Rick Tew

Beginners practicing our Strikes and Kicks form. We use this form to introduce students to the variety of Strikes and Kicks available in the martial arts. It’s also used to help beginners develop their form and movements in their first few days training at the camp. Which is the case here.... In time, they will perform with more strength, flexibility, agility, stamina, and speed.

Morning hill run as a mini-workout habit for improving the impact on weight loss, health-span, longevity and ease of exercise. I’m actually a night owl based on my circadian rhythms but I often enjoy morning outdoor mini-workouts for the following reasons. Oxygen... Although a indoor dojo or gym is fun, you are going to get the best for your body and cells by going outside. The morning feels fresh to me. Filling up on oxygen at the start of the day is a good way to begin. Intermittent fasting and weight loss Morning workouts are great before meals too. Research shows it has a positive effect and you will be surprised how much energy you have prior to kicking in digestion. Sunlight My basic rule for getting in some sunshine is to enjoy it before 11 and after 4. Morning workouts outside allow us to get in some sunlight, which is also great for our eyes. Be an an eagle or a bat. Overall, it just feels good to be kissed by the sun at the start of a day. People and Nature Although I like privacy (being an introvert), I do enjoy seeing people in the park and sharing a few, good mornings. I like to see the trees, observe the dogs playing, and get in what feels like a healthy dose of greens, blues and browns. Kickstart The most obvious benefit that comes from a light morning workout is that it’s a natural boost of energy to get you going that can last the whole day. A body in motion, stays in motion. Why Hills I run up hills like the one behind the park in the photo. It’s easy access and can be done with or without the park warmup. This means a 10-20 minute investment. So the idea here is to get in some HIIT work by using a repeated pattern of sprinting, jogging (or walking) and sprinting again uphill. You only need a few minutes (takes me about 10 to go up and down and 20 in total if I include the park warm up walk. This type of running is often mentioned in longevity talks as well as HIIT. It can be as little as one minute (see the book - the one minute workout). The point is to make your mini-morning workout simple enough to become a habit. #morningmotivation #hiit #exercise #california #weightloss @ California

Morning hill run as a mini-workout habit for improving the impact on weight loss, health-span, longevity and ease of exercise. I’m actually a night owl based on my circadian rhythms but I often enjoy morning outdoor mini-workouts for the following reasons. Oxygen... Although a indoor dojo or gym is fun, you are going to get the best for your body and cells by going outside. The morning feels fresh to me. Filling up on oxygen at the start of the day is a good way to begin. Intermittent fasting and weight loss Morning workouts are great before meals too. Research shows it has a positive effect and you will be surprised how much energy you have prior to kicking in digestion. Sunlight My basic rule for getting in some sunshine is to enjoy it before 11 and after 4. Morning workouts outside allow us to get in some sunlight, which is also great for our eyes. Be an an eagle or a bat. Overall, it just feels good to be kissed by the sun at the start of a day. People and Nature Although I like privacy (being an introvert), I do enjoy seeing people in the park and sharing a few, good mornings. I like to see the trees, observe the dogs playing, and get in what feels like a healthy dose of greens, blues and browns. Kickstart The most obvious benefit that comes from a light morning workout is that it’s a natural boost of energy to get you going that can last the whole day. A body in motion, stays in motion. Why Hills I run up hills like the one behind the park in the photo. It’s easy access and can be done with or without the park warmup. This means a 10-20 minute investment. So the idea here is to get in some HIIT work by using a repeated pattern of sprinting, jogging (or walking) and sprinting again uphill. You only need a few minutes (takes me about 10 to go up and down and 20 in total if I include the park warm up walk. This type of running is often mentioned in longevity talks as well as HIIT. It can be as little as one minute (see the book - the one minute workout). The point is to make your mini-morning workout simple enough to become a habit. #morningmotivation #hiit #exercise #california #weightloss @ California

Low sweep kick practice and application with a basic combat scenario that includes a knee sweep and mount. Sorry for the birds chirping there was a nest just above us that we didn’t want to disturb. Please note that most of our drills are to teach body movement and applications. They are not meant as tactics for - do this if they do that. ... A few areas are able to be broken down to the obvious (guard up if you get punched) but for those that haven’t trained in the system, it is easy to mistake what we are doing as a complete technique as opposed to practicing smaller applications from the skill book. In this case, the students are practicing how a low sweep kick might be used but also working on their combat grappling. Also, apply some common sense as you wouldn’t kick an opponent in the the shin without boots and very often it’s to avoid hurting your training partners knee. #lowsweepkick #ninja #samui #gapyear #martialarts

Forearm block/redirect, basic stick manipulation and a low sweep kick. Footwork is also being used for these beginners in order to train a variety of moves with one drill.

Forward Roll and Horse Stance application with rear elbow strike as part of our Intro to Martial Arts @ricktew #horsestance #selfdefense #rolling #ninja

Intro to Martial Arts rolls and falls awareness exercise. Students practice rolling with the eyes closed as well as walking to objects previously spotted with the eyes open. #ninja #rolling #martialarts #samui

Developing basic stick coordination and manipulation through a simple drill as part of our intro to martial arts camp in Thailand.

Martial Science rolling fall - intermediate class Thailand @ricktew People visit from around the globe to join in a training program while also on vacation. In this clip, intermediate students are practicing a rolling break fall and advanced students will practice the air fall.... Learning to fall is important if thrown to the ground. Remember, there won’t be a mat in the real world. The elbow connects with the knee to create a shield and barrier to protect you from a grappling situation (especially a mount). The kicks would be targeted at the knees but we aim a bit high for flexibility and practice. The ground leg bends with the foot touching the knee to create another shield. I hope it goes without saying that you would not kip up in a combat situation. The goal of the Martial Science is to train the body in various moves. Although we focus on offering practical tactics for self-defense, we are also interested in the other aspects and benefits the martial arts has to offer. If you’d like to learn more about this Martial and the Art concept, I can send you a link to an article where I explain it in more detail. #gapyear #kohsamui #airfall #ninja #selfdefense

Morning hill run as a mini-workout habit for improving the impact on weight loss, health-span, longevity and ease of exercise. I’m actually a night owl based on my circadian rhythms but I often enjoy morning outdoor mini-workouts for the following reasons. Oxygen... Although a indoor dojo or gym is fun, you are going to get the best for your body and cells by going outside. The morning feels fresh to me. Filling up on oxygen at the start of the day is a good way to begin. Intermittent fasting and weight loss Morning workouts are great before meals too. Research shows it has a positive effect and you will be surprised how much energy you have prior to kicking in digestion. Sunlight My basic rule for getting in some sunshine is to enjoy it before 11 and after 4. Morning workouts outside allow us to get in some sunlight, which is also great for our eyes. Be an an eagle or a bat. Overall, it just feels good to be kissed by the sun at the start of a day. People and Nature Although I like privacy (being an introvert), I do enjoy seeing people in the park and sharing a few, good mornings. I like to see the trees, observe the dogs playing, and get in what feels like a healthy dose of greens, blues and browns. Kickstart The most obvious benefit that comes from a light morning workout is that it’s a natural boost of energy to get you going that can last the whole day. A body in motion, stays in motion. Why Hills I run up hills like the one behind the park in the photo. It’s easy access and can be done with or without the park warmup. This means a 10-20 minute investment. So the idea here is to get in some HIIT work by using a repeated pattern of sprinting, jogging (or walking) and sprinting again uphill. You only need a few minutes (takes me about 10 to go up and down and 20 in total if I include the park warm up walk. This type of running is often mentioned in longevity talks as well as HIIT. It can be as little as one minute (see the book - the one minute workout). The point is to make your mini-morning workout simple enough to become a habit. #morningmotivation #hiit #exercise #california #weightloss @ California

Intro to Martial Arts Therapy - beginners class Thailand @ricktew People come from around the globe to participate in a training vacation. In this clip, students are practicing a jumping and ducking fitness drill. ... Small jumps get the body in motion and kickstart the heart for action. This drill also helps students who have a harder time understanding the hands should go above the head (listen to the audio) when ducking. The higher your hands, the more protection the forearms offer. Protecting the brain is more important than the safety of your arms. Most important is to have fun and use the body in new ways so as to constantly be activating a kind of mental and physical muscle confusion. This increases practical fitness skills while keeping the classes fun. We try to keep classes fun and informative but also flexible and new. We avoid being strict and repetitive. Our goal is to offer and promote a fun way to train and workout while still getting close (often one-on-one) instruction and guidance). I often film students when they practice so we can review material and they have a historical record. Often, I can show them in the class what they are doing or need to be doing right away. Because I am focused on the student, there are fewer videos of me being the Narcissistic Ninja - also I’m usually the one filming :) I teach small private group classes (Sensei to Student style) where students can learn and practice the basics in my 5 Level system (Link in Bio for details) that begins with: Stances Rolls Falls Strikes Kicks Mindset Self-defense Stick, knife, sword And a whole lot more ;) Because students are on an education vacation with us (Thailand or California), they have time to spend training each day without distractions. Although we do a lot of things (hanging out, coaching, travel, outdoor adventure, meditations etc), away from the mat training too. #gapyear #ninja #thailand #kohsamui #ninjutsu

In class, we include some stretches and exercises to develop the splits and strengthen the wrists. We follow a set routine from the stances as part of our Ninja-Yoga, which I also like to call Not-Yoga for those that just want the benefits without the added spiritual connection. #thailand #kohsamui #splits #notyoga #ninja #flexibility

The Thailand Tokay gecko at the Retreat on Koh Samui island . #Thailand #Samui #Tokay #Gecko

Intro to Martial Arts Therapy with a view Thailand @ricktew #Thailand #Grappling #kohsamui #selfdefense #ninja

Intro to Martial Arts - beginners class Thailand @ricktew Students are practicing a drill that has a few lessons: 1. Learning to side-step or angle away from a front kick as opposed to running away.... 2. Learning to apply a redirecting block and strategies to catch the leg. 3. Learning one of many sweeps available. 4. Learning to fall on the ground. Most important is to have fun and use the body in new ways so as to constantly be activating a kind of mental and physical muscle confusion. This increases practical fitness skills. As beginners, there will be many mistakes and these videos are to show some of the things we do but they are not Instructional and in no way an example of experience. Remember, most of the students in these videos are beginners and on their first week of intensive training. But it goes to show what a beginner is capable of doing with proper instruction. We try to keep classes fun and informative. We avoid military type of training as our goal is to promote a fun way to train and workout. I often film students when they practice so we can review material and they have a historical record. Often, I can show them in the class what they are doing wrong or right. Because I am focused on the student, there are fewer videos of me being the Narcissistic Ninja - also I’m usually the one filming :) I teach small private group classes (Sensei to Student style) where students can learn and practice the basics in my 5 Level system that begins with: Stances Rolls Falls Strikes Kicks Mindset Self-defense and more Because students are on an education vacation with us, they have time to spend each day without distractions. Although we do a lot of things away from training too. #Thailand #Kohsamui #Ninja #Sweeps #Kickdefense #Takedowns #Self-defense

Intro to Martial Arts - beginners class Thailand @ricktew Students are practicing an application of the forward roll after a distraction and learning how to close the distance between oneself and an attacker with a roll. In the same drill, they are practicing to broaden the distance between oneself and an attacker with a reverse roll. We try to keep classes fun and informative. We avoid military type of training as our goal is to promote a fun way to train and workout. ... I often film students when they practice so we can review material and they have a historical record. Often I can show them right away what they are doing wrong or right. Because I am focused on the student, there are fewer videos of me being the Narcissistic Ninja - also I’m usually the one filming :) I teach small private group classes (Sensei to Student style) where students can learn and practice the basics in my 5 Level system: Stances Rolls Falls Strikes Kicks Mindset Self-defense and more #Thailand #Kohsamui #Ninja #forwardroll