Articles By: Shawn Kovacich

11 Sep, 2008

Shoud You Notify Your Attacker That You Are Trained In The Martial Arts? »
According to some “experts” in the field of self-defense, you should notify your potential attacker that you are in fact trained in the martial arts and that if provoked, you will use that training to defend yourself. Now I consider this advice to be akin to taking a knife and cutting across your own throat to see if it is sharp enough. Sure, you’ll find out the answer to that one, but only once. -- [ Fitness Tips » Martial Arts ]

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11 Sep, 2008

Martial Arts Book Review: Floor Fighting by Marc »
Once again, Marc gives you a no-holds barred look at the reality of fighting and surviving on the street. This book focuses on the subject of fighting on the ground, which as most of us know, is where the vast majority of fights end up. As with all of his books, Marc really gives you an in-depth look at the principles behind the techniques that he explains in his books. This is one of the true tests of a quality martial arts or self-defense book. -- [ Fitness Tips » Martial Arts ]

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11 Sep, 2008

Sometimes You Learn the Most From A Well Intentioned and Calculated Butt Whoopin' »
As you may and should well know, three of the many tenants of almost any martial art are respect, self-discipline, and self-control. These tenants should be applied to every situation, even those where you think they shouldn’t. A prime example of this comes from my own personal experience with a senior classmate of mine when I was just a green belt. -- [ Fitness Tips » Martial Arts ]

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23 Oct, 2007

Martial Arts Book Review: Krav Maga-How to Defend Yourself Against Armed Assault by Sde-Or & Yanilov »
This book starts out with a basic definition of Krav Maga and the basic principles behind the self-defense system and the techniques in which it encompasses. I am a firm believer in the underlying principles being far more important to a particular technique than the technique itself, and I am glad to see that the authors of this book feel the same way. Throughout the entire book, each section begins with the basic principles on which the techniques are based and how they are to be applied. This is a true sign of an excellent martial arts/self-defense book. -- [ Fitness Tips » Martial Arts ]

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23 Oct, 2007

Martial Arts Book Review: Pool Cues, Beer Bottles, and Baseball Bats by Marc ''Animal'' MacYoung »
Once again, Marc gives you a no-holds barred look at the reality of fighting and surviving on the street. This book focuses on the most common types of weapons you are likely to encounter during an altercation on the street. For the most part, Marc leaves out the two most common ones, guns and knives. The reason for this is because these two are deserving of book all of their own. One of which I know Marc has addressed, as that particular book is on my “To Do” list. -- [ Fitness Tips » Martial Arts ]

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23 Oct, 2007

Martial Arts Book Review: Freedom from Fear by Peyton Quinn »
Peyton starts the introduction of his book off by asking you the following simple and direct question, “What are you really after in life?” This question must be answered honestly and after great deliberation in order for it to have the desired effect. If this book could be summed up in one simple all encompassing statement, it would have to be this, “Don’t allow fear to run your life.” -- [ Fitness Tips » Martial Arts ]

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23 Oct, 2007

Martial Arts Book Review: Ending Violence Quickly by Marc ''Animal'' MacYoung »
Once again, Marc gives you a no-holds barred look at the reality of fighting and surviving on the street. This book is simply loaded with sound principles and easy to learn techniques for making the most of a bad situation. I find the information on the principles behind the techniques very useful, and it is usually a very good indicator of a high quality self-defense and/or martial arts book. -- [ Fitness Tips » Martial Arts ]

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23 Oct, 2007

Martial Arts and Self-Defense Wisdom: Stretch Before A Fight, Not During A Fight »
One of the funniest, yet not-so-bright, things that I have ever heard of someone doing during a fight was actually done by one of my former students. Even though the incident that I am about to relate to you happened several years ago, it still makes me laugh every time I think about it. Even now as I type this article, I have a smile on my face and a chuckle in my belly. -- [ Fitness Tips » Martial Arts ]

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23 Oct, 2007

Self-Defense Fighting Techniques: Sucker Punches, Off-Setting and Roundhouse Kicks »
One of the more classic “sucker punch” scenarios that you are likely to encounter is the one which starts out with you being tapped on the shoulder. This is almost always initiated from behind and begins with your unknown opponent tapping you generally, but not always, on your right shoulder with his left hand while you are facing away from him. If you are not paying attention, you will almost always turn around and step towards your opponent in the general direction that you were tapped. -- [ Fitness Tips » Martial Arts ]

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23 Oct, 2007

Self-Defense and Fighting: When Is The Best Time To Use A Technique On Your Opponent »
A common term used in the Japanese martial arts community for the defender is called a “tori,” while the attacker is called a “uke.” As I was coming up through the ranks, my fellow classmates and I rephrased the Japanese word “uke” to mean dummy, instead of attacker. We did this because anyone foolish enough to be the “uke” for one of our instructors during a demonstration was definitely a few cans short of a six-pack. -- [ Fitness Tips » Martial Arts ]

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02 Feb, 2007

Martial Arts Book Review: Krav Maga »
Being the author of several books on the martial arts and fighting, I am always looking for books of exceptional quality to add to my library. If I have a book in my library, it's definitely worth owning. One such book is David Kahn’s, "Krav Maga." After a brief introduction, David gives you a good basic overview of Krav Maga including some of its history. From here he goes right into a section on philosophy, which is very good, and one in which I would have to agree with about 90% of what he has to say. -- [ Fitness Tips » Martial Arts ]

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02 Feb, 2007

Martial Arts Book Review: Knives, Knife Fighting and Related Hassles »
As you already know, if you have read any of my reviews of Marc’s books, one of the great things that I absolutely love about Marc’s writing is his no-holds barred direct approach to getting his point across. There is never any sugarcoating or politically correct terminology is his books. He simply tells it like it is, whether you like it or not. Marc’s not-so-politically correct way of explaining things is always refreshing in today’s society where everyone wants to sugarcoat everything so as not to offend anyone. In some ways, I would compare Marc’s method of teaching to the comical rants of George Carlin. You may be offended by what he says, but by golly it’s the truth. And yes, sometimes the truth hurts. -- [ Fitness Tips » Martial Arts ]

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02 Feb, 2007

Martial Arts Book Review: Knife Fighting a Practical Course by Michael Janich »
Michael’s book is one of those gems that are so hard to find in the vast sea of waste that seems to be so prevalent especially in the self-defense and martial arts literary field. His easy to understand and simplistic approach to this very important subject is in and of itself a thing of beauty to behold. Michael gets right to the point on every subject that he coves in this book, and every subject is a vital piece to learning how to use a knife in combat. -- [ Fitness Tips » Martial Arts ]

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02 Feb, 2007

Self-Defense Fighting Techniques: Kicking, Does It Work In A Real Fight Or Not? »
Being the author on several books that focus on the subject of kicking, I am often confronted by the following statement, “Kicking is ineffective at best in a real self-defense situation and is usually dangerously detrimental to the individual who attempts to use it on the street.” I very rarely hear this type of statement from practicing martial artists, especially from the practitioners of karate, tae kwon do, and kickboxing. It usually comes from... -- [ Fitness Tips » Martial Arts ]

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02 Feb, 2007

Kicking On The Street. Do Your Pants Help You Or Hurt You? »
Your ability or inability to kick effectively in a self-defense situation may depend more on the clothes you are wearing, and less on your actual proficiency at kicking. As hard as this may be to believe, it is a fact, and one that I learned on several different occasions. -- [ Fitness Tips » Martial Arts ]

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