New Course: Warrior’s Strength – Training Session – October 2, 2024
Mind Body Connection Alignment & Posture Core Training
The Real Reason I Still Train
After 47 years in the martial arts, people often ask me why I still train. The answer has very little to do with fighting. Over time, I came to realize that the martial arts are far more than a system of self-defense. They are a vehicle for physical development, self-education, personal responsibility, and lifelong growth. In this article, I share some of the lessons the martial arts have taught me and why they continue to play such an important role in my life today.
Training With Sensei Erik Paulson: Lessons From a Private Session at the CSW World Conference
During a recent trip to Orange County, California, for the CSW World Conference, I had the opportunity to spend some private training time with Sensei Erik Paulson. In this session, we explored a series of highly effective shin locks and lower-body submissions while discussing the concepts, transitions, and details that make them work at a high level. This experience was a reminder that no matter how long you’ve been training, there is always something new to learn from great coaches and dedicated practitioners.
Another Outstanding Week at the Executive Protection Institute
Fresh back from another outstanding week at the Executive Protection Institute, I had the opportunity to teach Protection Response Tactics®, work with an exceptional group of future protection professionals, and spend several days on the range during EPI’s Personal Pistol Course. This trip was especially productive as I introduced new material into the PRT curriculum, captured valuable video content for future YouTube projects, and was honored to be invited to join the EPI instructional staff as a firearms instructor. It was a week filled with learning, teaching, professional development, and exciting opportunities for the future.
Course Updates: Purple To Brown – Throwing Cycle
Just as we recently updated the Blue-to-Purple section of the archive, we have now completed a major update to the Purple-to-Brown curriculum.
This section introduces a number of unique throwing and takedown options, many of which are drawn from the art of Judo. While Living Mechanics is heavily influenced by Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, it has never been limited by any single system. The goal is always to identify the most effective tools available and integrate them into a functional, adaptable framework.
For those who may not know, Sifu Alan Baker is a second-degree black belt in Judo and has spent decades studying and applying throwing mechanics alongside his work in Jiu-Jitsu, striking arts, and self-protection systems. As a result, you’ll often see Judo concepts blended throughout the Living Mechanics curriculum when they provide a more efficient solution to the problem at hand.
If you’re a member of the online archive, log in and explore the new material. These additions provide a powerful set of options for taking an opponent to the ground while expanding your understanding of body mechanics, timing, and control.
Course Updates: Blue To Purple – Throwing Cycle
We’ve been working on this section of the Living Mechanics Archive for quite some time, and we’re excited to finally release it.
Many of the takedown and ground engagement methods featured in this update come from disciplines outside of traditional Jiu-Jitsu. While Jiu-Jitsu offers tremendous value once the fight reaches the ground, some highly effective methods of putting an opponent there are often overlooked. We felt these tools were simply too valuable to ignore.
One of the defining characteristics of the Living Mechanics curriculum is that it is not limited by style, system, or tradition. Instead, we pull proven concepts from multiple sources and organize them into a practical framework focused on efficiency, functionality, and real-world application.
If you’re a member of the Living Mechanics Online Archive, log in and check out the latest update. We think you’ll find some valuable additions to your training toolbox.
The Grappling Backdoor Escape
In this seminar highlight, Sifu Alan Baker breaks down the backdoor escape and explains why some grappling habits can become a liability in more hostile environments. This is not just about escaping bottom position. It is about understanding posture, access, movement, awareness, and why staying flat can cost you when the environment changes.
The Limitation of Perspective and the Search for Real Educators
As human beings, we have enormous potential, but one of the greatest limitations placed on that potential is our perspective. Whether we realize it or not, we are constantly drawing conclusions based on our background, ourexperiences, our conditioning, and the things we have been exposed to throughout life. This happens automatically. It is one of the natural functions of the mind. We compare, categorize, interpret, and
The Superpower of Selective Attention
In today’s world, your attention is under constant attack. At any given moment, there are countless forces competing for your focus. Notifications, messages, news, social media, conversations, and problems are all pulling at your awareness, trying to redirect your attention away from what you are doing and toward something else. Most of the time, that “something else” has very little value.
Pedro Sauer’s Mount Details That Make Submissions Inevitable
In this segment, Professor Sauer breaks down subtle but powerful mount adjustments that make submissions from the top position far more effective. From elbow placement and weight distribution to proper foot positioning for armbars, these small details prevent escapes and make transitions feel effortless.