Kancho Brown's Blog

10 Tips to Deepen Your Practice

2012-01-24T08:22:00.001-05:00

Here are some tips for making your martial arts training have a deeper meaning beyond just working out.

I would like to say that these are my words, but they are not. They are the fine words of my friend, business mentor and martial artist, Tom Callos (with some of my own added in!).

Yes it is our job as martial arts instructors to give you the tools, help you stay motivated and share our experience, but at some point every student must take the wheel in their own training. As the picture above states, at some point your instructor becomes just the cookie.

You didn't start your study of the martial arts to simply "go through the motions" of it all, did you? No, of course not. However, look around you in your next class and I bet you dollars to doughnuts you will spot a number of your classmates doing that very thing, just going through the motions. It is just human nature to get distracted, to try to multi-task and to wander off course. There is always something more important than our own self- improvement and discovery. The rub is that the more we improve ourselves the better all other areas of our lives gets.

Tip #1 - Live in the moment! As often as possible, remember to say to yourself "I am aware that I am training." Besides getting the most benefit out of your punching, kicking, throwing, grappling etc, I am sure your partner appreciates that you are aware and "in the moment" when you are doing these things on them!

Tip#2 - Have someone set the bar higher. Use a training partner or partners to hold you accountable and make sure you are bringing your "A" game. Friends don't let friends slack off.

Tip #3 - Clean up your act! Eat better food all the time. You wouldn't put crap into your car, why would you treat your car better than your body? What good does it do to have "mad" fighting skills if you are taken out by obesity, diabetes or other diet related illnesses? We are practicing self-defense and that means defending oneself from ANYTHING that could cause us harm.

Tip #4 - Breathe! Deeply. With focus. Write yourself sticky notes to breathe deeply. Staple one to your forehead. Just do it. You will feel the benefits right away.

Tip #5 - Take your practice off the mat. Courtesy and respect for others isn't just something that is practiced in the dojo with people who are doing things that could hurt you. It is for that schlep at the supermarket who just cut in front of you with 20 items in the 14 items or less line. You can tell what someone is made of by how they treat people that mean nothing to them. It is for your family who drives you crazy. It is for the substitute teacher. It is for the person on the other side of the counter or phone.

Tip #6 - Practice! Everyday! At home, at work, in life. At least 10 minutes every day on the days you don't go to class. It is the little things that add up, that help you grow.

Tip #7 - Read! Philosophy. Biographies. History. There isn't anything in this world that someone hasn't written a book about. Reading the words of someone else, a champion, a scientist, an inventor, a hero, is sometimes the next best thing to a face to face.

Tip #8 - Go crazy! Yes, act in a way that people who find odd. Be yourself. When things get hard, pretend they are getting easier. When everyone else complains, work to change what is wrong into what is right. When everyone else gives up, keep going.

Tip #9 - Always be your own worst judge. Rate yourself, always. On a scale of 1 to 10, with 1 being your worst and 10 being your best, always strive to operate at a level 10. Never settle for "so so". Live life like your arse is on fire!

Tip #10 - And lastly, even thought you are working on "you", trying to find who you are and be the best you can be, the best thing you can do is know.....IT IS NOT ABOUT YOU! Yes, that is right! Helping others will deepen who you are more than anything else you can do. Funny how it works that way.

So....Train Hard, Inspire Others and Live Life to the Fullest!

An Elephant Never Forgets....But We Do.

2012-01-17T11:09:00.004-05:00

If the only prayer you say in your life is ‘thank you,’ that would suffice. – Meister Eckhart

We all know the saying "Elephants never forget".

How is it that this animal in this way is so much more evolved than us, the supposed so-called highest evolved species on this planet?

Whenever I bring up a past event with details, my wife always asks "How do you remember these things!" Maybe I am an elephant! However it is more likely that the event struck something visceral in my mind. It could have something to do with my former occupation that required me to note and remember things in great detail. I do not know but I understand that for most of us we seem to definitely remember the tragic or hurtful things that people do yet we seem to only have a vague glimmer of memory when it comes to things that people have done for us...unless we expect something in return.

It seems we are a species that is more prone to being hateful than grateful. I know I struggle with feeling grateful or expressing it. I am truly grateful for the things the Almighty God has given me in my life and the life He has given me. I am grateful for every person that has come into my life, regardless if the circumstances were good or bad, as each has taught me volumes about myself, yet I do not believe that I expressed that gratitude to them.

I am always amazed though how people quickly forget the good things you have done for them. Now we are supposed to do these things with nothing expected in return, but I guess I still feel that although I expect no payment or favors, I still expect them to at least REMEMBER!

I cannot count the number of times that I have had a member of my dojo or their parent extoll how great our program is for them or their child only to quit months later and do something that is the total opposite of gratitude. Don't get me wrong. Many show their gratitude in many ways and even though circumstances in their lives took them away from the dojo, they never forget the changes that their time training made. That is all the payment I ever ask for.

Now I find that my own family is the worst offenders of this. They quickly forget what others have done for them, unless they keep score for future repayment of the so called favor. You see my family likes to keep track of what each has done for the other as a way of using it in the future when a member needs help. It is a chip to be called in. Not a gift. Not a favor. It is a debt.

This has led to a less than grateful attitude. It is more of a "what is in it for me" attitude. I don't want this attitude to become a part of my life. I especially do not want it to become a part of my child's life or my students. I want to be and raise the kind of people who do things for people because it is what is right. The only repayment required should be a simple "Thank You" as the expression of love and caring is more gift than most of us can ever hope for.

I hope going forward I can learn to forget the acts that hurt or are painful (except for being grateful for the lessons I learn from each) and, like an elephant, NEVER forget the amazing gifts that each person that has blessed my life has given me. Trust me, I haven't forgot, nor did I or do I take it for granted as I say thank you over and over again in my heart each day.

Lets stop hurting each other remembering those acts that do not inspire us to be grateful for all the wonder that is in front of us!

If there is anyone I have not said it to.....I am thankful for you being you and for you being in my life!!!!

Train Hard, Inspire Others and Live Life to the Fullest!!

A Promise, a Renewal of the Martial Spirit and a Rebirth of the Warrior Spirit

2011-12-26T19:19:00.000-05:00

2012. The year invokes many thoughts in many people. Some believe it will bring about the end of the world. Some believe that mankind is on the brink of a new age, one of man transcending his current boundaries and becoming "awakened".

I believe that has already happened, for some, for centuries. Long ago the world held an ideal. A spirit. A kind of person who never walked the path of ordinary men. Warriors.

Now I am not speaking of Warriors who yearned for battles and bloodshed. I am speaking of the kind of man or woman who lived for something and died for it if need be. It was to serve their fellow human beings, with their life if necessary, in the pursuit of peace and humankind.

I have taught martial arts now for almost 30 years. I have seen this spirit, which was forged by many in the past through dedicated, disciplined hard training, disappear right before our own eyes. I am sorry to say this, and it may upset many, but this is the worst generation I have ever taught. The selfish, self centered attitudes with the righteous arrogance of entitlement coupled with the lack of self thought and discipline is slowly eroding our world. No one commits to anything, no one searches for answers, no one seems to care about the path of those who came before and it breaks my heart.

Many have cast out the traditions of old for a modern world, but I ask, to what cost or ends......I would like to try to change this. Even if it is just the handful of people my path crosses in the short time that God has placed me here. I do not pretend to be any better than anyone else, simply that I am going to do my best to walk this path and invite anyone who chooses to walk with me along, as I know I will need the company, the mirror to reflect myself back at me, those to criticize my every step, open and honestly, and the support of others when my own steps become weary.

I will be starting a change, in myself and in my dojo. My own journey will be intimately linked to that of the dojo and those of its' members. My life will be my dojo as my students lives will be theirs. We will return to the Martial Spirit, the attitude that so many great warriors lived by. We will give rebirth to the warrior spirit by creating a community that serves others, that does not know how to be defeated, that searches for the truth in their lives and improves this world.

No more will I allow my dojo to operate like part day care center, part baby-sitting service, part recreation center, part gym or health club. Martial arts, by virtue of training the body, mind and spirit is NOT, I repeat, NOT, a recreation but an education. It is life education.

We will embrace our weaknesses, seek them out and turn them into our greatest assets. We will welcome our struggles, no matter how hard they are. We will know that when we step inside the door of the dojo, that we are brothers and sisters, walking the same exhausting journey, yet we are there for each other, encouraging, supporting, pushing and caring for one another. One warrior family.

No longer will excuses be tolerated. No longer will lazy attitudes be fed into. No longer will undisciplined, lack luster performances be the norm. No longer will "Good Enough" be good enough.

I promise that the journey will be difficult and many will want to quit time and time again. But that is what the warrior spirit is! Facing a difficult and often dangerous journey, knowing that at every turn you will be brought to your knees, but also knowing that you will GET BACK UP and NEVER EVER allow yourself to be defeated.

If you join me on this journey, I promise you that you will NEVER EVER regret it nor will all those who surround you. We will return to our hearts and souls the spirit that once made us......human.

Train Hard, Inspire Others and Live Life to the Fullest!

Some Cuts Are Deeper Than Others- The Truth Hurts

2011-12-05T08:24:00.001-05:00

Recently it seems I am at odds with many members of my family. They all seem to feel a need to blame me for one thing or another. Mostly for airing the family dirty laundry in an attempt to show the human side of my life or for issues with things in their lives they either haven't or choose not to deal with, but I guess we are suppose to hide our weaknesses from the world and put up a fake facade of superiority.

I don't write my thoughts here to raise myself up at the expense of others, but in the hopes that what I have experienced, learned, discovered or mistakes I have made can help someone else in their lives because it is my belief that we are not here for ourselves, not for our own selfish ambitions, egos or issues, but for those who surrounds us or cross our paths.

Yes, the truth hurts. More than most seem to ever understand and now it is apparent some never will. The wounds left will never be healed, never be forgotten, and now, many of the relationships are gone. Some I have chosen to simply wash my hands of and walk away. Don't call, there will be no answer. Don't write as it will be thrown away or deleted. Don't visit as I will simply walk away. It is over. It is done.

Those truths, however, are also a gift. They teach us the mistakes we should not make. They show us the relationships that are unhealthy and need to be left behind. They teach us lessons about our upbringing and how they make us who we are, for the good and the bad.

How are we to ever evolve or stop making the same stupid mistakes over and over again, to generations to come, if we don't face up to what we have done and attempt to learn from it and, possibly, just possibly, help others along the way not to be as foolish as we have been?

I have done many, many wrong things in my life. I have been ashamed of all of them. I am ashamed of them not because of what people will think if they knew about them, but of the hurt, pain, and unforgivable wounds I have caused the people who were affected as a result of my selfish, moronic actions.

Each and every day, I see events of my life growing up affect how I react to situations, deal with people and treat those who support me, no matter what I am or who I am. I don't like it one bit and because I don't like it, instead of sitting around wallowing in my own self - loathing and pity, I work to change it. I have so many positive examples to follow in my life, mostly from my wife and daughter, my friends and mentors. Very little from those who charge was to set those behaviors in the most important stages of my life, my youth. Some would like to deny they happened or say that they are lies, but they are the very truth that has formed much of the trouble in the lives of so many.

If we do not open our eyes, put away our egos and pride and look deeply at how our lives, our actions, how we treat or treated others, affects the lives of those around us but only look at our own selfish views, we are doomed to continue to create wounds that will eventually destroy us inside and out. I know the truths of what I have done are things I need to work through and learn from. The truth hurts, especially when we tell it to ourselves........

Train Hard, Inspire Others and Live Life to the Fullest!

I am a Mere Mortal....

2011-10-25T12:41:00.001-04:00

One of my favorite movie and television shows was the Highlander series. Besides the real cool special effects, the swordplay and the martial arts, I really love the concept of having a life so long that one could have the time to learn and master all the things one could ever want.

In 2009 I got sick and had a face to face with my own mortality. This past year I have lost many people who I hold near and dear to my heart. It seems that death has become a present fixture in my life of late.

When we are young, we feel like life is so long that we almost feel that we will live forever....that we are immortal....invincible.

What we don't realize or cherish is time. Time is something that we never get back. We all treat money like it is one of the most important things in our lives yet we can always make more money, yet we waste time like we have all the time in the world, yet once it is gone, it is gone.

We treat our bodies like crap when we are young, not thinking about how it will catch up with us later in life. We treat relationships with people with little effort, not giving much thought that those people may someday not be there.

Magazine and articles abound on how to make the most of our money. How to save it, how to make it, how to invest it. Yet we see little about how to make the most of the time we have here on this little planet. When I say the most of our time, I am not taking about making money, becoming famous or amazingly successful (depending on your definition of success). I mean making the most by developing lasting meaningful relationships. I mean making the most of every minute you have with those you love. I mean making your life have some dang important purpose in this world.

No one really gives a crap what big house you live in, what fancy car you drive, how much money you make or how famous you are. Take a hard look at all the famous people.....they made a difference. Yes, some were wealthy. But truly look hard at why they were famous.

One of my heroes is Muhammad Ali. He rates pretty high on my list. Jesus Christ is first on my list and whether you believe in him or not, you got to admit he is probably the most famous figure in history and he was dirt poor by our standards.

Ali is one of the most recognizable celebrities in the world. Why? Because he was a flamboyant loud mouthed world heavyweight boxing champion? No! Because he has a light of passion in him to make a difference in this world while he is here. Many people do not see or never saw beyond the boxer to see a man of deep spirit and peaceful nature.

Time is much like a candle. Our passion is the flame and our lifespan is the wick and the wax. When we have burned through the wax and wick, our candle is finished. What you do in your life before that happens determines whether your flame continues to burn once the candle is gone.

As the candle of many of my loved ones comes to an end, I have and am looking at my life. I am at peace with death. All my life death has never seemed to be an end or something to be sad about. Yes, I miss those who have passed like a friend that you don't get to see after they leave, but I know they are there and I can visit them and know I will see them again one day. What saddens me is those who pass and their purpose in their life is never seen or realized by those who go on.....

Train Hard, Inspire Others and Live Life to the Fullest

What is a Black Belt, Really?

2011-10-20T11:09:00.001-04:00

Quite often I ask myself, what truly is a Black Belt? What is it's value? What is it's meaning? Why is it so important?

Wikipedia defines the Black Belt as: "The black belt is a way to describe a graduate of a field where a practitioner's level is often marked by the color of the belt. The black belt is commonly the highest belt color used and denotes a degree of competence. It is often associated with a teaching grade though frequently not the highest grade or the "expert" of public perception."

I very much like how they speak of the public's perception. It is quite often a common perception that a black belt is a highly trained killer, that all MMA fighters and champions must be black belts or that a black belt must be this super ultra physical specimen of fitness.

While it is true that a common standard is that someone who has trained in the martial arts is in good physical condition, it is not really a requirement but more of a by-product. Hard training, if that is what one does, forges a strong body. However, that being said, one can be "in shape" and not have any level of fitness. The public perception of "in shape" or the physical condition of a black belt is so askew as that of what a man or woman should look like as defined by the media. In my personal experience, I have met very skilled masters of outstanding health who certainly would not fit into our societies definition of "in shape", yet their level of fitness and physical prowess is without a doubt impressive.

It also states : "Testing for black belt is commonly more rigorous and more centralized than for lower grades. It is a common belief that belts are handed out more loosely in the West than in Asia, where the custom of using the color of the belt to indicate a practitioner's rank originated. In Japan, however, rank often comes more or less automatically with time training and the black belt has little to do with the "master" level which westerners often think of when they hear the term "black belt"."

While testing for black belt used to be rigorous, physically, mentally and spiritually, I will agree that the bar has been lowered by many. Not all, but many. I also agree, somewhat, with the statement that belts are handed out more loosely here in the West, although again from personal experience, I have seen many "masters" hand out high black belt ranks in exchange for services, money or individuals who host them for seminars and such.

Just recently I applied on-line (as a kind of test 0f the system) and was awarded the highest rank in the arts, a 10th Dan, from a site, without any other contact with the organization. I filled in the info and several days later received an email containing a JPEG file of my "official" certificate. I guess because it wouldn't even be worth the paper it was written on, it was sent as a file. This I feel truly makes the rank worthless for those who have truly earned it, yet every day, martial artists around the world get these. Some don't even bother getting them from others. They simply fabricate them themselves.
How can it have value if it isn't earned?

It goes on to say: " In contrast to the "black belt as master" stereotype, a black belt commonly indicates the wearer is competent in a style's basic technique and principles.^[2] Since in many styles a black belt takes approximately three to six years of training to achieve, a good intuitive analogy would be a bachelor's degree: the student has a good understanding of concepts and ability to use them but has not yet perfected their skills. In this analogy a master's degree and a doctorate would represent advancement past the first degree. Another way to describe this links to the terms used in Japanese arts; shodan (for a first degree black belt), means literally the first/beginning step, and the next grades, nidan and sandan are each numbered as "ni" is two and "san" is three, meaning second step, third step, etc. The shodan black belt is not the end of training but rather as a beginning to advanced learning: the individual now "knows how to walk" and may thus begin the "journey".
As a 'black belt' is commonly viewed as conferring some status, achieving one has been used as a marketing 'gimmick', for example a guarantee of being awarded one within a specific period or if a specific amount is paid.^[3] Some schools place profit ahead of ability when using these tactics and are sometimes referred to as McDojos.^[4]

It amazes me that a question I quite often hear at my dojo from people, sometimes those who have been training a while, will ask, "are you a black belt?". While some styles, like BJJ, allow colored belt students to run their own dojos, I feel that knowing the skill and knowledge level of the teacher would be a good thing to know. I have much respect for the BJJ systems (at least most), in the fact that the Black Belt takes a long time to obtain and is held in high regard. While in many martial arts systems one can gain a black belt in as little as two years (some require up to eight), most BJJ systems require up to twelve years. Do I believe that makes BJJ a superior art? No. I just respect that they hold a higher standard for the rank of black belt. If one trained hard for 12 years, not only would they have a deeper knowledge of their art but will have forged a strong mind and spirit.

And that is what I feel is the crux of the black belt...a strong, unbendable mind and spirit. It is my belief that this can only be brought about by a total immersion in one's art. It can only be found through hard, disciplined training. If one truly studies his chosen art by seeking an understanding of the how and why things are done and work, an understanding so deep on every level, I feel, there is no possible way to NOT develop the mental and spiritual aspects inherent in what is truly a "black belt". This cannot, however, be developed by training a hour a day, a few days a week, with no thought to training when not in the dojo, when one feels the mood strike him to put in the work. But doesn't that describe most of how we do almost everything in society?

If one truly trains, in the footsteps of the warriors of old who created these arts, how can one NOT be an evolved, high functioning human being and a true asset to society? How can they NOT be a positive contributing member of the world at large, striving to improve the human condition and be a champion for all that is good in this world? How can they NOT be sickened by the overwhelming lack of discipline, compassion, ethics, morals and apathy that is so rampant in the world today? How can they NOT be humbled by how far they have come, yet how far they have to go?

I challenge all of us in the martial arts world, let's set the bar high. Let's not brag about our inflated ranks and egos. Let's challenge the standards to make it harder to earn what is to be rewarded. Let's make the value of the rank mean more than the fabric of the symbol it stands for.

Train Hard, Inspire Others and Live Life to the Fullest!

GImme, Gimme, Gimme

2011-10-12T17:14:00.000-04:00

One of the biggest problems I struggle with these days with my students is this underlying sense of entitlement. I will have to say that it appears to me to be something rather new. I don't recall this attitude being so prevalent in the past.

I don't state this as a criticism of our youth. I state it as a criticism of our parents, teachers and society at large. We teach it, play to it and in many ways, encourage it.

Let me explain what has caused me to come to my small and humble opinion.

I have recently had a number of children, first grade and up, who I have discovered cannot tie their shoes or a bow, read a clock, read anything, fold their own clothes and many other tasks. Now to some that might not seem like a big deal and, really, it is not their inability to do these tasks as much as their requests to have it done for them. Worse yet, I see many actually doing it for them, instead of teaching them to do it.

I think of the old saying "give a man a fish, he eats for a day, teach him to fish and he eats for a lifetime." If we constantly do things for our young, how will they ever learn or worse yet, develop the skills and yearning to learn new skills? Yes, it takes time to teach a child to do these simple tasks. Yes, the child may fail, numerous times before he succeeds. Yes, you may lose your mind trying to teach them. However, if we do not we will end up with a generation that cannot think, act or do for themselves and when we, who have the knowledge and the ability to teach them are gone, then what will happen?

The ramifications of this sense of entitlement and the subsequent attitude towards it are numerous and far reaching. Let's look at some of them.

Let's start with self esteem. It seems that our society is very obsessed with our children's self esteem and not doing anything to damage it. What builds self esteem? Being successful at doing things is what builds self esteem. Telling a child how awesome, smart or other positive reinforcements does not, contrary to some beliefs, build a child's self esteem. Many children hear it so much that eventually it lacks the impact it first had, especially if it is used in a setting where the child has not really met up to the standards of others, but is still told how "awesome" they did in fear of damaging their fragile self esteem.

A child's self esteem needs to come from inside. They need to feel like they matter to themselves and that they can succeed on their own merits. Unfortunately, for a child, or any person for that matter, to truly know what success is, they must experience failure. It is how the failure is dealt with and learned from that will make or break the subsequent self esteem. They must be taught that making mistakes is NOT a failure. Just as a teacher, I do not see my students mistakes as failures but another opportunity to teach and for them to learn, we must teach our youth that the mistakes they make are not a lack of skill or knowledge but a great opportunity to learn, grow and succeed. If we give them that outlook, they will actually embrace the mistakes they make. They will become fearless in attempting to continually challenge themselves and try new things.

The next issue is self sufficiency. The lessons we teach our youth are the lessons they will carry on into their teen and adult years. If we consistently give them the answers, do the tasks for them instead of teaching them how to do them and let them become dependent on us, how will they ever learn how to do anything for themselves? When the time comes to be independent, will it be a shock of their lives or something that they have been prepared for? We, as parents and teachers, are guides. We have lived and experienced what is to come for our children and we need to impart that knowledge and skills in a usable manner for them. Parenting is teaching and teaching is parenting.

The final issue is leading or following. Are we creating leaders or followers. I find it funny how many people "follow" others on social media like Facebook, Twitter and others, yet their are not a great number of leaders. Is this because, as I often hear from children, there are more who "can't" than those that "can"? Is this because those who "can't" simply have not been taught the vital skills to be able to do and believe that they have the ability to do so or is it because those who "can" have learned the skills from the start and now find in themselves the sense of worth to attempt to learn more?

I have many students who will come up to me to tie their uniforms, tie their belts or fold their uniforms along with a laundry list of other requests. I like to teach people to be always be helpful and I hope I lead by example, however, my standard answer is "no, I will not do it for you, but I will teach you how to do it." I will then teach them how to do it. I do not care if it takes me a million times of teaching them but I will not help them any if I simply do it for them.

As a teacher, and whether I like it or not, I am always a teacher, every moment of my life (as a teacher, everyone watches what you do whether it is right or wrong, whether they agree with you or not) one of the greatest rewards is seeing a student succeed, on their own merits and accomplish the ordinary in an extra way. After all that is the truest definition of extraordinary, doing the ordinary in an extra special way!

So my challenge to you, teachers, parents or society at large. Stop doing things for others because it is easy or whatever motivates you attitude and start teaching each other to live!

Train Hard, Inspire Others and Live Life to the Fullest!!!

The Concept of Momemtum

2011-07-21T16:15:00.000-04:00

As summer is upon us I find myself thinking about momentum. It seems that everyone "takes a break" from many things during the summer. Although it is good to take time and rest to recharge, I am reminded of the saying "things at rest tend to stay at rest. Things in motion tend to stay in motion."

In all my years of teaching martial arts, I have seen literally hundreds of members "take a break" to NEVER return or to return and drop out shortly thereafter. The reasons are many like: I am so far behind now I will never catch up, it is just easier not to come, we have found other things to do, etc. I even find it interesting that some claim to be taking a break, only to fill that time with something else, hence not really taking a break at all/

I am not saying that martial arts is the most important thing in our lives. Martial arts is, in many ways, life training. Its value should not be discounted, unfortunately, our society has taught us that it is more of a recreation, hobby or way of getting in shape. Some of that is true but it is so much more. There are so many moments in our training that mimic life. How so you ask?

First and foremost, martial arts teaches us goal setting. Each belt is teaching us to set a goal and work towards it. It also teaches us to break down a large goal (making Black Belt) into smaller more manageable goals. Once a model of goal setting is learned, it can be applied to anything. Talk about a way to set our kids up for success.

Next, as it is my belief, that the lessons we teach our youth now are the lessons that will carry on into their teen and adult lives. If we let them slack off, not commit to things or quit when things get boring or hard, then what happens later in life when the same attitude is developed towards their job, their schooling, their marriage, their families or worse, their lives. Have we not taught them to just give up and quit? How is that helping them? I quite often am told "I dont make my child do things they dont want to do." This is a major untruth! As a parent myself, we all make our children do a laundry list of things they dont want to do, EVERYDAY! What we are really saying is that we dont want to do the work that is required to insure that our children get an upper hand because, I will be honest, it is down right HARD sometimes! But....look at it from a different angle. Those challenges make us stronger people, enhance and strengthen our relationship with our children and others.

Coming to class, on a regular basis, teaching commitment and consistency. It teaches and trains us to commit to something, to see it to its completion. It is no wonder that our country is overweight, underdeveloped, undisciplined or unhealthy. We cant even commit to showing up consistently, how can we commit to the really big issues? I am not saying this is the truth for everyone. I have met some individuals that are some motivated, dedicated and disciplined in what they do that I feel small and insignificant in comparison. I struggle daily with issues in my own life that require that mindset, however, instead of giving up on them, I use that to continually train and develop the very attitude that these individuals have demonstrated.

The dojo is a life laboratory! I like to give the example of an incident that happened in class. A student was having a very hard time mastering a particular technique. The student expressed to me that he was frustrated. I exclaimed in an excited voice "GOOD!". The student looked at me, puzzled. I explained that if you are not frustrated during your training your not learning. You see frustration leads to motivation, motivation leads to creation and creation leads to revelation!

So as you can see, the benefits of attending class regularly, consistently, being a motivated and dedicate student who learns to be committed is a guaranteed recipe for success. I really feel that the benefits of martial arts speaks for itself. I feel, in my opinion, that besides school, it is one of the most valuable things a person can do or give to someone.

I respectfully ask that each and every student or member makes a 110% effort to attend classes, not only for the summer but until you reach Black Belt and beyond! Lets keep building that momentum towards our goal so that we dont stop and become complacent.

Train Hard, Inspire Others and Live Life to the Fullest!

The Lost Art of Loyalty

2011-03-18T21:05:00.033-04:00

Loyalty: - loy·al·ty [loi-uhl-tee]
–noun, plural -ties.

1. the state or quality of being loyal; faithfulness to commitments or obligations.

2. faithful adherence to a sovereign, government, leader, cause, etc.

3. an example or instance of faithfulness, adherence, or the like: a man with fierce loyalties.

—Synonyms

2. fealty, devotion, constancy. Loyalty, allegiance, fidelity all imply a sense of duty or of devoted attachment to something or someone. Loyalty connotes sentiment and the feeling of devotion that one holds for one's country, creed, family, friends, etc. Allegiance applies particularly to a citizen's duty to his or her country, or, by extension, one's obligation to support a party, cause, leader, etc. Fidelity implies unwavering devotion and allegiance to a person, principle, etc.

Lately I have seen a decline in loyalty. It seemed years ago that loyalty was a trait that was very much intertwined with integrity. I have also seen a decline in integrity.

Let's take a quick look at loyalty between friends. I have a friend who I would say is as loyal as pitbull. You could say anything you want to this friend, yet because he is your friend he will vehemently defend you to the end. He holds such an extreme value of friendship that no disagreement could ever sever his friendship. He believes that although we sometimes have a difference of opinions, his respect for me and mine for him is more important than who is right. This friend puts the value on the relationship, not what he can get out of it, but how it grows when he puts into it. I also find this man to have a level of human integrity that I have not seen in many, including myself. I consider myself blessed to even know him. He is older. He is from an age and culture where they value the interaction between people as more valuable than any product or price. He is never in it for what he can get, but what he can give and I never take any of it for granted. He is a gift.

This cartoon seems to sum up the idea that is so common in today's world. It says that the concept of loyalty without gaining some monetary gain is so absurd that only a dog would give it freely. Dogs do give it freely. A dog will love you and be loyal to you, even if you dont feed it, forget to spend time with it, even (although not approved of at all) if you beat it. It will still greet you with a wagging tail and a sense that you are the most important person in his world. Nothing expected. Everything appreciated.

A long time ago, I used to teach my martial arts classes for free. I had a small following, yet they were the most loyal students anyone could ask for. I still keep in touch with many of them. One of them is my best friend. I can call him anytime and simply pick up where I left off. He would give his life for me, that I believe and I would do the same for him. We have been through so much "life" together.

However, fast forward to today. I have a large following of students who come and go. Many are loyal, for a time.....until I truly ask them to step up or step out. They have a price. They demonstrate WIIFM......"what's in it for me?" They think I dont have there best interest at heart. Would they give their life for me? I think not! Would I give mine for them? I do not know! I would like to believe I would. I know I would sacrifice as much as I could for them as I was raised that that was my job and responsibility. Many of them see this and they truly show their appreciation....sometimes in a simple thank you.

You see, my teachers instilled...no let me re-phrase that...drove home this lesson, as did my parents. If you take someone under your charge, you are responsible for them, no matter what. They made it simple. I teach. You learn. Do not get me wrong, they never took advantage of the relationship (I have seen that happen!). I took their lessons to heart, not always agreeing with them, but knew they had far more experience than me and had my best interest at heart. Because they poured their heart, knowledge and caring into me, I would run head first into a wall over and over again if necessary as a way to pay them back. In those days, you did this by helping them anyway you could, expecting no monetary compensation in return as what they were giving me was far more valuable than any dollar amount I could come up with. They paid me more than I can ever repay!

Today the martial arts teacher is looked upon as a leader of recreation. An entertainer. A babysitter. A bank account. A gym teacher. Heck, half the time we even use the phrase Instructor to describe ourselves. Like we are a book you open and simply follow the steps...1....2....3...okay it is finished. We get paid. We stand in front of the class, we bark orders, we show our technical skills and we impart our life wisdom...to an audience who mostly would just prefer a good sweat and the feeling of being able to kick butt.

It is my belief that we need to rise up again to be called Teachers. People who selflessly give of ourselves to our students. Not just how to punch or kick, throw or lock, takedown or mount. This is some of the lessons we should impart. However, in these lessons we should create the forge that produces warriors. Not fighters. WARRIORS! Not people who quit everything when things seem to get difficult or they dont get what they feel they want. Warriors...people who roll up their sleeves when things get tough, who dig deep to accomplish their goals by taking a bad situation and making it work out for the benefit of everyone. Who listen to their Teachers, take what they teach, embrace it, make it a part of their lives. When you listen to a Teacher, you dont just look and listen to all the awesome things he does and create, all his victories, all his glory.....you look and listen to all his failures, strife, shortcomings and downfalls. He is putting himself out there and revealing himself so that others can learn from those lessons also. They sometimes can be his greatest lessons.....

So be loyal to the end! Follow through till the Teachers tells you he has nothing left to teach you. Open your eyes and minds. Get over yourself and get out of your own way. See what it can lead to. The sight is amazing!!!

Life Lesson in Grappling

2011-03-08T09:36:00.000-05:00

I used to not like ground grappling. In truth and reality....I hated grappling. I saw no use for it. I used to always say "I will fight to the end NOT to go to the ground". Now in combat, I will still fight to the end NOT to end up on the ground and if I do, I understand what to do now if I end up there and that is valuable. What I did not expect was a life changing lesson found in the practice of grappling....

I was watching some of my kid students practicing their grappling skills. I noticed that they always seemed to want to push the person away. In grappling, that is counter-productive. You want to embrace the opponent so you can control and submit them. Hmmmmm. Could life be that way? Shouldn't we embrace the things that are hardest in our lives so that we may conquer them instead of running away?

Tragedy, strife, suffering and pain are things that we should embrace. "Say what!?" I know it sounds crazy but if we don't face them, embrace them and use them, we will never overcome them.

Here is an example: you plug the drain in the sink in your house and turn on the water. Then you leave for several hours. The sink overflows, obviously. When you return, your house is flooded. Big problem! Do you just leave or do you unplug the sink and solve the issue? If you leave, the problem will still be there when you get back. While you are away, you will anguish knowing the problem will be there. And if you ignore it, the problem will become a HUGE problem!

When we are grappling, we can control our "problem" (opponent) and use this opportunity to calm them, talk to them, explain to them that we don't like what they are doing, we want them to stop and if they don't, we have the ability to either make them go sleepy sleep or worse....

When we grapple with life issues, we should recognize them but not let the process of "I have a problem" keep us from "talking" to it. Telling it what we don't like about it, how we are going to solve it and that we have the skills (or acquire them) to make it go sleepy sleep or worse....

There is a philosophy that those challenges that are the hardest are our best teachers. Why would we want to run away from some of the best opportunities to become the best person we can learn to be?

Train Hard, Inspire Others and Live Life to the Fullest! Now go roll around with life!......

5 questions | Concord Monitor

2010-12-11T20:50:00.000-05:00

See the article in the Concord Monitor about our Soap for Hope Project to aide in Haiti
5 questions Concord Monitor

An Extended Family for Christmas

2010-11-27T23:10:00.001-05:00

Every Christmas Penacook School Karate adopts a family in need to help make their Christmas just a little merrier. This year is no different.

You see, for many of us, we can easily take for granted that on Christmas morning, there will be gifts under our tree, but for some this isnt the case.

As martial artists who train to strengthen our minds, bodies and spirits so that we may help others in need, the time of Christmas is a perfect time to express that spirit. So please help by helping us fill as much of these two children's Christmas wish list. Lets play Santa! If you wish to buy a gift, simply notify me at PSKarate@msn.com and let me know what you are going to get or give money for so that I may update this list often. We need all the gifts by December 15th.

Here are the lists for a 9 year old girl and a 10 year old boy:

Girl:
* Fairy DS Game
* Easy Reader Books
* Guess Who Game
* Stuffed Animals
* Jeans & Long Sleeved Shirts Size 8- 10
* Bathrobe size 8 - 10
* Sweat shirts size 8 - 10
* Fairy Blanket & Pillow
* Hello Kitty CD Player
* Zhu Zhu Pet
* Winter Coat size 8 -10
* Hat & mittens
* Little Pet Shop Animals
* Coloring Books

Boy:
* Pajamas size 12 -14
* Sweatshirts large size 12-14
* Winter coat size 12 -14
* Long sleeved shirts size 12 -14
* Jeans husky size 12 -14
* webkinz / stuffed dog
* lion blanket or pillow pet or large stuffed lion
* Battleship Game
* Kung Zhu
* Lego car set
* DS game - Club Penguin or Petz game
* Air Hogs
* Books
* Puzzles

Please, again, notify as to what you wish to get and drop it off at the dojo. Check back to this list often as I will update what has been purchased! Thank you so much and Merry Christmas!!!

Who Holds Your Heart?

2009-10-23T11:33:00.000-04:00

They say you are truly motivated by your heart. Well, who holds your heart in your life?

I can truly say without a shadow of a doubt that I know one little lady who definitely holds a huge chunk of mine.....my gift...my daughter.

At our dojo we have a dry erase board which we use to communicate many things to our students, one of which is our monthly Hero. The other day at the dojo, I was changing it and my daughter said to me " Daddy I know who should be next month's hero." I said "Oh really, who?" Now mind you my daughter loves heroes like Ruby Bridges and Muhammad Ali. What she said next drew me to tears...a moment I will never forget....she looked at me and simply said "Why you, Daddy! Your my hero and you do so much for people." My heart melted!

I think it is every fathers dream to know that you were a good father and you did the right thing by your children. Truth be told, I am surrounded by two beautiful girls who are my world.....my wife and my daughter. They hold my heart. They are my strength and my love in this life.......take time to realize, who holds your heart.

Train Hard, Inspire Others and Live Life to the Fullest!

Adversity

2009-10-21T16:07:00.001-04:00

It seems my whole life I have either faced adversity or see it in action. I know for each person, adversity has a different definition and a different effect on each individual.

When I was little, my life was extremely violent. My father, who was a policeman, was a very physically and mentally abusive person. He would beat us kids and my mother quite often. He was a very large and powerful man, 6 foot 6 inches and 290 lbs. Now I am not making excuses for what he did, however, my father was born and lived in England until he was eight years old. When he came to America, he was put in a Boy's Home because his parents could not afford to raise him. He was beaten quite regularly. He had known nothing else his whole life. I understand the affect that has.
    I vividly remember one night my brother and I had gotten into it as usual and my brother was chasing me down the hall to our room. He had me pinned when my father came in, in a fit of rage, and grabbed him off of me and threw him against the wall and proceeded to punch him over and over in the back so hard the wall shook and the pictures fell off the wall.
    Most days I was the only one home, being the youngest, and hearing the fighting between him and my mother, hearing him hit her and throw her around. I knew it was wrong but I was too little to do anything.
    Most days my father would just mentally beat into us kids that we were useless. His favorite saying was "I love you but I dont like you." How does that makes sense to anyone, let alone a child?
    Now my mother came from a very difficult upbringing also. Her mother was raised by her grandparents after her parents had died. She was simply tolerated and not shown much love. My grandmother was a very tough person. She raised her daughter the way she had been raised....tough. My grandfather committed suicide when my mother was a teenager and the family became fragmented with my two uncles and my mother not really speaking or supporting each other. So my mother married my father at the age of 18 and so that saga began.
    My parents divorced when I was young and I lived with my mother and brother (my sister had gone off to college) until my brother became such a reflection of my father and a violent terror that my mother made him go live with my father. My brother tried many times during those days to kill me. He tried suffocating me with a pillow, throwing me off a second story balcony and many other violent acts. Each day was an all out fight with him. Twenty three years later he apologized for what he had done and realized what he had become.....our father. This was during a very emotional and turbulent turning point in his life, when he realized the sins of the father were tearing his very life apart.
   Several years after my parents divorce, I drove my mother to the point where she decided it was time for me to find out some things for myself. I selfishly wanted to live with my father (I still to this day wonder what possessed me to want this.) After a long custody battle, which I later learned my mother gave in because she could no longer see it tearing me apart, she let me go.
    It was the worst decision I ever made. There was no supervision. I would come and go as I pleased at 13. My brother was still in that phase, so when I was home and he was there, it was fighting and more fighting. I just stayed away from home as much as possible, sometimes roaming the streets late at night, sometimes getting into very violent fights and almost losing my life several times. I realized after a few years, this was not where I wanted to be. I called my mother and returned to her home the following weekend.
    The reason I am relating all this is that without the martial arts as my life, my life may have turned out very different and not in a good way. I firmly believe my life would have ended. I have since mended, as I mentioned before, my relationship with my brother. As a matter of fact he later became a student of mine and during a particular time in his life, I helped save his life. I have mended and continue to restore the relationship with my father. He is in bad health and has changed so much in late years, coming to grips with what he had done and how it had affected his children and his life.
    I have always been driven, I think to prove my father's earlier words wrong and have always stood up for others in need, I think because I did not like being in the same situations. I have had a very violent life but have always strived to find that slice of peace.
    I am now a family man. I would never treat my family the way I was raised. I knew it was wrong even when I was little. It is still wrong. Fighting and violence for fighting and violence sake is just stupid. Standing up for what is just and right is pure brilliance. Through the martial arts, I have found how to do just that!

Train Hard, Inspire Others and Live Life to the Fullest!

Everything Tells A Story.....

2009-10-19T12:16:00.000-04:00

This photo looks odd, don't you think? Here I am holding this man's hand and looking at his feet. The technique I am teaching is very unique. The photo does NOT reveal it, however, there is a unique story behind it.

Several years ago, I was watching some videos of Professor Wally Jay. For those of you who do not know Professor Jay, he is the founder of Small Circle Jujitsu. He is going to be 93 years young this year. Professor will grab you by one finger and there is not alot you can do after that, as many will testify. Why is that? Well, many will just say that Professor Jay is a legend and has exceptional technique. And this is the truth. However, I am the type of martial artist who needs to study the heck out of something, inside and out, as I believe it makes me a better martial artist and teacher. It is the little things that make the difference. There is so much hidden here that many miss yet accept it is fact as the have experienced first hand that it works!

As many of you know, I am a student of George Dillman's (right now many are either no longer reading this blog or have heated up their keyboards for some debate). One of the most important things he has taught me is to NEVER EVER close your mind. So many people claim to be open minded yet see what we in Dillman Karate do and state "oh that does not work!" or "it is the power of suggestion" (which makes us some of the best hypnotists in the world if that is true.) and I am not posting this to start these debates. The purpose is to show how everything tells a story if you dig deep enough.

The finger lock above that I am showing is a four finger fingerlock. By all accounts it is supposed to be the most difficult to get a response. However, after watching Professor Jay and applying what I know from Professor Dillman, I can make it work with ease. I am not saying this to brag or boast because give me five minutes of your time and an open mind and I can have you doing it just as easy!

What I noticed about the videos of Professor Jay was he was doing some things, naturally through proper training, that fit into several theories that I had been thinking about. After several years of trial and error and testing, I discovered some things that were "hidden" in what he was doing. They are not secrets but explainations and validations as to why this worked. It opened the door to so much more. It gave me confidence in specific techniques and gave me better understanding of my arts. It didnt necessarily make it a better or new technique, simply gave me a better understanding of what I was doing and why, which simply made the technique work correctly, hence better.

So the deeper you dig into every facet of your technique, no matter how minute, the further down the rabbit hole you will go!

Train hard, Inspire Others and Live Life to the Fullest!

If My Eyes Could See.....Power of Martial Arts

2009-09-21T10:51:00.000-04:00

First let me start this entry off by saying that I was extremely touched to the deepest core of my soul by a power of action created by several of my friends, Rori Goetze and Brian Williams. They demonstrated the truth and power that all of our martial arts training can develop in us and the purest reason we study! You must if you have not already checked out this video on Youtube, it will move you: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KgH6P9HYmB8

This weekend has been an exceptional powerful weekend for me emotionally. Every year I share the martial arts with an group of young people who probably would never set foot in a dojo. They have very difficult lives. Many are born with disabling disorders, some with limits that life has given them. It is always an honor to share with them and create moments that they might not have very often in their lives.
A local organization called Community Bridges is the group that directly aides these children and their families. Every year they host a Teddy Bear Picnic. A strange setting to have a martial artist teach at, but I do and with an open heart. These children demonstrate EXACTLY why we do what we do! Many are not capable of doing what we take for granted, many will never be the next big action star, many will never be the next UFC champ, but their heart and desire will trump any of us!
This one was especially moving and powerful for me. First I met an eight year old boy who has just been diagnosed with Muscular Dystrophy. He was shy and scared to try martial arts as he was afraid he was clumsy and not able. After he broke several boards with his hands and feet, this young boy could not have been more excited to try lessons!
The next child was the one, who thinking about what had happened later in the day, moved me to tears. Janice, the director of Community Bridges called me over to meet a shy little girl named Josie. Josie is blind. i asked her if she would like to try to break a board. She shyly said yes, but I could tell from the look on her face that she was scared and unconfident. I asked her if I could take her hand and show her how to hold her hand. As I was showing her how to form her hand for a palm strike, she was trembling. I then took her hand and guided it to my chest, saying that I wanted her to perform the strike like she was hitting me in the chest. Next I held the board up and she plowed clean through it. When I handed her the two pieces so she could feel that she had accomplished the feat, her face lit up and her smile reached from ear to ear. She then broke two boards with a front kick while her mom held her hand.
Later that day it struck me......I and many others take for granted what we have and what we can do.....for children like Josie the simple things can become the most precious moments....never take one for granted.

Train Hard, INSPIRE others and Live Your Life to the Fullest!

The Kind I Dont Want To Be

2009-09-18T11:51:00.000-04:00

There is a particular kind of martial arts teacher that I DO NOT want to be. I recently ran into that kind of martial artist. Let me paint the picture for you....

The kind of teacher who sees himself as the all knowing, all powerful authority. The kind who needs to be the center of the world. The kind who thinks that because of his training and rank that he is somehow superior to others.

Too many teachers allow themselves to develop a God complex, and they let their students help feed that complex. It becomes very dangerous. First and foremost, it sets one up for inevitable failure. When we let people put us on a pedastal, we will eventually get knocked off. Secondly, we become teachers, not to serve ourselves, but in the service of others. We do not demand that others walk in our footsteps but create their own simply next to us. Our training and experience is not the rule but simply a guide.

This man I met was a high ranking black belt. You knew this not only by his multiple gold bars on each end of his belt but also because he felt everyone should know his rank. It comes as no surprise in retrospect as the organization he belongs to is rampant with rank flaunters. Each ego is bigger than the next.
   This man, who was attending a seminar with a teacher who is much more skilled, definitely more experienced and a much much higher rank, stood at the forefront with a snide smirk on his face and even when he was shown that he did not know it all, he continued to put up this facade. The truth is he was trying harder to cover up the fact that he did not have the answers and that his ego was about to be bruised badly.
   I was just like this person. I can sometimes see this person come out of me. I have seen this person in many. It is a day to day battle to come to grips with your ego. It feels good to let it grow. It is also wrong.
   I guess one of the important rules about being a teacher is it is never about you. It is about your students. You want your students to "empty their cups" to learn more, but if your cup is so full that you cannot learn more yourself, eventually, your student will find someone who will give them a bigger cup!

Train Hard, Inspire Others and Live Life to the Fullest!

A Day in the Life...

2009-09-01T12:44:00.001-04:00

Yesterday (monday) began the first day back in the swing of things. I truly felt challenged yesterday both physically and mentally. I felt like I had the strength of the little girl pictured here!

I began the day at 655AM. Breakfast consisted of 1/2 a Met-Rx protein shake. It has about 125 calories and 19 grams of protein. No alot for a 260 pound guy. At 8AM I downed a drink of my favorite supplement called NO-xplode. Besides the kick in the pants it gives you, it helps speed the protein and nutrients to the muscles. At 845AM, I had a small snack of only carbs, like english muffins with jelly. With the NO-xplode, you have to time your protein intake or you ruin the effects of the drink. It is all in the timing.

915AM begins weight training. Monday is chest day. The usual is the order of the day, bench press, incline bench press, pullovers. After each set of the exercise, I immediately perform 50 pushups and 50 crunches. By the end of six sets I have accumulated 250 pushups and 250 crunches, I then add in side bends with weights and then wood-choppers to finish off. I end the morning workout with 20 minutes on the treadmill. Friggin exhausted and starving by this point. I did not even think about the fact that this would be a good time to inhale the rest of the Met-Rx shake! I adjusted that today! I only consumed an english muffin with peanut butter and preserves yesterday and was fading fast.

I spent the next 2 1/2 hours working in my office on dojo related projects. Then lunch came, thank GOD! I downed my homemade chili with a slice of swiss cheese like I hadn't eaten in days. After doing some more office stuff for about 1/2 to let my food digest, it was time for my PM workout.

1pm - my afternoon workout is all martial arts related. Three reps of twelve different katas or forms. Then on to bag work where I do 100 reps with each leg for front, side and round kicks. Then it is round timed bag work for 15 minutes, 3 minute rounds with 30 seconds rest, then I finish with stretching and quiet meditation as I listen to my body rebel.....

215 - I get cleaned up and leave the dojo to begin my rounds of the schools for after-school pick-up and then it is back to the dojo for classes. Fortunately I have great staff who handle most of the kids classes while I finish up the dojo business in time to teach the adult class.

Yesterday by my 4PM meal, which was only supposed to be a Met-RX shake, I was in the negative numbers for caloric intake by 216 calories. I was ravenous! I ate a slice of swiss cheese and then had a PB & preserves sandwich on rye bread. Fifteen minutes later, I had my Met-Rx shake which I had to eat with a spoon because I put too much ice in the blender (I am such a picky b**ch as I need ice in all my drinks, except my coffee, which is probably due to my affinity to be hot all the time.)

When I finally got home, I was beginning to develop a headache from the lack of carbohydrates I did not consume so I will have to play with this and find the balance. It will probably take a few days.... my wife made a great meal of calamari, sweet potato and asparagus. It was good however I still ended up being short on calories for the day. It is very important that this be at a certain amount as my intake is already adjusted to help me lose 2 1/2 pounds per week. Anything lower could sabotage my goals.

I had a hard time sleeping and staying asleep as I felt surprisingly recharged.

Today (Tuesday)

Today started the same as yesterday...right on schedule. Again I had my half a Met-Rx shake, but put the other half in the fridge for my post workout meal. Did the NO-xplode at the usual time and after dropping my little one at school, I headed to the dojo to train. After checking email while having my pre-workout carb snack, I started my back routine today. Back consists of three parts for me. Lower, middle and upper. Deadlifts for the lower, bent over rows for the middle and dumbell rows for the upper. I do my usual routine for my pushups, crunches, side bends and wood-choppers in between sets of lifts. Then it is on to the treadmill. However my legs are staging a rebellion from the bag workout yesterday and are complaining up a storm. They like it even less when after I get off the treadmill and I stretch the sh** out of my calves, hamstrings and quads. When I go home to see my wife, every step up our staircase is met with a curse from one of my leg muscles. I ignore it as my need for food is overriding their complaints. Food is always a motivator! I drank the remainder of the Met-RX and headed back to the dojo.

More office work and then on to lunch. I feel better today about my food intake and have recovered better from the workout, however, I have a torn tendon in my left ring finger which is beginning to become a serious issue.

Lunch was very fulfilling. I had a Lean Cuisine BBQ Chicken Fajita, 1/2 a pouch of rice and 1/2 a pouch of peas. Next up is my afternoon workout.....

Until tomorrow, which should be a shorter journal as I get on track with daily journaling! Train Hard, Inspire Other and Live Life to the Fullest!

Peace!

A Commitment Renewed

2009-08-31T12:23:00.000-04:00

This summer began with a myraid of health issues. As I wrote before, I have been plagued with a lot on my plate. Most, if not all, my health issue are now being taken care of and some will resolve themselves in due time.

However...this summer has been a time of pulling back. I cut back on my commitment to this process. Don't get me wrong, I never stopped, however, I was only squeaking by with the bare minimum effort. This is not me, not ever and never will be.

When I started this process, I made a commitment to do double what was required. This helped in creating a "bank account" of sorts. But that did not excuse the fact that I was not giving more than 100% over the last three months. So.....

This morning I began anew. The course is set. It is extremely demanding. A new diet, a new workout routine, a new daily schedule. The diet is very strict, yet monitor by a nutritionist. There is little margin for error. The exercise routine, as I discovered this morning, will be very exhausting, adding the diet constraints and the upcoming weekly blood drawing for my hemochromatosis, it may become more so.

I have set up a schedule calendar in google which I sync with my nifty Iphone. I would be lost without this device! I use it as my day planner, my Ipod for motivation, my connection to all the wonderful teleconferences, I track my diet and exercise using features on it, I found a program called DoGood that gives me Random Acts of Kindness challenges everyday, a journal to log 5 things I and grateful for everyday, Crossfit for the workoiut of the day and so much more. I have decided that this piece of technology, used correctly, is a Godsend!

DoGood is a very cool program! It gives you the DoGood of the day, plus others if you wish, which after you complete it, it logs it and you may share it with Facebook, Twitter and several others not only to show you did it but to invite others to do the same.

Crossfit is a movement sweeping the country, used by many law enforcement and military organizations. It gives you a different workout, each day, which is pretty exhausting but well worth the effort. If you wish to check it out, go to www.crossfit.com.

My diet is pretty complex, under the guidance of an expert nutritionist. No fad diets, just simple nutrition. I am currently at 260 pounds but over 30% bodyfat. It is my goal between now and the end of this process to drop to 200 and less than 10% bodyfat.

It is interesting that this program is very much like the process that is required to get and maintain good health. The first is powerful positive mind set. This is more than just thinking happy thoughts. Positive thoughts are good but they lack momentum and action. By requiring us to reach out and help others, we give our thoughts momentum and power. It is a snowball effect. The more we put our thoughts into action, the more positive energy we create which in turn creates more positive mind sets and so on.

Next is nutrition. Just like a fine tuned machine needs the proper fuel to work, this is the same principle in action. Many, including myself, choose to skimp on meals for the sake of milking a few more minutes out of a day. However this is self defeating. We simply don't perform at optimal levels without a good diet.

The final is exercise. We are basically a machine. We need to move to keep things going. Our cardiovascular system needs to flow, lymph systems need movement to push toxins through our body, our vital energy needs to move, our joints need to move to keep lubricated and so much more.

So it is my time to renew my commitment to "Train hard, Inspire others and Live life to the fullest!"

Powerful Moments in Time From Our Young Ones

2009-07-17T20:30:00.000-04:00

Sometimes you find very usual yet extremely moving things in the most unique places.

My family and myself traveled last week to Indianapolis, Indiana. I was scheduled to teach at the George Dillman 3 Day Ryukyu Kempo Camp (I have been very fortunate to get to teach at this event and I owe that to both Professor Dillman and my good friend Will Higginbotham). We began our trek on Tuesday from NH.

After driving 9 hours in our new mini-van (this was a blessing!), we stopped in North East, Pennsylvania at the Holiday Inn Express. It was a very new and nice hotel. First on the agenda was to forage for food. We asked some locals, found them extremely friendly and made our way to the Freeport restuarant. As usual, I ate way to much but I love seafood (or see-food!). Upon leaving, we discovered that only a distance slightly further than my bloated fat stomach was Lake Erie, so we made our way to find this wonderful sunset.

We spent the rest of the night relaxing, swimming in the hotel pool and hot tub. After a good nights sleep and a good breakfast we got back on the road and headed to Indy. It was actually great to drive as we got to see alot of the country (that you obviously don't see in a plane).

We arrived in Indy around five and after getting settled in our room, we got with Professor Dillman and his wife, our friends from Quebec Canada and Will at Kona Jack's Fish Market. Great food. Too much as always but we do like our food!

Thursday we slept in and the highlight of the day, after an hour drive, was to go to Janko Little ZaGreb where we ate the biggest and best steak I have ever had (don't worry, the theme of this blog is not just food!) This steak was so huge, three of us could not finish it. It was delicious and came with a business card for a great cardiologist! This was a great time, great company and well worth the drive!

Friday we went to the Children's Museum and this is the main reason I am writing this blog. The Indy Children's Museum is one of the largest in the world. Myself, my wife, my daughter and Will's daughter and Professor Dillman's wife started in the Hall of Dinosaurs. Wicked Cool. Floor after floor we found really interesting displays and exhibits. It was on the third floor that we found the exhibit called "The Power of Children."

This exhibit featured three incredible children: Anne Frank, Ruby Bridges and Ryan White.

Anne Frank is familar to many as many have had to read the famous "Diary of Anne Frank". I must confess I have never read it but it is now on my list!

Anne and her family hid in their attic from the Nazi's during WWII. It was very moving to see and read about her but I must admit I was NOT prepared to read what I found. I found a section which informed me that when families were taken to the internment camps, all children under 15 were immediately killed. My daughter was standing next to me when I read this and my knees went weak and I began to cry. I could not even fathom the kind of person who could do this!

Next we moved to Ruby Bridges. Ruby was the first African American to attend an all white school. She had to be escorted into the school while protestors mocked and yelled at her. So cruel we can be that we will torture a child simply because of the color of their skin. This young lady showed true courage to face this during these times.

The final exhibit was of Ryan White. Ryan was a hemophilliac who contracted HIV/AIDS during a blood transfusion. He was expelled from his school and fought in what would become a famous legal battle that earned him the right to return to school. Unfortunately, it seems, people did not feel it earned him the right to be treated like a normal human being. He was tormented, teased and made miserable by people's ignorance. This was a very touching exhibit and I found several things very interesting. Ryan was a very courageous and amazing young man. He touched so many lives and made such a huge impact. He died in 1990. His funeral was attended by over 1500 people including Elton John, Nancy and Ronald Reagan and many other famous people. What struck me was he died on Palm Sunday.

I realized that I had a tear running down my cheek and still get choked up when I read this comic that a cartoonist who knew Ryan published in a paper:

"A Place Where No One is Afraid To Hug" I made sure I hugged everyone of my friends who attended this great weekend of martial arts sharing. These exhibits reminded me just how lucky I am to have such a great group of friends and family.

Train Hard, Inspire Others and Live Life to the Fullest!

Kancho in NY & teaching with French at Ali Camp

2009-06-15T12:05:00.000-04:00

In May of this year, myself, my wife and daughter met up with 35 our friends from France to see the sites in NY City before heading to train at the Muhammad Ali Camp in Deer Lake PA.

Jean Paul Bindel and his students arrived on Wednesday evening. After getting settled in the Milford Hotel, one block from Times Square, we decided to venture out for dinner. We tried both Bubba Gump and the Hard Rock and finally ended up at the Dallas BBQ. It was great food and huge beers.

We then settled in for the night with our adventure tomorrow to the Statue of Liberty!

After a quick breakfast we loaded up on a subway train to Battery Park to catch the ferry to Liberty Island. We waited 2 hours in line in the sun to finally board the ferry. Upon arriving at Liberty Island, we decided against getting off the ferry and risk waiting in long lines again. We rode the ferry back to the park and then walked to Ground Zero of the Twin Towers. The Trade Center is being rebuilt as a symbol that we will go on! It was a very somber moment with the emotion felt amongst the group.

Next we made our way to the Ali Camp and began a weekend of great training, good times, great wine, one of the best parties EVER and awesome food.

Training on all three days was awesome. Everyone had a great time! I know I did, as I got to share the mat with great martial artists and my good friends. Besides Professor Dillman, my best buddies Will Higginbotham and Ken Smith kept the training at an all time high. Everyone trained hard, shared much and learned alot! Great camp!

Kancho Teaches with Brits at Ali Camp

2009-06-15T11:57:00.000-04:00

In April of this year, I had the pleasure of teaching at the Muhammad Ali Camp, owned by my teacher, Professor George Dillman, along with a list of great Instructors! They came from all over, 35 from England!

I have such a great time with my friends from England. Paul Bowman, their instructor, is such a fantastic teacher and person, as are all the mates he brings with them. I spend most of my time laughing and enjoying the company of this great group of martial artists!

I am PROUD of YOU!

2009-05-28T13:44:00.000-04:00

I am like a proud father sometimes when it comes to my students. They are all amazing people. They each shine, in their own different way, at their own different times.

One has been with me since he was a teenager. He was the epitome of a geek! Two left feet and the social grace of a yak. Fast forward to today. He is an amzing artist who is in his final year of art school. He became an amazing martial artist! He blows me away every time I see him train at how his has become a martial arts machine. He is no longer that geeky teenager but a young man who has come into his own and found his place in the world. All through this he has kept his wonderful humor and friendly demeanor. I am so proud of him!

One is a small boy whose life has been so tough that many of us would never have survived what he has been through. His father tragically died from a drug overdose and he saw a small neighbor boy get hit and killed by a truck, yet with the love of his mother and family, this young man continues to amaze me with his compassion and HUGE spirit. I am so proud of him!

Another is a 10 year old girl who, all on her own, spent an entire year working and creating the very first ever martial arts merit badge for the Girl Scouts of America and led the very first event to help girls earn these badges. She demonstrated not just that she learned leadership, but that she could lead. I am proud of her!

Through all the years I have been teaching, I have watched so many, young and old, accomplish so much. It makes me so proud of them. The one that holds dearest to my heart, and always will, is the 9 year old girl who is so kind, so funny, so loving of everyone, so dedicated to what she does and wants to do, that I am most proud to be her father!

Train Hard, Inspire Others and Live Life to the Fullest!

Beginning New Traditions

2009-05-13T14:50:00.001-04:00

We have begun a new tradition at our dojo. Every Wednesday night, after class, we pull out our BBQ grill and we cook. This might seem small but it is a small gesture that teaches much.

First off, it teaches community. Each person is asked to contribute, not monetarily, but either by bringing food or helping with the process. We work together to create a meal for one another. We come together as a small family. We sit down and eat together, sharing stories, ideas and laughs.

Next it teaches healthy eating habits. We are striving to make sure that all the food is healthy, organic or home grown. The dishes are simple, but done in a manner that educates healthy food choices and how it makes a difference.

It provides an experience that lets everyone bond and learn about each other on a human basis. Everyone is a welcome guest. It is a hope that this will grow into something larger.

This is not an uncommon tradition. Dojo is Japan and Okinawa have been know to do similar. In the south of our own country, it is called porching. Neighbors walk around their neighborhood until a group gathers on a porch, before you know it a large gathering of people has turned into a relaxed social event that brings people together.

It is my belief that, although convienent, technology has caused us to distance ourselves from our fellow man. People still walk their neighborhoods, but now shut out the world with IPods and MP3 players. We dont talk on the phone anymore, as we have distanced ourselves with text and email (both are hard to determine the tone and dynamic of the context in which they are written). We need to get back to knowing who surrounds us if we are to influence our sphere of influence.

Train Hard, Inspire Others and Live Life to the Fullest!

Am I Just Getting Friggin Old!

2009-05-07T22:32:00.001-04:00

I am quickly approaching my 40th birthday and find myself contemplating alot in my life. Today was one of those days.

I was asked to teach this week at two different schools which are for students who dropped out of school and decided to try again. I admire that. It takes alot to admit that you quit but your are going to get back up and conquer that mistake.

Tonight I taught at the first school. It is a unique school created by three of my old favorite high school teachers. It did not surprise me that they started this charter school as they were inspirational to me when I was in school. They are true heroes who have inspired, through their caring and devotion, many students.

So....I stand in front of these challenged, often surly, teenagers and tell them my story and teach them what I do. I get them up and moving. We interact. We talk. We laugh at times. But... there is that underlying tension that every adult gets when trying to educate teens who think they have all the answers or that their youth is everlasting. I used to get annoyed with it. Today I notice something different......

I get angered not at the attitude, but in the fact that what they are capable or their capacity for greatness is lost on most of them. They are at a defining moment in their life. They have the power to put in motion changes that could shape their lives and those of others. I get mad that they cannot see their magnificent potential. It is at that moment that I understand just what those teachers saw in me, what they encouraged, nagged and pushed me to achieve.

At the end, several of my old teachers approached me and told me they were blow away how I had all those kids engaged and engrossed in what I was teaching them. They marvel at what a great teacher I was. Told me how proud they were of me. I smiled and then looked at each of they as I told them......"I learned it from you!"

Lessons from Anywhere

2009-05-07T14:49:00.000-04:00

We can find lessons and prophetic sayings in the strangest places. I came across one in the latest issue of MASuccess magazine. In amongst the pages of useless info was a HUGE nugget that many will have missed. It was an interview with Renzo Gracie. Renzo (by the way, I am NOT the biggest fan of BJJ or the Gracies) who teaches the Crown Prince of Abu Dabhi was at a meeting of the Prince when the question posed was as follows:

Prince: "What would you do if you knew you were going to die tomorrow?"

One man asnwered he would get his finances in order, say goodbye to his loved ones and a thousand other things. The answers that came for around the room were basically the same.

Renzo stated " I would do nothing, just sit down and relax and wait for the moment. I have always said I love you to those I love. I have always hugged every person I like and had the chance to hug. And deep down, I honestly believed in everything I did. So there is no reason to run around like a nut job. I did everything I could, I enjoyed every moment of my life and I gave to everything I could to those around me. So, this alone makes me a happy man. If I die tomorrow, I dont think about crying; a happy man has left the building."

WOW!

Train Hard, Inspire Others and Live Life to the Fullest!

The Spirit of Which It Was Intended

2009-05-04T11:53:00.000-04:00

In the martial arts we talk alot about spirit. What is this spirit that we always stress and strive to acquire. Many have likened it to the spirit of the Samurai or the Knights of Old, some have talked of warriors of olden days who roamed the world fighting battles, some would say that our current soldiers in the desert of Iraq are what we might refer to. All are right....and wrong.

All of those are examples of the spirit in action. Mother Teresa had it. Martin Luther King Jr had it. Gandhi, Buddha, the Dalai Lama, Muhammad Ali, Abraham Lincoln had it. "It" is a complex formula. It starts with a deep set conviction in one's belief that something is not right and needs to change. Add in one's values, teachings and training along with an attitude that says never and you are starting to get "It". I personally believe it starts with a deep feeling of service to our fellow man, because it shows that you care otherwise you would want to only change your circumstance and not others.

I think as martial arts "Teachers" (notice I did not say Master. I may never see the day when I am truly a "master" as I feel there will always be something for me to learn, no matter how old or wise I may get) we take the role of a guide because we feel this pull of service to others. It is a sense of duty. Now whether we were born with it or our training developed it, is an individual thing but I think we feel it. We pay it forward by hoping that we will instill it in our students. I feel in someways it is becoming lost as many focus on ego, title and belts and less on the spirit that drives a true martial artist.

Warriors are, by very definition, a person who fights for a cause or belief. They forge their mind, body and spirit by challenging, either by their own hand or the fate that draws them into a battle, the very fiber of their being. They understand that enough is never "enough", good can always be better and the end is not as important as the process that forges the soul. One can make a sword, but if one does not pay attention to every detail of its manufacture, one may find a sword that cannot or will not help them in battle. This is a prime example, that if you dont pay attention to the process, the end result will be absolutely nothing.

So throughout history, the spirit was the intention that led the warrior to become, no matter how hard, no matter how many times it took, no matter the obstacles, what we hold so dear!

Train Hard, Inspire Others and Live Life to the Fullest!

Random Acts for April 22 - 26

2009-04-27T11:22:00.000-04:00

Wednesday April 22, 2009

1.) Called a friend in need
2.) Sent a birthday card to a friend (I am horrible with this so this is a BIG deal!)
3.) Held the door for a woman with a stroller
4.) Stopped to help a guy with a flat tire
5.) Gave a student a ride home

Thursday April 23, 2009

1.) Gave a former student $50 sponsorship for his race car
2.) Cleaned off a table at a restraunt
3.) Picked up trash in the yard of the dojo
4.) Donated some items to Goodwill
5.) Said hi and spoke with some kids at the elementary school

Friday April 24, 2009

1.) Bought some construction workers some waters
2.) Picked up some trash around the trash can at the car wash as I cleaned out my car
3.) Spoke with an upset student
4.) Called a UBBT Team mate
5.) Treated everyone I met with a smile

Saturday April 25, 2009

1.) Held the door for an elderly couple at McDonalds (dont worry I had a salad)
2.) Cleaned off the porch for my parents
3.) Helped a lady find the book she was looking for at Borders
4.) Renewed my membership at Surfrider.com (helping the oceans!)
5.) Let a lady with some HUGE totes go in front of me at the store

Sunday April 26, 2009

1.) Took my mom shopping
2.) Stopped and spoke for a few minutes with my favorite clerk at Home Depot. Asked how she was. She is a sweet little Filipino woman who is always friendly and smiling!
3.) Held the door for a man and his little boy as they were going into the restroom at Target
4.) Helped a man find the paper towels he was looking for at the grocery store
5.) Parked at the far end of the lot so others can use the spots closer (plus the walking is good exercise)

What Do You Look Like Naked?

2009-04-27T10:45:00.001-04:00

Right about now, after reading the title of this blog, many people are either gasping, laughing or ready to pick up the phone and call me to tell me to behave myself! However.....

I am not talking about the physical, but more the mental and spiritual side of you! Yes, your physical appearance and how you view yourself is important in the trinity of ourselves but how often do we look at ourselves, emotionally, mentally and spiritually, as if we were naked? Stripped away of all the trappings we keep to make everyone think we have it all together?

When we embark on a program to get ourselves in better shape we are told to evaluate ourselves by standing naked in front of a mirror. (ewww!) But when we embark on a quest to better ourselves do we look at our inner person as if it were free of all the emotional, mental and spiritual clothing that we wear so that we can get a true cold hard look at what we are?

I know I don't, sometimes, but not nearly enough.

I have been known at times to have a short fuse. It is strange because it erupts at different times. Things that bother most don't bother me but other things can set me off. I am and have been working on this my whole life.

A classic example just happened last week. My wife and I received some money to buy new laptops (I know, conserve, young jedi) and we went to Best Buy. Now we were sort of pressed for time, but only if things took longer than planned. Well....we waited....and waited...and I started to turn green and my clothes were getting tight (Hulk metaphor here people!) and I was getting angry. Well to make a long story short I was pretty short with everyone and later spent alot of time apologizing.

It is funny because I don't really believe in anger. It is a consuming and festering emotion. However it is one that needs to be felt and expressed, albiet in a proper manner.

I still dont know why I was so upset over something so small. Bad Wheaties, I guess.

Each day that I spend in meditation, I have decided, to spend looking at myself, my inner self, naked in the mirror of my mind. I want to understand why I do what I do. I have spent a lifetime trying to learn to control my body and that of my opponent, yet I have spent so little time trying to learn to control that which is inside and can beat me anytime and anywhere. It isn't that other person that is truly going to ruin or renew my life, it is what is inside that can do that and to others as well.

Train Hard, Inspire Others and Live Life to the Fullest!

Random Acts April 13 - 21

2009-04-22T10:35:00.000-04:00

Random Acts of Kindness for April 13 - 21

Monday April 13, 2009

1.) held the door at the store for someone
2.) sorted the mail for the front desk
3.) called and checked in on a sick friend
4.) treated everyone I came in contact with politely and friendly
5.) picked up some trash in my neighbors yard

Tuesday April 14, 2009

1.) stopped to help a student outside the school who was having a problem
2.) helped a woman at the grocery store put her groceries in the car
3.) collected some carriages at the store and put them in the corral
4.) stopped by the SPCA to see if they needed anything
5.) gave a student a ride home

Wednesday April 15, 2009

1.) called and checked in on my sick friend
2.) sent a thank you note
3.) treated everyone politely and friendly
4.) let someone take my parking space
5.) had lunch with the kids at school

Thursday April 16, 2009

1.) picked up friend at the airport
2.) picked up trash on the ground while I was pumping gas
3.) help a lost person find their way back to the highway
4.) set up my cabin at the Ali camp for the rest of my cabin mates
5.) emptied the trash for Tracy

Friday April 17, 2009

1.) drove a friend around looking for a special item
2.) made sure everyone signed a birthday card and wedding card
3.) spoke with someone in a kind and friendly manner even though there is much tension between us
4.) told my friends how happy I was to see them
5.) helped a friend from Germany find his cabin and bunk

Saturday April 18, 2009

Although I am sure I did random acts, we trained all day so my mind was on that! Sorry!

Sunday April, 19, 2009

1.) texted a friend about his sick dad
2.) called a friend to make sure he got home safely
3.) helped clean up after the Ali camp
4.) repair a broken chair at the camp
5.) separated some recycling

Monday April 20, 2009

1.) Took a friend to the airport
2.) called a friend and kept him company during his drive home
3.) held an umbrella for a woman putting her child in her car in the rain at a rest stop
4.) let several cars pull in front of me at a merge for an accident
5.) stopped to help a disabled traveler

Tuesday April 21, 2009

1.) wished Dr Sam a happy birthday
2.) talked for an hour with an upset friend
3.) gave a student a ride home
4.) picked up trash in the restroom at applebees
5.) thanked several people for doing what they do

Do You Truly Express

2009-04-14T13:50:00.000-04:00

One of my personal pet peeves is when people get angry with each other but will not express what it is that made them angry. To me that makes no sense. Why would you not tell someone what it is they did to make you angry so that you can apologize or not do it again. It seems to me like a form of a trap.

We spend so much time with negative emotions. Why would we give them power and energy? This is what happens when you are angry with someone and you do not express it. Soon it gains energy and form because now every little thing that person does that you do not like will generate even more anger and so on until it becomes something that could possibly ruin a relationship. How hard is it to say to someone, especially someone you love, " I am angry right now and I wish to discuss it when I have calmed down". We know that many times we say things we dont mean or regret when we are angry but if we dont express it at some point it can become a bigger issue.

Anger is an emotion that everyone feels and has the right to feel, but it needs to be expressed, properly, to be released. I have dealt with anger and anger people almost all my life. It is like an acid. If it is left unchecked it boils until the point that it eats away at those things that are most important in our lives.

The way I have learned to deal with my anger is to express it in proper ways, although I dont always succeed at this. First, if I have the opportunity I will remove myself from the situation that has made me angry until i have calmed down, then I think about the situation and find what would be the best course of action to deal with it, but I know it must be dealt with. I have watched too many family relationships become destroyed by either repressed anger or anger expressed in violent improper ways.

When dealing with a person, it is common to blame or criticize the person, however, it is not the person but his words or actions that made you mad. You need to express that. You can state things like "I felt angry because what you said makes me feel ...... or I am upset because by doing that it made me feel .... that way it defines that it was not the person, but his/her words or actions that made you feel that way and it is your personal perception of those acts or words that makes you feel a certain way and it is not a personal attack on the other person.

Are You A Blue Person

2009-04-13T11:05:00.000-04:00

This past weekend (Easter Sunday) I had several discussions with several family members regarding depression. Depression has plagued my family, fortunately it has not taken anyone's life, but their have been some close calls.

My father, brother and sister all suffer from depression, sometimes debilitating, at some points, life-threatening. I have watched friends deal with it.

I later had a discussion with my wife about the subject. I dont think I have ever been "depressed". I have been bummed out, frustrated, agitated but never "depressed". It made me start to question why. The only answer I can come up with is that the one constant, the one positive driving force in my life that has been there since I was young, was the martial arts.

They wont admit it but most of the members of my family have had moments in their lives when challenges made them develop an attitude of quitting. I quit several musical instruments when I was young because I listen to negative criticism and took it the wrong way. Why did I develop an attitude of pushing on when others who face many of the same hardships, developed and attitude of defeat.

It began to make me wonder why some people who are face with extreme difficulties become stronger from them while other become weaker. Is it because those who benefit from their experiences, truly experience the hardship, while others just live through it?

Recently I met a 19 year old man who was diagnosed with stage 4 brain cancer two weeks before his high school graduation. He explained to me that the day before he had passed out at school and later went to the doctors for some tests. The following day, on his way to school his truck ran out of gas and he had to walk to school in the rain. When he arrived at school he saw his mother at the school. He told his mother that he was having a horrible day and that he didnt know how it could get any worse! Well, his mother had to tell him he had cancer.

This young mans faith and his attitude, his favorite saying is that he may have cancer but cancer doesnt have him, may have been the determining factor in that one month ago he was told his tumor was dead and that the surgery and chemo had worked. I think it was not the medicine but him that cured him!

Now this man could be bitter and feel that he has been dealt a bad hand but he didnt. He now tells his story to everyone he meets!

I have another friend, Mike, who was diagnosed with thyroid cancer. Mike, who was a lifetime martial artist, as he puts it, "laid down his sword" to fight this demon. Mike refused all western treatments and dove head first into a life of holistic treatments. He began seeking out shaman and other healers. He ate a macrobiotioc diet and began meditation and chi kung. One year later, Mike was presenting his story to the Dana Farber Cancer Institute on how he beat his cancer. He is completely cancer free. When you are around Mike, you feel like a child again! He has this energy and life about him. He shared with me his morning routine on time. He begins each day with meditation and thanks. Thanks!? Here is a man who could have turned bitter and felt "depressed" but each day he gives thanks. Is it because he was forced to find the good in his life?

Each day should begin with a moment or two to look at the things you do have. There are more than you know, you just have to stop looking for what you dont have!

Train Hard, Inspire Others and Live Life to the Fullest!

Random Acts of Kindness April 12, 2009

2009-04-13T10:56:00.001-04:00

Random Acts of Kindness for Sunday April 12, 2009 EASTER!!!!

1.) Said thanks to the Almighty for his HUGE act of kindness!
2.) Visited my father, his health, both mentally and physically is not that good
3.) Washed the dishes after Easter Dinner
4.) Picked up trash in my parents yard
5.) Helped some people get a large package down at Walmart

Random Acts for April 11, 2009

2009-04-13T10:54:00.000-04:00

Random Acts for Saturday April 11, 2009

1.) Took my daughter to National Literacy Day
2.) Spoke to one of the leaders of National Literacy Day and offered to help
3.) Help some kids find the rooms they were looking for
4.) Put some stray shooping carriages away at Home Depot
5.) Took some trash to the garbage for my parents

Random Acts for April 10, 2009

2009-04-13T10:50:00.000-04:00

Random Acts for Friday April 10, 2009

1.) Sent a thank you note to a friend...just for being a friend
2.) Took my wife and daughter to dinner
3.) Wrote a comment card on the great job our waitress did
4.) Spoke with the gym teacher at the elementary school. Offered to supply footballs to the school
5.) Gave a friend a ride home

Random Acts April 9, 2009

2009-04-13T10:46:00.000-04:00

Random Acts of Kindness for Thursday April 9, 2009

1.) Tried to greet everyone I came in contact with politely and with enthusiasm
2.) Listen intently to a friend who is dealing with a difficult problem
3.) Called a friend who is going to have a surgical procedure
4.) Spoke to the principle at the elementary school to see if their was anything they needed
5.) Washed the dishes in the break room

Do You Experience Life or Just Live It?

2009-04-08T17:30:00.000-04:00

I dont know about you but it seems that some people, including myself at one point in my short life, seem to just go about their life as if it was something to just get through. They never really stop to "smell the roses" as they are just trying to finish the day.

It is my goal and my wish to truly experience all the moments in my life but some times it is just so darn hard! I had a small mental breakdown today as I felt overwhelmed with all the things that seemed to grow on the list of things to do. I was able to snap the panic by telling myself that they are not "things to do" but rather things to experience. Although they are task to be completed, each one would produce a different result each time. That got me excited! I now felt less like their wasnt enough hours in the day to get it all done and more like their wasnt enough hours to learn and grow from it all!

It did help me refocus some priorities and polish my time management, however, it was just another learning experience that I could have let ruin my day but it didnt. It enlivened me!

In my earlier years, I was the type of person who just got up every day with really no sense of direction. I knew what I had to do each day but I just did them with mechanical mindfulness. Now I find myself looking at each thing I do with the wonderment (is that a word?) that a small child does. It is really cool!

So my question to you.....do you experience life or just live it!?

Train Hard, Inspire Others and Live Life to the Fullest!

Random Acts April 8, 2009

2009-04-08T17:26:00.000-04:00

Acts for Wednesday April 8, 2009

1.) held the door for an elderly woman at Borders
2.) Picked up the A frame sign outside Borders that the wind had knocked over
3.) Helped a woman at Staples find the printer cartridge she was looking for
4.) Cleaned up some brush that had blown into the road
5.) Treated every employee who helped me today as if they were the best thing ever!

Random Acts April 7, 2009

2009-04-08T17:23:00.000-04:00

Acts for Tuesday April 7, 2009

1.) Brought the laundry up for my wife
2.) Brought some trash to the dump bucket for my parents
3.) Washed some dishes that were in the sink at work
4.) Called a friend
5.) made some phone calls to help a friend get a new job

Random Acts for April 6, 2009

2009-04-08T17:20:00.000-04:00

For Monday April 6, 2009

1.) Held the door for a woman at the store
2.) Stopped to talk to a teacher before school
3.) Let a car turn in front of me instead of making them wait
4.) Picked up some trash outside Dr Sam's
5.) Sent out some thank you notes

What Are You Grateful For

2009-04-06T11:28:00.001-04:00

Just recently I downloaded an application into my iPhone (my latest addiction!) called a Gratitude Journal. It is a little note book where if you log five things you are grateful for a day it gives you a little quote. I have fell in love with this as each day at the end of the day I reflect back on the day and really think about all the wonderous things I have in my life.

So this brings me to today's thoughts. What are YOU grateful for? Do you really even take a moment to think about it? I will be honest, I didn't until just a short time ago. I appreciated what I had but I wasn't truly grateful as I didn't really even give it a second thought most of the time.

What I am finding is that the more I think about what I am grateful for, the more things I find to be grateful for! It causes a state of change in my attitude and mind-set immediately. When you are making your list, it is perfectly acceptable, matter of fact it should be, to include the same things everyday. Your list should grow each time you make it as you will find that along with the things you are grateful for like family, friends, getting vertical each morning, your health, having food and clothing etc, you should find yourself including things that did not seem to matter before or that you have taken for granted.

Take in the moments, no matter how bad and look for the things you are grateful for. What you will discover is that the world is full of grateful moments!

Train Hard, Inspire Others and Live Life to the Fullest!

Random Acts for Sunday April 5th, 2009

2009-04-06T11:10:00.000-04:00

Random Acts of Kindness for Sunday April 5, 2009

1.) Brought lunch to my wife at work
2.) Held the door for several people at Boloco
3.) Apologize several times to the employees at Boloco. They felt guilty because our order was not complete when we arrived. I told them it was okay and was sorry if I made them feel bad in anyway
4.) Spoke to a friend who is having financial difficulties and offer encouragement
5.) Let someone have the parking spot I was going to park in. I parked further from the store and enjoyed the walk.

Random Acts for April 4th, 2009

2009-04-06T11:04:00.000-04:00

My Random Acts for Saturday April 4, 2009:

1.) Helped a friend with a belt test at his dojo
2.) Helped a young man set up some tables
3.) Spoke to the testing candidates and offer words of encouragement
4.) Listen intently to all who spoke to me, even though it was very late and I was very tired
5.) Helped the employee at McDonald's (yes I know, not the best choice however it was late) pick up some trash that had blown across the lot.

Because I Care!

2009-04-03T15:54:00.000-04:00

Just recently one of my students got upset because I was correcting him. I related a story about one of my own experiences.

I had a teacher that it seemed not matter what I did that day, I could do nothing right. He corrected me on every little detail. Later he asked me how I felt about my day. I replied that I did not feel very good about myself and that I felt he was basically picking on me. He looked me straight in the face and explained to me that he was riding me harder than the other students becuase he felt that I was capable of more.

He explained to me that by pushing a student to do better is a way of showing that you care. If you did not care about the student, you would not even bother.

Parents discipline and guide their children because they care for their children and want the best for them. Teaching students to be the best they can be is a way of caring. Teaching each other, either through lessons or by example is caring. The student may not see it or appreciate it but do it anyway!

Train Hard, Inspire Other and Live Life to the Fullest!

Random Acts of Kindness - April 3rd, 2009

2009-04-03T15:48:00.000-04:00

Todays Random Acts Of Kindness.

1.) Help an elderly woman figure out how to use an ATM machine.
2.) Put away a shopping cart for a woman who was putting a child in her car in the rain
3.) Bought coffees for some people doing construction in the rain
4.) Smiled and said hello to everyone I could today
5.) Wrote a note of encouragement to a friend

Today's Random Act Of Kindness

2009-04-02T15:05:00.001-04:00

Today began the first day of our school wide challenge for Random Acts of Kindness. Last night I announced that it is mandatory that all students record 5 acts of kindness for the next thirty days. No act is too small or insignificant. So here are mine:

1.) Held the door at the store for a lady
2.) Greeted the cashier in a kind and friendly manner and ask her how her day was going.
3.) Said Good Morning to all my little friends at Penacook Elementary as I was dropping my daughter off and asked the how they were doing. (This is one of my favorite things and I look forward to it each morning!)
4.) Wrote a note to one of my UBBT Team mates.
5.) Called a friend and thanked them for helping me out the other day.

Do It Anyway

2009-04-02T14:36:00.000-04:00

friend read this to me. Some of you may have heard this. It is from a sign on the wall of the Children's Home in Calcutta.
People are unreasonable, illogical and self-centered,
LOVE THEM ANYWAY
If you do good, people will accuse you of selfish, ulterior motives
DO GOOD ANYWAY
If you are successful, you will win false friends and true enemies,
SUCCEED ANYWAY
The good you do will be forgotten tomorrow,
DO GOOD ANYWAY
Honesty and frankness make you vulnerable,
BE HONEST AND FRANK ANYWAY
What you spent years building may be destroyed overnight,
BUILD ANYWAY
People really need help but may attack you if you help them,
HELP PEOPLE ANYWAY
Give the world the best you have and you'll get kicked in the teeth,
GIVE THE WORLD THE BEST YOU'VE GOT ANYWAY
I think this says it all!
Train Hard, Inspire Others and Live Life to the Fullest!

Service to Others

2009-04-01T13:18:00.000-04:00

I made a commitment to myself several years ago that I would strive to serve my fellow man. I realized many years ago that I was horrible at serving others. Dont get me wrong, I was brought up to be kind and compassionate, polite and proper, but not really inclined to live a life of servitude.
For a warrior it was considered a great honor to serve. I served my country. But I never stepped out of my own world and truly served others. I am working to change that. There is a distinct humbleness in doing service for others, as well as a feeling of peace.
In my younger days I would help someone if they asked for help. Today I find myself asking others if they need help. I find myself calling people and organizations and asking "what can I do for you?" It is amazing the feelings and power that one phrase has, not just on the people you are helping but on yourself.
We are supposed to record Random Acts of Kindness. I had trouble with that because I was always looking for that WOW moment. What I did daily just didnt seem that special. After talking with others I realized that in reality, what I did each and every time was special. Dan Millman wrote a book called "No Ordinary Moments." Well every minute of every day in our lives, there is no ordinary moments. It may seem like an ordinary moment to you but to someone you just smiled and said hello to or held that door for, that moment may be the best one they have had that day.
There are moments when there will be no one around to ask if they need your help but something that will need to be done. We need to be just like the Nike motto and "Just Do It."
I think the Alabama Experience teaches us and in some ways due to the lack of creature comforts forces us to serve others. It is a great lesson. One that cannot be taught enough. Lets get rid of the "Me" generation and create the "We" generation!
Train Hard, Inspire Others and Live Life to the Fullest!

Alabama Report

2009-03-30T20:49:00.000-04:00

Hello Everyone!
I just made it home from our trip to Alabama. WOW, what an experience! Even though I was suffering from walking pneumonia, the experience could not have been better.
This was one of those trips and experiences that one can never truly put into words and one will never forget.
I enjoyed finally meeting everyone and getting the chance to connect with most all of you. If I missed any of you I apologize. I made some really meaningful friendships even though it was only a short time and I look forward to developing them and others as time goes on. It was my goal to not only help the cause but to get to know people beyond their martial arts "persona".
It was very impressive that tempers never really flared, with the exception of one incident, which was between me and a few of my teammates, even though 107 people shared one restroom. The incident with my teammates led to a discussion that went into the wee hours of the morning and brought us closer together in the end. Conflict, when dealt with and resolved, can lead to a deeper understanding of people and situations. The details are not important, simply the end result.
I truly enjoyed making many of you laugh and laughing with you! I wish to personal thank Chris Hadlock, Sal, Sandra, Jeff (all of them!) Randy, Michelle, Jen and Rick and the crew from the Thrift Shop (some names I forget but not the impact you had on me)!
I look forward to talking to many of you soon and if I neglect to contact me, please feel free to FEDEX a box of angry hamsters to remind me to call or write!
Train Hard, Inspire Others and Live Life to the Fullest!
(and if you need a pick me up, just remember the Alabama Thumb Tack Story!)

I Am a Student

2009-03-13T15:00:00.001-04:00

I AM a student and forever shall be. What I am a student of changes with each and every day. I am a student of many topics, depending on where life leads me and what my needs are. The day we think we have all the answers about everything or that we have nothing left to learn is the day we stop....period.
In the martial arts, I will be an eternal student. Each and every day I discover something new and unique about what we do. It can be a way to do a technique, a way to teach a technique or simply the history of why we do what we do. It is not only learning with our minds but our bodies, spirit and soul. So much to learn that I truly feel one could never learn it in even 10 lifetimes.
In life, each and every day something or someone teaches us something. Sometimes we are aware of the lesson we learned, other times we may not see the lesson until much later in life while sometimes it just goes completely over our heads!
There is something to learn everyday from so many sources that it simply boggles my mind!
A friend last night told me a wonderful story that his father told him. It goes as follows:
A young man was always mean and rude to people. His father told him that to learn to be kind he needed to remind himself each and everytime he was mean or rude until he saw what he was doing. The father told the son to put a nail in their fence every time he did wrong to someone. Soon the fence was riddled with nails. The father then told the son to remove a nail every time he did something good for someone. Over time the son saw the error of his ways and starting doing good things, each time removing a nail until they were all gone. One day the father took the son out to the fence. He told the son how proud he was that he had learned to be kind. He then asked the son if he noticed anything about the fence. The son was puzzled as all the nails were gone. The father told the son that all though he had learned his lesson and became kind, the scars of his mean and rude actions still remained.

Old Dog, Old Tricks

2009-03-11T14:38:00.001-04:00

I am a very opinionated old time martial artist! I am not so much stuck in my ways that I cannot see where progress is made and where it is not. With that said however, as a school owner, I am rip roaring mad. Each and every month I have some young buck come into my school and proclaim to me that he wants to train to fight in MMA/NHB fights. I refer him to the MMA class. After two or three weeks, they QUIT! When I inquire what they didnt like the standard answer is usually something like "I didnt know I was gonna have to learn all this stuff, I just wanna fight."
They seem to have the impression that the training is just coming in, wearing their SPRAWL shorts and their TAPOUT shirts, and basically throwing down. Now this reminds me of the days when WWF wrestling was big and kids/teens where staging their own backyard brawls.
Folks, it requires training in the basic structure of techniques to jump in the ring. It requires conditioning. It requires repetition after repetition of movements until they become near perfect and with precision. These people seem to think that because they can take a punch or have won a few "fights" that they are going to be the next UFC champ. Now I am not, I repeat, NOT, a big fan of MMA as it stands. Bruce Lee was technically an MMA fighter. Almost any martial artist who combines different disciplines is a MMA fighter. It does not have to be just the stand up of karate, kickboxing and Muay Thai and the ground of BJJ to be a MMA style. To me a true MMA fighter is someone who is proficient at all ranges of fighting. But that is a whole different debate. What I will say is those individuals who train and fight at the professional level are AMAZING athletes and to think that one can just jump into a ring with little to no training is just downright disrespectful and unintelligent.
The biggest thing that smacks me right in the face is the fact that these "wanna bees" cant even complete a training program, yet somehow think that they have the heart to endure a fight. How can you jump into something that requires heart and determination when you cant even stick with the training?
I was always taught that hard training forges a true warrior. That through tough physical, mental and spiritual training you develop a strong and enduring spirit. Now I agree with many that some of our old archaic (sp) ways may not be the best method for developing this but you can not grow and develop to a point unless you continuosly challenge and push yourself to your limits and beyond.

Aha Moments??!!

2009-03-10T13:11:00.000-04:00

The other day I was watching TV (I know, shame on me) and there was this commerical where this woman was taking about her six year old child had decided to ask people to donate instead of giving him presents for his birthday. Bravo for this child!
The issue I have here is that this is just now being made into a public campaign??!! I know many children that have done this in the past, but it has never been made into a commercial or really been made public. That is a problem!
It seems that we are constantly surrounded with information on what people are doing wrong or what horrible things are being done to each other. Very little limelight is cast on the great deeds that hundreds or thousands of people do everyday.
One of the few TV shows I do watch is Extreme Home Makeover. I watch and I cry, not only for the heartwrenching stories that are told or the amazing outpouring of humanity that happens during the show, but more for the fact that this is only a sliver of what is going on and it is not mainstream TV.
Last Sundays episode featured a woman who was born without legs and one arm that was severely deformed. This woman was helped by the Easter Seals and she has dedicated her life to them. She has four children, who in their own right are simply incredible young people in their own right. This woman defeated all odds to go on to raise these amazing young people. Her effect was very profound on those that she worked with but was not really expressed until the show when people stepped up to speak about how amazing this woman is.
It makes one wonder.. why do we tell everyone when someone has wronged us but those people who create powerful moments in our lives and those around us, we keep to ourselves? The change in thinking needs to happen when we shout from the highest point the accolades of those who are creating a better world and better people and less about the people who harm others.
I often ponder this as I sit and see some of the things that happen in our world, like killers who slaughter many, get plastered all over the media, almost glorifying what they did, when the many who helped goes unnoticed. Maybe it is because these people do what they do not for glory or fame but from the very depths of their hearts. Even though they do not ask for rewards or fame, it does not mean they do not deserve the center spotlight.

I Am a Leader

2009-02-25T14:23:00.001-05:00

A leader is defined as someone who people follow due to passion, principle or mandate.
Many times in my life I have found myself in a position of leadership whether I chose it or it chose me.
I was never one of those kids who felt the need to run for positions of leadership in school. I used to help my teachers but never saw it as a position of any prominence. Later in my life I found myself in leadership roles at work in a supervisor position but that was mandated. I did take pride in my work so therefore I feel I was a good leader.
My first real leadership role, I feel, came during my time serving my country in the United States Coast Guard. Towards the end of my duty, I had injured my knee and was stationed at a support center where I worked in an office environment with both military and civilain personnel. It was here that my superior Lt. O'Day encouraged me to take on the roles of leadership. I was somewhat of a celebrity when I had arrived at the center as I was one of the rescuers involved in a rescue that would later be a book and a movie called the Perfect Storm and had also served duty at the Presidental Security Detail Station assigned to Bush Sr. I was thrust into the limelight, not by choice of my own. I did very well running our section and as Junior Officer of the Deck until my discharge in 1993.
As I continued in my life after that I held several management position and spent almost ten years in Loss Prevention, eventually training people. All this time I had a small dojo and a handful of students but never really saw myself as a leader.
I opened my full time dojo in 2000. It was at this time that I started emerging as one of the leaders in the Dillman Karate International organization. I was also beginning to be asked and starting to see myself as a leader in our local schools and community. Today, I teach not just in my dojo, but around the world. I am invloved in a revitalization project in our community, I write articles for several publication on health and wellness, I teach Junior Achievement and aide in classes at the local elementary and high schools.
I tell you all this not to brag or boast, but to try to help you understand that I still to this day do not feel I have done anything special or out of the ordinary to find myself in this position. I love people. I love meeting, interacting and forming bonds and relationships. I love sharing my brief life and it lessons. I love sharing and learning from my martial arts background. I love seeing people smile, grow and evolve. However it is from a sort of selfish reason: I learn and grow with each person I meet! They make me who I am and who I will be. Every person is a teacher and a leader at some moment in time. It is the moments that bring this quality out in a person.

I Am Connected

2009-02-24T14:34:00.000-05:00

Connection is defined as joined or linked together. Now whether one has a physical connection, an emotional connection, a spiritual connection or other is different from person to person and subject to subject.
I find it humorous as I joined the "facebook community" how close people are connected as far as knowing one another. It was surprising to know that I knew people that knew people who knew each other. It was like that whole "six degrees of separation".
I have always seemed to develop connections with other people very quickly. My wife and I felt a connection the moment we met. We were married after only six months and we have been together going on 13 years. She and I still have that connection to this day.
I have always had a deep spiritual connection which the martial arts has only seemed to strengthen and deepen. It is not so much a religious connection, although I have my beliefs, but more so a connection within myself, with my fellow human beings and with nature. It has helped me find my "place" so to speak.
In the martial arts, connection is important in many aspects. First and foremost we need to be connected to the earth. It gives our movements power, stability and energy. Without this connection we would drift off. Next we need to make a connection with our partner or "uke'. Now this can be a mental or physical connection, both vitally important. The physical connection is quite simple, it can be a strike, kick, parry, lock or technique which we place a part of our body on theirs. This connection allows us to sense placement, movement and physical intention of our uke. The mental connection is not so easy and is developed through years of practice. It helps you to read your uke's intentions.

To Educate or Entertain

2009-02-24T14:33:00.001-05:00

was doing a private lesson today with a student who asked me about the way he had seen someone perform their kata. He stated that he observed this individual doing his form and that he seemed very tense and erractic in his movement. I asked him to explain this more to me. He stated " Sensei, when I watch you do kata and when you teach me, we go slow and smooth. This guy was going fast but he looked very tense and not very graceful."
Now I have heard and seen many ways to do kata. In my daily practice and how I was taught, I do each one of my katas three times each. The first run through is fast. This is to build all the physical aspects of speed, power, endurance etc. To me this is the basic level of kata. Next I slow down my movements as I visualize each self defense purpose for each movement. To me, this is the intermediate level.
The first level gives me the physical tools to movement. It teaches my body to move with the attributes needed to defend myself, however, it does not give me the meaning behind the move. It is simply mechanical.
The second level is what I am doing with the movements. This is the actual application of the movement in relation to self-defense. Now mind you, levels one and two depend on each other. I can be fast and powerful but if I do not have the knowledge of how to apply the moves than I might as well be dancing. On the other hand, I can have the knowledge of what I am doing with each movement but if I cannot deliver it, it is without use.
The third run through my kata is done in a very slow, almost Tai Chi like method. This is so that I can internalize the movement totally. I can not only visualize the purpose of the movements, but I can truly feel them. I can feel and sense each minute detail. I was taught that this was the true level of mastery in a kata. Basic was mechanical, intermediate was application, and advanced was the mastery of even the smallest detail. Hidden in these small details were some of the most devastating and powerful techniques in the arts.
What I also discovered is that each method is past, present and future. The first level is past. It is the culmunation (sp) of all of our physical training. The second level is the future. It deals with a situation that could happen but has not yet. The final level teaches us to be in the present. To pay attention to each and every detail, to understand that no moment is ordinary.
Now if we apply the principles to our lives we can see that things we do without thought or out of routine are the past. It is like a tape recorder of events that have happened already. Things we plan are the future. The hardest is to fully live in the present. To apply that same level of attention to every minute detail in even the simplest things we do as we do in the third level of kata training. These moments are few and fleeting but when they happen, it is with a clarity that is unparalleled.

I Am Exuberant

2009-02-17T12:25:00.001-05:00

Exuberant is defined in the dictionary as "Very high-spirited; extremely energetic or enthusiastic; Abundant, luxuriant".
I guess one could call me very high spirited, especially when it comes to things I am passionate about. Passion, now there is a word that seems to not be used enough in today's world. I will be honest and I hope that I do not offend, but I hardly ever meet people who are passionate about something. Most seem to be drifting through life, almost on auto pilot.
I was and am very fortunate to be surrounded by and taught by many passionate people. It is not in what they say or how heated they get in debate. It is how they live, breathe and vibrate from the very soul of their passion. Just like a great musician who you can sense and feel the passion and love in each and every note, these people exude it from each and every moment.
Passion is what brings things to life! It is what leaders inspire in others. It is what touches us at the very core of what we are seeking. When one discovers that passion, it brings new life into them, purpose and drive.
I have seen many teachers of the martial arts, simply mimic or recite lessons and techniques from others. Not that that is in itself all bad. What they fail to mimic is the passion in the technique! When a martial artist is passionate in what he is doing and teaching, it captivates us!
I have been told that when I teach it is obvious my passion for what I do, but what many dont realize is that it is seeing that passion grow in others, that inspiration, not just in the martial arts, but in life, that fuels me and gives me true love and pleasure! Now go out and live your life with passion!

An Education in Medicine

2009-02-17T12:07:00.000-05:00

Hello All! It has been too long since my last entry and for that I apologize. I will not give the laundry list as they are still no excuse.
I recently visited my doctor due to an upper respiratory issue that has hampered me since last November. I won't get into the details as they are not the issue. Here is my experience that seriously opened my eyes to the education or lack of, going on in our medical industry.
I was complaining of a cough, congestion and shortness of breath. I have been prone to getting bronchitis (sp) around this time of year. After an examination, my doctor informed me that he did not think it was bronchitis, but asthma. Now I have never had any history of asthma or its related issues. He then informed me that bronchitis and asthma were the same thing. Now, mind you I am not a doctor, but have extensive background in Traditional Chinese Medicine. I know from my schooling that although asthma and bronchitis present themselves similarly, they are both inflammation of the bronchia, that they are most commonly caused by two completely different causes. He then prescribed an antibiotic, steriods and an inhaler, even after I informed him that I NEVER take antibiotics. I believe that antibiotics cause more illnesses than they solve. When one is ill, the immune system needs to be built not destroyed. Antibiotics kill all bacteria including the healthy ones. It is not like the good and bad bacteria have flags that they wave denoting which needs to be killed and which doesnt. It also puzzled me he would prescribe an antibiotic for asthma. It was the next part of the exam that truly shocked me!
He then stated he needed to address my weight. That day my weight on their scale showed 262 pounds, fully dressed. (Mind you two days later the scale read 251. A truly amazing weight loss!). My weight one year earlier was 242. He expressed concern at my weight gain. I explained that I was doing intensive weight training and that my very expensive and highly recommended scale, which measures bodyfat and lean mass, had informed me yesterday that although my weight has not dropped dramatically, my body fat has. He decided to educate me in weight loss/gain. He stated that it was a myth that weight training increases your body-weight. Now mind you, it is somewhat of a myth that muscle weighs more than fat. A pound of muscle and a pound of fat are a pound. However, muscle is more condensed, therefore more muscle takes up the same amount of space as fat. Replace the fat and you have more muscle mass. He told me that those bodyfat scales were junk and that even body-builders are predominantly fat! Now we are not even at the best part!
Next he informed me that my daily supplementation of multi-vitamins, fish oil, astragalus and calcium were doing nothing for my health and I should stop wasting my money. I informed him that it was his colleauge that had recommended the fish oil as I suffer from advanced arthritis in most of my joints. He scoffed!
The final straw was an issue he and I have been "watching" for over three years. I have extremely elevated levels of iron in my blood. I also have liver enzymes in my blood which indicated damage to the liver. I may have a condition known as hemochromatosis. It's side effects, if left untreated are nasty and fatal! Liver cancer, diabetes, alzhiemers are just a few. The treatment is very simple. Donate one pint of blood per week until levels are normal and them maintenance donations every 4 to six months. Now donating a pint of blood is good for your health period, like an oil change for your circulatory system. Yet he would like to exercise a "wait and see " method. What are we waiting to see? If I develop some serious disease?? At this point I asked him if he had been sampling some of his drug samples! I was enraged!
Later after I had calmed down, I was appalled at the care I had recieved. First I was treated without respect, condesending at best. But what shocked me more was the lack of education in nutrition and preventative health that this doctor demonstrated. With all the knowledge and documentation out there today, it seemed like I was in the stone age in his office.
What it taught me was that we need to take charge of our health and well-being. We need to educate ourselves and arm ourselves with all the available knowledge that is out there. We need to become healer and teachers of this knowledge. It is the basic understanding of our bodies and how to maintain it. How many times do you buy a car or appliance and refer back to the owners manual? Well the most important machine we own is our bodies, we should at least have a basic knoledge of its owners manual. I know I dont want someone else reading mine for me. Last time I bought something that needed a manual, it was all written in Chinese!

Ya Gots' Ta Have Faith

2009-02-04T14:27:00.000-05:00

One of my "heroes" taught more about the power of faith than anyone. This person held a very special place in my life and did a great deal for me. This person was my grandmother, who passed away 8 years ago this day.
My grandmother led a very harsh life from the time she was very little. Her parents both died when she was young and she was raised by her grandparents who were, to say the least, very negative people and not very encouraging.
She survived the Great Depression and the war. Her husband committed suicide after discovering he had cancer. She was the one that found him after he took a shotgun to himself. He left her to raise three children, alone.
When I was young, every Saturday, all us kids would sleep over her house. She always made sure we were taken care of.
She was very active up until her seventies. It was during that time that she started having a hard time seeing and eventually would lose her sight all together.
As a teenager, I began going once a week to take care of the yard chores and other items that she could no longer do. She gave me some pocket money and always made sure she had my favorite ice cream snack. After work and lunch, we would play Scrabble or Yahtzee. I have fond memories of this.
Once I was able to drive and such, I began to visit her more often and do anything she needed me to do. Again she would give me pocket money and most often we would go out to lunch.
My grandmother was not a tall woman, maybe five foot five inches, but by the time of her death she had stooped so badly, she barely was five feet.
As time went on I realized that she needed more my company than help with assorted chores. When my daughter was born, my grandmother paid all of my bills for six weeks so that neither my wife or I would have to go back to work and we could spend that time with our new daughter. I am very happy that she got to hold my daughter before she passed away and even though she could not see, one could tell by the expression on her face that she thought my daughter was the most beautiful thing!
My grandmother was very devout Christian. She didnt go around trying to convert people, but she did her devotions daily without fail. She would always tell me in tough times, "God will provide". Adversity never seemed to phase her. She always was strong and sometimes downright ornery!
She passed away seven weeks after my daughter was born. She was living in an assisted living facility and had fallen. I recieved the call my second day back to work. I was on my way out the door when I recieved the second call that she was in danger of not making it. The final call came five minutes down the road. She had passed. I was devastated!
One of the most important memories I have of her was when one of her elderly friends, who liked to listen to talk shows on the radio, told my grandmother when she asked about her "shows", that her radio broke. My grandmother sent me five minutes after she hung up the phone to go buy the woman a new radio and deliver it to her house.
My grandmother will always be a hero of sorts to me. She endured hardship, yet never lost her faith in what was just and right.

My Journey to the Land of Wine and Cheese

2009-01-28T12:16:00.000-05:00

I just returned from teaching a series of seminars in France. I tell you this not to brag but so you will understand why I went through what I am about to tell you!
I began my journey to my host country with a two hour bus ride from my home in Concord NH to Logan Airport in Boston MA. Because of the bus schedule, I should have arrived three hours before my flight. After going through a relatively easy time in security, I was beginning to feel like maybe for once my journey to France would be easy (all five years I have gone, something has happened!). Well.....
I was informed that my flight was delayed for an hour and a half. Okay. Four and one half hours in an airport...I found a quiet, unoccupied area and proceeded to do my pushups and crunches. Thank God noone came around as they would have thought I lost my mind!
Next began the wait. I was flying from Boston to Madrid and connecting to Toulouse France. I looked at my boarding passes and suddenly discovered that my connecting flight had been changed. I began to feel my blood pressure rise. I called my wife. I called the airlines. I went to the ticket counter. They informed me that there was only two flights from Madrid to Toulouse and I would miss the first and have to take the second. The problem was the second one did not leave until 6 and a half hours after I arrived. Groan!
I arrived in Madrid feeling like something a dog had just thrown up. Unkept, tired, in need of food and a shower. (I cannot sleep on planes!) I discovered that because my flight did not leave for six hours, there was not even a gate set for me flight. If you have ever been to the Madrid airport, it is 46 minutes from one end to the other! So I had to wait in the middle. There were no seats here so I had to sit on the floor. I went in search of a secluded area, did my pushups and crunches, went to the restrooms and bathed using antibacterial wipes, and then set off to hunt...err...find some food. I was please to find a place called "Healthy Eats" and had a wonderful breakfast. After breakfast I claimed my spot, put on my Ipod and began reading "The Power of Now" by Eckhart Tolle. It was an appropriate book for an appropriate time as it turned out.
I finally arrived in Toulouse and my friend took me the two hour drive to Perpignan where my seminars would be and we ate a wonderful dinner! I was also surprised to find a friend of mine I have not seen in seven years traveled from his home in Finland to attend my seminar!
Now mind you I do not speak French, but that did not matter as I was surrounded at my seminars with martial artists from France, Spain, Belgium, Germany, Finland and Switzerland and language seemed to be no hinderance to the wonderful friendship and kinship that permeated the whole weekend. We even trained and learned together as a huge hurricane swept through the area and rendered no power to a 100km area!
Now come the return adventure. After a two hour drive to Toulouse, I boarded my two hour flight to Madrid. I had a three and one half hour lay over in Madrid and then a nine and one half hour flight to Chicago. I made my flight's gate to Boston just as they were boarding the plane. Chicago to Boston..another two and a half hour flight. In Boston, after exchanging my French monopoly money, I arrived at the baggage carousel to find the luggage just coming out and my bag is the first one! I have a short 15 minute wait for my bus back to Concord. Two hours later I arrive in Concord to see my beautiful wife and daughter waiting for me! It was then that I realized, that my return trip had proceeded without a hitch.
I found throughout my journey that my patience was tested and when I became negative in any way, the outcome became negative! When I accepted what was and enjoyed the moment, the moments were so enriching. Despite all the travel, I made friendships, enjoyed kinships with people who did not speak very much of each others language and enjoyed some of the finest wine and food in my hosts country! I was treated like family! I was embarrassed and bewildered when I was shown a newspaper article about me in the French National Newspaper! It proclaimed "The Return of an American Grandmaster, the Peoples Teacher."
I find it bewildering, because all I did was share my life, my experiences and the lessons I have learned with a group of dedicated and wonderful people. I am no one special, just a simple person who enjoys seeing people learn and smile.
It is good to be home!

2009-01-20T13:45:00.001-05:00

As I was watching and waiting, like most of the country and some of the world today, for our new President to be inaugurated into office I saw one of my hero's, Muhammad Ali, being escorted to his seat. What came over me next was sort of...unexpected. I was overwhelmed with this emotion, not sure if it was joy or sadness, but tears flowed none the less.
Here is a man finally getting to see one of the dreams he has fought for most of his life coming true. I wondered in that moment if Ali dreamed he would live to see this day. I know he felt deep in his heart the burning desire to see a day when racial barriers would be shattered. In some ways he shattered some himself, but he could not have not known that he played a monumental role in the historical events that happened today. He was part of the line of warriors who without violence, changed the face of history.
True, Ali was a boxer. That did not make him a fighter. His fight against prejudice and racism made him a fighter. But what makes Ali a true warrior was that he embraced all this to create a man who spoke out against that which was wrong but also held no bitterness or resentment. He was a man who believed and still believe in the goodness and heart of man.
Ali is the pinnacle, to me, of what we, as martial artist, who follow in the footsteps of warriors and hero, should be. We should be men who do not wish to fight, but will step up to the challenge when our beliefs, values and principles are threated. We will educate, inspire and make a change in history. We may not, unlike Ali, ever see the difference we have made. Martin Luther King Jr did not live to see his dream come true but it did. The point is simple: History cannot change if men and women of passionate heart and unyielding spirit do nothing it cause change. Don't just watch history, create history, change history, BE HISTORY!!!

2009-01-15T11:51:00.000-05:00

This week has held an enormous challenge for me as I have developed bronchitis! However, I have noted that it took forever for me to finally get it, when everyone else was hacking around me, and the severity and duration seems to be less. A good note.
I have been doing my two workouts a day, modified due to the illness. In the mornings I have been doing my bagwork out, katas and cardio. In the afternoon, I have been doing my pushups and crunches. 200 of each. So far the grand total is 2800. It has been tough doing the crunches as every once in a while I cough during a crunch and oh my god! Talk about muscle contraction!
I was reminded by an incident that happened in class last night that brought me back to a lesson taught by my late friend, Professor Remy Presas. We were practicing some defenses from kicks and one required a takedown. I noted that several students were trying, with all their might, to stay upright and not be taken down. Now I am the first person to tout realism in training and it is true that you attacker is probably going to resist, assuming he realizes what is happening and realizes you know martial arts. However, standing on one leg, hoping around, gives the defender too many options and severly limits yours. I explained this and demonstrated a few options that the defender could do and then showed how if you did a proper breakfall, these could be your options (albeit the best option is to not be in the situation in the first place!)
Now out came the lesson of Remy. He was teaching a flow drill. He was going so fast you could barely see the movement and his partner was having trouble keeping up, all the while Professor was saying, in his thick accent, "You must learn to go with the flow!" His voice, with all its tonation, still rings in my head to this day! But what he said next, while still working this drill, is what rang to my core. He stated " You must live life. You must love life. You must learn to flow."
I told this story to my class and explained that so many times in life we resist those things we "assume" are going to hurt us and after we finally "go with the flow" we discover that the resistance was more painful than the actual thing we were resisting. Anthony Robbins explains it best. We are all driven by pain and pleasure. We react to pain, or the perception of something that is going to be painful and try to move ourselves to pleasure. That is a key concept in successful martial arts. Your attacker will move, most times, in a certain and specific way to get away from or out of a painful technique and into a state of pleasure or escape. Knowledge of this reveals how to move, when to move and why. However its meaning is so much deeper and may explain why there are no techniques that work on everyone.
Everyone has a different perception of what is pain and what is pleasure. Although there may some common ground, each person is different.
When we train and when we teach, we need to show, teach and remind ourselves and our students, just what pain we have removed from our lives and training and how much pleasure we have gained. Look at the positives and not the negatives. Teach how to live life, love life and go with the flow!

Ichi Nichi IsshoOne Day - One Lifetime
Oct 2008
This is by far one of the most important and one of my most favorite expressions. It basically tells us how we should live our daily lives. Our lives unfold and evolve one day at a time. The sum total of your life and all it's experiences are built up day by day. Another way to look at it is each day is a frame in the movie of your life.
Try to imagine your whole life had to be summed up by one day. You would try to live that day to the upmost and make it the best of your life, right? You have to have the understanding that when the sun sets, the day is over. That time is lost and can never be regained. Wouldn't you regret it if you didn't make the most out of that time? This mindset can give you valuable insight into your life.
Wouldn't you be happy and satisfied to be able to go to bed each night knowing that you have done well and given five hundred percent of your effort into that day?! To be able to rest with the thought "I've done everything from the moment I got up this morning until I finished just now"? This would make you very happy.
Everyone wants more happiness, wants more out of life, a better life. That is just how we are. We have to make a consistent and constant effort to make this a reality. Only by giving your best effort every day can you improve and grow.
It has to be the same way when you train. No matter how often you come and train, that is your time. It is where you apply your determination. It is where all your problems are left outside the door and when you put on your uniform and belt, it is your time to shine.
If you live your life by this expression "Ichi Nichi Issho - One day, one lifetime", giving each day all you have, you will find in the quiet moments of your life that you have truly lived!
Train Hard, Inspire Others and Live Life to the Fullest!

Nana Korobi Ya OkiIf you fall down seven, get up eight
Sept 2008
This is the most famous saying of Daruma Daishi, who was a famous Zen Master.
We learn from this saying that no matter how many times you fall down, you must get up one more time. Even if you fall down one hundred times, you must get up one hundred and one times. Sometimes you may get up quickly while at times it may be very difficult to get up at all but you MUST get up! It seems to me in today's world that this attitude is fading in many ways and we may be to blame. Each and everyday I see or hear stories of people, young and old, just giving up. I see kids everyday quitting all sorts of things whether it be sports, scouts, music instruments or martial arts. The reasons are many from it is too hard to it is too boring. How are we to teach them commitment, follow-through and this never quit spirit if we just let them quit all the time? Especially an activity that will help develop, enhance and benefit its participant.
By sincere and hard effort we instill an attitude of "non-quitting". This attitude carries over into every aspect of our daily lives. When hardships arise and we feel compelled to give up, it will be this spirit and the training that forged it that will guide us through to success.
We are not perfect. We are only human and we all make mistakes. We have to learn from those mistakes, grow and become more mature day by day. We should always strive to make tomorrow better than today! However we also should not be so afraid of making a mistake that it prevents us from even trying.
We often find that the lessons we learn in adversity are the lessons that teach us the most and serve to strengthen our mind, spirit and resolve. It is through hardship that we truly learn what we are capable of.
The martial arts dojo is the perfect place for people of all ages to develop this spirit. It is a place where we can make mistakes, without the fear of judgment, where Instructors who care and are their to guide us through these mistakes and on to success and to help us learn from these lessons. It is a place where an extended family is there to laugh, cry, sweat, celebrate, grieve and encourage each and every person to help them become the best they can become. It is a place where, through sincere training, we can reach and extend our limits beyond our wildest imagination. It is a place where you can fall down seven times, learn, love and be supported to get up eight!
Train Hard, Inspire Others and Live Life to the Fullest!