Closing the Distance

Interested in eco/CLA but stuck in a traditional school?Or maybe you're frustrated with your progress, want to try something new, but are stuck inside a learning environment you don't control.Either way, you still have some options. Of course, it's optimal to run your own club or gym, but you can take ownership of your own learning journey and get started with CLA even if you don't.Here's the 5 best options I know.Bring your CLA coaching and ecological dynamics knowledge to the next level and upgrade to the premium combat learning newsletter.It's the best way to support the show, and you'll get access to exclusive articles and recordings on how to practically apply the science of skill acquisition to martial arts training.Right now, I'm taking Rob Gray's How We Learn to Move and applying it to martial arts practice design, chapter by chapter.Other premium articles include:- How to Manipulate Constraints to Build Deep Skill- How the Fundamentals Emerge on their Own- Representative Learning Design for Martial Arts TrainingAll that and more is available to you when you upgrade to the premium combat learning subscription. It's less than an open mat drop in fee per month!Thanks for listening. Before you go, can you do me a big favor? Positive reviews help the show get more listens. If you got value from this episode, please leave us a review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify.See you on the next episode!This episode was produced by Micah Peacock, including the intro and outro music. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.combatlearning.com/subscribe

My friend Daniel Marino made a critical observation about the karate community:“It's about looking good, not learning how to fight.”Now, if you're a part of the so-called “practical karate” or “practical bunkai” movement, you might think that you are exempt from this statement…but you're not.Dan wasn't just talking about the most traditional of the traditionalists. He was talking about the practical karate people, too.I haven't addressed it specifically yet, but I have touched on the practical karate and taekwondo crowd from time to time…This is an audio essay version of an article I wrote last year:Bring your CLA coaching and ecological dynamics knowledge to the next level and upgrade to the premium combat learning newsletter.It's the best way to support the show, and you'll get access to exclusive articles and recordings on how to practically apply the science of skill acquisition to martial arts training.Right now, I'm taking Rob Gray's How We Learn to Move and applying it to martial arts practice design, chapter by chapter.Other premium articles include:- How to Manipulate Constraints to Build Deep Skill- How the Fundamentals Emerge on their Own- and Representative Learning Design for Martial Arts TrainingAll that and more is available to you when you upgrade to the premium combat learning subscription. It's less than an open mat drop in fee per month.Thanks for listening. Before you go, can you do me a big favor? Positive reviews help the show get more listens. If you got value from this episode, please leave us a review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify.See you on the next episode!This episode was produced by Micah Peacock, including the intro and outro music. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.combatlearning.com/subscribe

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.combatlearning.comToday I analyze a jiu jitsu seminar conducted by David Ooi in Singapore. In the process, a lot of good little nuances surface that I don't often get to talk about in other places.Other Paid Articles You Don't Want to Miss…

Positional sparring is consistent with the constraints-led approach (CLA) to coaching—and by extension, scalable live training (SLT)—but positional sparring tends to have a less flexible scope of practice.So whereas all positional sparring can be CLA, the CLA is not simply positional sparring: it can be much more or much less, depending on the necessary scale.Bring your CLA coaching and ecological dynamics knowledge to the next level and upgrade to the premium combat learning newsletter.It's the best way to support the show, and you'll get access to exclusive articles and recordings on how to practically apply the science of skill acquisition to martial arts training.Right now, I'm taking Rob Gray's How We Learn to Move and applying it to martial arts practice design, chapter by chapter.Other premium articles include:- How to Manipulate Constraints to Build Deep Skill- How the Fundamentals Emerge on their Own- and Representative Learning Design for Martial Arts TrainingAll that and more is available to you when you upgrade to the premium combat learning subscription. It's less than an open mat drop in fee per month.Thanks for listening. Before you go, can you do me a big favor? Positive reviews help the show get more listens. If you got value from this episode, please leave us a review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify.See you on the next episode!This episode was produced by Micah Peacock, including the intro and outro music. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.combatlearning.com/subscribe

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.combatlearning.comToday I'm reviewing a video by YouTuber Josh Beam BJJ, with Craig Hutchison from Carpe Diem Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu helping him assess and develop a passing game. This episode explores the vital considerations we need to make about how we manipulate constraints, if smaller is actually better, and what information we're losing when we scale down too much or …

Today, I review and criticize (in good humor) some videos I found on YouTube. I'm analyzing the utility of several drills and games related to developing lead leg kicking tactics in taekwondo, a.k.a. cut kick and cancelling. Relevant to kickboxing and beyond.But I'd like my awesome followers to get involved, too!* Found an interesting training video you'd like me to assess?* Have a video of you or your students' training you'd like me to critique?Email them to me or message me through Substack or Instagram. Give me some context or let me know what the purpose is so I can give the best assessment.Next video is grappling stuff, promise.Going forward, most of these will behind a paywall, so upgrade now! Get full access to Combat Learning at www.combatlearning.com/subscribe

Major ecological researcher, Dr. Duarte Araujo, joins us on combat learning to discuss all things ecological cognition and sport psychology.Other topics include…* Knowledge of vs knowledge about* Technique vs task space* Repetition without repetition* Affordances* Decision-making and sport expertise* Representative learning designDr. Araujo is professor of Psychology and Motor Behavior at the University of Lisbon, Head of the CIPER institute for sport performance, and one of the oldest associates of Keith Davids, who first synthesized ecological dynamics as a theory.Want to upgrade your coaching or training?Bring your CLA coaching and ecological dynamics knowledge to the next level and upgrade to the premium combat learning newsletter.It's the best way to support the show, and you'll get access to exclusive articles and recordings on how to practically apply the science of skill acquisition to martial arts training.Right now, I'm taking Rob Gray's How We Learn to Move and applying it to martial arts practice design, chapter by chapter.Other premium articles include:- How to Manipulate Constraints to Build Deep Skill- How the Fundamentals Emerge on their Own- and Representative Learning Design for Martial Arts TrainingAll that and more is available to you when you upgrade to the premium combat learning subscription. It's less than an open mat drop in fee per month.Thanks for listening. Before you go, can you do me a big favor? Positive reviews help the show get more listens. If you got value from this episode, please leave us a review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify.See you on the next episode!This episode was produced by Micah Peacock, including the intro and outro music. Get full access to Combat Learning at www.combatlearning.com/subscribe

Everyone agrees that the fundamentals are the essence of martial arts skill, but nobody can agree on what they are exactly.In this article, I outline and briefly comment on five different conceptions of martial arts fundamentals.* Fundamentals as Basic Techniques* Fundamentals as Principles of Play* Fundamentals as Basics + Principles* Fundamentals within Functional Movement Skills* as Regulatory Conditions* as Necessary Strategic AttributesOverall, I want to document the landscape on fundamentals so we can have clearer, more productive discussions about it.Want to upgrade your coaching or training?Bring your CLA coaching and ecological dynamics knowledge to the next level and upgrade to the premium combat learning newsletter.It's the best way to support the show, and you'll get access to exclusive articles and recordings on how to practically apply the science of skill acquisition to martial arts training.Right now, I'm taking Rob Gray's How We Learn to Move and applying it to martial arts practice design, chapter by chapter.Other premium articles include:- How to Manipulate Constraints to Build Deep Skill- How the Fundamentals Emerge on their Own- and Representative Learning Design for Martial Arts TrainingAll that and more is available to you when you upgrade to the premium combat learning subscription. It's less than an open mat drop in fee per month.Thanks for listening. Before you go, can you do me a big favor? Positive reviews help the show get more listens. If you got value from this episode, please leave us a review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify.See you on the next episode!This episode was produced by Micah Peacock, including the intro and outro music. Get full access to Combat Learning at www.combatlearning.com/subscribe

Information processing and ecological dynamics are both theories of perception and learning. They explain your relationship to the environment and how that affects your internal states and vice versa. As such, they inform training methodologies, but they are not methodologies in themselves.Or, put another way, they have clear implications for how you should train, but as theories of perception and learning, they do not constitute organized systems of how to do training.To bridge the gap between theory and practice, developing literature-based methodologies is necessary.Want to upgrade your coaching or training?Bring your CLA coaching and ecological dynamics knowledge to the next level and upgrade to the premium combat learning newsletter. It's the best way to support the show, and you'll get access to exclusive articles and recordings on how to practically apply the science of skill acquisition to martial arts training.Right now, I'm taking Rob Gray's How We Learn to Move and applying it to martial arts practice design, chapter by chapter.Other premium articles include:- How to Manipulate Constraints to Build Deep Skill- How the Fundamentals Emerge on their Own- and Representative Learning Design for Martial Arts TrainingAll that and more is available to you when you upgrade to the premium combat learning subscription. It's less than an open mat drop in fee per month.Thanks for listening. Before you go, can you do me a big favor? Positive reviews help the show get more listens. If you got value from this episode, please leave us a review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify.See you on the next episode!This episode was produced by Micah Peacock, including the intro and outro music. Get full access to Combat Learning at www.combatlearning.com/subscribe

MMA coach and ecological approach to martial arts pioneer, Scott Sievewright, returns to Combat Learning to discuss his newly published academic paper on ecological dynamics for MMA and his evolving conception of martial arts ideas such as “the fundamentals.”We also talk about problems of practice in the constraints-led approach, especially how difficult it is to scale proper constraints-led coaching to a growing mat.On top of that, there's lots of talk of little tactics that have been working for Primal MMA on coaching striking in a safe but representative manner.If you aren't already familiar with Scott, be sure to check out the Primal MMA Coaching podcast.Visit https://www.combatlearning.com/ to join our free email list and get a bunch of goodies. Want to upgrade your coaching or training?Bring your CLA coaching and ecological dynamics knowledge to the next level and upgrade to the premium combat learning newsletter. It's the best way to support the show, and you'll get access to exclusive articles and recordings on how to practically apply the science of skill acquisition to martial arts training.Right now, I'm taking Rob Gray's How We Learn to Move and applying it to martial arts practice design, chapter by chapter.Other premium articles include:- How to Manipulate Constraints to Build Deep Skill- How the Fundamentals Emerge on their Own- and Representative Learning Design for Martial Arts TrainingAll that and more is available to you when you upgrade to the premium combat learning subscription. It's less than an open mat drop in fee per month.Thanks for listening. Before you go, can you do me a big favor? Positive reviews help the show get more listens. If you got value from this episode, please leave us a review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify.See you on the next episode!This episode was produced by Micah Peacock, including the intro and outro music. Get full access to Combat Learning at www.combatlearning.com/subscribe

The first combat learning live Q&A! We discuss…* How you don't have to intervene during training and you don't have to generate feedback for students if it's not necessary.* The power of external instructions, especially with young children acquiring movement skills.* CLA for coaching poomsae and kata.* Overcorrecting and junk coaching.…and more!I'm going to do more live Q&A sessions. If you have a question you want answered, comment here, on Instagram, send messages on either platform, or in the Substack chat. I'll address them on the next Q&A.See you there!Want to upgrade your coaching?Bring your CLA coaching and ecological dynamics knowledge to the next level and upgrade to the premium combat learning newsletter. It's the best way to support the show, and you'll get access to exclusive articles and recordings on how to practically apply the science of skill acquisition to martial arts training.Right now, I'm taking Rob Gray's How We Learn to Move and applying it to martial arts practice design, chapter by chapter.Other premium articles include:- How to Manipulate Constraints to Build Deep Skill- How the Fundamentals Emerge on their Own- and Representative Learning Design for Martial Arts TrainingAll that and more is available to you when you upgrade to the premium combat learning subscription. It's less than an open mat drop in fee per month.Seriously, in four years of publicly promoting and teaching this stuff, this is by far my best work.Thanks for listening. Before you go, can you do me a big favor? Positive reviews help the show get more listens. If you got value from this episode, please leave us a review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify.See you on the next episode!This episode was produced by Micah Peacock, including the intro and outro music. Get full access to Combat Learning at www.combatlearning.com/subscribe

This is an audio version of a previous combat learning article, Tao of Aliveness.Bruce Lee superfans have to pretend about his fighting prowess because, to them, that's what makes him legendary. It bolsters the legitimacy and mystique of his jeet kune do system. Jeet kune do, as Lee taught it, is the chief artifact of his legacy in the eyes of martial artists who can only see formal systems and styles.The philosophy stuff is cool to them, sure, but their social conditioning prevents them from appreciating just how legendary this aspect of his legacy truly is.Among all his ideas, one would come to influence real martial arts practice in a massive way: aliveness.Want to upgrade your coaching?Bring your CLA coaching and ecological dynamics knowledge to the next level and upgrade to the premium combat learning newsletter. It's the best way to support the show, and you'll get access to exclusive articles and recordings on how to practically apply the science of skill acquisition to martial arts training.Right now, I'm taking Rob Gray's How We Learn to Move and applying it to martial arts practice design, chapter by chapter.Other premium articles include:- How to Manipulate Constraints to Build Deep Skill- How the Fundamentals Emerge on their Own- and Representative Learning Design for Martial Arts TrainingAll that and more is available to you when you upgrade to the premium combat learning subscription. It's less than an open mat drop in fee per month.Seriously, in four years of publicly promoting and teaching this stuff, this is by far my best work.Thanks for listening. Before you go, can you do me a big favor? Positive reviews help the show get more listens. If you got value from this episode, please leave us a review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify.See you on the next episode!This episode was produced by Micah Peacock, including the intro and outro music. Get full access to Combat Learning at www.combatlearning.com/subscribe

DPT, licensed physical therapist, CSCS, and fellow martial artist Patrick Jacobs joins me to unpack rehabilitation and injury prevention for martial artists from a constraints-led approach to PT practice.Want to upgrade your coaching?Bring your CLA coaching and ecological dynamics knowledge to the next level and upgrade to the premium combat learning newsletter. It's the best way to support the show, and you'll get access to exclusive articles and recordings on how to practically apply the science of skill acquisition to martial arts training.Right now, I'm taking Rob Gray's How We Learn to Move and applying it to martial arts practice design, chapter by chapter.Other premium articles include:- How to Manipulate Constraints to Build Deep Skill- How the Fundamentals Emerge on their Own- and Representative Learning Design for Martial Arts TrainingAll that and more is available to you when you upgrade to the premium combat learning subscription. It's less than an open mat drop in fee per month.Seriously, in four years of publicly promoting and teaching this stuff, this is by far my best work.Where to find Patrick Jacobs…YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@combatathletephysioInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/combat_athlete_physio/Thanks for listening. Before you go, can you do me a big favor? Positive reviews help the show get more listens. If you got value from this episode, please leave us a review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify.See you on the next episode!This episode was produced by Micah Peacock, including the intro and outro music. Get full access to Combat Learning at www.combatlearning.com/subscribe

The original There is No Perfect Technique article can be found here.It's the air we breathe from our first day of school to our last day in the workforce and beyond…Repetition, repetition, repetition. Practice makes perfect. Perfect practice makes better.Everywhere we're washed over with some form of messaging about how to learn that involves drudgery and drilling. But that repetition is not just to get it “into muscle memory.” The repetition is important because you need to get it right.…but is this really true?I tackle this universally pervasive concept on today's episode.Want to upgrade your coaching?If you want to bring your CLA coaching and ecological dynamics knowledge to the next level, upgrade to the premium combat learning newsletter. It's the best way to support the show, and you'll get access to exclusive articles and recordings on how to practically apply the science of skill acquisition to martial arts training.Right now, I'm taking Rob Gray's How We Learn to Move and applying it to martial arts practice design, chapter by chapter.Other premium articles include:- How to Manipulate Constraints to Build Deep Skill- How the Fundamentals Emerge on their Own- and Representative Learning Design for Martial Arts TrainingAll that and more is available to you when you upgrade to the premium combat learning subscription. It's less than an open mat drop in fee per month.Seriously, in four years of publicly promoting and teaching this stuff, this is by far my best work.Thanks for listening. Before you go, can you do me a big favor? Positive reviews help the show get more listens. If you got value from this episode, please leave us a review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify.See you on the next episode!This episode was produced by Micah Peacock, including the intro and outro music. Get full access to Combat Learning at www.combatlearning.com/subscribe

Adam Singer joins us again to discuss how he balances safety and productivity using the constrains-led approach to teach 100% live sparring classes from the ground up, beginner to advanced.Remember to sign up for the FREE Combat Learning Newsletter. You'll get an introduction to motor learning for martial artists PDF, a transfer of learning cheat sheet, tons of other free coaching resources, and you'll never miss an podcast episode.Want to upgrade your coaching?If you want to bring your CLA coaching and ecological dynamics knowledge to the next level, upgrade to the premium combat learning newsletter. It's the best way to support the show, and you'll get access to exclusive articles and recordings on how to practically apply the science of skill acquisition to martial arts training.Right now, I'm taking Rob Gray's How We Learn to Move and applying it to martial arts practice design, chapter by chapter. Other premium articles include:- How to Manipulate Constraints to Build Deep Skill- How the Fundamentals Emerge on their Own- and Representative Learning Design for Martial Arts TrainingAll that and more is available to you when you upgrade to the premium combat learning subscription. It's less than an open mat drop in fee per month.Seriously, in four years of publicly promoting and teaching this stuff, this is by far my best work.Thanks for listening. Before you go, can you do me a big favor? Positive reviews help the show get more listens. If you got value from this episode, please leave us a review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify.See you on the next episode!This episode was produced by Micah Peacock, including the intro and outro music. Get full access to Combat Learning at www.combatlearning.com/subscribe

Long-time MMA coach, SGB affiliate, and martial arts veteran Adam Singer talks about the old days of Jeet Kune Do, the introduction of MMA, and the development of aliveness from Bruce Lee through Matt Thornton to today.Remember to sign up for the FREE Combat Learning Newsletter. You'll get an introduction to motor learning for martial artists PDF, a transfer of learning cheat sheet, tons of other free coaching resources, and you'll never miss an podcast episode.If you want to bring your CLA coaching and ecological dynamics knowledge to the next level, upgrade to the premium combat learning newsletter. It's the best way to support the show, and you'll get access to exclusive articles and recordings on how to practically apply the science of skill acquisition to martial arts training.Right now, I'm taking Rob Gray's How We Learn to Move book and applying it to martial arts practice design, chapter by chapter. Other premium articles include:- How to Manipulate Constraints to Build Deep Skill- How the Fundamentals Emerge on their Own- and Representative Learning Design for Martial Arts TrainingAll that and more is available to you when you upgrade to the premium combat learning subscription. It's less than an open mat drop in fee per month.Seriously, in four years of publicly promoting and teaching this stuff, this is by far my best work. Get full access to Combat Learning at www.combatlearning.com/subscribe

Today I'm joined Sony Sahota, owner of Praxis Gym and a teacher of judo, wrestling, and jiu jitsu.In this episode, we discuss how Sony approaches training through the lens of embodied cognition, specifically enactivism. Sony recounts how it changed his entire approach to training, and then we move into a deep philosophical discussion about embodied cognition.One of my favorite parts of the discussion was when we discussed the role of agency and will within the embodied understanding. Sony is interesting because he used to make an income from BJJ Fanatics instructionals. After his philosophy of coaching changed, he put his principles first and no longer makes instructionals, instead focusing on his own mat and teaching in-person seminars from an embodied cognition angle.Find SonyInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/praxisgym/Website: https://praxisgym.com/Produced by Micah PeacockIntro Theme by Micah PeacockOutro Music is Synergy by Juche Get full access to Combat Learning at www.combatlearning.com/subscribe

Josh and Kabir discuss the elo chess rating system and how it might provide an approachable way to assess skill development across belt levels — and end tournament sandbagging permanently.Where to Find Kabir...Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kabirbath/Website: https://kaboombjj.com/ Get full access to Combat Learning at www.combatlearning.com/subscribe

Kabir unpacks how he coaches his coaches to do what he does -- ecologically.Visit combatlearning.substack.com to start reading now.Where to Find Kabir...Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kabirbath/Website: https://kaboombjj.com/ Get full access to Combat Learning at combatlearning.substack.com/subscribe

Today I'm joined by BJJ black belt Kabir Bath. Kabir is one of the early success stories in the ecological jiu jitsu movement, and he has the distinction of a commercially successful gym, too—especially a large children's program.In this episode, we explore the value and effectiveness of learning through play, as well as the vitalness of coaches connecting personally with their students, big and small.More About Kabir…Professor Kabir Bath began practicing Brazilian jiu-jitsu in 2006 and discovered his passion for coaching soon after.  Driven by a desire to help others exceed their personal expectations through jiu jitsu, he opened Kaboom Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu in Surrey, B.C. in 2012.  As a dedicated coach and active competitor, Professor Kabir is committed to helping both adults and children achieve their goals, whether they are simply to stay fit and have fun, or to become a world champion.  In 2018, Professor Kabir was awarded his black belt by Professor Rafael Lovato Jr.Where to Find Kabir...Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kabirbath/Website: https://kaboombjj.com/Produced by Micah PeacockIntro Theme by Micah PeacockOutro Music is Synergy by Juche Get full access to Combat Learning at combatlearning.substack.com/subscribe

Dr. Garcia joins us one final time to discuss a few very interesting topics. First, we talk briefly about donor sports and the part they play in building better skills for your main sport. Finally, Raul helps us understand how we can use CLA not just for training in the sport itself but also a preparedness that comes with greater skill in stress management. --- Join the email list now: ⁠https://combatlearning.com/⁠ --- Produced by Micah Peacock Intro Theme by Micah Peacock Outro Music is Synergy by Juche

Dr. Garcia joins us again today to unpack the false assumptions that lie beneath the kata-based training system and traditional martial arts. He shows how early ecological researchers such as Nicholai Bernstein blows up the conventional wisdom of traditional martial arts. He then spends the bulk of this episode comparing and contrasting the differences between Information Processing and Ecological conceptualizations of how to develop skill, noting all the little glitches and hiccups that go unexamined about IP thinking. --- Join the email list now: https://combatlearning.com/ --- Produced by Micah Peacock Intro Theme by Micah Peacock Outro Music is Synergy by Juche

Today I'm joined by Dr. Raul Sanchez Garcia, a sport science lecturer at the University Politécnica of Madrid, Spain, martial artist, and Ecological Dynamics thinker. Most researchers in the ecological approach come from a psychology background. Dr. Garcia is unique in that he approaches Ecological Dynamics from the vantage point of ethnography, which is the systematic study of peoples and their cultures. In that vein, he wrote a fantastic social history on the development of Japanese martial arts. In this episode, Dr. Garcia walks us through the historic significance of kata based on his research. Or rather, how it was not significant -- or at least not ubiquitous -- in the war-torn pre-restoration periods of Japan. Rather, it is only after war becomes a less common part of life that kata rises in popularity as a training tool. Kata-heads will no doubt be scandalized at this revelation, as will traditionalists from other styles. But even if you're a non-traditional martial artist, this information will be interesting and useful for your own understanding of the current training landscape. This isn't just about kata: it's about any sort of rote training modality. ---Join the email list now: combatlearning.com/newsletter---Produced by Micah PeacockIntro Theme by Micah PeacockOutro Music is Synergy by Juche

Today I'm joined by Matt Phili, a mobility training coach and founder of Primal Mobility. Whether a grappler or striker, most martial artists need greater mobility. However, most of the mobility routines you see around Instagram really won't cut it, and stretching isn't necessarily good mobility work either -- at least on its own. In this episode, Matt unpacks his approach to mobility training: not simply as a stretching routine, but as an approach to strength in progressively deeper ranges of motion. Primal Mobility is unique in that it feels more like accessory exercises in a strength program than a stretching protocol, including sets and reps. In the second half of the episode, we dive into more grappling and striking-specific advice on building and maintaining mobility. Topics include guard-play and guard retention, bridging, as well as higher, more powerful kicks. Finally, we discuss the importance of training outside of neutral spine and in compromised positions to help prevent injuries during the course of real life combat sports performance. A quick note, Matt doesn't come from an Ecological Dynamics or CLA framework. I've had other guests on that aren't ecological before, but I haven't done a good job of making that clear. --- Join the newsletter now: https://combatlearning.com/newsletter --- Where to find Matt... Website: https://www.primalmobility.com/ Instagram: ⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/primal.mobility/ --- Produced by Micah Peacock Intro Theme by Micah Peacock Outro Music is Synergy by Juche

In this episode, Pedro updates us on his kickboxing program. Then we move into a deep discussion on combinations, affordances, and elaborate pad work in striking sports.We return to the external focus of attention subject briefly before digging into some of the issues Pedro and his coaches experience applying CLA to their classes on a daily basis. If you're excited to jump in, hit the subscribe button and enjoy the show. And if you're listening from YouTube, be sure also to drop a like. --- If you're new to the show, please sign up to the Combat Learning Newsletter at ⁠combatlearning.com/newsletter⁠. I'll send you cheat sheets on how to transform your drills into maximum skill-building games and get you up to speed on the science of motor skill learning for martial arts. --- Where to find Pedro... Website: ⁠https://sierramma.com/⁠ Instagram: ⁠https://www.instagram.com/sierra_m_m_a/⁠ --- Produced by Micah Peacock Intro Theme by Micah Peacock Outro Music is Synergy by Juche

Today, Pedro Sierra returns to the podcast to update us on his program in two parts. Before understanding Ecological Dynamics, Sierra MMA had lackluster results. Since implementing the constraints-led approach, Sierra MMA has begun to see much more success. In fact, thanks to this change in training methodology, one of coach Pedro's students even won an ADCC Open. Pedro has come a long way since we first talked. As this episode unfolds, we discuss some of the problems he ran into and how he solved them. One of them involves round intensity and time constraints. We also discuss self-organization and how accounting for it helps us design better sparring games. Finally, this moves into a discussion about understanding what intention and attention are and how they work practically inside the constraints-led approach. --- If you're new to the show, please sign up to the Combat Learning Newsletter at combatlearning.com/newsletter. I'll send you cheat sheets on how to transform your drills into maximum skill-building games and get you up to speed on the science of motor skill learning for martial arts. --- Where to find Pedro... Website: https://sierramma.com/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sierra_m_m_a/ --- Produced by Micah PeacockIntro Theme by Micah PeacockOutro Music is Synergy by Juche

In this episode, Emil reveals his approach to game design. Then we move quickly into the ways to individualize sessions to each learner, including some principles of session design. Overall, Emil keeps the generic conditioning exercises out of skill training. Strength and conditioning is something you can do on your own time with coaches specialized to that. In Muay Thai class, you come to practice Muay Thai. Lastly, Emil and I discuss the injury landscape now that he's ecological. --- If you're new to the show, please sign up to the Combat Learning Newsletter at https://⁠combatlearning.com/newsletter⁠. I'll send you cheat sheets on how to transform your drills into maximum skill-building games and get you up to speed on the science of motor skill learning for martial arts. Plus, you'll never miss a show. Go to ⁠combatlearning.com/newsletter⁠ to get those resources now. --- Where to Find Emil...Instagram: ⁠https://www.instagram.com/bara.emil/⁠ --- Produced by Micah Peacock Intro Theme by Micah Peacock Outro Music is Synergy by Juche

In this episode, Emil continues to explain how he does the constraints-led approach to Muay Thai. Other ways to control for intensity/going too hard How to introduce leg kicks and leg kick defense through sparring games What are the fundamentals of Muay Thai as a sport? How can we understand it at a dynamic and foundational level? How constraints can lead to adaptive or maladaptive fighting strategies How Emil conceptualizes the use of thai pads and heavy bags now Of particular note, Emil unpacks how he teaches his learners to coach each other and communicate for each other's safety and learning benefit. This is an amazing dynamic, and something I want to hear ecological coaches talking about more and doing more. --- If you're new to the show, please sign up to the Combat Learning Newsletter at combatlearning.com/newsletter. I'll send you cheat sheets on how to transform your drills into maximum skill-building games and get you up to speed on the science of motor skill learning for martial arts. Plus, you'll never miss a show. Go to combatlearning.com/newsletter to get those resources now. --- Where to Find Emil...Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bara.emil/ --- Produced by Micah Peacock Intro Theme by Micah Peacock Outro Music is Synergy by Juche

Today I'm joined by Emil Fitoussey, a professional Muay Thai coach out of Nacka Dojo in Sweden. Over the past year, Emil has transitioned his partially ecological Muay Thai program into a 100% ecological Muay Thai program. In this episode, he recounts his journey into Ecological Dynamics and the constraints-led approach. Then, we talk about how he builds the culture of his Muay Thai program to value the safety of sparring partners. Finally, we discuss several interesting practical topics, including:- Using external focus of attention to help learners self-organize striking techniques- How his use of thai pads has changed and how he uses them now- How he's changed his warmup from calisthenics-based to based on mini-games- How he helps day 1, brand new students control power output for safe sparring gamesThere's been a content desert for how to use the ecological approach to striking. Today, I'm happy to provide you with a substantial entry into what I hope will become a burgeoning community of coaches who collaborate on how to make this work for striking sports. I had incredible fun recording this series of episodes with Emil, and I'm extremely impressed with him and what he's done. Emil is a smart guy, but he's still a regular Muay Thai coach like most of you. It makes me confident most striking coaches can use CLA for their programs, too. If you get value out of this episode, consider buying me a coffee at combatlearning.com/support/. Think of it like a tip. It supports the show, and I truly appreciate it. --- If you're new to the show, please sign up to the Combat Learning Newsletter at combatlearning.com/newsletter. I'll send you cheat sheets on how to transform your drills into maximum skill-building games and get you up to speed on the science of motor skill learning for martial arts. Plus, you'll never miss a show. Go to combatlearning.com/newsletter to get those resources now. --- Where to Find Emil... Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bara.emil/

In this third installment of our interview with Greg Souders, we unpack in gritty detail how Greg approaches both task simplification and task complexification. There's quite a bit of information out there about how to scale down games, but not a lot on how, why, and when to scale them up, even beyond the complexity of free sparring. There's a lot to glean here across practice design to curriculum development to helping individuals achieve their optimum level of challenge point. Quick reminder: if you benefit from the show, consider going to combatlearning.com/support to buy me a coffee. This is a donation that supports the show and I really, really appreciate it. Alternatively, you can support the show by join the waiting list for the next cohort of Combat Learning Workshops at combatlearning.com/waitlist. --- Join the newsletter today: https://combatlearning.com/newsletter/ --- Where to find Greg... Personal Instagram (training inquiries): ⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/gdsouders/⁠⁠ Standard Instagram: ⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/standardjiujitsu/⁠⁠ Standard YouTube: ⁠⁠https://www.youtube.com/@standardjiu-jitsu6031⁠ --- Produced by Micah Peacock Intro Theme by Micah Peacock Outro Music is Synergy by Juche

In this second part of my second Greg Souders interview, we take Greg's rationale for his use of language and demonstrate how it can be used to take the same games and help learners of all skill levels get something out of it even without scaling the constraints down or up. Of course, we highly recommend you engage in task simplification and complexification, too, which we discuss in more practical detail in part 3, released soon. Quick reminder: if you benefit from the show, consider going to combatlearning.com/support to buy me a coffee. This is a donation that supports the show and I really, really appreciate it. Alternatively, you can support the show by join the waiting list for the next cohort of Combat Learning Workshops at combatlearning.com/waitlist. --- Where to find Greg... Personal Instagram (training inquiries): ⁠https://www.instagram.com/gdsouders/⁠ Standard Instagram: ⁠https://www.instagram.com/standardjiujitsu/⁠ Standard YouTube: ⁠https://www.youtube.com/@standardjiu-jitsu6031 ---Produced by Micah PeacockIntro Theme by Micah PeacockOutro Music is Synergy by Juche

If you're new to the show, please sign up to the Combat Learning Newsletter at combatlearning.com/newsletter. I'll send you cheat sheets on how to transform your drills into maximum skill-building games and get you up to speed on the science of motor skill learning for martial arts. Plus, you'll never miss a show. Go to combatlearning.com/newsletter now to get those resources. The good news is that the ecological approach is gaining steam fast in the jiu jitsu world. The bad news is that the bad faith arguments and big misunderstandings are already bogging down the message. One of the biggest charges leveled against Ecological training is that the terminology around it is not just too technical but in fact MEANINGLESS. This is a bizarre accusation, but it's being repeated all over YouTube, Reddit, Discord, and beyond.Today, BJJ black belt and Jiu Jitsu supervillain Greg Souders joins me again to tackle this accusation. Greg has a very particular language he uses to describe training, jiu jitsu movement, and to cue athletes during performance. Most of it is pulled from the scientific literature directly, but all of it is inspired by his studies across Ecological Dynamics and separate-but-related focus of attention literature. Quick reminder: if you benefit from the show, consider going to combatlearning.com/support to buy me a coffee. This is a donation that supports the show and I really, really appreciate it. Alternatively, you can support the show by joining the waiting list for the next cohort of Combat Learning Workshops at combatlearning.com/waitlist. --- Where to find Greg... Personal Instagram (training inquiries): https://www.instagram.com/gdsouders/ Standard Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/standardjiujitsu/ Standard YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@standardjiu-jitsu6031 --- Produced by Micah PeacockIntro Theme by Micah PeacockOutro Music is Synergy by Juche

- combatlearning.com/support- combatlearning.com/waitlistSorry for delay on opening workshops, payment beginning Oct 31/Nov 1Shortening episodes into bite-sized pieces, faster release schedule --- Produced by Micah PeacockIntro Theme by Micah Peacock

How to support the podcast... Buy Me a Coffee: https://combatlearning.com/support/ Zoom Workshops: https://combatlearning.com/waitlist/ --- Today I join Brian Willis on a podcast series he does for his police training website, the Excellence in Training Academy. Brian has 25 years of full time police officer experience and now 25 years of experience as a police trainer as well. He consults with trainers and training agencies through his consulting company, Winning Mind Training. Links to both websites are included in the description. Brian invited me on his show to talk about my Scalable Live Training Framework and 3D Model of Coaching. He did such a great job structuring this interview that it functions as a great introduction to both concepts. While most of my analogies are combat sports oriented, I do make some explicit connections and examples around how this framework works for defensive tactics and especially firearms training. Alright, if you're excited to jump in, hit the subscribe button on your podcatcher and enjoy the show. --- Join the Combat Learning Newsletter: https://combatlearning.com/newsletter --- Where to find Brian Willis... Training Website: https://excellenceintrainingacademy.com/ Consulting Website: https://winningmindtraining.com/ --- Produced by Micah Peacock Intro Theme by Micah Peacock Outro Music is Synergy by Juche

Today I'm joined again by Daniel Marino, a 4th degree black belt in Tang Soo Do and founder of the Naihanchi Project and popular Facebook group, Practical Tang Soo Do.In this episode, Dan and I discuss the controversial question, "is karate salvageable?" Right now, it doesn't look good, but maybe in a generation or two, we can turn the ship around. The subject matter of this conversation is based on some private conversations and a very controversial post I made in the Practical Tang Soo Do group. Here's what I wrote in that post:"The fact of the matter is that karate (and taekwondo) exists in the modern world of martial arts only through double standards, complex coping mechanisms, chronic misunderstandings, and plain ignorance.The problems in karate are not due to the reasons you most often hear...It's not because karate "isn't like it was in the 70s and 80s"It's not the uniform or beltsIt's not because "bunkai isn't taught"It's not because "applications aren't practical"It's not because technique standards droppedIt's not because sport karate is popularIt's not because you don't have enough curriculum for black beltsIt's not because "kids are different now"It's not because of our instant gratification societyKarate Instructors say these things because they have no honest and accurate understanding of the martial arts landscape. And they are 10, 15, 20 years behind the curb on the science of training. Everything from how movement in the human body emerges, to the best ways to learn certain skills, to the differences between different skills (like sparring, one steps, and kata), they don't understand. Most karate instructors aren't just behind, they're not even at the table. They can't even have an intelligent discussion about it.The culture around karate is stale and regressive. The curriculum predetermines it as a linear track for little kids. The political heads of local and national organizations ostracize and exclude people with different ideas and enforce the rigid curriculum structure with an iron fist.And yet, the same boomers who largely create this culture, do nothing but complain and bemoan the downfall of karate."What can be done when the institutions that control karate are hellbent on ensuring it continues to die?If you're excited to jump in, hit the subscribe button on your podcatcher and enjoy the show!---Join the email list now: combatlearning.com/newsletter---Find Dan: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/naihanchiprojectPractical Tang Soo Do Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/5579952282075574YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@PracticalTangSooDo/---Produced by Micah PeacockIntro Theme by Micah PeacockOutro Music is Synergy by Juche --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/combatlearning/message

Today I'm joined by Geno Guevara, founder and head instructor of Alamo Ranch Martial Arts and a Joon Rhee taekwondo black belt turned kickboxing coach.In this episode, Geno begins by recounting his journey into the ecological approach as a martial arts instructor and school owner. Like all of us, Geno struggled at first to transition to the constraints-led approach because his old habits were so deeply engrained. Geno is still figuring things out, but he powered through that initial doubt and now his program is better for it.In fact, Geno redesigned his entire curriculum to allow his students to have agency and self-direction in their own training. In a class of 20 students, they could all be practicing 20 different things throughout the course of a session. This is a clever combination of both Self-Determination Theory (which is primarily about fostering intrinsic motivation) and the individualized emphasis of the constraints-led approach. Then he moves into the fascinating changes he's made to his program to make most of his training live but still balance safety and power development in strikes among his children's kickboxing members.Of particular note is Geno's use of equipment constraint manipulations and task parameters to teach students how to develop powerful, fully chambered side kicks WITHOUT direct instruction on chambering -- or rote drilling.Geno also explains how he starts kids in sparring without being too rough or accelerating member attrition.We haven't explored the ecological approach to striking as much as grappling yet, so this episode is full of insightful gems. Geno is a listener of Combat Learning who reached out to me to tell me what he's doing. If you're trying out things from this podcast, making discoveries, and seeing positive results, please do not hesitate to reach out to me through the Combat Learning website or Instagram.Like with Pedro Sierra, I was impressed by what Geno has done on his own with a few papers, podcasts, and trial and error. I'm confident you'll be impressed, too. But more than that, I'm confident you can what he's doing, too. A quick note before you jump in: for some reason my side of the conversation is not recorded, and for that I'm deeply sorry. This was recorded on a new tool, but it shouldn't happen again. So a warning up front that this will sound more like an audio essay from Geno than a conversion.The questions are as follows:- You mentioned in email correspondence with me that you discovered some unique design elements for teaching striking to groups. Can you talk to me about that?- How are you using external focus of attention in your martial arts program?- Do you find it difficult to apply the ecological approach to striking?- What do you do to keep things alive but also safe?- Do you still do kata?Now, if you're excited to jump it, hit the subscribe button on your podcatcher and enjoy the show!---Join the email list now: combatlearning.com/newsletter---Find Geno: genoguevara@gmail.comWebsite: https://alamoranchmartialarts.comFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/alamoranchmartialarts/---Produced by Micah PeacockIntro Theme by Micah PeacockOutro Music is Synergy by Juche --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/combatlearning/message

Pedro Sierra is a BJJ black belt instructor, kickboxing coach, and owner of Sierra MMA in Utah.But more importantly, Pedro is a normal guy just like you who teaches and trains martial arts. Unlike most teachers, however, he has taken the leap into CLA and fast begun to restructure his programs -- with near immediate positive student feedback and results.At the time of this recording, Sierra MMA is just over a month into its adoption of the constraints-led approach to training.In this episode, Pedro walks us through- how he found the ecological approach- what convinced him to change to CLA- what he's done to restructure his classes ecologically- challenges he's run into, how he solved them, and problems he's still working onThis is an excellent example of how virtually anyone can implement CLA into their martial arts programs -- and it can be done in a short amount of time, too! It just takes a little thoughtfulness and a little know-how. ---Join the email list now: combatlearning.com/newsletter---Find Pedro Sierra:Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sierra_m_m_a/Website: https://sierramma.com/---Produced by Micah PeacockIntro Theme by Micah PeacockOutro Music is Synergy by Juche --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/combatlearning/message

Today I'm joined by Cal Jones, a 5th dan in Judo and one of the most qualified Judo coaches in the UK, especially Wales. In this episode, Cal Jones fills in some gaps with how to use the constraints-led approach for martial arts, specifically grappling sports. First, he walks us through a system of understanding and controlling the degrees of representative learning design. This is a tool from an academic paper he's in the process of publishing with a research journal. Then Cal walks us through task simplification and how to teach Judo throws to beginners with minimal instruction and no reps or drills. Of note here is his discussion on how you use constraints and why you should never "overconstrain." While many people think that CLA is about "just doing jabs" or "just going for arm bars," that's actually not how CLA is supposed to work because it creates unrealistic behaviors. Also of interest, Cal even reveals that he doesn't teach breakfalls -- and there are big Judo teachers who aren't ecological who also don't teach breakfalls either. He also addresses how he conducts safe warmups in a dynamic and game-like fashion. And we even sneak in a short discussion on memory in the Ecological Dynamics theory. So if you're excited to jump in, hit the subscribe button on your podcatcher and enjoy the show. --- Join the email list now: combatlearning.com/newsletter --- Find Cal Jones: Twitter: https://twitter.com/CalJonesJudo --- Produced by Micah Peacock Intro Theme by Micah Peacock Outro Music is Synergy by Juche --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/combatlearning/message

Dr. Rob Gray returns today to talk to us about an exciting concept called the differential learning effect. The so-called "ecological approach" is often used synonymously with the Constraints-led Approach, but it also encompasses other frameworks such as differential learning. Differential learning is about true randomness in practice conditions. The constraints-led approach is about purposefully designed environments. Both work -- so is there a way to combine both approaches and gain the positive effects of each? In fact, there is. In this episode, Dr. Gray walks us through a synthesized approach that he calls "constrained differential learning." So if you're excited to jump in, hit the subscribe button on your podcatcher and enjoy the show. --- Join the email list now: combatlearning.com/newsletter --- Find Dr. Rob Gray: Website: https://perceptionaction.com/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/robgray29/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/ShakeyWaits --- Produced by Micah Peacock Intro Theme by Micah Peacock Outro Music is Synergy by Juche --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/combatlearning/message

Today I'm joined by Nick Delgadillo, Starting Strength Coach, Head of Corporate Development at Starting Strength, and a lifelong martial artist. In this episode, Nick unpacks common misconceptions about strength training and how conditioning works for most athletes in combat sports. He introduces to the the so-called "Two Factor Model" of strength and conditioning for sports. Rather than spread your precious workout time across accessory exercises, he argues that most martial artists are better served by moving up their numbers on the big 4 compound lifts: - Back squat - Bench press - Overhead press - Deadlift This keeps conditioning work and sport-specific work properly separated. Nick also gives tips on how to balance novice programming with the recovery demands of combat sports practice. If you're looking for a simple way to improve your performance on the mat, this episode is for you. Also, this is a special topic. The Combat Learning Podcast is and will remain focused on perceptual-motor learning, but I thought this would be a welcome and insightful pattern break from the usual episode subject matter. So if you're excited to jump in, hit the subscribe button on your podcatcher and enjoy the show. --- Join the email list now: combatlearning.com/newsletter --- Find Nick Delgadillo: Website: https://liftfightwin.com/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nickd_ssc/ --- Produced by Micah Peacock Intro Theme by Micah Peacock Outro Music is Synergy by Juche --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/combatlearning/message

Today I'm joined by Bryant Coston and Seneca Savoie, Historical European Martial Artists who specialize in coaching the sword at their club, Arena Weapon Arts. In this episode, Bryant and Seneca recount their journey from a traditional technique and drill-based sword coaching, to games-based practice, and finally arriving at a full-bore constraints-led approach. They go into detail about how they approach practice design, curriculum development, as well as coaching and correction. We also talk at length about representativeness and how previous experience in other skills can form "attractor states" that influence the way you move when acquiring and developing a newer skill. Of note also is their account of how training with more aliveness actually lowered their injury rates instead of making it worse. So if you're excited to jump in, hit the subscribe button on your podcatcher and enjoy the show. --- Join the email list now: combatlearning.com/newsletter --- Find Bryant & Seneca: Website: https://www.academyofwma.com/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ArenaWeaponArts/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/arenaweaponarts/ --- Produced by Micah Peacock Intro Theme by Micah Peacock Outro Music is Synergy by Juche --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/combatlearning/message

Today I'm joined by Dr. Ian Renshaw, Associate Professor in Exercise & Nutrition Science at Queensland University of Technology at Brisbane. Professor Renshaw is a major researcher in the Constraints-led Approach to motor learning. In fact, you'll see his name on several of the books and studies recommended throughout the Combat Learning Podcast. In this episode, Professor Renshaw teaches the "Environment Design Principles," a set of 4 considerations that help guide us into creating effective constraints-led training sessions. Those principles are: - Session intention. - Constrain to afford. - Representative learning design. - Repetition without repetition. If you've ever struggled to take the broad principles of CLA and create a framework for consistently designing good practices, this is the missing piece for you. So if you're excited to jump in, hit the subscribe button on your podcatcher and enjoy the show. --- Join the email list now: combatlearning.com/newsletter --- Find Professor Renshaw: Website: https://www.theconstraintscollective.com/ Email: i.renshaw@qut.edu.au --- Produced by Micah Peacock Intro Theme by Micah Peacock Outro Music is Synergy by Juche --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/combatlearning/message

Join the email list now: combatlearning.com/newsletter --- Today I'm joined by Greg Souders, a 3rd degree black belt in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu and the owner of an academy called Standard Jiu-Jitsu. In this episode, Greg reveals how he runs a totally, radically "ecological" grappling program, where he doesn't even teach "techniques" in the way we've always seen them taught. Greg has stripped down everything we take for granted about teaching martial arts and rebuilt his program around the Ecological Dynamics and constraints-led coaching frameworks. He's changed everything, even the way he talks about jiu jitsu to his students, which frankly, I think might be revolutionary. If you're wondering how he introduces submissions to new students, teaches passing and pinning, designs practices, or manipulates constraints, or coaches or cues his athletes, all those questions will be answered during the course of this show. And before I hand you off to the interview, be sure to visit the Standard Jiu Jitsu Instagram account linked in the podcast description. There you'll find concrete, visual examples of how Greg Souders guides his students to learn submissions without teaching them through the usual lectures, demonstrations, repetitions, and drills... ...he's also had two interviews prior to this one on my friend Scott Sievewright's highly recommended Primal MMA Coaching podcast, links also in the description. Definitely check those out as well. So if you're excited to jump in, hit the subscribe button on your podcatcher and enjoy the show. --- Find Coach Souders: Website: https://www.standardjiujitsu.com/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/standardjiujitsu/ Greg's Interviews on Primal MMA: (1) "Greg Souders on an ecological approach to elite level jiu jitsu": https://open.spotify.com/episode/7yMlGjeEqYAFPHYRrAhSdY (2) "Play the whole game everyday! Greg Souders is back to talk practice design for jiu jitsu": https://open.spotify.com/episode/3CQt5n7Q5UR9YaVxsSmRWC --- Produced by Micah Peacock Intro Theme by Micah Peacock Outro Music is Synergy by Juche --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/combatlearning/message

Join the email list now: combatlearning.com/newsletter --- - Thank you for listening these 2 1/2 years, and I hope you'll continue to stick with me! - The announcement: We just surpassed 10,000 plays! - 200 regular listeners, growth is a bit stagnant, please share the podcast - Retrospective: lots of TKD and karate stuff, lots about guys on the forefront, looking to have a bounce back on scientists/researchers in season 4 - The future: doing whatever is interesting, my interests shift every few months, but usually come back around to a previous interest in MA + methodology - Taking steps toward creating a premium newsletter subscription tier to help support the show - Thinking about doing a couple different types of content production, maybe a YouTube channel and Instagram account with training vibe, more written articles, and answering listener questions, shoot me an email if you like any of those ideas - Season 4 halfway recorded, should start dropping in November, high impact, big names within the ecological space --- Produced by Micah Peacock Intro Theme by Micah Peacock Outro Music is Synergy by Juche --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/combatlearning/message

Join the email list now: combatlearning.com/newsletter --- Today I'm joined by Adam Haniver, a boxing coach out of the UK and one of the founding members of The Box Gathering, which is a community of practice for boxing coaches. In this episode, Adam talks to us about how he has moved his boxing program away from the traditional approach to a constraints-led approach. Of particular interest, we discuss why padwork is not very good training (because it pairs the wrong affordances with certain movements), and then we discuss what you can do instead of focus mitts to make training more effective. If you're excited to jump in, hit the subscribe button on your podcatcher and enjoy the show. --- Find Adam: Website: https://www.theboxgathering.co.uk/ YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC_Hz9bo30cUIW5NHBaViozg/videos --- Produced by Micah Peacock Intro Theme by Micah Peacock Outro Music is Synergy by Juche --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/combatlearning/message

Join the email list now: combatlearning.com/newsletter --- Today I'm joined again by one of my best friends, Master Thomas Huskey, a 4th dan in taekwondo and a fairly accomplished Olympic TKD coach in his own right. In this episode, Thomas and I begin by explaining in detail why martial artists outside of taekwondo are wrong in their criticisms of it. Then we transition our ire inward towards the taekwondo community itself, and why it is also wrong about its own criticisms of the Olympic style. Please be forewarned, this was immediately following a lot of drama after the summer Olympics last year (2021). Our tone is generally very condescending and bombastic, but we don't mean to upset people who have made these criticisms before. In reality, our tone was in direct response to a few individuals who decided they were going to be obnoxious and unfair in how they responded to some significant victories for Team USA in the Olympics at that time. So full disclosure, we were agitated. If you're excited to jump in, hit the subscribe button on your podcatcher and enjoy the show. --- Find Master Huskey: YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC5c8lmpzg1boA6BjMt0C95g/videos Website: https://cybertaekwondo.com/ --- Produced by Micah Peacock Intro Theme by Micah Peacock Outro Music is Synergy by Juche --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/combatlearning/message

Join the email list now: combatlearning.com/newsletter --- Today I'm joined again by Greg Koval, a 6th dan in taekwondo and owner of Devil Dog Martial Arts. In this episode, Greg and I catch up from when he first appeared on Combat Learning. Since then, Greg has taken the Constraints-led Approach and overhauled his entire curriculum to great success. We also talk about training terminology and other problems going on in the taekwondo training world. If you're excited to jump in, hit the subscribe button on your podcatcher and enjoy the show. --- Find Greg: YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCh5-5RJmb96cYOH8lgykHsw Website: https://www.devildogmartialarts.com/ --- Produced by Micah Peacock Intro Theme by Micah Peacock Outro Music is Synergy by Juche --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/combatlearning/message

Join the email list now: combatlearning.com/newsletter --- Today I'm joined by Dr. Sanko Lewis, a 5th dan in ITF Taekwon-Do and a martial arts academic residing in South Korea. In this episode, Sanko walks us through different views of what martial arts are and how they conceive of authority in regard to determining effectiveness in training. He divides these views into three major categories: - Premodern (or pre-rational), which is the ancient view of martial arts - Modern (or rational), which encompasses systems founded in the 19th and early 20th centuries, usually from a modernist pedagogical philosophy standpoint - Transmodern (or trans-rational), which is a view of martial arts that seeks to use rational ideas about training while appreciating premodern traditions. I think many would classify me as someone who advocates a modern or rational approach to training, but I have a lot of criticism of it. While I do advocate for more scientifically-based training approaches, I do not support a philosophically modernist pedagogy. At any rate, this is a fascinating discussion, and many martial arts that we think of as traditional actually have a foot in more than one of these categories. Link to original article: https://sooshimkwan.blogspot.com/2020/12/pre-rational-rational-trans-rational.html Dr. Lewis' follow-up article (concept is mentioned in episode): https://sooshimkwan.blogspot.com/2022/01/what-is-postmodern-martial-art.html So if you're excited to jump in, hit the subscribe button on your podcatcher and enjoy the show. --- Find Dr. Sanko Lewis: Website: sooshimkwan.blogspot.com --- Produced by Micah Peacock Intro Theme by Micah Peacock Outro Music is Synergy by Juche --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/combatlearning/message

Join the email list now: combatlearning.com/newsletter --- Today I'm joined by Todd Fossey, founder of Integrated Defensive Strategies and a leading figure in the combatives community. In this episode, Todd unpacks how to systematically inoculate yourself against the stress caused by the fight or flight state during high pressure situations. We also discuss the problems with typical reality-based self-defense approaches to this process as well as issues in affective and representative learning designs for training. If you're excited to jump in, hit the subscribe button on your podcatcher and enjoy the show. --- Find Todd Fossey: Website: https://thisisids.com/ --- Produced by Micah Peacock Intro Theme by Micah Peacock Outro Music is Synergy by Juche --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/combatlearning/message

Join the email list now: combatlearning.com/newsletter --- Today I'm joined by Alan Dunton, a PhD in skill acquisition, human performance specialist, and lecturer at TUDublin. He also has a background in ITF taekwondo. In this episode, we discuss a couple important studies done on self-organization and how to simulate a more realistic level of anxiety to competition. Then we discuss how the point system for sport taekwondo can be manipulated to aid constraints-led training of specific tactics without over-constraining learners. Finally, we clear up how to understand the difference between predictive and prospective control of movement, which is one of the key divides between Information Processing and Ecological Dynamics theories of motor control and learning. If you're excited to jump in, hit the subscribe button on your podcatcher and enjoy the show. --- Find Alan Dunton: Twitter: https://twitter.com/AlanDunton --- Produced by Micah Peacock Intro Theme by Micah Peacock Outro Music is Synergy by Juche --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/combatlearning/message

Join the email list now: combatlearning.com/newsletter --- In part 2 of 2, Scott Sievewright returns to discuss the opportunity cost of traditional training methods. For those who haven't heard that term used for training, opportunity cost basically refers to the benefits to learning that we're potentially missing by spending time that *could* have been used on live training methods to do dead, formal, or isolated training methods instead. We also talk about the problem with copying elite coaches and how our biases surrounding them has screwed up talent development pipelines inside of combat sports and led to resistance to new and scientific ideas in training methodology. If you're excited to jump in, hit the subscribe button on your podcatcher and enjoy the show. --- Find Scott Sievewright & Primal MKE: Website/Blog: www.primalmke.com Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/primal.mke YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UChx8iNb2b8VSBrAoEybCLpw --- Produced by Micah Peacock Intro Theme by Micah Peacock Outro Music is Synergy by Juche --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/combatlearning/message