Hi All,

I hope this email finds you and your loved ones safe and healthy. I have a couple of things I’d like to share in light of the Coronavirus situation. Firstly, you’re not alone. We are all in this together. Secondly, I have produced some resources I hope you will find useful at this time. See below.

I am very mindful that many in this community will be experiencing very hard times at the moment. It’s therefore really important we all pull together and help one another.

Remember, sometimes the “small things” make a huge difference. Take the time to reach out to one another and offer what support you can. Sometimes it is the kind word, the show of concern, the bit of encouragement, a welcome distraction, or the shared joke that makes all the difference.

As regards martial arts in these abnormal times, none of us should not underestimate how helpful pockets of “normality” can be. Martial arts matter to us martial artists. They are big part of who we are. Training (in whatever way we can) and exploring our passions are good for our mental and physical health. They help keep us upbeat and strong, and hence better able to look after ourselves, or family and our communities.

I particularly feel for those in total lock down. I hope that the material I will be sharing will help in some small way.

I’ll be back with more very soon and if there is anything I can do to help, you know where I am!

Speak soon!

All the best,

Iain

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MARTIAL ARTS VS. THE CORONAVIRUS: ADVICE FOR STUDENTS, INSTRUCTORS AND SCHOOL OWNER

WATCH THE VIDEO HERE: https://www.iainabernethy.co.uk/content/martial-arts-vs-coronavirus-advice-students-instructors-and-school-owners

YOUTUBE LINK: https://youtu.be/tKWB8MzsiRI

Considering current world events, martial arts are not that important in the great scheme of things. However, they do matter to martial artists! They are part of your identity and a major part of your lifestyle. For some, martial arts are also your profession and how you provide for the needs of your family.

In these abnormal times, anything we can do to maintain any sense of “normality” will be good for us physically and mentally. We martial artists seek to develop an indomitable will and to rise to challenges. We are also a strong community who seek to support our brothers and sisters in arms. In these challenging times, I’d like to share a few thoughts that I hope our community will find useful. This video is about:

1) What students can do to keep training and progressing
2) What instructors can do to help students keep learning and progressing
3) What students can do to help instructors
4) What professional instructors can do to help deal with current financial difficulties and prepare for future growth

IMPORTANT: This video contains no information about the virus itself. I am a martial arts instructor and I know to keep in my lane. For that side of things, my strong advice is to follow the official guidance in your locality. Ignore the musings of the unqualified, the ill-informed, the triumphantly complacent and the hysterically unhelpful.

PS If this situation is really getting you down, I hope this specific part of the video helps in some small way: https://youtu.be/tKWB8MzsiRI?t=798

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SOLO TRAINING

To help those separated from their dojo at the moment, particularly those on full lock down, I’ll be adding dedicated videos to the app to keep you learning and moving! If you are not an app subscriber, but would like to check it all out and make use of the material at this difficult time, then email me at app@iainabernethy.com and I’ll get you set up! Here are three key things you may want to start with!

SOLO PAD DRILLS: Main Menu > Misc Technique and Drills > Solo Training Ideas > Core Solo Pad Drills.

6 WEEK TRAINING: Main Menu > Workouts > 6 week Micro Training > Weeks 1 to 6.

SEINIPO: Main Menu > Misc Technique and Drills >Motobu Drills > Seinipo > Seinipo Parts 1 to 4.

Video explanation here: https://www.instagram.com/p/B91v8D3JFMN/

More to be added very soon!

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