Your black belt test, in any style of martial arts, is your Olympics. From the first day you stepped on the mat, you began preparing for your test, whether you were aware of it or not. On the day you test for your black belt, you want to be at your absolute best, your peak; […]
by Shannon Pearce As we’ve all seen, the requirements for advancing to our next rank has been laid out quite nicely in the new manuals. As Mr. Burt said, these have always been the requirements; we are now going to make sure they are all met before testing. My mind has been going over these […]
Don’t let the setbacks stop you, everyone has them. Pick yourself up, dust yourself off and get back at it. You will get to where you want eventually. (Dave Kovar) So the weather has been glorious lately. We do have some summer heat coming on but all in all it has been a beautiful spring […]
COMMITMENT: Staying loyal to what we said we would do long after the mood we said it in has left us!This is my favorite definition of the word Commitment because it encompasses a sentiment that I am afraid too often dictates our actions in today’s culture. As soon as something becomes difficult or our feelings […]
“How does it feel standing on the edge of the cliff, looking out into the abyss, and having people come to you being human and ask you to fix it?” These were the words my teacher used to describe the job of being a karate teacher 18 years ago when I decided to embark on […]
One of my favorite TV shows was The West Wing. Several years ago I bought the entire 7 season DVD set for my wife’s birthday. Recently I started watching them again. One of my favorite episodes is at the end of season 2 called Two Cathedrals. In this story the President has just lost his […]
“Commitment means staying loyal to what you said you would do long after the mood you said it in has left you.” I really like this quote because it gets to, what I believe, is the heart of martial arts training. You know when we start something new, whether it is a job or hobby […]
I know what you are thinking! “Belts don’t mean anything.” “I am not interested in belts or ranks…I just want to train.” “Belts are just there to keep your gi together.” You can probably add a few of your own to this list. And while there may be some truth hidden in these sentiments what […]
The benefit of earning a Black Belt in the martial arts is not in the achievement of it but in the journey toward it. You see, while getting your Black Belt is an awesome experience, it is the Commitment, Dedication and Perseverance you showed along the […]
(I am gonna let you all know up front that you may not like this post and part of me hopes is does irritate some of you and light a fire under you to get your !@#$% (or your kids) in gear and get to […]