The Martial Arts Method - Mirfield

The Martial Arts Method - Mirfield Martial arts classes for all ages! 🥋

30/08/2026

A kick won’t always arrive from the perfect position.

During sparring, your partner moves.

The angle changes.

And the textbook kick you practised in a straight line suddenly feels very different.

This drill helps you generate force even when your body is in an awkward position.

Ask a partner to hold a cushion or pad while moving around you. Keep your feet facing the same direction and choose the leg that makes the most sense for their new position.

Your kick might look somewhere between a front kick and a side kick – that’s fine.

The aim is to:

🥋 Find the target quickly
🥋 Choose the appropriate leg
🥋 Stay balanced
🥋 Generate force from different angles
🥋 Recover without falling backwards

To make it more challenging, add a burpee between each kick. Your partner moves while you’re down, then you stand up, find them and respond.

It may begin to resemble a slightly low-budget action film, but it develops an important skill:

Being effective even when the position isn’t perfect.

Use a soft target, keep the power controlled and make sure you have plenty of clear space.

28/08/2026

Your feet won’t learn angles if they always finish where they started.

A pair of shoes can make a useful stand-in partner when you’re practising alone.

Put the shoes where a partner’s feet would be, then use them as a visual guide while you work on your punches, movement and positioning.

Try this:

🥋 Throw a jab and cross
🥋 Move towards the lead side
🥋 Check where your feet finish
🥋 Ask whether you have improved your angle or simply returned to the same position

A dominant angle means you have more techniques available than your partner does.

You can attack with both sides while making it harder for them to respond with theirs.

The shoes will not move like a real partner, but they make your footwork easier to see. They also help you notice when you are too far away, too close or repeatedly finishing directly in front.

Practise these habits during shadowboxing, bag work and pad work so managing distance feels more natural when you spar.

Just use a clear space and try not to kick your training partner across the room.

26/08/2026

If you panic when someone moves towards you in sparring, don’t start in the deep end.

Turning your back is a natural reaction when pressure feels too much.

The problem is that once you turn away, you lose sight of your partner and make it much harder to defend yourself properly.

This simple drill creates a “shallow end” for sparring.

Set an invisible line that neither person can cross.

Then take turns attacking:

🥋 One person attacks
🥋 The other defends
🥋 Swap roles
🥋 Use the line as a safety barrier if the pressure feels too much

The aim is not to win the round.

It is to build enough trust and control that you can stay facing your partner instead of turning away.

Work with someone you trust. Keep the attacks controlled. Tell them what you are trying to improve.

A good partner will not punish every mistake. They will help you notice it and give you the chance to correct it.

You do not build confidence by being thrown into the deep end.

You build it by making the challenge manageable, then gradually removing the safety barrier.

24/08/2026

A combination stops being a combination when you pause between every shot.

Jab.

Wait.

Cross.

Wait.

Kick.

By the time the kick starts, your partner has already seen it coming.

Closing the gaps means allowing one movement to lead straight into the next:

🥋 As the jab returns, the cross begins
🥋 As the cross returns, the kick begins
🥋 As one technique finishes, the next one is already on its way

This makes combinations smoother, quicker and much harder to read.

It also gives you more opportunities to score. Getting into range for one shot takes effort. Getting into range and creating three or four chances is usually a better use of that effort.

That doesn’t mean every gap is bad. During sparring, a pause can be used deliberately to draw a reaction or prepare a counter.

But when you’re practising combinations on pads, bags or in the air, avoid letting accidental pauses creep in.

One technique returns. The next one begins.

23/08/2026

Good defence isn’t about chasing every punch.

One of the most common mistakes is overblocking – reaching too far, flailing at shots and pulling the guard away from the face.

The further your elbows move from your body, the weaker your defence becomes.

Start with a simple aim:

🥋 Keep your eyes on your partner
🥋 Block close to your face
🥋 Keep your elbows connected to your body
🥋 Use your feet and head movement as well
🥋 Don’t sacrifice your guard trying to catch every shot

As your reactions improve, think of your guard like a castle.

You wouldn’t send every guard to the front gate.

Keep one hand protecting at the back while the other works in front. That front hand can block, parry, fake, bait or control distance – but you still have protection behind it if something gets through.

You can practise this in a simple attacker-and-defender drill, during partner work or while sparring normally.

One hand working. One hand protecting.

21/08/2026

A better kick starts before the foot leaves the floor.

One of the most common mistakes is swinging the whole leg and hoping the kick appears somewhere along the way.

This simple chair drill helps students focus on the part that comes first – the chamber.

Try it like this:

🥋 Place a stable chair, bench or similar object in front of you
🥋 Lift the knee over first
🥋 Keep the foot tucked in
🥋 Extend the kick only after the knee is in position
🥋 Bring it back under control or continue the turn

The chair gives you instant feedback.

Lift the knee properly and the leg travels over it.

Swing the foot up too early and the chair quickly lets you know.

Choose a sensible height for your flexibility, make sure the object is steady and practise in a clear space.

Knee first. Kick second.

Give it a try at home.

19/08/2026

Knuckle push-ups aren’t a punishment.

Used properly, they’re a useful way to teach several important parts of a strong punch.

They help students practise:

🥋 Making a proper fist with the thumb safely tucked away
🥋 Connecting with the two strongest knuckles
🥋 Keeping the wrist, arm and shoulder aligned
🥋 Bringing the elbows in rather than letting them flare out
🥋 Developing core strength and body control

And you don’t need to perform perfect full push-ups immediately.

Start in the full position and lower yourself with control. When you reach the floor, place your knees down to help push yourself back up.

That way, you still practise the more manageable part of the full movement while gradually building the strength needed to complete the whole push-up.

At The Martial Arts Method, exercises aren’t included simply because they’re traditional.

They should have a purpose – and students should understand what that purpose is.

17/08/2026

A strong stance isn’t about getting every angle perfect.

It’s about staying balanced when pressure comes from different directions.

Try this simple drill with a partner:

🥋 Start in a natural position
🥋 Ask your partner to apply light pressure from different directions
🥋 Adjust your feet and lower your weight until you feel more stable
🥋 Keep your balance without leaning into the push

Leaning might feel strong – until the pressure disappears and you fall forwards.

Imagine you’re pushing a heavy rock towards the edge of a cliff. You need to stay grounded enough to move the rock without following it over the edge.

The aim is to sink your weight, stay balanced and discover what a strong stance actually feels like.

Keep the pressure controlled, practise in a clear space and give it a try with a partner or parent at home.

Let us know how you get on.

Reading.Sport.School.Friendships.Martial arts.Music.Every one of them becomes easier when children learn one skill...Lis...
16/08/2026

Reading.

Sport.

School.

Friendships.

Martial arts.

Music.

Every one of them becomes easier when children learn one skill...

Listening.

Listening helps children learn faster.

Understand better.

Show respect.

Solve problems.

It might be the most underrated life skill there is.

Address

The Martial Arts Method, Royds Mill, 20 Calder Road
Mirfield
WF148PJ

Opening Hours

Monday 4pm - 9pm
Tuesday 4pm - 9pm
Wednesday 4pm - 9pm
Saturday 8am - 2pm

Telephone

+441924667789

Website

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