A Course
A structured program you work through lesson by lesson — a complete, sequenced curriculum you study at your own pace.
Circles
Train together. Keep the practice going.
Circles are where practitioners talk about training between lessons — free Community Circles around an art or a practice, and discussion spaces connected to particular courses.
CircleInternal Arts
DiscussionsMembers
Circle host
Welcome — post your practice questions here and share how the training is going this week.
Members reply, ask questions and train together.
One place to train together
Course vs Circle
Two ways to learn — and they work together.
A Course and a Circle do different jobs. One gives you structured instruction; the other gives you a living space to keep practising.
A Circle
A discussion space: questions, ideas and conversation around an art, a practice or a course. Some course-linked discussions are open to that course's learners.
Courses give you structured instruction. Circles give you a place to keep the practice going.
Inside a Circle
What you'll find in a Circle
A Circle is built for conversation around a shared practice — not a generic social feed. Inside one you'll find:
Discussions
Start a conversation or reply to one. Posts are text, with supported video or post links from YouTube, Vimeo, Facebook, TikTok and X shown as preview cards.
Members
See who else is in the Circle and keep up with new posts.
Course discussions
Where a course has its own Circle, its learners can discuss the lessons together.
Visibility
Public Circle pages can be discovered by visitors, but discussions and member lists require appropriate access. Some Circles are private or unlisted.
Community Circles
Hosting a Community Circle
Every member with a verified email can host a Community Circle — one with a free account, up to five with Martial Man Plus. Martial Man reviews each new Circle before it goes public.
You host the conversation
Set the topic, welcome members and keep the discussion on track.
Reviewed before it goes public
Martial Man reviews each new Community Circle before it becomes public. Listing in the Circles directory is a separate review.
Discussion-first
Community Circles are for conversation. They don't include lessons, events or paid membership, and Martial Man Plus doesn't change that.
Martial Man Plus is coming soon.
Want to host a Community Circle?
If you'd like to host a Community Circle around your art or practice, you can start a Community Circle from your account. Each new Circle is reviewed before it goes public.
Questions
Circles, explained
What a Circle is — and how it works.
A Circle is a discussion space on The Martial Man — a place to ask questions, share ideas and talk about training with other practitioners. Circles are free Community Circles around an art or a practice, or discussion spaces linked to particular courses.
A Course is structured lessons you work through at your own pace. A Circle is the conversation around a practice. Courses are how you learn the material; Circles are where you discuss it.
Community Circles are free to join. Discussion spaces linked to a course may be open only to that course's learners. A small number of long-standing Circles offer a paid membership; where that applies, the Circle says so.
Yes. Every member with a verified email can host a Community Circle — one with a free account, up to five with Martial Man Plus. Martial Man reviews each new Circle before it goes public. Each one is for discussion rather than lessons, events or paid membership.
You can share links to videos or posts on YouTube, Vimeo, Facebook, TikTok and X, and they appear as preview cards. Other links, email addresses and contact details aren't allowed in Community Circles.
Use Report on any post, reply or member. Reports go to the Circle's host and to Martial Man.