Wax on, Wax off Technique

Sound odd to you that fun improv exercises can strengthen your skills as an attorney?

We call it the “Miyagi-do” method of trial skills training. Yup, like “The Karate Kid” movie.

You know how Mr. Miyagi taught Daniel LaRusso to do karate by having him paint his house, wax his cars and do a bunch of work in his amazing bonsai garden? That’s what we’re talking about. 

Those chores seemed unrelated and simple compared to karate, but each one helped Daniel master specific skills needed to take on Johnny Lawrence and the Cobra Kai gang. So, when Daniel finally combined all those motions, he performed karate like a champ- an All Valley Karate Tournament champ.

BTW… we don’t condone sweeping the leg. Our approach is all about building real skills, not cheap tricks.

Mr. Miyagi trained Daniel with parallel movements like “wax on, wax off,” to condition his body and brain through muscle memory. The result? When it came time for the big match, Daniel no longer had to think about the moves—they’d become second nature.

Think of us like your courtroom Mr. Miyagi… we’re still working on the “catch a fly with chopsticks” trick.

Lawyer’s Improv Workshop and Lawyer’s Improv Workout are packed with FUN exercises that (on the surface) seem simple and unrelated…but they’re not!

Every exercise serves a specific purpose to practice essential skills like the 3 rules of constructive cross-examination, witness control techniques, and strategies for calming racing thoughts, making these tools easy go-tos in your work.

It’s the FUNNEST, most valuable way to get the hands-on practice you crave when you’re not in trial. Plus, you have our full permission to make mistakes AND enjoy the process.