As a martial artist, one of my goals is to move more efficiently. I want to understand how my balance, positioning, and timing contribute to each technique—and where unnecessary effort gets in the way. The lessons on imagery in my NASM Behavior Change Specialist course gave me a framework for exploring that goal. Imagery involves mentally recreating or anticipating an experience, including its sensations, thoughts, and emotions. I can apply that framework to the intention I b

By Pedro Bernardy Throughout my career as a trainer in high-end fitness settings, I’ve worked with people who value expert guidance, personal attention and a comfortable place to exercise. Those experiences shaped my approach to coaching—and taught me that the quality of training depends on much more than the size of the facility. Many of my clients have come from those environments. They appreciate what a small private gym offers: privacy, encouragement, lower costs and trai

Better workouts begin with a clear plan. Photo by Vitaly Gariev on Pexels. A productive workout starts before the first repetition, stretch, or step. It starts with preparation. Whether you want to improve strength, flexibility, mobility, stability, cardiovascular fitness, or a specific skill, your routine should be built around that goal. Knowing what you intend to accomplish—and how you will approach it—gives your effort direction. Without a plan, it is easy to move from on

By Pedro Bernardy, NASM-CPT, CES Martial Arts Instructor | Movement Efficiency Specialist I recently came across an excellent discussion by martial artist and instructor Chris Denwood on connecting the body through Naihanchi Kata. Chris explored several concepts that immediately resonated with me: winding and unwinding the body, using the spine rather than relying exclusively on hip rotation, maintaining a connection between the elbows and the core, and allowing force to trav

This is an article written by a student of mine who is both a pediatrician and karate black belt. In it, Dr. Mostaghasi describes how the human body moves, from an early age to adulthood, and the fundamental characteristics and structure of our core muscles. MOVING THROUGH CORE ENGAGEMENT TARANEH MOSTAGHASI, MD SHODAN ESSAY, NOVEMBER 2021 We have seen the phrase “engage your core”, but have you wondered what is meant by it? The core

Here is Shinzato Katsuhiko Sensei’s translation of the article from Okinawa Times, May 2019 “Forceless Force is Forceful” This phrase sounds contradictory, but I sensed its existence as I experienced physical contact with Mr. Katsuhiko Shinzato, who is a head of Okinawa Karate-Do Shorin-ryu Kishaba Juku. Without any forceful impact on my hand I was easily off-balanced and fell down when he made a soft touch against my attacking hand. He seemed to keep his whole body relaxed w