Warrior Wisdom

Breathwork for Warriors: From Gasping to Calm Power Picture this: Your child is halfway through class. They've been working hard—kicks, forms, drills. You can see the effort on their face. Then the instructor calls for one more round of sparring, or one more set of jumping kicks, and you notice: Your child is bent over, hands on knees, mouth wide open, gasping for air. They know the technique. Their body is strong enough. But their breath has betrayed them. Or maybe you've seen this: It's belt test day. Your child has practiced for months. They know their form perfectly. But when they step onto the mat in front of the testing panel, their breath becomes shallow and quick. Their movements, usually smooth and confident, become rushed and tight. Anxiety has hijacked their breathing—and with it, their performance. Or perhaps this: After a frustrating day at school, your child comes home wound up—angry, anxious, or on the edge of tears. Their chest is tight, their fists are clen...

  Joint Longevity for Kicks, Throws, and Falls: Protecting Your Young Warrior's Body for a Lifetime There's a moment many martial arts parents experience, usually somewhere between their child's first belt test and their second year of training. You're watching class. Your child throws a beautiful roundhouse kick—higher than ever before. You feel proud. Then, in the same breath, a small worry creeps in: "Will all this kicking hurt their knees someday?" "Is it safe for them to fall like that?" "What if they get injured and have to stop?" It's a natural fear, and an important one. You want your child to love martial arts for years—maybe even decades. You don't want their training to become the cause of pain or limitation down the road. Here's the good news: martial arts, done well, is one of the best things you can do for your child's joint health. But—and this is crucial— how they train matters just as much as how often...

Movement as Medicine: Why Stillness Is the New Smoking (Movement Medicine, Part 1 – Written for Warrior Parents) If you’re reading this, there’s a good chance your child already moves more than most: they kick, block, shout kihap, and race around the dojo floor with that martial‑arts glow only other parents truly recognize. So it can be confusing when you also hear messages like: “Kids today aren’t moving enough.” “Sitting is the new smoking.” “We have an epidemic of sedentary children.” You might find yourself thinking: “But my kid does martial arts two or three times a week. Isn’t that enough?” In this first part of Movement Medicine: A Martial Artist’s Guide to Lifelong Health , I want to zoom out and help you see your child’s training not as “just an activity,” but as a piece of something much bigger and more powerful: Movement as daily medicine for their body, brain, and emotional world. My hope is that you’ll finish this article with three things: A clearer understanding ...