Mindblown: a blog about philosophy.
-
Making Weight: What Amateur Fighters Need to Know About Cutting Weight Safely
A cautious, practical look at weight classes and cutting for amateur competition, including what is genuinely risky and what a safer approach looks like.
-
Recovering From a Training Injury: A Realistic Return-to-Training Guide
A practical, non-alarmist guide to handling minor training injuries, when to see a professional, and how to return without setting yourself back.
-
Belt and Rank Systems Explained: What the Colors Actually Mean
How belt and rank systems differ across martial arts, what they actually measure, and why progression speed varies so much between styles.
-
How to Evaluate a Gym Before You Join: A Checklist for Women
A practical checklist for touring a martial arts or combat sports gym, covering safety culture, coaching quality, contracts, and red flags.
-
Sparring for the First Time: What Actually Happens and How to Prepare
A realistic walkthrough of a beginner’s first sparring session, from gearing up to managing nerves, so the first round feels manageable.
-
Self-Defense While Traveling: Staying Safe in Unfamiliar Places
Practical, non-paranoid safety habits for solo and group travel, from researching a destination to handling accommodation and transport.
-
Reading Warning Signs: Predatory Behavior Patterns Worth Knowing
Common behavioral patterns that precede an escalation, drawn from safety research, and how to respond before a situation develops further.
-
Ground Survival: What to Do If a Confrontation Goes to the Floor
A practical breakdown of what happens if a self-defense situation ends up on the ground, and the handful of skills that matter most there.
-
Pepper Spray and Personal Alarms: A Practical Guide to Self-Defense Tools
What pepper spray, personal alarms, and other carry tools actually do, where they fall short, and how to pick and practice with one.
-
Introducing Your Daughter to Martial Arts: A Parent’s Q&A
A parent-focused Q&A covering the age-old questions about starting a daughter in martial arts: age, safety, gear, gyms, and how to keep it fun.
Got any book recommendations?