The Kicks of Mantis Boxing Training Course

Confuse. Overwhelm. Destroy.

Kick with Balance. Kick with Precision. Kick with Power.

Kicks are devastating. The power we can generate with the leg far outweighs the potential with our arms, and they provide a distinct reach advantage as a long range weapon. However, kicking requires far more energy which is in limited supply. Launching kicks creates weaknesses in our defense that allow for counter-attacks by our opponent. Kicking causes potentially catastrophic imbalances when we go to one leg. And kicks are only useful in very specific ranges of hand-to-hand combat; improper timing leads to unsuccessful attacks, or our own demise. Using one of the best weapons on our body that requires the most energy consumption to execute and failing to connect with it, is a bad equation in my world.

I’m Randy Brown, and after 21 years of martial arts training from tae kwon do, to kickboxing, to multiple styles of Chinese boxing (to include 3 styles of mantis boxing), I have developed a system of kicking to help you succeed where most kicking fails.

In my kicks of mantis boxing course you’ll learn:

• The basic kicks of mantis boxing.

• How to properly execute your kicks without losing balance.

• Kicking strategy to maximize destruction, confuse and overwhelm your attacker.

• Power generation.

• Warm-ups for pre-training and increasing flexibility.

• Proper range to throw each kick. And more importantly, when and how to switch gears and go from striking to kicking, or kicking to striking. A critical skill when it comes to any boxing art.

Take the mystery and confusion out of creating your own drills, or figuring out what to work by following my simple, easy to follow, training missions after each lesson. Curated by me personally to help you to integrate these powerful kicking methods into your skillset.

Includes:

• 14 Video Lessons shot in HD video

• Training missions to get your repetition and skill training

• Warm-ups for Kicking and Improving Flexibility

• PDF download - Beginner’s Guide to Kicking by Randy Brown

*course included with Legacy Boxer and Supreme Ultimate Boxer memberships

Summary Boxing Set - Training Course

Advance your skills, coordination, balance, reaction speed, and more.

Learn my Mantis Boxing

A friend of mine, another martial arts instructor, asked me a question a few years ago during a lengthy debate on ‘forms in martial arts and their efficacy’. A conversation we later recorded for everyone’s benefit.

He asked,

“if you die (I’m quite sure he was plotting to kill me), how will your students know what your methods, or system was?”

His argument was accompanied by a challenge to create my own form. A boxing set that represents all, or at least most, of my mantis boxing methods for all of you.

So I took my experience learning over 50 of these boxing forms early on in my training, and used this to lay the framework for my very own set. My Summary Boxing Set, or Zhāi Yào 摘要. Which literally means a summary.

This set is comprised of a wide variety techniques hailing from the 4 pillars of mantis boxing - strikes, kicks, throws, and submissions. Includes combinations & counters. Trips, takedowns, chokes, and locks. All methods that I use in sparring. Tested for years on my mats by me, and my students.

This is a perfect way for you to practice these techniques on your own, or with a partner and continue to advance your skills, coordination, balance, reaction speed, and more. Training your body to recognize and tweak these movement patterns (fighting techniques) so when it comes time to use them for real, your body is not stopping to ask your mind - “how do I move my arm, leg, etc to pull this off?”

Isn’t this Free?

Sneak peek of a few of the exciting mantis boxing moves you’ll learn in this course!

Buy Now

You may be asking yourself, “Didn’t you release this boxing set for free to the entire world on YouTube? What is the point of this course?”

Good question. One I would be asking in your shoes. The answer is simple.

Combat Applications!!!

Any martial art form, kata, taolu, boxing set in and of itself, is an empty shell. Without the functional component behind the parts and pieces inside the shell, it is nothing more than a nominally useful martial dance routine.

Know the WHAT, and WHY!

Inside this course you will not only learn my summary boxing set, you’ll see what the moves do in combative applications and how to apply them. In my experience, an invaluable treasure. A storehouse of knowledge for you to refer to as you train with me. Something I ‘never’ had in my years of training all manner of styles of Chinese boxing from a variety of teachers. In that time I only ever had one mantis boxing coach that carried form and fighting together under one roof.

A fact that may seem inconsequential to many of you whose first martial art experience was training with me, where your in-person classes are filled with drilling application with a partner, followed by sparring. This lexicon is something I believe you will come to appreciate over time and will help you to visualize what the moves do as you practice, or to train them with a partner and learn how to really use mantis boxing.

One last thing - I hope you enjoy this set as much as I did creating it for you.

Randy

*course included with Legacy Boxer and Supreme Ultimate Boxer memberships

Crushing Step (Bēng Bù)

Crushing step is a mantis boxing sequence of hand-to-hand combat moves that is all too often handed down without the fighting applications included (empty shell). Or, the set is taught with ineffective fighting methods that do not function when pressure tested against even the most novice resistant, non-compliant partner, never mind a highly trained martial artist.

In this course I’ll be taking you step-by-step through not only the boxing set known as crushing step, but the self-defense applications of each move. Striking, kicking and grappling methods that have been resistance tested in a crucible of live sparring by myself and my students for years.

Whether you are already a mantis boxer that previously learned this set, but lack the fighting applications that go along with it, or a beginner boxer looking for a functional form of martial arts and self-defense, this course will fulfill your goals.

Join me as I give you an in-depth view of how these striking, kicking, and takedown applications work, and how to practice each of the moves on your own, or with a partner.

More on Crushing Step…

Bēng Bù (Crushing Step 崩步) is a prevalent tào lù (form 套路) of tángláng quán. It stands as one of the more popular fighting sets on record for the mantis boxing style, and is a commonality between a many of the branches of mantis boxing after it split during the turn of the 19th to 20th century.

Although the name translates as 'Crushing Step', this is a bit of a misnomer. Bēng means - ‘to collapse and fall into ruin’. Rather than an actual crushing ‘step’, Bēng Bù is more specifically about the ‘steps to Bēng’. The set is a series of techniques leading to the ‘collapse and fall into ruin’ of our opponent. This can be represented at times with single moves in the form such as crazy ghost fist, but there are many interconnected sequences of techniques as well. A series of counters to counters, ultimately leading to the enemies collapse. Think about Rule of Three from our 12 boxer principles.

While execution and power generation of a bēng dǎ (crushing strike 崩打) is riddled throughout the set, the overarching theme is…

Complete Course Releasing Soon

Mantis Boxer Meets A Karateka - A Chat with Iain Abernethy

I have a great first-time conversation for all of you today. I’m joined by Iain Abernethy, a karateka from the UK. Iain runs a popular YouTube channel known as PracticalKataBunkai, is the author of multiple books, and DVD’s, and travels the world teaching Karate.

Over the past year or two, many of you have reached out to me urging Iain and I to connect due to our similar approaches to the martial arts. Well it finally happened, and we have you to thank for this exceptional conversation. Thank you and enjoy.

If you haven't already - I highly recommend you follow Iain @ -

Website - https://iainabernethy.co.uk/

YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/user/practicalkatabunkai

Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/iainabernethy/

Fight Chat with Jerry Liu of Fight Commentary Breakdowns

Jerry Liu of 'Fight Commentary Breakdowns' & 'FC Chats' stopped by for a great discussion. Jerry runs some popular YouTube channels but has been a life long martial artist from Kung Fu as a kid, to Kempo, Muay Thai, and BJJ as he continues his journey. Join us as we go the rounds and attempt to change one another's minds, or agree on topics such as:

• ‘Teacher : Student' ratios in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu

• Emotional Control and Sparring with Wild Partners

• Concussions | CTE in Combat Sports

• How to Spot Bad Self-Defense Courses

You can follow more of Jerry's content here:

-Fight Commentary Breakdowns - https://www.youtube.com/c/FightCommentaryBreakdowns

-Fight Commentary Chats - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCPLNOnmT8MtZJzIMCElyHMg

-Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/fightcommentary/

-Fight Commentary Grappling - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCQfBeZEQXbiGfgR_BEySSPQ

The Strikes of Mantis Boxing Training Course

• Stop someone in their tracks.

• Gain Knockout Power!

• Prevent damage to yourself when you hit.

In this course you will execute the 3 palms and 5 fists of mantis boxing. Acquire proper technique and alignment to prevent injury to yourself when striking. Integrate stance and footwork training to begin laying the foundation for power generation in your strikes to maximize your damage potential. Increase your skill and power with your striking arsenal.

Finalize the course with 'precision strike training' - learn soft targets - where to hit, and how to hit someone to knock them out or shut them down.

Take the mystery and confusion out of creating your own drills, or figuring out what to work by following my simple, easy to follow, training missions. Curated by me personally to help you to integrate these powerful methods into your skillset.

Includes:

• 1.1 GB - 35 minutes of HD video.

• Training Missions.

• Excerpts on the importance of striking

• Article on Effective Strike and Soft Targets

*course included with Legacy Boxer and Supreme Ultimate Boxer memberships

His Dark Roots - Interview with Stephen Kesting

For this podcast my friend and BJJ Black Belt Stephen Kesting stops by to chat about his background in Judo, Kung Fu, and his eventual shift to BJJ. We also discuss the current state of BJJ, where it is heading, and wrap up with some technical advice for beginners and where to focus your efforts in BJJ early on. A great conversation that I know you will enjoy.

Stephen started his website grapplearts.com back in 2003 to share his passion for BJJ and help others learn through systematic practice and easy to follow instruction.

If you like this podcast with Stephan and I, you can listen to his podcast when I was a guest on his channel:

Podcast Episode 128: Can Kung Fu and BJJ Coexist, a Conversation with Randy Brown from Mantis Boxing.

You can find and follow Stephan @

GrappleArts - Stephan’s website

Stephan on YouTube

Instagram - Stephan on Instagram

Check out Stephan's latest book - Non-Stop Jiu-Jitsu

Pandora's Box of Podcasts - Martial Arts Psychology with Sensei Ando

Today's podcast is with my good friend and martial arts aficionado, Sensei Ando of SenseiAndo.com, and Happy Life Martial Arts. We may very well have opened Pandora's Box here with this discussion. In his first appearance on my podcast, Sensei Ando and I discuss a variety of topics from fitness in martial arts, training failures, martial arts psychology, dissecting frogs, serial killers, bad teachers and whatever other manner of odd conversation that happened to introduce itself to this conversation. As always though, a rich and enjoyable conversation with Ando and something I'm sure all of you will enjoy.

If you liked this podcast, you might like a few more collaborations Ando and I have done:

#58: Randy Brown Interview [Podcast]

Tips to Manage Distance in a Fight with Randy Brown

#82: Are Forms and Kata a Waste of Time in Martial Arts? [Video + Podcast]

Clinch Escapes for Self-Defense

Coach Holly from Mantis Boxing working Scissor Clips with Ando

For more good stuff from Sensei Ando:

Find him on YouTube -

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCA-fjIPMlUThsqi4mX_tDNw

Find his website and podcast -

https://www.senseiando.com/fight-for-a-happy-life/--

Instagram -

Sensei Ando

Video Courses -

Ando on Gumroad

Guest Appearance: Fight Commentary Chats w/ Jerry Liu

We have Randy from Mantis Boxing. Randy has trained in Chinese Martial Arts, with a focus on the Mantis Style of Chinese Kungfu. Randy also has trained Brazi...

I recently had the privilege to be invited on Jerry’s new podcast - Fight Commentary Chats. Some of you may have already come across Jerry in your YouTube travels, he and his peers host a now popular martial arts channel on YouTube known as Fight Commentary Breakdowns.

Jerry and I had an awesome chat about our backgrounds and experiences, Chinese martial arts, MMA, fake masters and the recent challenge matches disrupting the old guard in Chinese boxing styles and forcing change. Strap yourself in and get hooked on this lively, content filled dialogue that is sure to entertain.

Check out more of Jerry’s videos or join him on social media at the following sites/apps:

• Fight Commentary Chats

• Fight Commentary Breakdowns

• Instagram

• Facebook

10 Principles of Success for Boxers

So often in the fighting arts, we lack principles or framework to improve our skills through critical analysis. A few artists/fighters/boxers, mainly those willing to take some beatings, are able to improve their skills, while others are left feeling like they just don’t have what it takes.

When we take our training to the sparring phase, whether on the mat, in the ring, cage, or a backyard, if we find that we are not getting better, that we are simply not improving as fast as we’d like, this manual and the tools enclosed, can make all the difference. Enjoy.

• Understand the liabilities and gains, advantages and disadvantages, and the compromise of each position and movement in combat.

• Increase your level of skill through easy to understand diagnostics that help you to improve and implement immediate corrective action.

• Turn your failures into success.

James ‘Jocko’ Sutton’s gloves - 3x Golden Glove Champion

photos by Max Kotchouro

5 Tips to Setup Your Home for Martial Arts Training

Here are 5 tips to help you with setting up, and training martial arts (boxing, Brazilian jiu-jitsu, wrestling, judo, etc.) at home. Today I'll go over good training practices to make sure you stay with your training, ideal locations and how to adapt to what type of space you live in, types of heavy bags and how to size them, throwing dummies, grappling dummies, and type of mats you want to look for if you do any ground work/takedowns/grappling or wrestling.

My favored training products:

►Mats -
Training Mat - (best mats hands down) - https://amzn.to/3eKfrqM
Crash Mat (I use this. Highly recommend) - https://amzn.to/2U5jk1J

►Gloves RevGear
Challenger MMA 4oz Gloves - https://amzn.to/2YN06Ri

►Heavy Bags/Hangers
Heavy Bag - 4' (for shorter spaces) - https://amzn.to/371uIRt
Heavy Bag - 6' (for longer spaces) - https://amzn.to/301Duxt

Heavy Bag Hanger 1 (wood beam - I use these) - https://amzn.to/2zVolTF
Heavy Bag Hanger 2 (wall mount) - https://amzn.to/2U1s1Kf

►Timer
Round Timer - https://amzn.to/3dt75n7

►Grappling Dummies
Budget Canvas - https://amzn.to/2XGr7UX
My personal recomendation - I use this one

►Pads/Shields
Punching Pads (these are the best I've used) - https://amzn.to/2zNi4tn
Kick Shields (have not used this brand but fair price) - https://amzn.to/2MqJKqm

►Ropes
Jump Rope (the one I use) - https://amzn.to/2MmYGWq

What is Active Recovery? w/ Dr. Kate Kelly - Training Tips, Injuries, Training for Women, Aging/Adapting

Today I had the distinct pleasure of interviewing Dr. Kate Kelly of Active Recovery Boston [ https://www.activerecoveryboston.com/ ]. Dr. Kelly has helped me work through a myriad of injuries over the past 10+ years. She is one of my first stops whenever I have something getting in the way of my training.

We had a great discussion on ‘What active recovery means', and how it can interplay with injury prevention and recovery; strategies to apply it, and why it is important to athletes and non-athletes alike. We also delve into the differences in training for women and men, and the affects of ageing on athletes and how we can keep training smart well into our twilight years. Join us for this excellent conversation.

Active recovery activities include - walking, swimming, tai chi, qi gong, yoga, stretching, and more.

Qi Gong

Check out our new Qi Gong course here for an excellent active recovery training program that I have used for years.

Scholar Warrior Interview - Dr. Peter Lorge

Delve into the history of Chinese boxing, famous generals, Brazilian jiu-jitsu, UFC leg locks, gunpowder, and all things martial arts, as I interview Dr. Peter Lorge, author of Chinese Martial Arts from Antiquity to the Twenty-First Century.

Part 2 - A continuation of our discussion on General Qi Ji Guang, Sun-Tzu, Brazilian jiu-jitsu, teaching methods, and...INTERNAL vs EXTERNAL nonsense!

Using Chess to Solve Martial Arts Problems

Latest podcast on tackling and solving difficult problems we have in martial arts forms/kata/tao lu. Check out these tips I used to improve, that are found in Chess.

Guest Appearance: Are Forms/Kata a Waste of Time in Martial Arts? w/ Sensei Ando

Guest Appearance: - Episode #82

with Sensei Ando of Happy Life Martial Arts

Do you practice forms or kata? Are they worth your time? Join Ando and Sifu Randy Brown for a lively discussion about the good and bad about forms. ►SUBSCRIB...

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I had the great pleasure of returning once more as a guest on my friend Sensei Ando’s channel Happy Life Martial Arts. We had an amazing, and thought provoking discussion on martial arts forms training, solo training, and more. We even threw some virtual punches, and a shadow boxing Heimlich maneuver was almost necessary. Check out the video for a great podcast.

I highly recommend following him on his YouTube channel, as well as his podcast. Even though he is famous enough now with over 249,000 subscribers, a few more can’t hurt!

You find more of Sensei Ando here:

Sensei Ando

Sensei Ando YouTube Channel

Our Brain on Solo Training

How our brain and body benefit from solo training in martial arts. But there are pitfalls too.

How to Train Martial Arts on Your Own

These times require us to innovate and adapt to the changes in our lives, routines, and day to day activities. For weeks many of us have been without a class to attend. The good news? We can still train martial arts without a class or partners, and continue to develop our skills and improve.

What does it take to make this happen? You can watch this video I made this week telling a story on why I had to learn to train myself in martial arts, or you can skip below and jump to the bullet points so you don’t have to wait any longer to train.

Either way, rest assured whether you are the student, or your a parent of a child that trains a martial arts, I am here to help you navigate this process and I have plenty of experience with self-training to be able to give you advice. Keep training!

Randy

[special section for parents further down]

How to Train Martial Arts on Your Own

1. Routine
   To be successful with training martial arts on your own, you MUST have a routine. This is the most important aspect of self-training, and even group class training. It is too easy to say “I’ll do it tomorrow.” Tomorrow turns into next week, and then next month. Set a schedule for your training times at times during the week you know you can adhere to.

2. Agency
   This block of time is yours, and it must have agency. It is not something that we allow to be swayed or taken away by trivial distractions [such as a binge watching session on Netflix]. We treat these blocks of time as sacred, and do not allow ourselves or others to sideswipe them. If we do, we will do it again and again and never train. So treat your own class, just like a scheduled group class at your gym, school, dojo.

3. Place to Go
   Try to find a place outside, in a garage, barn, basement, or a separate room in your house/apartment if you have one to spare, that can be used for your training. During these time blocks, this is your dojo/place of training. Other people are not in here unless they are training with you, and others know to leave you be during your session.

4. Frequency
   This is up to you, but it should be consistent from week to week. Try to start out with something similar to what you were doing at group classes. If you were training 2 hours per week, then try to set up two 1-hour blocks each week, or four 30-minute sessions instead. If you trained more than that, then add more slots in. If you trained more than one discipline, like my students who train mantis boxing and jiu-jitsu, then have separate blocks of time to focus on each. Again, consistency, agency, private space are all a priority, but this step is important to establish from the beginning as it helps reinforce ‘routine’.

5. Plan of Attack
   This is a critical stage and just as important as any of those above. We have to know what we are going to train. This is probably one of the largest failures we have going to a big box gym - “what do I do next” If I can find it, I’ll add a picture to this article later showing you some of my routines/schedules I built for myself years ago when I had no choice but to train alone. Have a log, notebook, where you set aside what you specifically are going to do for each session. Update it weekly.

6. Family Unit
   If you are at home with others during this time, have them join you and if they have no experience, you teach them. Teaching others is one of the best ways we get better. We learn what we know and do not know (do not worry, you do not have to have all the answers or know everything to show someone newer than you). This is such a powerful tool, you will be surprised how much it can help. If you are trying to train your kids - focus less on ‘teaching’ them, and more on doing. If they see you enjoying yourself and having fun, they will follow along. Forcing them is counter-productive. See below for more parent tips.

7. Wear your Uniform
   This may seem like an odd one at first glance, however, this has more significance than you may guess. The act of putting on our uniform, commits us mentally to the act of training. This is part of the discipline that you exhibit week after week showing up for class. Continuing this ritual on our own puts us in the same mindset and lets us not only commit to training, but keeps us on the rails as we stick to our planned training time. With that said, do not wear your uniform all the time. The act of putting it on, and taking it off when done, keeps that box cordoned off in our mind. We know when we wear it, that this is a sacred time that we need to respect for ourselves.

Parents

See everything above before reading this. Those items are still relevant and will help you in setting up a plan of action for your child.

1. Routine
   I know I mentioned it above, but I can’t repeat this enough. No video games, movies, toys, etc can get in the way of ‘time to train’. These are hard and fast blocks and they should know they have to go to a certain place to train. Consistency is key, so if you are able to set the same time block aside for each day of training, this will be a big help to you in getting them to train. If it is arbitrary or day to day, it is difficult for any of us to become mentally engaged off the cuff.

2. Videos

   Use video training [preferably from their school/style] as ways to promote interest and learning. This can be part of the training block i.e., 15 minutes of watching lessons, and 30 minutes of training. As the parent, you may not know what they are working on in class, or where to focus, but asking for help from their teacher, can help you build a lesson plan for them. In some cases, the video may be useful throughout the entire session so it is good to have access to a screen so they can rewind or pause as needed (as long as it is not a game they switch too).

3. How Long Does My Child Train?

   This is based entirely on age. The younger they are, the less time you should expect. A 10 to 12 year old might be good for an hour of training 3 or 4 times per week and have the discipline to stay engaged. A 5 year old however may only work in 15 to 20 minute blocks and need more frequency such as 6 to 8 blocks per week.

4. Ask for Help
   If you need ideas, or direction, ask their instructor to help guide you, or provide a lesson plan for each week so it eases the process and all you have to worry about is the tips we mentioned in the beginning.

5. Older Teaches Younger?
   If you have siblings that all train together, this common purpose creates a strong bond where they can help one another get better. If you do not train yourself, it is important to sit back and allow them to teach one another. At times the eldest child will guide and teach, but the younger child may know something they do not, so it is important this is not authoritarian by the older sibling. Keep in mind the parent can become the inhibiting factor in these training session rather than a positive influence. Our job is to make sure they do not hurt one another, or get out of control, but otherwise we keep quiet and give them the autonomy to teach/train together. If they are mature and show positive results with this, then you can run test sessions where they are allowed to spar/roll with one another for short rounds of 3 minutes at a time.

Good luck!

I’ll add more tips as I think of them, but hopefully this is enough to get you started.

Are Head Hits in Boxing/MMA Good or Bad? The Truth...

Is getting hit in the head bad for us when we train in martial arts such as boxing, MMA, kickboxing, karate, muay thai, etc.??? Here is how I see it, and what I did to my students to make them train smarter. Being educated on the truth can keep us training safe for years to come.

Countering the Hip Toss

Ever been mistaken for a sack of potatoes? Do you dislike being dislodged from the earth you stand on, turned upside down and dropped on your head or back? Here’s a little tip to counter that nasty hip toss throw your opponent might try out of mistaken identity, or something more nefarious.

Cracking the Black: Thomas McNair

Thomas McNair - circa 15 - photo by Max Kotchouro

Back in 2012, a young man in his early 20’s walked into my school and signed up for classes. He was excited, highly motivated, and ready to train. He had a great attitude and when he was in class, he would work hard. The first few years saw him come and go from classes, consistency was holding him back from advancing beyond blue belt.

Eventually he dedicated himself for a stretch of time that he was able to bench up to green belt, and then he disappeared again. As time passed, he would show up for weeks at a time, coming to 5 or 6 classes per week, and training hard. He would recommit, only to bounce out 4 to 6 weeks later and resurface 3 or 4 months later.

This went on for a time, and it perplexed me. He was a kind soul, with a good sense of humor, and consistently helping other people when he was on the mats, and off. He worked at group homes assisting people unable to assist themselves. Always giving. He would recruit anyone that would listen, to come to classes with us; his friends, significant other, even his own mother (where’s my aleve…?). [inside joke that she’ll appreciate]

In mantis boxing, a majority will make yellow belt, and from there maybe half those will get to blue belt. It’s a lengthy journey, and not everyone can commit to it for years at a time to get there. So when someone makes it to green belt, the odds are greater that they will move through the ranks to black belt. This is not always the case of course, but green belt has many challenges in front of it. Someone has learned to survive as a white belt, honed their defense between yellow and blue belt, and is starting to finally get in stride and see the bigger picture of all these moving parts coming together, so they can begin to develop their own game, or art.

As a teacher, coach, guide on this journey for others, it is difficult to see someone get this far, and then drop off. So this time, I reached out to have a heart to heart and find out what was going on. What did I find? Nothing surprising from a man like Thomas. He was working long hours and almost every day of the week, driving himself into the ground helping others. And he was about to break.

Thomas can do jobs I could never do. Character traits I lack, he seems to naturally possess. This makes him perfectly suited for service fields that require someone dedicate their time to helping others who cannot help themselves. It is a commendable and inspiring vocation. Unfortunately, he was burning out after years of taking care of others, but not himself. Thomas was ready to move to the woods and never talk to another human being again.

We had a long chat about his work, future plans, and where he stood with his training. I asked him if he still wanted to train, and continue on the journey. He said, yes. He wanted to get to black belt, and he really loved martial arts, but he didn’t know how to get back to a place where he could focus on it.

Backing up for a moment, a couple years prior I stopped teaching my kids program. I had burned out and my heart was more into teaching adults at the time. Having taught kids for years, I did not feel I was making an impact on their lives in a positive manner. In those 11 years, I had maybe 3 or 4 kids that successfully made the transition from the kids class to the adult class. I blamed myself for this failing, and decided to walk away for a while and focus strictly on my adult classes, which were doing far better by comparison.

So in our conversation, when Thomas and I were discussing where he was going next in life, I offered to restart the kids program if he would come on board as an instructor to help get it off the ground again. He could continue to help other people, something integral to his core, and simultaneously refocus on his training; taking it to the next level and bringing him a step closer to fulfilling his dreams.

I asked him to think it over, even though he was immediately excited and ready to jump in, just to ensure he was prepared to commit. He was all in, and came back to me with his true path - to become a martial arts instructor as his career.

Since then, Thomas has applied himself diligently to his craft. He has grown not only as a mantis boxer and jiu-jitsu grappler, but as a person. He has matured immensely, evolving from a wanderer, a part-time student of combat sports; to a humble, competent, and effective instructor, coach; and dedicated martial artist. In that transition his skills elevated to a whole new magnitude, to which he later confessed that he had no idea how significantly that - consistency, dedication, perseverance, and effort - would benefit his growth as a fighter, warrior, and human being.

As a coach and teacher, watching these transformations is what makes it all worthwhile. It has been an honor to watch from the sidelines as Thomas stepped up his game and transformed into something he could previously only imagine. He is now, one of four black belts in mantis boxing by my hand. Congratulations, Thomas.

Thomas McNair promoted to Black Belt in Mantis Boxing by Randy Brown on Saturday, December 7, 2019.

photos by Max Kotchouro