Whistlekick Martial Arts Radio - Podcast About Karate, Taekwondo, Kung Fu, Capoeira, Fma - Interviews, Training Advice, Stori

Necessity of Having Different Styles - Episode 101 Have you ever wondered why some martial artists get into such heated discussions over one style versus another? How about the difference between honoring the style as it was laid out, artistically, and personal progress in your martial arts? We talk about not only the benefit of having different martial arts styles available to those that want to train, but the necessity. During the episode, we make reference to some past episodes on the definition of a martial art, Bruce Lee and our episode with Grandmaster Victor Moore.

On episode 100 we hear from the whistlekick founder, and our regular host, Sensei Jeremy Lesniak. Throughout his martial arts career, he has achieved a black belt in no less than three different disciplines. A native to New England, Sensei Jeremy is a friend to many schools. Not just as a great resource for the best sparring gear, but someone you may see at a seminar, or as a guest instructor. Sensei Lesniak started martial arts at a young age but continues to demonstrate his passion for martial arts to this day. I've had the pleasure to work with him as a student in one of my seminars, and as a guest instructor in my home dojo. ~Daniel Hartz, host for Episode 100. Today's featured product is our noSweat Athletic Shirts. You will notice how comfortable they are, and how they aren't too tight or too loose - they fit just right. They are great for working out, or wearing under your uniform. We have lots of colors and sizes to choose from, so take a look.

On Episode 99 host Jeremy Lesniak goes over the 9 reasons why he continues to practice martial arts.  For show notes and other episodes, please visit: http://www.whistlekickmartialartsradio.com/099-why-train/

Today's episode is with Mr. Tom Bisio, a practitioner and instructor of Ba Gua Zhang and Xing Yi Quan. We spend a lot of time discussing the martial arts overall as well as the internal martial arts, Mr. Bisio's focus both as practitioner and instructor. His background is diverse, though, and he's able to tie together a lot of the elements of martial arts, including some we don't typically think about around health and healing. It's clear from speaking with him that he's on an educational mission of sorts, making efforts to bring new and revised knowledge to those that are interested and in various forms.   For show notes and other episodes, please visit: http://www.whistlekickmartialartsradio.com/098-tom-bisio/

On today's episode of Martial Arts Radio we're talking about the legendary martial artist and martial arts movie actor, Steven Seagal. We talk about Seagal's history, including his martial arts training and how he got into the movie industry. We don't pull any punches here, being honest and fair about Steven Seagal with regard to his skills, acting and off-screen actions. You're sure to learn things about him you didn't before, so tune in and check it out. Thanks for listening.   For full show notes and other episodes, please visit: http://www.whistlekickmartialartsradio.com/097-steven-seagal/

On today's show, we talk to Master Amanda Meltzer, a taekwondo practitioner from New Hampshire. Master Meltzer is a less common example of someone who came to martial arts later in life, at least with respect to the guests we have on our show. What's always interesting about these examples is we get a clearer picture as to why someone takes up martial arts as an adult. Here we get a very clear picture and understand how taekwondo has not only become a family affair but also grown her family. Today's featured product is the design that launched the company, our original sparring boots. No toe strap, extra-reinforcement, better materials. It all combines to give you the best sparring boot on the market. Seriously, check them out!   For other episodes & show notes please visit:  http://www.whistlekickmartialartsradio.com/096-amanda-meltzer/ 

Becoming a Better Martial Artist in the Car - Episode 95 Today's episode covers suggestions for reclaiming the time you spend in your vehicle in order to become a better martial artist. Podcasts - we mentioned the popular blog post we wrote last year on Best Martial Arts Podcasts Hand Dexterity Hand Mobility Cut Your Fingernails Focus Practice Hand Conditioning Driving Barefoot Anticipation of Other Cars, People & Animals Electronic Recovery Units Hand Strengthening

On episode 94 we get to talk with Sifu Gary Cecil, a Kung Fu instructor who was suggested as a guest by one of his students. We had a great conversation and I found myself really interested in some of the things Sifu Cecil had to say. You might think that, close to 100 episodes in, we've heard everything - every background someone comes from and every way that you can view the martial arts. But that's clearly not the case, as Sifu Cecil gave us plenty to think about. Today's featured product is our great line of martial arts sparring gloves.    For more info and full show notes, please visit http://www.whistlekickmartialartsradio.com/094-gary-cecil/

Over the last few months we've been honing in on a definition for martial arts. Well, on episode 93 we jump in headlong and see if we can flesh it out. This may go down as a controversial episode, but that's okay. We take an academic, thought out approach and apply what we've learned from the many guests we've had on the show. In the end, what we have is good... but could it be better?

On episode 92 we're joined by a man with an incredible story. Sabumnim Scott Pribyl started martial arts training as a late teenager and really took to it. He credits his professional success to the lessons he learned in the martial arts and also his survival of an incident that literally no other person is known to have survived. He's an incredible man and tells some amazing stories. Enjoy.

On today's episode, we give our popular profile treatment to one of the oldest and most beloved martial arts movies of all time, Billy Jack. We cover the history of the movie, trivia, and much more. If you're at all a fan of Billy Jack, you should really give this episode a listen. And if you're not, listen anyway, because maybe you will be afterwards.

Today we get a chance to speak with Isshinryu karateka and founder of Veterans Martial Arts Training, Sensei Scott Lombardo. Veterans Martial Arts Training (V-MAT) is a free martial arts program for United State Military Veterans based in Portsmouth, New Hampshire. When we learned about the program, we knew it sounded like something we wanted to help promote, so we reached out to Sensei Lombardo immediately. Fortunately, he accepted our offer to appear on the show. While we do spend some time talking about the organization, most of our time is spent getting to know Sensei Scott Lombardo and hearing his stories. A longtime martial artist practicing karate, Sensei Lombardo shares great stories about the ups and downs he’s experienced through his life, and he doesn’t hold anything back. We get a pretty good window into this man and what makes him tick. This episode runs the range of emotions and we hope you enjoy it. Thanks for listening. Today’s featured product is a new one for us – our MoveFlow Yoga-Style Pan

Today we talk about the history and usage of martial arts weapons. We squash some stories that get thrown around, give you reasons for why you should do some weapons training and even help you understand how weapons training can improve your unarmed martial arts. We talk about the origins of Asian martial arts weapons, the loss of Korean swordsmanship, the similarities and differences between weapons arts of different regions and why weapons are usually (but not always) taught after learning empty-handed techniques. On today's episode we made reference to Episode 88 with Guro Chris Thompson and Episode 78 with Sir Gemini Asonte.

Today's episode brings us Filipino Martial Arts (FMA) practitioner Guro Chris Thompson. With a background in Goju Karate, Guro Chris found his passion in a very different style - and we talk today about that transition. While not as well know as karate, Filipino arts are starting to receive global acceptance and recognition. If you're unfamiliar with the systems of the island nation, you'll learn a bit about their origins today, including why they're so diverse in their approaches. I had a lot of fun talking to Guro Chris, as I do with all of our guests. (You've all likely figured that out by now. I truly enjoy what I do.) We'll be having Guro Chris Thompson as one of our featured instructors this summer at the Martial Arts Weekend, so check that out! Sign up soon, because space is limited. Today's featured whistlekick product is our shinguards. Double-thick over the tibia (shin bone) they hold up very well against both time and your partners or opponents. One of our favorite ways to demonstrate them is to ki

When we consider the space that martial arts occupies in the Western world, specifically the United States, it's easy to see the impact. Our movies are full of martial arts-inspired fight scenes. Popular culture lifts up the skilled fighters from the UFC. A man who has been dead for forty years is one of our most recognized icons. Yet, when we break down the numbers, martial arts participation in the United States is around 5 million people, or 1.5% of the population. Compare that to approximately 3.5% globally, and you can see a large disparity. Why is that the case? I'm sure there are a multitude of factors, but the one we're discussing today is foundational - the attitude that martial artists have for each other. If you're a martial artist, and you've been genuinely criticized for what you do, there's a good chance that criticism came from a martial artist. Within our ranks we have a large percentage of participants that are so concerned with historical accuracy or theoretical superiority that they'll let

Today's episode is with one of my long-time martial arts friends, Miss Jessica Henderson. Over the last year we've heard from a lot of different people - different styles, different paths and different outlooks on the arts. I believe strongly that everyone has a story to tell - wisdom to share. Miss Henderson is no different, and the fact I was able to sit down with her in person was a bonus. Most of our guests started their martial arts training as young children. For those that started at an older age, most of them have been training for decades and they don't have full memory of the context of what it was life to start their journey. Heck, few of the guests have more than a few memories of that time as so many years have passed. Miss Henderson, though, is different. With just over 10 years of training, she remembers what it was like to start training at 16 and we spend a fair amount of time talking about that. You'll hear through our conversation that her step in the martial arts was pivotal for her, and I

Today's show topic started as an email from a listener. This listener was feeling conflict with the vast amounts of information that was expected to be taught to students at their martial arts school. As they wrote, on the one hand, diversity of techniques is very much in line with the artistic side of what we do. Yet, on the other hand, it makes it more challenging to achieve a level of proficiency with any of it. It's a great subject, and we tackled it for today's episode. We offer suggestions on how to break down the problem and how to make improvements in your school as an instructor or owner. If you're a student, we offer some advice, too, on how to deal with a large body of training information.

Today's episode is with another of the wonderful martial artists I first met in 2015 at the Super Summer Seminars event. (As of this episode, the others we've heard from that came out of this weekend are Sensei Katie Murphy & Kyoshi Dave Kovar) We didn't get a lot of time together, but I had a good feeling about him and what he offered as an instructor. I then saw him in January at Sifu Alan Goldberg's Hall of Honors Mega Weekend in New Jersey and again had a chance to learn from him. I knew it was time to get him on the show, and here we are. Today's episode could have easily gone off the rails, as you have two self-proclaimed martial arts "nerds" in conversation that also share a similar sense of humor. While we absolutely wander at times, I felt the places we ended up were wonderful. This show has always welcomed tangents, and our time with Master Chris LaCava was no different. I hope you enjoy the conversation, and I'll guess that you'll share at least a few laughs with us. Your host, Jeremy Today's

  Most people that have trained in the martial arts for a time have had some type of external training - meaning training outside their typical location from people other than their typical instructor(s). These could be seminars or visiting another school, whether it's of a similar style or something completely different. There's a lot of value in learning different things, even the same things from different people. Everyone learns a bit differently and having another set of eyes watching over you can really hone your skills. This is why martial arts schools with several instructors (that are on the same page) often turn out better students than the schools with a single instructor. Along all of these lines is destination training. These opportunities can look very different - they may be a seminar series covering different topics or an intensive training focused on a single martial arts subject. The value here isn't just in getting other people to look over what you're doing - it goes so much deeper. When y

Today’s episode is with Mr. Michael Rowe, a martial artist with as diverse a training history as anyone I’ve ever seen. With experience in Karate, ninjitsu, taekwondo, hapkido, and a lot more, under a number of different instructors, Mr. Rowe brings a lot to the table. An insightful man, his stories are wonderful – they’re entertaining, they’re honest and they’re real. So sit back, and let’s hear from today’s guest.   Today’s featured product is the whistlekickSparring Head Gear – super comfortable and even more durable than you’re used to. Check it out.  For full show notes and other episodes, please visit: http://www.whistlekickmartialartsradio.com/082-michael-rowe/