Karate Black Belt Excellence

New Year’s Resolutions

2012-01-02T08:57:00.000-08:00

I wish you all a very Happy New Year. With the holiday season behind us it is time once again to set goals for the coming year. This is our opportunity for self-improvement: a chance to become “a new person.” Some wish to be healthier, more productive, smarter or happier. These are all worthwhile goals.

Sometimes the fear of failure can prevent us from setting and pursuing goals. If the commitment seems overwhelming, one can easily fall back into old habits. Just everyday challenges will make reaching your goal more difficult if you are not fully committed. Here are some tips to keep in mind when setting goals.

1. Focus on the right target. If you want to lose weight, engage in activities that promote health and fitness.
2. Think about your goals before you set them. Do a self-evaluation of yourself and your past goals. Write a journal entry in a personal journal or notebook to review how you feel you are doing overall
3. Brainstorm ideas of things you feel could be potential goals for the New Year.
4. Set reasonable and achievable goals, and monitor your success.
5. Complete one week at a time.
6. If your goals become less meaningful or motivating, adjust them. Don’t quit… Breathe new life into your goals by making small adjustments.

Remember, Winners never quit. And quitters never win. Choose to be a winner. Soo Bahk!!

Gup Shim Sa

2011-11-06T00:09:00.000-07:00

This weekend was especially rewarding for our Academy. Three of our students tested for their next promotion under the wathcful eye of our maser instructor, Thomas Thai SBN. The effort they put into their training resulted in a display of courage, discipline and technique. Each section of their performance was carefully evaluated by Thai SBN and our senior dan members. The candidates did exceptionally well.

We must always remember that improvement is an ongoing process. That is why as dan members we wear the midnight blue, instead of black belt. Our founder and grandmaster, Hwang Kee understood that as martial arts practitioners there is always something more to learn; some area of performance that can be improved. Achieving black belt excellence is a forever ascending process. One should never boast or claim they have achieved a level of ultimate perfection. Regardless of a martial artist's physical abilities, there is always another who is faster, stronger or more flexible. With that concept in mind I encourage my students to set goals toward achieving black belt excellence as a personal challenge.

When the opportunity to attend the Dan Shim Sa presents itself, I hope my students will have embraced the concept of the midnight blue, not as a destination, but rather ... the beginning of a brand new journey.

History and Tradition

2011-09-10T18:07:00.000-07:00

5 Moo Do Values

In Soo Bahk Do Moo Duk Kwan we pay very close attention to Five Moo Do values: History, Tradition, Discipline and Respect, Philosophy, and Technique. Each plays a signficant role in our lives. Under my Master's instruction I have come to realize the importance of these values.

History: It is our past. It is where we have come from. It is the road we have traveled and the experiences we have bourne; the challenges we have faced; our successes and our failures. It is wise to learn from our history, less we make the mistakes of our past, and miss opportunities that recur from time to time. History rewards us when we are diligent and willing to embrace the vast quantity of knowledge it has to offer. One can learn a great deal about themselves simply by evaluating their own history. How often have we heard the phrase "a product of their environment"? It is true that society provides great opportunity for some, while denying it to others. But those of us who were born into conditions less desirable need not remain there. Opportunities are abundant, and we can grow into success by learning from the history of others; from our seniors, our elders and our instructors.

Tradition: These are the rituals, customs and celebrations we observe and pass down from one generation to the next. They help to keep us connected with our past, our history, and they remind us that we are a part of something greater than ourselves. In my Master's dojang we have many traditions. Very soon our Dan Candidates will meet the challenge of the next Shim Sa. Some will test for their Sam Dan (3rd Degree Black Belt), while others test for their E Dan (2nd Degree Black Belt) or Cho Dan (1st Degree Black Belt). With each new Dan Candidate class there is a tradition, which builds within our students a greater unity of spirit, mind and body. It is called the Dan Candidate Community Project. A warm feeling arises from participation in this event, where parents and students alike make a small sacrifice of time and energy to help uplift the spirit and improve the quality of life in the community they live, work and play in.

History and Tradition are the binding values that keep us connected to our past and to one another. I feel most honored to be a part of this great Moo Do family, and hope that I am able to share this gift with many others as well. Soo Bahk!

The Art of Teaching

2011-08-02T23:22:00.000-07:00

There is little more than one week left before the Gup Shim Sa. I have one student who has shown proficiency and is ready to test for his next promotion. Although he has had some challenging moments, he has remained faithful to his training and dedicated to the art. It is a blessing to teach others while passing on the gift of knowlegde we have received. Soo Bahk Do is more than just a martial art style. It is a way of life.

It has become important to me that my junior members learn the value of instruction at a very early stage in their development. Teaching helps to build character and tolerance. Practically anyone can learn basic karate moves and work hard to build good technique. But it is quite a different story when one is called upon to teach others what they have learned.

I find that by instructing others I myself improve as a martial artist. To teach a technique properly, one must perform it properly. This demands close attention to detail. An instructor becomes proficient in his art by the constant repetition of teaching the same techniques over and over. Each new white belt student presents the instructor with an opportunity to learn the martial art all over again right from the very beginning.

It is wonderful to see students progress through the ranks and achieve high levels of performance. But even more extraordinary is watching the beginner student master Basic Form Number One.

Welcome!

2011-07-20T10:45:00.000-07:00

This is my first posting. I guess you might say I am a late starter. Blogs have been around for a long time, and I never took advantage of their use and potential. It's not that I am afraid of technology, it's just that I never really had the time to adjust to the learning curve. Well, I've taken that first step, and now I'm ready to get my feet wet.

The idea for creating this blog actually came from a good friend and fellow Soo Bahk Do practitioner, Mr. Tim Bennet. His carefully crafted posts in Soo Bahk Do Reflections were and continue to be a source of inspiration for me and many other martial arts students. He epitomizes Black Blelt Excellence, not only in the words he chooses, by in his character as well. I owe a great deal to him and the guidance of our master instructor, Thomas Thai, SBN.

As a tribute to our schools I have included a short video with this posting. I hope you enjoy watching it as much as we did making it.