Powell Combat Arts

I enjoy practicing and teaching Filipino Martial Arts ("FMA").  Although I specialize in empty-hand FMA known as Filipino Boxing, Panantukan, or Suntukan, I enjoy the weapon aspect of FMA as well.  On December 30, Chris Caban, one of my favorite FMA instructors, is hosting his annual Stick Fighting Event known as Krampus.  Practicing with sticks and other weapons in the air is fine, but there is nothing like applying your skills a real-life combat situation.  If you are a FMA practitioner in the Atlanta area, please join us for this great event.  For those who have never sparred with weapons before, the typical equipment to bring is a fencing mask, padded sticks, and lacrosse gloves.

One of my biggest pet peeves is seeing out-of-shape martial artists.  There is no way you can be at your best in the ring or in a street confrontation without some minimum level of physical fitness.  If you follow me on social media, you have no doubt seen pictures of me walking through the park carrying a heavy sandbag.  I don't do this just to have interesting pics to post.  What I am doing is a phenomenal physical conditioning exercise called the Loaded Carry .  Legendary strength and conditioning coach Dan John said, "The loaded carry does more to expand athletic qualities than any other single thing I've attempted in my career as a coach and athlete." The loaded carry is a very simple exercise.  All you need to do is pick up something heavy and walk.  That something heavy can be a kettlebell, dumbbell, barbell, hex bar, sandbag, or your little kid.  I often use two or more types of weights simultaneously.  For example, sometimes I will...

I am counting my blessings today on Thanksgiving.  Discovering martial arts at an early age is one of the many things that I am very thankful for.  I took my first Karate class at the age of ten.  My instructor at the time was Ulysses "Pop" Winn.  He is a Grandmaster in Nisei Goju-ryu.  One of my fondest memories as a kid was watching Sensei Pop play spar with Muhammad Ali when Ali visited our recreation center.  I am no longer a karateka, but Ulysses "Pop" Winn will always be my Sensei.

I am always on the lookout for new training methods to improve my boxing skills.  One of my recent discoveries comes courtesy of pro boxer Vasyl "Hi-Tech" Lomechenko.  I saw a video of him punching a tennis ball attached by an elastic cord to a cap on his head.  This tool is great for improving your hand-eye coordination.  While there are other ways to improve your hand-eye coordination, such as playing table tennis, I prefer training methods that mimic fighting. Of course, punching a ball is more similar to actual fighting than hitting a ball with a paddle.  If you want to increase the precision of your strikes, make one of these devices and give it a go. Demo of Tennis Ball Training Tool

I have read hundreds of boxing and martial arts books over the years.  The majority of these books focus almost exclusively on how to perform fighting techniques.  However, the following books go beyond that narrow confine.  Grab a cup of coffee, kick back, and read them. The Art of War by Sun Tzu Tao of Jeet Kune Do by Bruce Lee Fight Like a Physicist by Jason Thalken, PhD Living the Martial Way by Forrest E. Morgan