Matthew Sylvester
Taekwondo
Instructing – a privilege that can be taken for granted
Let’s face it, when you’re feeling ill, down, tired, grumpy or just plain lazy, teaching of any kind can be a chore. When what you’re teaching is as physical as most martial arts, and as athletic at Taekwondo can be, motivation can be as hard to find as hen’s teeth. This weekend, it was hammered … Continue reading
How adrenalin taught me that low kicks are essential to TKD
Everyone has a certain amount of fear in their lives. Not the sort of fear that has you crying or throwing up as a result, but the kind of fear that presents itself as a spurt of adrenaline, or even the reluctance to do something because of fear of failure. When I was writing my … Continue reading
Self-publishing should not equal dross
I read a lot. IBS means that I can get through a fair number of books. Recently I bought a Kindle, as I was running out of space for my ‘real’books, and hated having to throw them out. Being a bit of a tight-wad, I immediately went to the free section on Amazon and downloaded … Continue reading
Open-mindedness is vital to success in the martial arts
As a former technical consultant and features editor for what were the four leading martial arts magazines in the U.K. I had the opportunity to meet a lot of great martial artists with an open-minded approach to training and evolution. I also et a lot of their students and, interestingly, a lt of these students … Continue reading
Instructors don’t ask much
Seriously, a good instructor should never ask a student to do more than they are truly capable of. The reason for this is that to do is to invite failure. Once you have someone failing it is hard to get them to look at the positive. Human nature is to always concentrate on the negative, … Continue reading
Matthew Sylvester 