Walking With The Tengu

While looking at a collection of essays called the "Mantis Boxing Articles" might not be your first choice of texts to consider for your martial arts training, unless you do Mantis Boxing of course. Listen to this latest episode as I relate how a number of the essays infact are deeply useful and insightful for any martial artist. Take the training offline with a small book I put together pairing b...

When a lord sought to test his bodyguard for consideration to a promotion he put the man to the test. At first the lord thought his bodyguard but after discovered the truth. Unbeknowst to him, his bodyguard had displayed consummate fudoshin (immoveable mind) while also protecting his lord's honor. Find out what this means for the modern martial artist in today's episode. Take the training offline...

What does ancient Greek myth have to do with classical Japanese martial arts training concepts? Listen to the story of Hermes stealing Apollo's cattle to find out. Take the training offline with a small book I put together pairing basic physical exercises with short quotes and meditations. You can find the book here: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ https://www.lulu.com/shop/matthew-krueger/pocket-training-volume-1/paperbac...

The twelve labors or tasks of Heracles is a mythic story loaded with a lot of practical symbolism to unpack. In what may be my longest episode to date, I try to pull some meaning from these stories. Want to dig more into classical Greek myth and symbolism in the context of the martial arts? Check out Tom Billinge's latest book "Palaistra" found here . Take the training offline with a...

Join me as we look at Ernest Hemingway's novella "The Old Man and The Sea" and read it through the lens of martial arts training. There are several directly practical lessons we can get from this classic work of literature. Take the training offline with a small book I put together pairing basic physical exercises with short quotes and meditations. You can find the book here: ⁠⁠⁠http...

What's in a name? What do you do when your art has four different names for the same move? We look at Frege's Puzzle in this episode and apply it to Boxing, Judo, Karate, Muay Thai, Savate, and BJJ. Take the training offline with a small book I put together pairing basic physical exercises with short quotes and meditations. You can find the book here: ⁠⁠https://www.lulu.com/shop/matthew-kr...

In this episode we look at two parables from the work known as the Zhuangzi that relate to things martial artists care about. Specifically the ideas of Wuwei (無為) non-action and Ziran (自然 - "Self-so") spontaneity. However, these aren't just high-minded philosophical jibber-jab. These have direct, practical applications to our martial arts. Take the training offline with a small b...

For any sufficiently strong mathematical theory, there are truths that cannot be proven by that theory. If martial arts systems are formal systems in the same sense that Gödel referred to them. How can we apply Gödel's incompleteness theorems to our training? I use examples from BJJ and Wing Chun in today's episode but would love to hear of examples for your own arts. Take the training off...

Welcome to 2026. Let's look at a couple short quotes, one from "The Unfettered Mind" by Takuan Soho and another from "The Life-Giving Sword" by Yagyu Munenori to set the tone for this year. Take the training offline with a small book I put together pairing basic physical exercises with short quotes and meditations. You can find the book here: https://www.lulu.com/shop/matth...

Closing out 2025 with a short meditation on the end of the year. Check out the pocket sized book of short quotes and meditations I wrote, paired with simple exercises valuable to any martial artist. Take your practice anywhere. Buy Here From Lulu.

Today, I meditate on how we should face death. Inspired by a chapter from the Budoushoshinshu by Daidouji Yuuzan that I had previously passed over. Drawing further quotes from Seneca's essay "On Old Age", Marcus Aurelius, the Old Testament, and the Hávamál.

It can be dangerous to discuss politics in general, let alone in the martial arts world. Yet, Jonathan Bluestein wrote a book about it. I highlight some interesting discussion to be had from the topics in his book though I only scratch the surface. You can find the book here: https://www.amazon.com/Martial-Arts-Politics-Explained-History/dp/B0DHKS2XVS/ WWTT Episode: “Traditional vs. Modern” https:...

Ever been told to use less strength and focus on technique? This is both true and not entirely accurate. What we need to actually do is learn to regulate our tension. Let's take a look at what the classics have to say about regulating our strength. The Book of Five Ringshttps://archive.org/stream/MiyamotoMusashi-BookOfFiveRingsgoRinNoSho/Book_of_Five_Rings_djvu.txtSupport Walking With The Tengu by...

What happens when you give monkeys 3 measures of acorns in the morning and 4 at night? They get angry. But what happens when you give them 4 in the morning and 3 at night? They are content. This is true with martial artists as well. Our perceptions of the same thing presented two different ways can make all the difference in the world. Find a vast library of classical Chinese works to read for fre...

Have you ever been traveling, stuck somewhere, or whatever reason not been able to get in some training? Today I share for exercises for squeezing some extra training into your day that I've included in a little pocket volume that you can find here: https://www.lulu.com/shop/matthew-krueger/pocket-training-volume-1/paperback/product-e7pqmyv.html It contains a collection of short quotes from mo...

What can one learn from a video instructional from a classical Japanese martial art? I think quite a bit, though it may not immediately be obvious. There are two ideas from the latest OHIR instructional that I think can be applied to any martial art. A lesson on initiative and a lesson on chaining techniques within the tempo of an encounter. Ono-ha Itto-ryu Volume 1: Kiriotoshi https://vimeo.com/o...

Today we look at just a small set of the lessons to be found in Jonathan Bluestein's book "The Martial Arts Teacher" These include assuming the best in different situations and the methods and ways of structuring a curriculum. You can find the book here: https://www.amazon.com/Martial-Arts-Teacher-Practical-Guide/dp/B0C6VWP6NP

Today we look at the first book from the "Secrets of Itto-ryu" by Sasamori Junzo and translated by Mark Hague. Ono-ha Itto-ryu is closely linked with Kendo and was one of the two styles of swordsmanship personally patronized by the Tokugawa Shogunate. In this text we learn some lessons from the life and mistakes of the founder of the Itto-ryu, Ito Ittosai Kagehisa. Lessons both relevant...

When an atrocity is committed against someone, are they justified in committing an atrocity in return? We look at what is a justifiable response in today's episode. To sign up for new episode notifications and to receive the  "Very Brief Introduction to Philosophy for Martial Artists" PDF as well  as a full translation of Chapter 51 of the Budoushoshinshu about  disciplined martial a...

Today we have two short parables that contain big lessons for martial artists and we look at how this applies to determining if a martial art is useful. Find out how a bottle gourd, a hand cream, a twisted tree and a yak relate to determining how useful a martial art is. References: https://ctext.org/zhuangzi/enjoyment-in-untroubled-ease https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hui_Shi https://en.wikipedia.o...

Did you know the Vikings had their own version of the crazy cat lady? Except his nickname was "the Sledgehammer" and his twenty magical cats were his bodyguards? Find out how Thorstein and his brothers handle their next challenge and why unnamed Norwegians in the sagas are Star Trek "red shirts." Plus, I talk through a simple headlock defense for the next time you have a crazy Viking cat man tryin...

I've talked about a few of my confrontations over the years and how they all amounted to nothing happening. Today, I relate the story of the same thing happening to a training partner of mine and how he lived his martial art in his daily life and was able to face physical violence and achieve an acceptable "win condition." To sign up for new episode notifications and to receive the  ...

The bad neighbor Hrolleif finally gets justice served after killing Ingimund. Though Thorstein uses quite a bit of strategy to bring it about. Find out how Jokul hiding in a wood-pile brings about the wretched Hrolleif's demise. Maps of locations mentioned in the Sagas:  sagamap.hi.is To sign up for new episode notifications and to receive the  "Very Brief Introduction to Philosophy for M...

I again tackle the topic of etiquette in the martial arts, why American culture is dying, why etiquette is a reflection of the health of a society, and how this relates a the stability of human society. Can the martial arts help? To sign up for new episode notifications and to receive the  "Very Brief Introduction to Philosophy for Martial Artists" PDF as well  as a full translation of C...

We have another story from the Zhuangzi today. About a little frog in a well and a turtle who tells him of something impossible called "the ocean." I also give you a bonus Chinese idiom known as a cheng yu that I think works well in English too. 坐井觀天 - zuò jǐng guān tiān - Which I might translate as: "To sit in a well and look at the sky." Listen to today's episode to f...