I wish I had started when I was only five or six years old. I did start martial arts practice at six and seven years old when I was doing Hapkido because it was the only thing available at the time where I was living on the Northern beaches. But the younger the child...

 This is a question that often comes up and look, to be honest with you, I don’t believe there’s any one single martial art perfect for self-defence. I think what you need to look at when you’re starting to investigate what potential martial art might be suitable for you are a number of things. ...

 There are more than 400 different styles of Chinese martial arts. That’s another thing that you have to understand is that the word ‘Kung Fu’ actually doesn’t mean martial arts. It actually means attaining a high level of skill through hard work.  Obviously, popularising in Western society, we take ‘Kung Fu’ the term and...

 Martial arts origins, it would be very hard to define, because I believe every culture, regardless of how far you go back in time, would have some kind of military or combat training. Martial arts is really an evolution of that. Back before there were things like gunpowder, guns and bombs, everyone defended themselves...

 This question comes up frequently, particularly from parents. And I think, you know, as a parent myself with two young children, I totally understand any sport, particularly a combat sport, has risks. And I’m not going to lie and say that there isn’t a chance that a child would be injured through training, although...

 First and foremost is mental development. So when I talk about that, I talk about having a focused mindset, being able to set and achieve goals are both from a physical perspective but also from a mental perspective. Martial arts training at its highest level is arduous and it’s designed to be that way...

 I think one of the major reasons why parents are so excited to get their kids enrolled into a martial arts practice is specifically because it does instill a level of discipline and focus that may be absent in other aspects of their life. I think what’s great about it is that they have...

 Firstly, what I find with a lot of western martial arts schools in particular what I’ve noticed in Australia and from attending myself, is that it’s all about marketing and self-promotion. When I say that, they’ve watered down the traditional ethics of martial arts.  They promote fast grading or moving up through the system....

One of the often overlooked and in my opinion most important aspects of Martial Arts training is footwork. The ability to be able to swiftly change direction, move in and out of range, and change level when striking or grappling is critical to becoming a complete Martial Artist. Footwork is one of the most important...

There is no doubting the allure of becoming a martial arts master. Possibly you have seen advertisements in your local area about karate classes, however, haven’t had the opportunity to give it a go. Maybe you’re fascinated by the amazing moves or awesome weaponry you have seen wielded in martial arts movies, like nunchakus, staffs and...