This weekend, with Saturday being St. Patrick’s day, our discussions with our younger students centered around making responsible, healthy decisions, and taking care of one’s body and mind.

We all know that the martial arts teach wonderful, potentially life-saving self-defense skills. For most of our students, these skills are (thankfully) rarely (if ever) required in our day-to-day lives. However, that knowledge is still invaluable, as it can have a profound impact on the way we feel about ourselves and approach life. I believe it is much more common, and probable, for the martial arts to help keep students safe by empowering them to make the right choices and helping them to avoid drugs, alcohol, unhealthy eating habits, or becoming a “couch potato.”

How can the martial arts help cultivate a healthy lifestyle? Well, for starters, our students work so hard to build up their bodies and minds in class, that I believe that constant reminders that eating healthy at the table can aid their efforts to become their absolute best (and unhealthy eating habits can hinder those efforts) can go a long way. “Eat this because I said so,” or “Eat this and then you can have some junk food,” become “If you eat this you will grow stronger and continue to become even better at kicking/sparring/kata etc.” Why would they throw away all their hard work in the dojo by eating tons of junk food at home?

For our younger students, now is the time to lay the foundations of the healthy, “Black Belt,” lifestyle.
For our teen and adult students, I feel this lesson is just as important, since their decisions regarding what to eat or drink can have an even larger impact on their health and ability to perform in the dojo. For our Little Ninjas, we hope to teach them to drink juice rather than soda. For one of our teen students, we hope to teach them that they do not need drugs or alcohol.

Furthermore, the martial arts provide us with exciting challenges. We don’t need drugs or excessive electronics to make life exciting. Our goal as martial artists is to cultivate a life that we do not want to escape or make ourselves numb to, we want to enjoy every moment.

By training alongside a group of hard-working, like-minded individuals, our students learn that they don’t need drugs or alcohol to be cool, or have a good time, and are better able to handle peer-pressure.

Black Belt instructors such as Sensei Ines (who, as you may recall from a recent blog, has recently earned her Blue Belt in Brazilian Jiu-jitsu, is working toward her second degree Black Belt in San Shou, and is finishing up her final year of law school) provide male and female students with positive role models that demonstrate what is possible with hard work (and what would be impossible with an unhealthy lifestyle).

I wish that I could tell you that by enrolling in martial arts, I can 100% guarantee that you or your child will never do drugs. However, that would not be very true, or responsible of me to claim. What I can say with absolute confidence, is that the martial arts, as we practice them here, are an excellent form of self-defense, be it from a physical attack or the dangers of drugs and alcohol.

What does a Black Belt mean? Ask 10 martial arts instructors and you’re bound to get 10 different answers. A better question might be, “What does a Black Belt mean to you?” I don’t think that there is an objective, universal answer, so I challenge you to ponder this question for yourself.
It might help to start by thinking about what a Black Belt is not. In my opinion, a Black Belt does not necessarily mean that person is the toughest person around, and someone who abuses their body with drugs or an unhealthy lifestyle is certainly not practicing Black Belt excellence. They may have a belt around their waist that happens to be black, but until they make the adjustments and work to get back on track they are not truly a Black Belt. I believe that such a person could become a Black Belt once more, but again, these are my beliefs, and I challenge you to think about this for yourself.
I wish that I could tell you that once you become a Black Belt life is perfect and all your worries are over! However, that is not the case, and actually I am glad it isn’t; how boring would life be without any challenges? In many ways, life may actually be harder for a Black Belt, since they weigh the impact of all of their actions. They would not allow themselves to overindulge in their favorite food or video game, but instead strive to make each day productive.
While the Black Belt lifestyle may present as many (if not more) challenges than the average lifestyle, the Black Belt is well equipped to deal with such challenges when they do occur. The Black Belt has learned that with hard work and persistence they can overcome obstacles and achieve goals.
As an instructor, I believe one of the most important aspects of teaching is challenging our students to think about the impact of their actions. I want them asking questions like, “Should I eat this, or that?” “No one saw me break the lamp, should I blame it on the dog? Why or why not?” “There is a student at school sitting alone at the lunch table, should I ask him or her to join us? Why?”
The Black Belt does not wander through life being led solely by base desire and instinct. The Black Belt constantly asks him or herself how his or her actions will affect their own lives, as well as those of others.
I look at our students and see the epitome of what a Black Belt means to me. Our Black Belts that are working toward their Second Degree Black Belts exemplify the characteristics I’ve mentioned above in their words and deeds. Even many of our students that are working towards their first Black Belt are already demonstrating Black Belt excellence in their techniques and interactions with others. Of course, each one is different, but each one now sees life through “Black Belt eyes,” with a deep belief in their own ability to achieve their goals.

I started my training in the Adult class at Maryland Martial Arts in 2008 and it has taken me down this amazing journey of self awareness and self discipline. I have noticed that Martial Arts has encompassed my entire life. I am not only a Martial Artist, but I am a portrait artist too. My portraits are called "Pointed Portraits" are done one dot at a time using a style called Pointillism. You might be asking yourself, "how does this relate to martial arts?" Well, it's pretty simple. Focus, Confidence and Discipline. 

Let me explain further:
Focus - Believe it or not, anyone can draw a portrait, with enough focus. Think about your Kata as a portrait. It takes many steps to get to the end of the Kata, and you don't learn it all at once. The entire Kata consists of many intricate pieces and you must focus on each one individually until it forms a larger piece. Portraits work the same way, especially Pointed Portraits. With practice and focus, your portraits will get better and better, just like mine did. The same goes for Martial Arts.

Confidence - As I said before, anyone can draw a portrait, but most people say, "Oh no, I am horrible at drawing." Well, you're not. Think about something you are great at. Were you always great at that or did you have to work at it to become great? Did you learn to walk before you were crawling? The truth is, I was embarrassed of my portraits at first. I didn't think they were good enough to show anyone else, but after practice, practice, practice, everyone wants one of my portraits. The more you work hard at something, the more confident you will become. This is something that I've always known, but now I truly feel it. Martial Arts has greatly improved my confidence and it shows through my portraits.

Discipline - Discipline is not something that comes naturally to all, but don't worry, as your focus and confidence builds, so does your self-discipline. Just look at our black belt students! When it comes to pointed portraits, discipline is extremely important. First of all, how could I do anything if I wasn't healthy?  If I was unhealthy, then I wouldn't be able to do the things that I love doing including portraits. I was pretty healthy when I first started Martial Arts, but I'm even more healthy now, and Martial Arts is what gave me that kick to improve my health. As for portraits - they are a long process. Some of my portraits take over 100 hours!!! I must have discipline to finish each and every one.

So what's the point? The point is, Martial Arts isn't just about punching and kicking. Both Kids and Adults alike learn many important life lessons training at Maryland Martial Arts. It doesn't matter if you're 5 years old or 50 years old. Training at Maryland Martial Arts will improve your life as it has mine. 

How has Maryland Martial Arts helped you? Please comment below! 

~ Sempai Greg

_The other day a mother called me inquiring about lessons for her son. She asked me the question, “Why should I enroll my son at YOUR school?” That is a very good question and I believe that everyone asks him/herself some form of that question before beginning the martial arts. However, I had never had anyone ask me so directly before, so I was a bit surprised. I explained that I felt the real strengths of our dojo (martial arts school) were the carefully organized curriculum and lesson plans, designed to help the students learn and grow as efficiently as possible, while ensuring that the student is always learning something new, and the experienced instructor staff. We have recently brought on several new instructors, and all of them have had a huge positive impact on our school and we are very excited to have them here. Sempai Nan, Mr. Tucker, and Mr. Casey are all talented martial artists and dynamic and effective instructors.

However, I’ve been thinking a lot about that question (“Why should I enroll my son?”) since then, and I think I would give a slightly different answer now. I believe there are many, many reasons why people of all ages should study martial arts. Training to kick a bag or block an attack at a precise time has profound effects on the students’ ability to focus. Learning how to defend one’s self and even how to fall properly can save a person from serious harm. As students make progress through the ranks, they learn the value of goal-setting, and they start to realize that with hard work, dreams that once seemed impossible become very realistic goals.

_There are many reasons to study the martial arts, and if I listed all of them this blog entry would be as long as War and Peace.
Nevertheless, if I had to give just one reason why someone should study at our school, it would be this:

When we ask the students to partner up, and a student is having trouble finding a group to work with, either because they are new to the class, arrived late, or simply can’t find any more people without partners, several students will always go up to them and say something like, “We would like for you to work with us.”

When I have children, I can’t think of anywhere I’d rather have them than at a place where everyone understands the meanings of teamwork, respect, and compassion. I think that kind of attitude is rare to see at any age, but amongst our youth students I find it particularly moving.

When evaluating a martial arts school, I think there is a real tendency to want to judge said school based on the instructors. Do the instructors care about their students? Are they capable martial artists, and perhaps more importantly, can they effectively pass those benefits on to their students?

However, I think an equally important question to ask when evaluating a martial arts school should be: What are the other students like? What are their attitudes toward their classmates?

In that regard, it’s very easy to see why so many people start and continue to train at Maryland Martial Arts: We have amazing students. If you don’t believe me, watch closely the next time we ask the students to partner up.


~Ossu

_Dear students and parents,
 
Our topic for last week's mat chats was the first part of the student creed.  Student creed number one is a promise on the part of the student to always take care of their body and mind, living a healthy "Black Belt" lifestyle. 
 
Our students gave many examples of what they felt were important components of a healthy lifestyle, such as proper diet, exercise, and reading.  We also heard many great ideas regarding things that might prevent us from achieving our full potential.  Students mentioned that things such as television, video games, and junk food, while not necessarily bad, can be harmful if they are not kept in check.  The word addiction came up on more than one occasion.  Several students offered numbers and limits regarding appropriate amounts of time for TV watching and video game playing.  I don't know if there is a precise amount that is OK or too much, but I do think it can be beneficial for parents and children to sit down and discuss certain guidelines when it comes to these activities. 
 

_The focus of our mat chats was not really on whether TV and video games directly harm our minds, since I believe that topic is open to much debate.  Rather, we discussed how problems arise when over-indulgence in such activities prevents us from devoting appropriate time to activities such as homework, reading, family time, and martial arts training.  A good question to ask might be, "Is this getting in the way of something more important?" Or "If I weren't playing this game, what would I be doing?" 
 
Of course, a certain amount of relaxation and recreation is an important part of the the Black Belt lifestyle.  A Black Belt may certainly play video games, but rather than playing for 2 hours and then attempting to get their homework done, they might finish their homework, practice their martial arts techniques, and then enjoy a video game for a while, then read a book before bed.
 
Oftentimes, all of this is much easier said than done, since our actions are guided more by what we feel like doing than what we think we SHOULD do.  Addictions to games and junk food can be extremely hard to break.  Most people have probably struggled with some sort of addiction in their lifetime, and some can be extremely serious, so I think that it is extremely important that we teach our younger students how to deal with these situations now.  Today it is junk food, tomorrow it might be alcohol. 
 
When thinking of breaking unhealthy addictions, the words of the famous theologian Erasmus come to mind: "A nail is driven out by another nail."  In other words, rather than simply trying to break an unhealthy habit in our or our children's lifestyles, we can help to cultivate good habits.  We can replace a harmful addiction with a positive "addiction."  Perhaps a child who won't stop playing video games would put the controller down if they discovered the joy of playing the piano.  Maybe a youngster who watches 4 hours of TV a day now would, if given a taste of the martial arts, choose to practice martial arts each day, and read martial arts books instead of watching so much TV. 
 
I've never heard a parent complain that their child reads too much, or practices the violin too much, or is too passionate about the martial arts.  I've heard people preach, "Everything in moderation," but to me, I think that is great advice if a person's goal is to lead a mediocre life.
 
This same strategy can be used for developing healthy eating habits.  I know former chocolate addicts that now crave vegetables.  How can we help our children to make these changes?  The answer is simple- martial arts. 
 
In this day and age, many people place great importance on their progress or performance in a certain video game.  One of the great things about the martial arts are that they help to culitvate a focus on one's progress on an actual important skill ("in real life," so to speak).  With our stripe-system, students have a tangible sign of their progress each and every class.  This, coupled, with the feeling of progress as their techniques improve, explains why so many students stick with the martial arts, achieving advanced levels such as Brown and Black Belt.  Speaking of which I am very excited that right now we have a large number of Red and Dark Brown Belts, that are already showing Black Belt excellence in their techniques and behavior.  Many of our up and coming belts have also shown great enthusiasm and progress, and we look forward to watching them achieve their Black Belts one day as well.

Ossu!