Winding Path Martial Arts Academy

10/09/2026

Ongoing adult classes now running in Baldoyle on Tuesday evenings. Everyone welcome, no experience required.

09/09/2026

Each class is different, be it the students, the time of day, day of the week, subject, you name it. Even the most well thought out lesson plan goes out the window for a myriad of reasons, be it lesson length, a random question that derails your plan, it can be anything.

So how do you plan structure for students who crave that consistency while handling for the randomness that each day can bring? Lately I've gone for smaller, rougher guidelines, and keeping the consistency through the way the class starts, and way the class ends. The middle is a bit more malleable, but allowing folks to come in and context switch into and out of "Class time" gives me the best chance that they can be present and potentially enjoy whatever the topic is, however "guideline-y" it gets.

What works best for you to keep some structure to your planning?

01/09/2026

Fall Term is here!! Excited to get back to it with our Pathfinder (8-12) and Navigator (13-17) classes as well as continuing our adult programme!

Come say hi and see if our classes are for you. More details on our main website (link in the bio).

29/08/2026

Our Youth Program is ready to go, starting this coming Tuesday, Sept. 1st.

Check out the registration link in our Bio for more details, limited spaces are available.

25/08/2026

We've made it to one of our last warmup videos in our Aikibojitsu series, and one of the most fun in my opinion. The ring spiral takes you from seeing and feeling the technique to trusting your hands to know where the stick is and just keep the rotation moving. Give it a try and reach out with any questions.

https://youtube.com/shorts/pmDlWddXIyg?feature=share

25/08/2026

School is coming back for many, bringing the stress of change of routine, new potential overwhelms, and many other deregulation causing issues. A couple of ideas that may help the process include:

- Self-Regulation strategies: Plan with your kids ahead of time on some consistent ways they can self-regulate. This can be sports, martial arts, movement exercises, quiet time, something that can help bring them back to feeling things are in order.

- The new influx of demands means they may need a bit of "lightening the load" from other demands. Give them a bit of space when it comes to demands after school, and slowly look to reintroduce when the routines have started to settle back into place for the schoolyear.

Each child is different and may need different strategies. Planning a bit ahead can help prepare for the changes and give a bit of order in the new chaos a fresh school year can bring.

22/08/2026

19/08/2026

One of the greatest crossover skills for anyone who enjoys sharing, teaching, coaching, whatever, is to be able to find a way to make something accessible and resonate with the individual.

Some people are visual learners, some prefer written details, others may like an anecdote that can provide a clear mapping of something relevant or more readily understandable to them and uses that to help guide the reasoning or ideas behind what you are teaching, sharing or coaching.

This isn't to dismiss tried and true curriculum's that are broadly successful at getting their materials understood, as that can be a great foundation to start with. But the important bit is to keep in mind that what makes something "click" for me doesn't necessarily work for someone else, and that's fine. The key is partnering to find what "does click" for them. Once that is discovered, learning and collaborating is that much smoother and more enjoyable, and as an added bonus the coach may have a new way to approach the same instruction.

The sentence "Coaching creates discovery" is from both directions. Good coaching will help others discover understanding in a way that resonates with those being coached, and also creates "discovery" for the coach as new and exciting ways to share their passions and curriculums. Discovery can then add excitement and desire to discover next thing on both sides, feeding that lifelong learner itch.

Can you think of a good coach who helped you "discover" and get excited about anything, and coaches, can you think of surprise "discoveries" that have helped you connect with students that much more quickly?

18/08/2026

We're getting towards the end of our Aikibojitsu warmups, but the last couple are a bit more tricky, so we'll be loading just 1 a week to give some time for folks to get the hang of them.

This week we'll be covering the layout spiral, which includes 3 spirals per side before switching at the front of the body with a palms-away hand change. Give it a go, and reach out with any questions!

Find the full Warmup Playlist on our Youtube Channel (link in our bio). 😎

13/08/2026

Our back to school term registration is open. Use the QR code or the registration link in our profile for more details.