How can being injured as a martial arts instructor be a positive thing? I found out recently when I broke my arm in three places in a karate tournament, requiring surgery and a plate in my arm to hold the bones together. Sometimes when life throws you a curve ball (or in this case a kick), you just need to go with the flow.

Using Your Mind More

I watched a lot of DVD’s, mostly about MMA, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, and bodyweight exercises, three of my current passions. Even though I was not able to do the vast majority of the moves, I visually went through them many times. In fact, when I was finally able to get back on the mat to roll, some of the techniques came back to me well enough to actually use. The energy that I would normally have put into training went into study.

Cross-training Your Brain and Body

Being a left-hander, I believe it’s actually an advantage to break your right hand. Why? You learn how to use the other hand better, and more importantly, it uses the other side of the brain, effectively cross-training it. I am still practising writing with my right hand months later. I studied Chinese Calligraphy a few years back and found writing with the left hand difficult because of the “smudging effect” as you move your fingers across the page left to right. When my writing is good enough with the right hand, I am going to go back and give it a crack as a right-hander.

I had to teach myself how to write with my right hand, cross-training my brain.

Your Injuries Get a Chance to Heal

The body has a wisdom of its own. Did it want to get hurt seriously? Probably not, but since the break, and the resulting enforced rest, something mysterious happened. My sore shoulders, cracked rib, sore knee and every other ailment I had completely disappeared. The relative inactivity gave my whole body a long enough rest to recover, which would have been unlikely if I kept training at the same intensity as before the injury.

You Find New Ways to Stay Fit

I had to find some way to stay fit as I had already booked a trip to Rio to train with Royler Gracie, one of the best in the world in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. The doc said it would probably be ok to go if my arm healed well enough in the ten or so weeks I had left before the camp was to start. As I did my rehab exercises, I developed a program to practise Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu with one arm to get myself fit for the mat.

As an injured martial arts instructor, you find new and interesting ways to keep fit.

Although I would not choose to go through this whole experience again, I found that by looking at the bright side of things, it was easier to stay motivated and keep on track in my training. What experiences can you share as an injured martial arts instructor or student?

Those that know me are aware I broke my arm in a karate tournament a month ago. It could not have happened at a worse time. Two months ago I made my final payment for my January trip to Rio de Janeiro, Brazil to train with Royler Gracie, one of the top Brazilian Jiu-jitsu experts in the world. When the arm was fractured in three places and the doctor said it would require surgery, I just assumed the trip would be an impossibility. I had a plate inserted in my arm with seven pins holding the bones together.

Luckily, the accident also could not have happened at a better time. You see, I was in the best shape since my university days when it happened, thanks to training in BJJ, MMA, and teaching our kids karate classes. The doctor said he had every reason to believe that with the proper rehabilitation of my arm, I could still go to the camp. I was ecstatic. He said that due to my fitness I should heal quickly and be ready to go, even if I am unable to do everything at the camp.

My main goal in the next month is to keep myself grappling fit so that when the arm is ready, the rest of the body can cope when I get back on the mat. I Googled and You Tubed all variations of the theme “training with one arm” or “training with a broken arm in BJJ”, but nothing really came up. So I decided to build a program for myself or someone else who has had the misfortune of being able to use only one arm in their training. Here is what I came up with.

So far the exercises have kept me in pretty good shape, even though I am not ready to roll.
Below is a list of exercises in order of their appearance in the video.

BJJ Functional Drills

Bridging (static yoga pose)

Bridge (opposing arm touches ground)

Bridge to hip escape (above, plus hip escape at the end)

Stationary hip escapes (to side only)

Moving hip escapes (down the mat)

Reverse hip escapes (down the mat backwards)

Circle shrimps

Wrestler Sit-outs (one side only)

Technical lift (one side only)

Hip bump (one side only)

Two points movement (only two points)

Sitting thrusts (one leg curled hands in front, push off onto the knee)

Triangle Choke (up on shoulders and neck, triangle)

Same, but sit forward like wrestler’s takedown

Leg circles on back (hips off ground)
Bridge to knees (under and over)

BJJ Conditioning Drills

Crunches

Double crunches

Alternating toe touch (feet off the ground)

One-armed plank (two variations)

One-armed push-up

Crunches on sides

One-armed burpee

BJJ Stretches

Hip flexors

Sit on feet for low guard posture

Does anyone else have good exercises for a one-armed BJJ student who can’t wait to get back to full fitness on the mat?

Since I wrote this post, Dirty White Gi has given me many good ideas for exercises with one arm. Check them out at http://dirtywhitegi.com/2011/12/15/training-bjj-mma-with-one-arm/. An excellent BJJ blog as well.

Pick a school where the instructors are kind and truly enjoy teaching children martial arts.

Every martial arts term starts with a ritual. Some kids are chomping at the bit to get into the class and learn the reverse somersaulting flying ninja kick that they saw on TV. Others, you cannot bribe them with enough sweets to join the class. Why? Kids are as varied as colours of the rainbow. Some are outgoing, others are shy or are petrified of getting hurt. There is no “normal or abnormal” with respect to this.

How do you get your child to overcome their fears and engage in their first martial arts class? Here are some of the things that have been successful in our martial arts classes for children.

Let the child express what is causing the fear.

Sometimes just talking about it eases the child’s fear. Words often take some of the power out of negative thoughts.

Do not ridicule the fear as a way of forcing your child to overcome it.

Saying “Don’t be silly! Karate is super easy!” may get your child into the class, but it won’t make the fear go away.

Start with little steps.

Don’t push them into the class. Let them work their way into it slowly. While I am going around the class letting the kids use their blocks against the padded blockers (a very fun activity that gets the kids laughing), I stop in front of the shy child, smile, and lower the blocker slowly toward them so they can get it easily. I make it a point to praise them if they have a go at it, whether or not they do it correctly. This often works.

Make it an adventure you and your child can share.

Stand out there with them and do the warm-ups or other activities with them. They will feed off your enthusiasm and will feel less alone.

Allow yourself to be the “home base”.

Using you as “home base,” the child can venture out toward the martial arts class, and then return to you for safety before venturing out again. This allows the child a sense of control, but also reassures them that you are there for them.

Let the younger black belts talk them into it.

Often kids are intimidated by “the Sensei”, but if you send a younger assistant over to talk them into it, they can relate to someone closer to their age.

Be patient.

Some children take as long as four classes to engage. Once they get involved, they tend to be outstanding students, as they are usually very coachable.

Pick a school where the instructors are kind towards children.

The instructor must be interested in teaching children and sensitive to their needs. It is amazing how many schools out there are really not that interested in teaching children martial arts, they just do it as a “money spinner”. You can tell by observing a few classes how passionate the instructors are about teaching children.

What strategies have worked for you to help your child face the fear of joining in their first martial arts class?

Abmar Barbosa is one of the world's best at Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, and is also a fine teacher.

Abmar Barbosa is one of the best Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu competitors in the world. He is known for being a bit out there on the edge with his technique. I would say that is putting it lightly. His DVD is known as Jiu-Jitsu Outlaw, because he likes to shake it up and do things differently.  His seminar this Monday at Gracie Sydney started with one hell of a warm-up.

Upside down, between our standing opponents legs, literally doing the plow pose from yoga while rolling around and through the legs. I struggled big time, and it didn’t help that the other white belt I was partnered with (though with three blue stripes) seemed to know what he was doing. Not only did I struggle with the technical details of the move, but also the flexibility required seemed to be out of my range of motion. I thought to myself at the start of the seminar, “I am in for one long night, this is way too hard”. I underestimated Abmar’s teaching ability.

Breaking moves into the smallest details.

Abmar worked his way around the room, and although the techniques were now part of his instinct, took the time to break them down for us in the smallest possible detail until we were able to understand and perform them. On one particular technique he had me copy the motions in parallel with him without an opponent until I was able to master it. Then I tried the move against my partner. It worked like a charm. Brilliant!

Being aware when the students are struggling.

The mark of a good instructor is he or she is sensitive enough to know when students need more assistance. He had us re-group many times to go over a technique with which we were having difficulty. He then broke it down into even smaller detail until we could grasp it.

Knowing when to offer praise and encouragement.

I perservered with the moves. After what seemed like eternity, I nailed one of the sweeps, just as Abmar walked by. He smiled and said, “You got it, no problem”, and put out his hand to give me the low five, as I was in a prone position. My heart rose up, and I was immediately filled with confidence. The rest of the seminar was challenging to say the least, but with my new sense of purpose, I pushed on and learned a great deal of material. Sensing I was having great difficulty with the movements, he waited until I did one right to offer his encouragement. It would not have meant anything if he had praised me for doing a move half-heartedly.

Making the class challenging yet also drilling important skills without being boring.

Each move, although complex, was built on the one before it. In this case, we worked the moves from the same spider guard over and over again. Although I had very little experience with the spider guard before the seminar, the constant drilling of it gave me a great start on this very important part of BJJ.

Being passionate about the subject.

Abmar was so wrapped up in the class, he went well past the time slated for the seminar. You could tell Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu is his life. As I performed each new technique the body somehow started to limber up and the movements started to become easier and more natural. I gained a new respect for the spider guard. As an instructor I came away with a great perspective on how to teach, from a great competitor, but also a fine teacher. Did I forget to mention, Abmar is only 27 years old?

Never give up

In a no gi Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu class a few weeks back a guy was monstering me all over the mat. He passed my guard like a hot knife through butter, got into side-control, and after a few seconds, mounted me. Was able to buck him off but soon ended up in his guillotine choke. Used a classic over-the-shoulder defence to shut it down, but before long he had me in back control, hooks in.

By then I was exhausted, as I struggled to fight off his attempts for a rear naked choke hold. But the battle was tiring him as well and fatigue invites us all to make mistakes. He made one—crossing his feet over my legs. Remembering the defence I learned years ago, I swung my right foot over his ankles and leaned back on him. Felt the tap instantly.

On more than one occasion I have been on the other side of this story. Just when I thought I was getting the better of someone on the mat, they turned the tide, and tapped me out. That is the nature of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu.

The moral of the story—never give up, even against a superior grappler. It ain’t over till it’s over. As long as you are fighting, you are still in the game.

“Never, never, never give up!”
~ Winston Churchill

“Our greatest glory is not in never failing, but in rising up every time we fail.”
~ Ralph Waldo Emerson

“Don’t be discouraged. It’s often the last key in the bunch that opens the lock. ”
~ Unknown

“It’s not that I’m so smart, it’s just that I stay with problems longer.”
~ Albert Einstein

An experienced martial arts instructor can still teach, despite being injured.

As a white belt in BJJ, I am dominated on the mat, plain and simple. Although I am learning to use technique more and strength less, I lack the experience of the higher-ranked students. As a beginner, I am much more susceptible to injury. The body is having a hard time adapting, at 52 years of age. Since I started training in BJJ in June, I have had two very sore rotator cuffs, a dislocated little toe, a stiff neck, and severely bruised ribs. This has not kept me from training consistently, but has slowed me down.

Injuries Can Be a Blessing in Disguise

I have used the downtime to look at my BJJ books, play BJJ DVD’s and create lesson plans for our MMA classes. I have been able to workshop many BJJ and MMA techniques with our senior students, despite being injured. When I get back on the mat to roll, I will have a better understanding of the intricacies of the moves.

I have been able to continue my yoga classes and conditioning with our MMA students, so my mat fitness should remain okay, even without rolling. Every martial artist should have a backup plan for exercising in the event of injury. There is always something you can do to stay fit. Many athletes cross-train during the time it takes to recover from an injury. It is actually better for your body than doing the same exercises every day.

Injuries Do Not Stop You From Teaching

Injuries have not prevented me from teaching. You can be bruised and battered, and yes, even old, but your knowledge and the ability to impart it to your students can never be taken from you. I taught classes for a year and a half as I recovered from a knee reconstruction, with the help of my able-bodied assistants. This gave them much-needed experience running the classes, while I was able to give them a critique on their teaching method.

As a martial arts teacher, you are only expected to be able to teach your students the movements and help them to understand. You are not expected to be a physical specimen or jump over tall buildings in a single bound.

To become a karate master takes time--and especially, passion.

We all like shortcuts. Saves energy, saves time. Delayed gratification? Life is short. You need to get your 10,000 hours in. There is no shortcut for that. Or is there?

Let me share with you a simple secret to achieving mastery sooner rather than later. Choose your profession wisely. Make your passion your profession. Why?

By making your passion your profession, you will be spending at least 40 hours a week doing it. Do the math. Those 10,000 hours will take a lot less time than someone who does it as a hobby. A bonus—you are getting paid to become a master.

For example, I have been teaching martial arts professionally full-time since 1994. At five days a week it has been a much quicker learning curve than someone who dabbled in it, maybe training once or twice a week. For most of those years I trained outside of class in other martial arts or doing private training. I have never looked at this as work, to me it was great fun.

How do you discover your passion? For me it was simple. I went back to high school, even grade school and tried to remember when I was happiest. It sprung out at me without a great deal of thought—the athletics field. Physical education, recess, lunch hour, after-school sports. I spent every second chasing after balls or people, never sitting still for a minute. I still remember Mom reading the report cards from school, always a variation of the same theme, “Matt has a hard time being still and concentrating”. I still find it difficult to stand still. Why fight it? I now move for a living. A master? Maybe, but there is always something new to master.

A Shortcut on the Road to Mastery is an original post by Sensei Matt Klein.

Captain America with his mighty shield was my favorite superhero.

Each generation has a superhero. My hero was Captain America. His muscular physique, red white and blue outfit, and mighty shield had me captivated immmediately. My friend Shawn, who had a habit of drooling, was Mighty Thor, and I of course was Captain America, so we rarely fought each other. Instead, we ran about the neighbourhood, fighting our battles with imaginary villains, solving the world’s problems, and doing good in general.

Around the same time, the kid next door thought he was Batman, put on his cape and proceeded to jump off the roof, breaking his arm.

The Green Hornet and his sidekick Kato, who was played by the great Bruce Lee, got my brother and I real fired up. We kicked and punched in the air at each other yelling “Hai, Hai, Hai!” for hours. We drove our parents nuts with the noise and destruction of furniture. All in all, it was good clean fun.

In time, I found other heroes as I grew up. My father was a big hero. A stocky, powerful ex-U.S. Marine, he worked in construction most of his life. I have seen few men as strong in my time. The day the neighborhood punks, Rex and Cole, who terrorized our neighborhood, made the mistake of beating on my brother and I would be one that I will always remember.

As my sister ran screaming into the house to let dad know what was going on, I thought to myself “I hope he gets here quick!” A deep, thundering “Hey!” came from above and I looked up to see my dad moving in, fearlessly toward the oldest bully, Rex, who was about 18. He glared at my dad and said, “What are you going to do, fatman”? Dad was big, and yes he had a little paunch, but he was no fat man, and he certainly didn’t move like one as he exploded forth and gave Rex a smack in the mouth. Although my dad could have put him in the hospital with a solid punch, he elected to give Rex an open handed smack. More humiliated than anything, Rex and Cole ran down the road. From that day forward, we knew we could count on him to be our protector.

Kwai Chang Caine in the TV series Kung Fu became my next hero in high school as I watched him battle the bad guys and stand up for what was right in the wild west. His fighting skills were inspirational–hands and feet so fast they needed to show many of the fights in slow motion. The lessons Kwai Chang learned each episode were a big attraction for me. I came to admire his wisdom as much as his fighting ability.

Children today are no different. They need role models. They need to have someone on their side who stands for good and fights evil at every turn. It helps them, as they often feel very small and powerless, to be big and strong, at least in their minds. Through play they can feel brave, fearless, in control of their world. Heroes help children believe in themselves and their ability to make a difference.

Children also learn that even Superheroes are “human” and have weaknesses. Spiderman had lots of personal issues, and Superman was weakened by Kryponite. Captain America was puny and frail in real life. Superheroes are also humble. They do not seek fame, their true identities are always kept secret. They only seek truth and justice.

Kids need to have an outlet to burn off excess energy, and to role play, learning how to get along in the real world through interaction with others.

I believe adults still need role models. They help us to stay inspired. I cannot wait to see the Captain America movie.

“As you get older it is harder to have heroes, but it is sort of necessary”. Ernest Hemingway, famous American novelist

Who is your superhero?

Kung Fu Panda 2 is good entertainment for adults and children alike.

Kung Fu Panda 2 is now out in movie theaters around Australia. It has received very good reviews from critics and movie-goers. It is good entertainment for children and adults alike.

In this sequel we see Po living his dream as the Dragon Warrior but he has something else on his mind as he protects the Valley of Peace with fellow kung fu masters the Furious Five: Tigress, Monkey, Mantis, Viper, and Crane. Po is told by Master Shifu that he has yet to achieve inner peace. As an adult panda Po remembers nothing of his past nor how he became the son of a goose restaurant owner.

To complicate matters Po’s dream life is threatened by the emergence of a formidable villain, Lord Shen, who plans to use a secret, unstoppable weapon to conquer China and destroy kung fu. It is up to Po and The Furious Five to journey across China to face this threat and stop it. During an initial battle with Shen’s bandits, Po sees a symbol which triggers a flashback to his youth and memories he cannot fully recall.

He must look to his past and uncover the secrets of his mysterious origins; only then will he be able to unlock the strength he needs to defeat Lord Shen and his army.

There is much action in this colourful plot….. crashing pagodas, hurtling cannonballs, wild chases, and of course, a lot of flashy jumping, spinning, flying kung fu. And of course, a bit of comedy to balance it out.

I will be seeing this movie shortly to review it. I will also look for life lessons learned in the movie, much like we did with the Karate Kid movies, 10+ Lessons Learned from the Karate Kid Movie. Young children watching Po’s adventures will be learning about good moral values as they watch him go about his heroic deeds. If anyone is keen on contributing to this, please comment below.

What lessons did you learn from the movie?

Putting yourself in a position of discomfort is the key to growth in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, just like anything else.

Students always make comments about how my black belt is turning white. I often explain to them that one day when it is completely white I will have to start over. Why? Because I will then realise how little I know. I am aware of that now so I decided to accelerate this process. No, I did not bleach my belt. It is worn from years of use (and abuse).

I just started as a white belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu (BJJ). I am aware that this journey may be a long one. It is commonly known that ten years is the normal time frame to progress to black belt in this very difficult and technical art. I am not in it for this reason.

The time is now

Though grappling since before 2000, I decided my ground game could use an upgrade. I needed a new challenge. My MMA skills required better ground work. I see how Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu can make you very fit and strong in a way that will actually improve fighting skill. I also realise that at 52, my stand-up skills are not as explosive as they once were, but a good ground game could offset this. BJJ is an important part of the martial arts puzzle, as we learn from watching MMA matches.

As a two-year student of yoga, my flexibility has improved greatly and will certainly help me in my BJJ quest. One of the things yoga has taught me is the power of living in the moment.  I love this quote from On Any Given Sunday; ”Because that’s what livin’ is! The six inches in front of your face!!”

Putting myself in an uncomfortable position

Guys bigger than me and with more skill suffocating me in the north/south position or mount. I am learning not to panic, and just go with the flow. Struggling and stressing about it just wears you out quicker.

The instructor who is ten kilos lighter than me tapping me out seven times in a five-minute round. A five-minute round? For someone used to grappling for two minutes, a five-minute round is eternity. Getting tapped out is okay by me because I am learning, but getting tapped out three times with the same move is highly frustrating. I know I am not a quick learner, but this is ridiculous.

The instructor getting frustrated at me. After three attempts at the move, I still could not get it. He walked over and threw my leg where it needed to be. Now I get it!

Putting myself in an uncomfortable position is the key to growth, and also promotes humility. Humility is a quality that is necessary for success as a martial artist and especially as a teacher of the martial arts. Rolling on a regular basis with blue belts, purple belts, and especially black belts is a sure-fire way to get better, as I learn something from people who are so much better than me. I am clearly out of my comfort zone and out of my league on the mat.

The rewards are great

I am learning something new and am really pumped. Yes, I’ve bought the books, dvds, and cool Brazilian kimono. I look at this as an investment in an important part of my martial arts future. This is an exciting part of the process for me, the process of discovering something fresh and new. It has infused me with great positive energy.

I am getting fitter. Those last five stubborn “donut around my midsection ” kilos have nearly melted off. The five-minute rounds are like running mini marathons, I have not been this exhausted in a long time.

I am having fun. I am a white belt again. Yee-ha!

Stay tuned.