When I was coming up in karate the topic of emotions was not reguarly discussed. If it was it was in the context of anger. I heard the classical tale of the fisherman and the samurai. The moral is, if your anger goes forth, withhold your hand, and if your hand goes forth withold your […]

In the early days of my Isshinryu journey, it was fairly common to hear references to Yin and Yang energy. For example, “Joe is aggressive, he has a lot of Yang energy.” Or, “Susan is very calm, she has a lot of Yin energy.” There’s more to the concept of Yin and Yang than I […]

Happy New Year everyone! I hope you all enjoyed the holiday’s in your own way. The new year is traditionally a time of reflection. It’s a time to think about the past, as well as the future. I was reflecting this morning on an old memory. Back in my community college days, I had a […]

I recently joined the 21st century and paid for a premium subscription to Spotify. I’m a Gen Xer. That mean’s I’ve long resisted paying for anything online that I can get for free. However, I think that’s a 20th century mindset. Even though I get frustrated with paywalls there are products that justify the money. […]

A good self-improvement book is grounded in core principles and makes an impact. Impact is the key word I’m throwing out to y’all. You know what else makes an impact? A gut punch and a kick in the rear. A memorable self-improvement book should kind of feel like that. I love the scene in Kingdom […]

It was my pleasure to spar with some of the black belt candidates on Saturday. Elan, Lucas, Jake, and Matt all demonstrated the heart, skill, and willingness that black belt candidates should possess. I enjoy being pushed myself and they did that. As a coach this year, I feel some of the same concerns I […]

“A man who dares to waste one hour of time has not discovered the value of life.” ― Charles Darwin A common archetype in myths and fairy tales is the bridge troll. In these stories the troll guarding the bridge demands a toll from the hero before they can cross it. Sometimes it’s a ferry […]

“Winning is not a sometime thing; it’s an all time thing. You don’t win once in a while, you don’t do things right once in a while, you do them right all the time. Winning is a habit. Unfortunately, so is losing.” – Vince Lombardi Hi, I’m Phillip Debord. I’m honored to be your fight […]