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Episode #35 - It's All About Me Again
This is the episode that you've all been waiting for. The one where I talk about my favorite subject, ME! I tell why I started this series, what I learned while making it, and why I completed it. It's probably the best episode to watch if you want to get to know me. More importantly, it adds much needed context to the entire show. The season finale if you will.
Episode #34 - Technology
Modern technology has certainly made things easier but it hasn't always made them better. Often that ease is for the companies making the technology and not the people using it. The martial arts industry is similar in that it isn't trying to make things better for students. Unfortunately, it isn't trying to make things easier either, just more money. The moment you stop trying to get better is the moment you start getting worse.
Episode #33 - Pride and Prejudice
The martial arts industry is filled with a special type of prejudice that I call "Dojoism." This episode is about that and many other "isms" that are not exclusive to just martial arts. I also offer up a reason as to why nothing ever seems to change and a suggestion on how to make a positive change.
Episode #32 - Political Medicine
Just like the last episode, I'm relating the Martial Arts industry to government, politics, and the medical industry. The core issue is that of ignorance, inconsistency, and mistrust. All of it involves the financial incentive of the decision maker.
Episode #31 - Religious Science
We are often told not to talk about religion in social situations so it's no surprise that people are ignorant regardless of being for or against. They are arguing for the sake of arguing and don't even realize it. The same is true for martial arts. If you know yourself and know your enemy, winning is a result. Often nobody knows anything.
Episode #30 - The Fight Game Business
Want to really make it in the fight game? Watch this episode because that is what it covers. There is the skill of fighting and then there's the skill of selling tickets.
Episode #29 - McDojo
Another episode on the business side of martial arts. This time about the term "McDojo," it's meaning, and it's origins. My opinion is that all martial arts schools are either a McDojo or a Sparring King.
Episode #28 - Business Stuff
This episode is about how most people in the martial arts industry don't really understand the martial arts industry.
Episode #27 - Kids Stuff
There is a lot of ignorance regarding teaching martial arts to kids. It's especially evident for those that don't even understand the martial art that they are doing. This episode will address that and more.
Episode #26 - 12%
Some martial arts take way too long to reach any rank let alone get to black belt. There is also an extremely common statistic used without a basic understanding of statistics or context.
Episode #25 - Testing
In this episode, Sifu Mike deals with testing. Split into two parts for YouTube, the first half is about the origins of testing and the last part covers how it is used in a business context.
Episode #24 - Teaching The Wrong Person
It's incredibly important to consider the big picture when having two people train together. If not, you may end up teaching one at the expense of the other and not even realize it.
Episode #23 - Order of Operations
Some martial arts purposely place difficult techniques or forms in the first few ranks to weed out students or extend training time. This episode deals with how that practice might have occurred to begin with.
Episode #22 - Talking Is Not Teaching
Massively widespread is the notion of talking a physical technique into someone else's existence. As much as a teacher talks, their student isn't going to be good at doing the thing that they talk about unless they're actually allowed to do the thing that the teacher is talking about.
Episode #21 - Sparring
The full episode on sparring. It was split into three parts separated by topics in order to make it an easier watch for some. This is the whole thing with the topics being sparring defined, sparring complexity, and for sparring for business.
Episode #20 - Not Just About You
Most martial arts instructors only teach the stuff that they can do well without ever learning the many different ways to do something. As a student, you want to what works best for you. As an instructor, you want to know as much as you can in order to help the student find what works best for them. Teaching and doing are not the same.
Episode #19 - Told To Teach
This episode follows the last one in that it covers another reason why people teach martial arts. They're often told that they have to but not told how to do it. What's worse is that most instructors don't spend enough time to get good at teaching and even know it.
Episode #18 - Why Teach Martial Arts
Almost no one ever started martial arts with the goal to teach it! Sometimes teaching just happens. There are a few reasons why people start a martial arts school and this episode covers what's probably the biggest one.
Episode #17 - Sport or Self-Defense
Many people wonder if a martial art is a sport or self-defense and what is the difference between those two. Even martial arts instructors don't really know. This episode tells you how to figure it out.
Episode #16 - Very Telling
If you are in a martial arts class, there's a good chance that you're not actually being taught. You're being told what to do and not how to do it. This episode addresses that.
Episode #15 - Reps
If you want to be good at something, you need to do it many times. That is the topic of this episode because most people aren't doing as much as they could and don't even realize it.
Episode #14 - System
Have you ever thought that the system is broken and needs to be changed? Well this episode deals with changing a system and how improving education will probably do that as a result.
Episode #13 – Brain Farts
This episode is long and for YouTube was separated into four parts. This is the entire thing. The first part deals with memory and how things are stored in the mind over time. There's much more to the subject than what's covered in this video. The goal is to keep it simple. The second part deals with making choices based off of emotions that can be manipulated by others. It also covers the human understanding of language. It can be a difficult topic to fully understand but it's the foundation of mental discipline. The third part details the psychological concept of mirroring. People often respond to another the same way that they are addressed. The last part puts everything together and explains why certain methods of persuasion simply won't work in the long run. Too much time is spent on treating the symptoms and not curing the disease. A new outlook requires new knowledge.
Episode #12 - Forms, Katas, Drills
Forms, katas, and drills are the topics of this episode as well as sets, patterns, and sequences. Basically, they're all the same. The difference is all in your mind.
Episode #11 – Similar But Different
For some reason there exists a common belief that if you get good at one skill, you're automatically good at a similar but completely different skill. This is not the case and this episode covers how doing martial arts, teaching martial arts, and running a martial arts business are three separate skills.
Episode #10 – The Martial Arts Gi
This episode is all about the martial arts uniform called the "Gi." Actions speak louder than words and what people say it does isn't nearly the volume of what it actually does and has been doing for 100 years! The man that introduced the "Gi" to the world is a genius!
Episode #9 – Stories
Anybody that has trained in any martial art has probably heard a good story. This episode discusses whether those stories are true or just really good marketing.
Episode #8.5 – Yesterday
This is a follow up to the previous episode. Sifu Mike really wants to highlight the importance of a single word or phrase on the context of a concept. He does this through song and sound effects. Enjoy and learn.
Episode #8 – Know Thy Self
This episode deals with knowledge and the lack there of. If you know yourself and you know your enemy, winning is the result. You can't accurately defend yourself against something if you don't know what that something is. You need to know everything that you can do in every situation and everything everyone else can do in every situation. Once you begin to understand that, you will realize that you never stop learning and that doing martial arts is a lifestyle.
Episode #7 – Lineage
This episode deals with the martial art lineage and why it's important plus who it's important to.
Also included is a little business marketing tip. You should definitely watch if you have no plans to run a martial arts business and just want to train. Knowing that business tip will help you know what to look for in a school.
"You can't effectively defend yourself against something if you don't know what that something is." - Sifu Mike
Episode #6 – Measurements
This episode is all about measurements and quantifying skill. The issue is using years instead of time within years. Sifu Mike has over 5,500 hours of experience teaching martial arts in 10 years. That number is equivalent to 5 hours a week for 20 years or 1 hour a week for 105 years. He's not that old.
The Making Of
This is basically a special feature detailing the making of the Dragon Theory web-series. It was actually a year and a half long process that involved learning many new skills and revisiting old ones. It was all worth it!
Episode #5 - Corona Strong, Stay Calm
Ignorance and panic can be the greatest threat to ones health. You can't defend against something if you don't know what that something is and that includes things like the Corona-virus. This episode aims to help you better understand this type of virus and not overreact.
*Disclaimer: Sifu Mike is not a medical expert. He has 12 years experience working in the food service industry, 5 of which was in a hospital, and he has 10 years of teaching martial arts to kids (little germ factories). He is well versed in the preventative measures because they are part of food safety.*
Episode #4 - Self Defense or Self Protection
Are you really learning to defend yourself? Should you be learning how to protect yourself? What's the difference? All this and more in the 4th installment of Dragon Theory!
Episode #3 - Fitness
Sifu Mike talks about the fitness industry and fitness in general as it is one of the primary reasons for doing martial arts. He also covers a common practice in most fitness classes that's actually not in the best interests for the person taking the class.
Episode #2 - Incentive and Why People Do Martial Arts
Sifu Mike covers the two main reasons for taking martial arts classes, how most martial arts schools are structured, and more.
Episode #1 - Sifu Mike
This is the first episode in the series, Dragon Theory, and it is all about Sifu Mike.
