibility that I hold dearly. I understand how...

The Destructive Arts are exactly like Martial Arts, except they don’t have uniforms or usefulness and the end result doesn’t resemble art in any way.

Jiu Jitsu gives me an ideal to strive toward. Technical mastery lies on an infinite continuum and completion of this skill is impossible. Every time I train I have something that I can improve upon,...

Through my willingness to train every day and to dig deep in the after-class ukemi sessions, over time I earned the respect and friendship of my training partners, who were mostly Japanese men sincerely surprised...

There are three kinds of fighters: the aggressive fighter who charges in blindly trying to get the upper hand, the defensive fighter who blocks and evades until his opponent is tired, and then the most...

It’s who I am. I can’t just pretend to be some normal kid. That won’t work either. They’ll never leave me alone. But here’s what I know: a block is a strike, and the more...

You Have the Power to Fulfill Your Dreams!

I train jiu jitsu because I love jiu jitsu. But I also train knowing that my practice in this art will allow me better practice in any art. If you have learned one thing, you...

If you try to learn with your intellect, it is more difficult to absorb the teachings on a deep level. The mind looks at something and says, I don’t want that; I want this instead....

The major events in our lives receive the entire spotlight, but ultimately your life will be defined by the same handful of choices you make each day.

Justice is rendering each killer that which is his due.

When you are in a combat situation, you mustn’t let your mind be polluted by emotions like fear and anger. Simply accept the situation and react, even if you are facing impossible odds. Keep your...

The angel of death can hardly have friends. And the prom, what about Danny? He can hardly have a Valkyrie for his date.

Preoccupied with a single leaf you won’t see the tree.

I use my understanding of jiu jitsu as a road map to learn other activities. I look for the similarities between the two, and use jiu jitsu as an allegory for whatever my new practice...

Don’t make the mistake of depending on the presence of certain people for your training,’ he advised me. ‘Teachers come and go. My own teacher, O-Sensei, died not long ago. I could have given up...

Jiu Jitsu is the vehicle. Not the road.

He landed on cheap shot, but I knocked him out of the tournament.

Never respond to an angry person with a fiery comeback, even if he deserves it…Don’t allow his anger to become your anger.

She looked into the eyes of many of them as they passed away, like some sort of angel of death. Some were frightened, some relieved, most just confused. She served as the arbiter of their...

I train Jiu Jitsu because I recognize that I am a piece of the whole, and as I grow so does that which contains me. The whole of man advances with the growth of a...

O-Sensei was frequently head to say. ‘Aiki is not a technique to fight with or defeat an enemy. It is the way to harmonize the world and make humanity one family.

Jiu Jitsu forges friendships in a way I’ve never known. Being involved in an art as intimate as this, where bodily connection is a prerequisite, the common cultural boundaries of personal space are broken. You...

When you are the only laowai in a village of 10,000 Chinese martial artists and you’ve sat through several dozen films where a white man shouts, “You Chinese dog,” before getting his ass kicked, it...

… but to remain historically accurate, I would have had to leave out an important question that I felt needed to be addressed, which is, ‘What if Jesus had known kung fu?

Do not seek victory, for victory in itself will not serve you. Seek to understand what made the victory possible.

Devoting yourself to a particular art is invaluable. The art becomes our vehicle with which we drive down the road of life. We use this vehicle to learn about ourselves and this place, to conquer...

Now is the most important time. The world today is chaotic-you know this. But the age of the heart will come. O-Sensei emphasized that we must return to the heart. Firmly grasp O-Sensei’s philosophy–the heart...

We must remember that regardless of our differences in rank we are all equal as human beings. You can always tell how caring and compassionate others are in their actions towards those “below” them. Of...

The best fighter is never angry.

Be like water making its way through cracks. Do not be assertive, but adjust to the object, and you shall find a way around or through it. If nothing within you stays rigid, outward things...

The sword is a handle onto the Way of the world that is offering itself to you. If you are willful it will weigh a ton and wear you out. If you lose focus it...

Jiu Jitsu is a vehicle for self-discovery and growth. It reminds me of my ego, of my insecurities, and of my shortcomings.

In Aikido training, we learn from everyone. We learn from the most experience people, but we also learn from new students. Everyone is connected through the heart and develops a mutual understanding. It is important...

To base your self worth relative to others is to play a losing game. If you are at the bottom, you will be filled with self-loathing. If you are at the top, you will be...

The only way to see the path in the wind is to become the wind itself.

Use only that which works, and take it from any place you can find it.

Truth in Christ is not a matter of being near or far like in martial arts when you strive for a black belt. He saves us then we grow; not the other way around.

My growth as a human being has been directly proportional to my growth as a marital artist.

We need to remember that the primary goal of Aikido is harmony and good relations between people. If we don’t cultivate a harmonious heart along with technical skill, there will be a lack of integration...

I believe we must pursue mastery for who we become along the way in its achievement. When we progress in Jiu Jitsu, that newfound experience and wisdom transcends into all areas of our lives. We...

The primary thing when you take a sword in your hands is your intention to cut the enemy, whatever the means. Whenever you parry, hit, spring, strike or touch the enemy’s cutting sword, you must...

Falsafa ya Usawa kwa Watu na Vitu Vyote ya Yin-Yang ya Kichina ni falsafa inayotumiwa na Wachina, kujifunza sanaa ya mapigano na kutengeneza madawa ya asili, na magaidi wa madawa ya kulevya wa Amerika ya...

Whatever is going on inside your head has everything to do with how well you end up performing.

You are never as good as you think you are, and you are never as bad as you believe yourself to be.