The Phoenix Way

The Phoenix Way 🥋 Practical Self Defense
đź‘Š 40+ Years Experience
⛩️ Hanshi • 8th Degree Black Belt
👇 Free Training Below

Discover how ANYONE can train and enjoy mixed martial arts, boxing, self defense and fitness no matter your age, fitness level or experience level… Our program is structured for a complete Mixed Martial Arts experience. Covering all aspects of the martial arts game from the stand up, clinch, takedown to grappling. Our stand up foundation is deeply rooted in traditional Kyokushin martial arts, the

takedowns in Judo and last the ground is Jiu-Jitsu based. Our facility was founded through the inspiration and dream to instruct young and old alike in a positive make it happen environment. We maintain a very high level of quality in our training and our commitment to you is to make you the best you can be.

09/04/2026

As I’ve gotten older in the martial arts, I’ve had to get smarter about how I spar with younger, stronger, more athletic people. One thing I’ve gotten much better at is sweeping.

Sweeps aren’t magic. Against a good fighter, you have to set them up. If you can create a reaction and get just a little weight off the foot you’re attacking, the takedown is there.

In this video, I throw the knee, get the reaction, and immediately attack the front leg with the sweep.

As I’ve gotten older, I’ve learned I don’t always have to be faster or stronger. I just have to be smarter. 🥋🔥

09/04/2026

When throwing knees, I like to front load the lead leg first.

I shift my weight forward and lean into the position, taking weight off my back leg and freeing it up to strike.

Once I establish the clinch, I’m not just standing there lifting my knee. And I’m not trying to yank my opponent into me.

I grab the target and pull MYSELF into them as I drive the knee through. đź’Ą

That combination is where the power comes from: weight on the lead leg, rear leg free, hips driving forward, and my entire body moving into the strike.

Don’t just lift the knee.

Drive yourself THROUGH the target. 🥋🔥

How do YOU generate power with your knees? Drop it in the comments. 👇 And if you train with someone who needs to work on their knees, send them this video.

09/02/2026

There’s a big difference between fighting in a ring and dealing with real-world conflict.

When things get chaotic and someone grabs you, there are opportunities for standing grappling, joint manipulation, and control. If I can get strong control of the elbow and turn it into a standing arm bar, I’m taking it.

People love to say, “That’ll never work.” Against a trained UFC fighter who knows exactly what you’re trying to do? Maybe not.

But real-world violence isn’t a scheduled fight between two prepared athletes. It can happen fast, from awkward positions, with someone grabbing, pushing, or pulling you. In those moments, standing arm bars and joint manipulations can absolutely have a place.

The key isn’t chasing a technique. It’s recognizing the opportunity when it presents itself. 👊🏻🔥

08/31/2026

One of the comments I hear all the time is, “You guys don’t punch to the face.”

That’s simply not true.

In Kyokushin, we absolutely train punches to the face when wearing gloves and the proper protective equipment. Punching someone bare knuckle in the face during regular training isn’t proving toughness. It’s just unnecessary.

After 40 years in the martial arts, I’ve found that bare knuckle body fighting builds an indomitable spirit, conditions the body, and teaches you to stay composed when someone is coming after you. Then we add controlled head kicks and properly equipped face punching to develop a more complete fighter.

In this video, Sensei Chloe and Sempai Taylor are sparring bare knuckle to the body, throwing kicks to the head, defending intelligently, and showing exactly what this type of training develops.

Two talented martial artists showing skill, control, toughness, and tremendous spirit. 👊🔥

08/30/2026

Sometimes you don’t get the check in time and the leg kick lands. That doesn’t mean the exchange is over.

If I can catch the leg, I immediately pull it tight into my hip and take control. From there, I can step back and redirect the leg past me, elevate it and sweep, or let it pass and come right back with a kick of my own.

The key is not standing there and simply eating the kick. If you’re quick enough to secure the leg, turn their attack into your opportunity. 🥋🔥

Catch it. Control it. Counter it.

08/30/2026

Checking a leg kick is more than just lifting your leg.

One of the biggest mistakes I see is bringing the leg straight up instead of angling the check out to meet the kick with solid structure.

I like to reinforce the position by keeping my elbow tight to the inside of my knee while my hand stays up protecting the body in case the kick comes higher.

Your base matters too. The back foot needs to be planted and positioned so you can brace for the impact without getting knocked off balance.

Good defense is about structure, positioning and being ready for more than one possibility. 🥋🔥

08/28/2026

Struggling to get your roundhouse kick above the shoulders? Check your foot placement.

A stance that’s too long can make it difficult to transition and kick high. Keeping your feet within your shoulders allows you to move and kick up much easier.

Here, Sempai Taylor demonstrates: front snap kick, recoil, place the foot, then fire the roundhouse kick to the head. 🎯

08/27/2026

When the 💩 hits the fan, don’t count on one perfect strike to save you.

You might get lucky, but when the pressure is real, my mindset is multiple strikes. I’m looking to deliver a minimum of three and keep working until I’ve created the opportunity to get safe.

It doesn’t matter if it’s sparring, training, or a real-world confrontation. Don’t train yourself to throw one shot and admire your work. Strike in combinations. Stay on them. Create the opening. Then get out. 👊🏻🔥

That’s what I’m driving home in this video: one strike is a hope. Multiple strikes are a strategy.

08/25/2026

Conflict can happen anywhere, at any time. The real question is: How do you handle it?

Are you passive, allowing a situation to roll over you? Are you aggressive, escalating something that never needed to escalate? Or are you assertive—calm, aware, and capable of increasing your response only when the situation truly requires it?

Just as important: Do you recognize your own internal triggers?

Someone cuts you off in traffic. Maybe it was intentional. Maybe it was an accident. Do you let it go, or does that one moment send you into a tailspin? Now you’re tailgating, yelling, giving them the finger, trying to get them to pull over—and suddenly YOU are creating a dangerous situation.

That’s how a minor conflict can become a major one.

Self-defense isn’t only about fighting. It’s about awareness, emotional control, good judgment, and knowing when to disengage.

You can’t control everyone else’s behavior. You can control your response. 👊🏻🧠

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