Here are my 3 easiest tournament prep tips for the week before a tournament! Hopefully my tips will help you calm your nerves & enjoy a stress-free week before the competition begins.

Click “more” to check them out!

NWSMA supports the Camano Island Library!

Why?

Many of our students, including most of our black belts, have relied on the local libraries to succeed in high school, Running Start, and community college.

Martial arts is all about balancing mind, body, and spirit. A library fosters thought & self-improvement, and spreads knowledge throughout the community. We believe these are worthy ways to spend our time as martial artists–by bettering ourselves, we better others.

Myself, I’m in the Camano Island Library at least once a week. Sometimes I’m getting books for fun, other times I’m reading about topics like science of the body, martial arts history, nutrition, bullying, coaching/leadership–things that help me become a better instructor.

I am *always* amazed at the things our community is up to in such a tiny library. Story time for kids, tech help and classes, job searching, research, school projects, reading for pleasure–the list goes on!

If you’re a Camano Island resident, at least consider voting “yes” on April’s ballot. We think it’s a small price to pay for something that helps so many people.

Check out the Citizens for Camano Island Library website for more information on what you can do to help.

Do you remember when you were a white belt? How far have you come since then? Remember struggling with side kick? With that strange turn in your first form? What about how you felt the first time you sparred? What happened the last time you sparred?What did you learn?

…Are you reflecting right now?

Last week, I had a bunch of students fill out a self-evaluation. (If you’re an instructor, I uploaded the self-eval .doc at the end of this post. You’re welcome to download it, make changes, & use it!)

Self-reflection is an incredibly valuable tool. Hit that “more” tag to find out why!