Following up on a great question from one of our members about sparring safely, here’s a simple progression system you can start using straight away. The goal is to develop control, timing, and movement before adding power. Too many people rush sparring… and that’s when injuries happen. This is about doing it the right way 👊 🔹 Level 1: Elbow Tag Only target = your partner’s elbows This gets you moving, judging distance, and staying relaxed. 🔹 Level 2: Knee Tag Only target = your partner’s knees Now you’re learning to move your legs out the way and stay mobile. 🔹 Level 3: Elbows & Knees Combine both targets Hands and legs now have to work together—coordination starts to build. 🔹 Level 4: Jab Tag (to the body) You can now jab to the belly Defender uses elbows to block or deflect This introduces straight punches in a controlled way. 🔹 Level 5: Hand Sparring (Body Only) Both hands can be used to punch to the body Defender uses footwork and elbows to stay safeNow it starts to feel more like sparring—but still controlled. 💡 Key Focus Throughout: ✔ Stay relaxed ✔ Keep control ✔ Look after your partner ✔ Build skill before power If you’re new to sparring, work through these levels and don’t rush it. 🎥 Check out the video and give it a go in your next session. Drop a comment below if you’ve tried it or if you’ve got questions 👇👊

My good friend and training partner Joe built this awesome Eskrima striking dummy for me. It’s made from tyres, super durable, and gives me something solid to aim at when training my stick strikes. Perfect for working angles, accuracy, and power. But every good training partner deserves a name… and right now this guy doesn’t have one. So I’m throwing it over to the community 👊 What should we name the dummy? Drop your suggestions in the comments. The best name wins… and will forever live in martial arts history (or at least in my back garden).

One thing I’ve noticed about this community is that we’ve got a lot of experienced martial artists here. Different systems, different backgrounds, different journeys… and that’s what makes this place valuable. For people who are just starting out, hearing these stories can be really inspiring. Sometimes all it takes is hearing someone else’s path to realise everyone started somewhere. So I’d love to hear from you… How did you get into martial arts? What systems have you trained in? I’ll start 👇 I first became interested after watching The Karate Kid Part II with my dad back in 1986. I was 6 years old and completely hooked. I wanted to start training straight away, but my dad made me wait until I was 7. My journey looked like this: • Shukokai Karate • Boxing • Kickboxing / Thai Boxing • At 22 I started training in the Filipino Martial Arts (Eskrima / Kali / Arnis) And that journey is still continuing today. Now it’s your turn 👊 Drop a comment and let us know: • What got you interested in martial arts? • What systems have you trained in? • How long have you been training? There’s a lot of knowledge in this community, and your story might help someone else take their first step.

How one might get to sparring at home safely, when lacking padded equipment? I really would like to spar with my partner, but the lacking of padding worries her (justified) Any good approach here? Should we just focus on empty-hand? Even then, how to spar safely on empty hand, if not straight up punching each other, but also getting to build feedback, reflexes, attack, defense and counter attack?

Today’s video breaks down a key part of our empty hand system: The Quadrants. We divide the upper body into four sections, and the pad holder feeds a strike into one of those sectors. The striker must: 1️⃣ Cover the strike 2️⃣ Control the line 3️⃣ Counter on the pads At first, this drill can feel a little tricky because you’re learning to read the feed, react correctly, and return a counter in one smooth sequence. But once it starts to click, it becomes a powerful way to develop timing, reactions, and defensive awareness. In the video we:• Demonstrate all four quadrants• Show how the drill works in real time• Explore a few ways to isolate each quadrant so you can train them more easily. Spend some time working each quadrant individually before linking them together. This is a great drill for developing realistic pad work and defensive counters. Let me know in the comments which quadrant feels the most natural to you 👊