Board Breaking

Everyone loves to watch board/brick breaks. I mean c'mon, you find me somebody who doesn't think that's cool! That first time you have to break one though, "uhhh when's that class so I can skip it," runs through some people's heads I'm sure.

The first time I had to break a board was awful. I spent the entire week before hand getting sick just thinking about it. I psyched myself out before I even had the chance to try. I think it was because I hadn't had a chance to practice before the demo. My first time was during a break-a-thon. It took me 6 times to break my first board. Humiliation station!

Gene started the kids on breaking last night, and the way he did it was awesome! He bought a pine board and prepped it early so each kid would have one and then he took part of class time last night to give them all a chance. Every kid was successful, including one of our brand newbies Mr. Chris Henry who was only on class number two!! :)

It was a great experience for the kids, and really boosted their confidence. I can't wait to continue watching them grow.

 

1st Annual Kenpo BBQ

Saturday July 7th was an ungodly hot day with a temperature high of 115!! We had planned for a picnic in the park with our karate school and honestly considered postponing it. :) But our students are troopers and everyone had a blast with good food and fun.

It's one of those moments where you realize just how much of a family you are. Nine months ago I didn't know any of these people, and most of them didn't know each other. I would not have gone and spent hours in the gross heat to hang out with strangers and I'm sure they wouldn't have either. But we're a family. :)

Mr. Braden chose a different uniform for Saturday. (Also he's playing the Captain America theme song on Kevin's phone)

I enjoyed Saturday, despite the heat, I loved seeing all the kids playing together; chit chatting with the parents. It makes me so happy to see how far we've come in such a short amount of time. Gene and I were terrified when we took the plunge and opened those doors for the first time. Now we know it was the best thing we've ever done, and we never stop wanting to do it!

Stop Abusing Facebook

I have a serious love/hate relationship with Facebook. I moved away from my hometown and everything I knew the day after I graduated High School to the middle of nowhere Missouri. So most of the time I love Facebook, I love keeping in touch with my family, and my friends, my godson; it's a fantastic tool for communication with them and the many martial artists I've met and admire. However, sometimes I feel like people abuse Facebook and the caps lock button. Just so everyone knows, when you write in caps you're yelling. There's no reason to shout.

 The martial arts are like any other organization; there are wonderful genuine people that have fantastic impact on those around them. But there are also those that I feel abuse Facebook. This blog idea was sparked by multiple Facebook statuses that I've witnessed over time. Statuses that are so grossly surface value it's sickening. I'm all for promoting your school, but in a positive light. I've witnessed people that speak of vague interactions with students and parents and what comes out of it seems downright ugly. Yes, absolutely, I believe that every student no matter the age should put the time in to earn the rank they wear. However I don't think it's proper to bash an individual for questioning the time it takes between belts and assume this means they expected their rank handed to them. Especially a new parent/student. The majority of people have no idea how a karate school is ran, and most karate schools are ran differently. Just because the question was asked doesn't necessarily mean they expect a belt to be handed out, it's most likely merely a search for information.

I see nothing wrong with a parent asking; "How long will it take my child to earn their Yellow Belt rank?" This question doesn't have to be answered with a time frame, answer it with the requirements. "Ma'am we require the first 10 techniques in the system, Short Form 1 and Blocking Set 1 along with the Creed to be memorized and performed to the quality of a Yellow Belt before said rank can be earned." Send your parents home with literature, encourage them to watch their children during the class so when the child is practicing at home the parent can assist in a small way.

At our school we don't have defined time slots for rank promotion, everything is based on the individual. And yes, we get asked that question, but not as much as you would think; because we try and communicate often with our parents. Letting them know how their child is doing and how far along they are in their progression. Also one of the first things I tell new students as they are filling out the initial paperwork is; "karate is hard, but the harder you work for it the more you will earn."

I am an extremely goal oriented individual; I don't go out and just run until I'm tired. I map out what I want to do, how far I want to run before I need to turn around, then I push it just a little further. Information is a fantastic tool and asking questions is the best way to get the information you need.

So the next time a parent/student asks you, "How long will it take for my child/myself to earn my next rank?" Give that person something to work towards, build them up and present them with goals, rather then ranting about it IN CAPS LOCK on Facebook making that interaction so terribly negative, please.

Bullying

Bullying has always been around. However it seems that recently it's exploded with such an easy access to technology. Not only is there physical and verbal violence there's also cyber bullying, text bullying, and passive aggressive bullying through hateful rumors and photo shopped images. According to GLADD 13 million children are bullied each year in the United States; and 3 million students are absent each month because they feel unsafe within their school buildings. The CDC reports that roughly 4,400 deaths each year are a result of suicide among young people. 


Were you aware that in March of 2012 The Hunger Games, a fictional movie that tells the story of children put in an arena to kill each other off received a PG-13 rating while the movie Bully; a non fictional documentary about the day to day lives of 5 families who's children suffer school bullying was pegged with an R rating. I'm not bashing The Hunger Games, I'm actually a huge fan of the saga and how it portrays the effects of war on a civilization. But I think that allowing the murder of children to be watered down is wrong. Just so Hollywood could stamp a PG-13 rating to sell more movie tickets to younger children; while a factual documentary exposing the world of kids who struggle to make it through school nearly day to day was given an R. 


Last week a story surfaced about a 68 year old middle bus monitor who was verbally tormented by the children on the bus to the point of tears. There's a 10 minute video available here on Youtube. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E12R9fMMtos&feature=player_embedded#! I've made several attempts to watch this video and I can't get through the first minute before I have to stop. I can't even see the screen it makes me cry so hard.

My stomach twists in agony, these kids think this behavior is acceptable. Why? Why do they feel it's ok to say vile disgusting things to someone? Is this normal for them? Do they hear things like this at home? What has such a poisonous influence on our children that it's become so popular to spit hate?


My mind keeps bringing me back to the kids in our karate school. Do they hear these things at their school? Are they victims themselves? The children in the above video made a 68 year old cry. Imagine how a 9 year old would feel. Words are just as powerful as actions, and they cut just as deeply. 


In our school respect is a huge deal, and it's not just respect for those who are older and a higher rank than you, but respect for your peers, respect for yourself. I feel like we as martial artists have an obligation to teach the younger generations that they can rise above this. That they don't have to be a bully, or be the children bullied. I want our kids to have the self confidence to remove themselves from these situations, to help change them. The kids in the video need structure, they need a clear definition of acceptable and abhorrent behavior. I am a firm believe that karate helps to shape people and the younger you're able to start the better it is; but it all depends on the teacher. 


I want to encourage our students to learn karate, and at the same time to be motivating, caring, supportive individuals that accept others and are willing to stand up for those who may need their help if that time ever comes. I never want to hear of a situation involving one of our students like the one above where they are an antagonist. I want to encourage our kids to take a stand, to bring the situation to a teacher, a parent, a coach. And I want to encourage you to do the same. Let's stand together against this epidemic; let's teach our students how to take a stand. 

Living In The Moment

I'm a huge Jason Mraz fan, not to the extent of obsessed but his music gives me happy feelings in my heart that's for sure. I'm sure you're already thinking, "What the heck does this have to do with Kenpo??" :) I'm getting there.

We opened the Academy nine months ago and it has been the greatest thing we've ever done. When at first you have something new in your life you can't help but be excited about it all the time. Then after awhile it just becomes routine, and you start to look towards the future. And with a business, the future can be scary. You start to think about the "what ifs"; What if we don't get any more new students, what if the students we have get bored and leave; what if we expect too much rank wise from our students and they leave because they feel like they're not getting anywhere? And they just keep snowballing and they get bigger and scarier.

This morning I was listening to Jason Mraz's new album LOVE (I highly recommend it by the way); and his song Living In The Moment came on. I was singing along with Jason when it hit me how applicable this song was to my life. I need to stop stressing about the future, it's not even here yet; and I need to let the past pass me by. I need to live right here in the moment, rather than be so focused on the future that I miss what's right in front of me. There's so much wonderful right here and now, we have so many students that are working their butts off and they love it. That is honestly the absolute best part, is every single student that steps onto that mat three times a week to let us share this Art with them. I love how excited they get when they learn something new. It melts my heart to see their faces when they receive a new stripe, or a new belt. Rank is not given, it is earned; and I'll be the first to tell you that karate is HARD. It honestly can be months in between stripes, it depends on the student. How much they practice, how much they remember, but when they earn their next rank you can bet they earned. :)

So, thanks to Jason Mraz I am now even more excited for the next karate class. I am so thankful for the students and parents that are now a part of my life. We've created a little Kenpo family, and it makes me so happy. Remember to live in the moment, appreciate what you have and set the example for others; you never know who's looking up to you.

Terrified but Motivated

As I prepare for my 2nd Brown Belt exam I have to admit, I am scared, no wait-scratch that, I'm terrified. As with any new obstacle, I've begun to reflect on my past 6 exams. None have evoked the terror within me that this one does. It's the first exam I've had that will have a written section. Written is something I'm good at normally; but these words, definitions and principles are things I've only just barely begun to understand. And don't even get me started on the physical portion. 7 forms, plus one of my own creation, 9 sets, and 154 techniques. Despite all the material piled in front of me that's not what is most terrifying; it's who is testing me. This is my first exam with Gene as my instructor. And I am terrified, because he knows what I have trouble with, and he's going to be incredibly picky, a hard ass. I know without a doubt that if I don't perform at the level of a 2nd Brown Belt he will have no problem failing me. And I respect the hell out of him for that. I know he's set the bar high, higher than I may even expect because let's face it, we're in a relationship and the last thing either of us ever wants is to hear someone think I was handed my rank because we live together. Thus I am terrified, in a few months I'm going to be put through the hardest exam I've ever experienced. Terrified as I am, I am excited, dying for the chance to prove myself. I plan on kicking ass in that exam; these fears and unsettling feelings in the pit of my stomach are nothing but motivation

Scholar Skills

We named our school Scholar and Warrior because training the body isn't enough you have to train the mind as well and vice versa. When we decided to open the school it happened so quickly, in a month it went from a dream to a reality and we were sprinting to keep up. We're almost six months old now, and things have slowed down and taken a very nice pace. Life has fallen into a comfortable rhythm. A few weeks ago I proposed an idea to Gene and he agreed to let me do it. :) Once a week I give the students a Scholar Skill, which is either a Kenpo Saying, or a principle definition or a part of a pledge for them to memorize. At the end of the week I pull each student aside and have them tell me the current week's skill. If they can correctly, their name goes into a drawing, and at the end of the month a name is drawn and that student is Scholar of the Month. (There's gotta be some competition there right?)

Yesterday was the first day for the students to tell me the skill. It was an easy one, Yellow Belt Saying #1: Distance is Your Best Friend." And to be honest I was nervous our students ages are 5+. And we only see them 3 times a week. Imagine my excitement when each and every student that was present in class last night was able to tell me the Skill for that week.

Our students are phenomenal, they work hard and take on new assignments with excitement, I couldn't be more proud of them and I know neither could Gene. 2012 is only going to keep getting better for SWKA; and I am so thankful to be a part of this.