Breaking Through A Plateau

Gershon Ben Keren

Mon 28th Jun 2021

I apologize if this article appears a bit preachy or even judgmental, however everything I’m writing about I’m first applying to myself. In my forty-plus years in the martial arts I’ve hit many plateaus – and I continue to do so – and had times where my skills development has stagnated. In this article I want to look at three reasons why we can end up feeling like we are not progressing as fast as we should. At some point I’ve been guilty of all three and had to change my way of thinking in order to move on. Reason One:...Click To Read More

De-escalate Everything

Gershon Ben Keren

Mon 21st Jun 2021

There are times when violence is inevitable. There are times when you can’t avoid or escape being targeted and times when it is impossible to de-escalate a situation, that under a different set of conditions may have been possible etc. Unfortunately, some people can’t accept this and try to alter reality so that every potentially violent situation can be resolved in a non-physical manner e.g., there’s always a way to “talk” yourself out of danger etc. In this article, I want to look at when de-escalation isn’t an effective option, even when an incident may seem to lend itself to...Click To Read More

Motivating Factors

Gershon Ben Keren

Mon 14th Jun 2021

Without a motive there can’t be a crime. From a legal perspective, motive can be seen as the “desire which prompts conduct”, and whilst in a court room a lawyer may base their case on a single driving desire, such as revenge, most violent crimes are driven by several types of desire/motive e.g., there may be a need for revenge, however revenge is likely to be the product of frustration, shame, and the need to acquire some intangible goal, such as respect; and it is these underlying needs that combine to form a “motive” such as revenge etc. In this...Click To Read More

Fighting A Southpaw

Gershon Ben Keren

Mon 7th Jun 2021

I remember a boxing coach advising me about sparring with Southpaws (left-handed fighters, who fight with their right hand/leg forward), not to worry about “looking good” i.e., it would likely take the form of a clunky, clumsy mess etc. I have to say he was largely correct. I would also say that there’s a real difference between sparring with a “true” left hander, rather than a right-handed person who believes that they fight better as a Southpaw – in my experience, this is usually the result of a right-handed person not being particularly good at sparring in an orthodox stance,...Click To Read More