The best challenges are the ones we have a choice in. By choosing to undertake difficulty, we make ourselves stronger. –Sensei/YDN Caitlin
Pile o’ belts.
Today, I was reading about the history of using colored belts when I came across another great quote. “Achievement of rank should be considered as a side-effect of karate training and not a goal.”(You can read the essay here if you’re interested, but it is a fairly dry [no offense to its author] historical essay full of facts, names, and dates).
Anyhoo, I agree that your training shouldn’t only be focused on achieving belt rank. That’s shortsighted, and misses the point of martial arts.
But I *do* think that testing is an important ritual in martial arts. Let me explain… (click “more”).
Karate is like a video game. Karate is better than video games. (Sorry, gamers). In order to bust a move in karate, you will need to engage in the act of “grinding.”
The students in the picture below are grinding. They don’t realize it, but front stance straight punch is the very definition of grinding for karateka. Isn’t it beautiful?
NWSMA youth class in action!
What does “grinding” mean anyway?
In video/computer gaming culture, “grinding” refers to engaging in repetitive tasks for a purpose, either to attain an item, badge, or to unlock access to certain features. The repetitive tasks are rarely entertaining.
Tl;dr “grinding” means to do the same thing. Again and again, a lot. And it’s not terribly exciting or fun.
Hmmm….this is starting to sound like karate! Click the “more” link to hear about why grinding is important, not just in games!
Congrats to the sparring tournament team on last week’s sparring extravaganza! Pictured are six of the nine students who participated. Look at all that bling! It takes a lot of guts to get out there in the ring, so excellent work. Thanks also to TMA – Pine Lake and TMA – Overlake for putting on a great event!
When I look at a black belt candidate–a high-ranked student who is getting close to black belt–I usually rely on a gut feeling to tell me whether or not they’re ready for black belt.
By black belt, I mean 1st degree. Provisional black belts are not yet black belts, they are on probation and have to prove themselves worthy of that rank. By “candidates” I mean everyone from brown belt to provisional black belt–people who aren’t yet there but are trying to get there.
The demo team bows after their performance.
Today, instead of relying on my gut, I want to try to articulate some of the things I’m looking for in black belt candidates: all brown, advanced brown, and provisional black belts.
Halloween is probably my favorite holiday, so I wanted to write up my top 10 Halloween safety tips to share with everyone!
Do not mess with these pumpkins…
Halloween is a holiday that makes a lot of moms anxious: gobs of candy to check, gobs of candy ruining appetites, strangers interacting with your kids, and the possibility for teenage mischief-makers.
Don’t let yourself stress. Create a set of ground rules with your kids, using my top 10 as a starting place. Click “more” for my top 10 Halloween safety tips for adults and kiddos.
Please mark your calendars for the upcoming Sparring Tournament, hosted by True Martial Arts – Pine Lake!
Kicking high at a sparring tournament.
Date: November 9, 2013.
Time: White-adv. green belts begin at 10 am; blue belts & above at 11:30.
Place: True Martial Arts – Pine Lake (located at 2912 228th Ave SE, Sammamish 98074).
Gear requirements: mouth guard, hand pads, foot pads, head gear, and groin guard (for gentlemen).
We have a few registration forms available in class, but you can also download and print one (below, both files .docx). Please also download & read through the rules on your own. We will dedicate some class time to point sparring practice, but it is your responsibility to be familiar with the rules.
In some martial arts schools, progress is defined with belt ranks. Students learn new things, test, and then receive new belts. It’s a shiny process. Everyone loves receiving something new. But I’ve asked myself before, and now I’ll ask you:
Do belts equal progress? Which is more important: a pile o’ belts? Or real progress?
Pile o’ belts.
We believe that black belts should be good at martial arts. But at a certain point in everyone’s martial arts career, the rate of technical progress slows. Progress depends greatly on the students’ self-awareness (age/maturity), effort, attendance, and perseverance.
That being said, I realize that it can seem discouraging not to move up in belt rank for a long time. So I’d like to share several other ways I define progress–ones that I think are much more meaningful than a rainbow of belts.
Items 2, 3, & 4 of the “Character Contract” go together, so I’m posting today’s blog to update parents on them all.
This activity really relies on parents to help students think critically about their own behavior. Help them ask themselves, “Do I do these things already, or do I need to break some bad habits?”
2,3,4 of the Character Contract
It’s not a terribly long post, so click “more” for details!!
The following is a guest post by Ali & Destrey, a husband/wife massage duo who both take Tae Kwon Do at NWSMA, along with their son. I asked them to write a piece for the NWSMA blog, because it’s nice not to have to hear myself talk all the time, haha!!
Ali & Destrey run All Mind & Body Massage in Arlington, WA. You can check out All Mind & Body on their Facebook page.
Is your mind/body, exercise/rest balance off?
“Lets explore the importance of balance between exercise and rest.
Exercise is bodily exertion for the sake of developing and maintaining physical and mental fitness using the mind and body in motion. There are many forms of mental and physical exercise. Looking at physical exercise we may think of a martial art, sports, gardening, playing in the playground, our daily work, or the latest fitness fad. Mental exercises can include doing schoolwork, solving problems, focusing on movement, playing video games.
Rest is a bodily state characterized by minimal functional and metabolic activities. Allowing rest into a busy schedule is important. Rests helps the body and mind to rejuvenate and refocus. Taking five minutes to breath and stretch or eight long hours of good sleep will help provide energy to be healthy. Massage is a great way for the mind and muscles to be rested and repaired. The body repairs and strengthens itself in the time between workouts, and continuous exercise can actually weaken your body and mind.
Finding a balance in life is very important in return it allows us to remain healthy and happy. When life becomes unbalanced we can experience stress or become disconnected to our life. Picture the yin and yang and the harmony of supporting constant change with balance.
Look in to your life and find your balance between exercise and rest. Enjoy getting just enough of both to achieve your harmony.”
If you’ve been at the dojo recently, you may have noticed that a new activity has taken the place of the Summer Bingo Board.
NWSMA’s “Character Contract” aims at building character in children.
Many parents hope that martial arts programs will help with building good character in children. Inherently, they can & do.
But I got to thinking.(Nothing new here).
What if there was a way to encourage our students to think critically about their actions, both IN and OUTside of the dojo? Especially outside, where we instructors often don’t know how they act.
And so, the “Character Contract” was born. Read on to find out specifics!
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