I don’t know if it’s a guy thing, or just a “me” thing, but a lot of people have trouble telling when I’m serious or joking, happy or angry. Even people who know me well sometimes can’t tell if I’m just thinking or getting ready to blow a gasket. Continue reading “Emotions”
Reblog from October, 2014: Embrace the Suck
When I was in second grade, we moved to a new school district. Nobody in my class knew me. The teacher didn’t know me. We might even have had a student teacher. I don’t remember.
One day we were doing science, a rare treat in this county school. I was good at science. I read dinosaur books and watched the rocket launches (this was at the end of the Apollo era). My dad talked to me about how the rockets worked, what happened to the dinosaurs, and I even remember him teaching me fractions on the back of the TV Guide when I was five or six. Continue reading “Reblog from October, 2014: Embrace the Suck”
Added Training
How do you get to Carnegie Hall?
Practice, right?
How do you get to the world championships next year?
Same answer.
Coming to class is always the first thing. If you don’t come to class at least twice a week, you’re not going to be in a good spot to do well in any tournaments next year. Twice a week, minimum. Period.
Update
Holy Crap. I’m doing really poorly on my blog this year. I’m going to try to do better, I promise.
Until I fulfill that promise, here’s an update on what’s going on with the school and me. Continue reading “Update”
Five Basic Exercises for Martial Artists to Build Strength
There are several components essential for fitness in general and self-defense specifically. Those are:
- Strength
- Flexibility/Mobility
- Speed
- Knowledge/Understanding
Continue reading “Five Basic Exercises for Martial Artists to Build Strength”
Dojahng Protocol and Ancient Lessons
This article was originally published in our June 2007 newsletter.
Dojahng Protocol is confusing for many students and parents. Why? Simply put it is all foreign to them. The art we teach and all of what we do is related to Eastern philosophy. A person who has never studied these concepts will have a difficult time understanding them. Many who have studied Eastern philosophy still have a hard time with some of it. The fact is it takes years of study actually to get it. It is simply a different way of thought.
Here are a few examples of how a martial artist friend of mine made a fool of himself because he didn’t understand Eastern culture: Continue reading “Dojahng Protocol and Ancient Lessons”
Past and Present
Just found this old photo from ten years ago and thought I would share it beside the one from this year.
St. Louis Tournament and Testing Recap
As usual, the competition in St. Louis this year was intense. Lots of tough competitors attend this tournament. Also as usual, even though we had few competitors, we acquitted ourselves well.
For our school, the weekend began with Blackbelt Testing on Friday evening. We had three students testing, JKN Anna Dodd, began testing for Second Degree Blackbelt, and DBNs Pam and Katie Turner logged another test towards their First Degree Blackbelt. The test was just about two hours and was a little different from previous headquarters tests. Still, it was both physically and mentally challenging and gave everyone involved a good sense of where they stand and how much more practice they still need. Continue reading “St. Louis Tournament and Testing Recap”
Was: Cleaning Day, Now: A New Day
This is a strange post to be writing.
Initially, I was going to request everyone’s help next month to spruce up the school. I wanted to take a Saturday afternoon in the middle of May and do some painting, plant some flowers, etc. Here’s the email that I sent to the Senior Center.
Hi Judy,
Thank you for getting the floor cleaned so quickly last week. I don’t like to complain. The floor is usually bad after the weekend, but it was particularly awful that day. Continue reading “Was: Cleaning Day, Now: A New Day”
United Outrage
I’m going to assume that you’ve seen the images and read the stories of the man dragged forcibly from the United flight in Chicago. The story has gone viral via several recordings of the incident that were widely shared on news and social media.
I usually avoid watching the news. I like to feel good, and it makes me feel bad. I looked at this story though because I was curious what the rationale of the airline would be. Once I watched the videos and read the story, I couldn’t get it out of my mind. Continue reading “United Outrage”