When No One is Looking

It’s time for class.  Tom walks into the KMA gym and notices that Mary and Matt are already there. There are about six minutes before class starts.  Mary and Matt notice Tom come in and yell over to him, “Come on Tom, come get us”.  All three of them begin running around doing rolls, pretending to spar each other, or playing tag.  However there is one student standing calmly in the middle of the room.  He wears a focused look on this face while he analyzes his moves in the mirror.  Gracefully, he slides one foot in front of him, bending his knee as he lowers himself into a nice low forward stance.  He looks back and checks to make sure that his back leg is straight, while slightly bent and that his foot is angled 45 degrees.  Mary, Matt, and Tom continue to scurry around him, but he does not even pause to notice them.

“Hey, who’s that?” Mary asks as she and Matt stop to catch their breath.

“Oh, that’s Jason” says Tom as he falls to the ground, exhausted from chasing Mary and Matt around the gym.  “He was in the beginner’s class but he just got promoted to green belt a few weeks ago.  Master Circle gave him the student of the month award because he did his whole test without making one mistake.  He was really good and boy can he kick high”.

“Why don’t you ask him if he wants to play with us?” asked Matt as he wipes the sweat from his forehead.

Tom closed his eyes and shook his head.  “Nah, he won’t.  Jason is always practicing his form or his kicks or working on his stances.  He’s nice to talk to but when he starts working on something he doesn’t let anything distract him. Jason even won the focus contest during the warriors challenge a few months ago.  Even Master Circle couldn’t make him laugh or move or anything”.

Master Circle begins class and let’s everyone know that he will be pre-testing those that have met their attendance requirement.  The students work hard and at the end of class, Master Circle calls Tom and Mary up to receive their stripe for passing their pre-test.  Matt hangs his head and kicks the ground with the ball of his foot.  Master Circle told him that he needed to work on his form a little more.  After class, all of the students run to the dressing room to get on their clothes.  As Mary and Matt walk out, they noticed that Jason is still in the gym.  He is standing in front of the mirrors practicing the new part of his Pyang Sah-dan form that Master Circle just taught him. 

Matt sighs deeply, “Geez, Master Circle just taught Jason that part of the form and he already does it better than me”. 

“Well, maybe if you ask him he can help you too.  Jason helped me with my hand and foot basic last week.  He showed me a trick for how to remember the combination for number one and two.  Now I can remember it really well”, replied Mary as she walked with Matt towards the door.

Matt just closed his eyes and shrugged his shoulders. “Ah, that’s okay.  I’ll figure it out some other time.  Hey, guess what?  Tag…you’re it”.

The best and most respected people in the martial art world are the ones that practice excellence.  Some of us only practice when we are told to do it or when someone is watching us. The best students are the ones that are willing to train when there is no belt to test for or prize to win.  It is only through constant hard-work and focus that you can improve your skills and continue to advance.  The next time you are wondering which of your fellow students will do the best at their test, win the trophy at the tournament, or become the next master, just look around the room.  It will be the person that is standing off in the corner or in the room practicing their art, when no one is looking.

Author:  Semi-Master Chris Higdon, 2009

Are Your Kids Too Busy With Activities

Most people look at extracurricular activities in a good light, as they have the benefit of teaching children something new even once the school day is over. However, it is possible to overdo it on the after-school activities. If you’re wondering if your children are too busy because of their clubs and other activities, here’s what you should consider before you make any changes to their schedule.

The Many Benefits of Extracurricular Activities

There are clearly benefits for kids who join clubs, sports, and other activities outside of the school day. First, they can explore their interests, which will let them discover which activities they truly enjoy—and which ones they don’t like. All the while, they’re boosting their self-esteem as they discover where their talents lie.

Involvement in after-school activities can also teach kids responsibility and time management skills, since they have to juggle their activities and their homework during the school year. Plus, for older children, getting involved in activities can improve their chances of being accepted to college, especially when they excel at some of those activities. Finally, some studies show that extracurricular activities can improve a student’s grades and behavior at school. Knowing all this, it’s clear why so many parents prefer to keep their kids busy after school. But like anything, there may be some downsides to this decision.

The Problem With Being Too Involved

The concept of “too much of a good thing” applies to extracurricular activities because it turns out many kids these days are overscheduled. Some parents simply assume that if a couple of activities have been good for their kids, then even more will be better. While some kids do thrive on staying busy, not all can take the pressure that comes with having too many activities to do. Some might start exhibiting signs of anxiety, and some simply don’t get enough sleep because they’re too busy. And not enough sleep can lead to poor grades.

Many experts say children these days don’t have enough free time to play or just be a kid. Children shouldn’t have every minute of their day accounted for. They should have some time to relax, use their imagination, or just sleep in on a weekend morning. Otherwise, they could end up feeling overwhelmed by, and even resentful of, their outside activities.

Finding Balance

One rule of thumb to consider is that if you’re stressed from getting your kids to their extracurricular activities, your kids probably are too. Additionally, if it always seems like going to their practices, games, or rehearsals is a chore for them—and they rarely smile or laugh during these activities—then it’s time to reevaluate what they’re involved in.

Maybe it’s clear your children are stressed-out by their extracurricular activities, but they claim to love all of them and don’t want to give them up. That’s when you have to take control of the situation and let them know they need to make some decisions. This might mean limiting your kids to one or two activities at a time. And note that, according to one study, kids who had 20 hours or more per week of extracurricular activities started to have health problems such as stress and loss of sleep.

It’s up to you to decide how many activities your children can realistically handle. For some families, it’s one per child, and for others, it’s a few. But as you figure out how to balance it all, be sure to stay organized with a calendar that has everyone’s activities recorded. You might also find out if you can carpool with other families, which would at least cut down on your stress.

And remember to set aside time for your family to be together without any activities as well as time for your kids to just be kids!

by Learning Liftoff  Nov 6, 2017   Education Issues, Extracurricular, Sports

Turning Fear into Fire

You know the feeling.  At first it starts to feel like some someone is playing a game of paddle ball with your heart.  It beats so fast that you start to think it is going to grow legs and come racing out of your chest like a thoroughbred horse coming out of the starting gates at a race track in the Kentucky Derby.  Next, your palms begin to sweat and shake despite how many times you wipe your hands off on your pants and clench your fists to make the tremors stop.  It’s the feeling you get when it’s your turn to perform your form during the belt test, or when your name gets called to spar against someone that is bigger, stronger, and a higher rank than you.  It’s the same sensation that you get when you have to give a presentation at work for the first time in front of your peers, the first day of school when you are asked to introduce yourself to your class, or even when it’s finally your turn to ride the biggest roller coaster at the amusement park and everyone is watch.  You know the feeling.  It’s FEAR.

Most people would define fear as something that is bad or considered a weakness.  However, what most people don’t know is that anyone can turn their fear into FIRE.  When you get scared or nervous, your body releases chemicals into your system that make you faster, stronger, and more alert.  When you feel your heart racing, palms sweating, and your mind is running at a hundred miles an hour, it is actually your body’s way of letting you know that all the fuel you need to be SUPER CHARGED is right there waiting for you.  

It’s just like when a race car driver revs up the engine in the car just before speeding off.  The car starts to shake, rattle, and smoke.  When most people see their car do that they starting making an appointment for the repair shop, but when a race car driver feels that it just lets him know that his car is ready to race and win.

Turning FEAR into FIRE is all about focus.  When I had to compete against eight other black belts and masters at the NAFMA National Tournament in Atlantic City, NJ, I was really nervous.  Master Circle and I practiced our forms at least 80 times in class and probably 20 more times just before the competition.  Even though I knew my form, I was more worried about how I would do against so many other great competitors, including my teacher.  Even though I was nervous about doing my best, when I stepped into that ring, made my announcement and stepped back, everything changed.  As I took a deep breath in, I looked out past where the judges where sitting and stared intensely at nothing.  I focused so hard on not focusing on anything that I went into a mode where nothing existed but me as if someone hit the pause button for the world.  

Even though I looked in all directions, I could not see or hear the crowd, the judges, or anyone.  It was just me and my form.  I let my instincts and hard work take over.  When the form was over, it was like someone pressed play and everything started moving again.  A wave of relief came over me and finally I could breathe easy.  Much to my surprise, when the announcements were made, I was awarded first place in the forms competition. 

The secret to turning FEAR into FIRE is knowing yourself.   The only reason that I could have done so well is because of all the practice that I did in preparation for the competition.  I went over my form so many times that I didn’t have to think about it during a time when I was scared.  When you prepare yourself to face the thing that you fear the most, that fear becomes a tool that you can use and control.  If you are nervous about giving a presentation at work, all you have to do is memorize your material so well that when it comes time to do it you don’t have to think about it.  If you know that you will have to tell the kids in your school about yourself on the first day, then think of something a few days before you go so that when the time comes, you already know what you’re going to say.  When you have to spar someone that you’re afraid of, fear can help you to react faster, endure hard hits, and go longer without feeling tired.  

So the next time you are feeling nervous or scared, just remember, that’s your body’s engine revving up and getting ready to race, so hold on tight and focus on the finish line.

AUTHOR: Instructor Chris Higdon, 2009