Tag: steve rowe

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Soft Cotton Boxing

Steve Rowe

Yesterday we were looking at the practicality of self defence in Yang style Tai Chi. So many people seem to think it’s only for health or that it takes many years of training to make it work and that the moves have to be heavily adapted. Not true. The great thing about Yang Family Tai Chi is that it’s an art of self defence. The side benefits are good health and emotional intelligence as these are required as a base to protect yourself. It’s been passed down through the family uncorrupted and contains many of the deadliest techniques of kung … Continue reading Soft Cotton Boxing

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When It’s Not Video Friendly

Steve Rowe

Talking to one of my kung fu brothers we were discussing why we don’t feel the need to demonstrate or video ourselves doing forms or techniques anymore. High level skills are supposed to be ‘hidden’ and subtle so they’re not necessarily social media friendly and if people don’t have the vision or perspective to see what’s being done there’s no real point in putting it out there. Being old and disabled I’m not so easy on the eye anymore either but last Sunday on the Coaching programme, instead of limiting my demonstration to what I wanted the students to work … Continue reading When It’s Not Video Friendly

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The No Inch Punch

Steve Rowe

The No Inch Punch I’m writing about this because of all the arguments you read about ‘magic chi’ on the Tai Chi and Kung Fu pages. It started as a joke in the 80’s with the Bruce Lee ‘one inch punch’. I joked that I had a ‘no inch punch’ and demonstrated it to show how the ‘internal mechanism’ of power worked. By placing my fist on a student and applying pressure from the feet to the floor, turning the waist against the hips to release power and vibrating the hips to send power to the wrist, hammering and screwing … Continue reading The No Inch Punch

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Receiving Feedback

Steve Rowe

Receiving Feedback I need constant feedback from my students to improve my coaching. Not flattery, but constructive feedback as to what is good or bad. It’s the only way to validate what works and what doesn’t. Sometimes in class when I ask for feedback no one speaks up and when anyone does it tends to be the same people. Some don’t like to speak in front of others and will message me afterwards. What at first appears to be a silly question or feedback often creates the best teachings and discussion, stimulating more questions, so everything is welcome in these … Continue reading Receiving Feedback

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Speak Your Truth

Steve Rowe

Speak your truth.Walk the left hand path.Don’t run with the crowd.Those that clamour around the famous.Have no mind of their own.Separate yourself from them.They are the subjects of others.Don’t subject yourself to anyone or anything.View them all objectively.Tribal fear is not empowering.Lose the pitchfork and torch.Sit in the dark.Find yourself.Let your soul unfold.When you find your truth.There is no fear.No need for the attention of others.That inner knowing shines out.You become insightful.Wisdom finds you.You become the beacon.For those seeking the way. Continue reading Speak Your Truth

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The Martial Yellow Brick Road

Steve Rowe

I seem to have rattled a few cages with recent posts, and they are never aimed at any particular individuals, but if it gets people to look inward instead of trying to copy others, it’s not a bad thing. We all have our own individual skill set and power, but we need to find it, understand it, train it and internalise it to give us that internal locus of power that makes us different and that will bring the right people to our door and keep them. It’s not just a numbers game, it’s not just how many new students … Continue reading The Martial Yellow Brick Road

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How To Be Successful

Steve Rowe

Martial Art instructors have to learn to prioritise. If they’re in the Martial Arts their own personal development has to come first. I see club after club fail because the instructors don’t get this. Their personal martial art standard is bad, their lack of coaching and interpersonal skills are bad, they go to the wrong people for advice, their social media posts and videos only show how bad they are, they continue to throw good money after bad in promotion without addressing the one fundamental issue that is as plain as the nose on their face. The problem is that … Continue reading How To Be Successful

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Your Body Talks To You

Steve Rowe

Your body is constantly talking to you. The problem is that if you only think and hear in words, you can’t hear it. It talks to in the same way that your dog, pet or baby does, you know what they want by their ‘body language’ and if your senses are only transmitting outwards, you can’t hear your own. When you turn your senses inward in meditation or training and learn to feel your body from the inside, it talks to you. This is important for your physical, emotional and mental health. Normally we don’t listen until it shouts in … Continue reading Your Body Talks To You

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Don’t Stop Because Of Stress

Steve Rowe

What’s the most stupid statement you repeatedly hear as a martial arts teacher? “I’m not training because I’m under a lot of stress at work or at home” or “Johnny has to stop training because he has to study for his exams at school”. It makes about as much sense as “I’m going to stop paying my house insurance because it’s at more risk of catching fire at the moment”. When you’re working or studying hard is the most important time to reduce stress by training, it keeps both mind and body fresh. Taking breaks and training is the most … Continue reading Don’t Stop Because Of Stress

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Making It Work

Steve Rowe

We can naturally tell what’s good or bad without having to be told. We know a good dancer, musician, gymnast or fighter even if we’ve never trained in any of those skills by just watching them perform. It’s important to rely on that ‘inner knowing’ so that we’re not scammed by others trying to sell us something else. I watch martial art teachers with carefully cultivated looks and teaching manners explaining techniques and then demonstrating them to nodding heads when even my granny (if she were still alive) would be able to see that they wouldn’t work. To make any … Continue reading Making It Work