Word of the Month - Honesty
EDITED BY: ALIVYANNA CARY
How Martial Arts Helps Develop Honesty
When a student starts to learn martial arts, alongside physical development such as improved co-ordination they also
learn important mental approaches to the sport, which will help them to develop the skills needed to lead successful and
exciting lives. One of the most useful of these life skills a student will learn is the importance of being honest. But what
do we really mean when we talk about honesty?
Telling the Truth
From the very first lesson, the student will begin to learn about and appreciate the importance of being honest and telling the truth.
Martial arts also teaches you to always be honest with themselves. Self deception is perhaps the easiest type to practice, and the hardest to detect. If a student fails an assessment when being graded for a belt, it is vital they are honest with themselves about the reason why; once they have identified areas and skills that need working on, they can start to improve.
Developing Integrity
The belt system within martial arts can greatly aid the development of integrity. When they begin their training, the focus is often fixed on what rank they are, and what color belt they are wearing. However, as your child progresses, they will come to learn that rank is not as important as skill and knowledge. Students will often turn down the chance to be promoted in rank if they feel they need to devote more time to practice before being worthy, showing their integrity by refusing the easy way and valuing what is truly important. A sense of integrity will help your child to learn to see themselves as they truly are, which is the foundation for developing a strong sense of self worth and confidence. Integrity is a personality trait that will carry over into other areas of life, such as education. With widespread cheating being reported in schools and universities, this has never been more important.
Taking Responsibility for Your Actions
The quest for honesty also includes a focus on how we act. The discipline of learning a martial art will teach your child the importance of taking control of our actions. Making excuses or blaming other people means we are failing to take responsibility for our actions. This is a character trait which is very often found in those that fail to succeed at anything. Martial arts involvement demonstrates a students responsibility towards training and practice. Part of the process of growth that occurs as a student progresses through the belts, is learning that while an instructor can offer guidance and support, they cannot do the hard work for you. If you choose to do something else with your time when you should be training, then you cannot blame anyone else if you fail to succeed. Once we begin to accept total responsibility for our actions, we will often find we can more easily overcome the difficulties life throws at us. Parental guidance plays a key role in ensuring children succeed. At American Karate Studios we will work with you to help educate and motivate your child, so they can reach their goals in all areas of life
How Martial Arts Helps Develop Honesty
When a student starts to learn martial arts, alongside physical development such as improved co-ordination they also
learn important mental approaches to the sport, which will help them to develop the skills needed to lead successful and
exciting lives. One of the most useful of these life skills a student will learn is the importance of being honest. But what
do we really mean when we talk about honesty?
Telling the Truth
From the very first lesson, the student will begin to learn about and appreciate the importance of being honest and telling the truth.
Martial arts also teaches you to always be honest with themselves. Self deception is perhaps the easiest type to practice, and the hardest to detect. If a student fails an assessment when being graded for a belt, it is vital they are honest with themselves about the reason why; once they have identified areas and skills that need working on, they can start to improve.
Developing Integrity
The belt system within martial arts can greatly aid the development of integrity. When they begin their training, the focus is often fixed on what rank they are, and what color belt they are wearing. However, as your child progresses, they will come to learn that rank is not as important as skill and knowledge. Students will often turn down the chance to be promoted in rank if they feel they need to devote more time to practice before being worthy, showing their integrity by refusing the easy way and valuing what is truly important. A sense of integrity will help your child to learn to see themselves as they truly are, which is the foundation for developing a strong sense of self worth and confidence. Integrity is a personality trait that will carry over into other areas of life, such as education. With widespread cheating being reported in schools and universities, this has never been more important.
Taking Responsibility for Your Actions
The quest for honesty also includes a focus on how we act. The discipline of learning a martial art will teach your child the importance of taking control of our actions. Making excuses or blaming other people means we are failing to take responsibility for our actions. This is a character trait which is very often found in those that fail to succeed at anything. Martial arts involvement demonstrates a students responsibility towards training and practice. Part of the process of growth that occurs as a student progresses through the belts, is learning that while an instructor can offer guidance and support, they cannot do the hard work for you. If you choose to do something else with your time when you should be training, then you cannot blame anyone else if you fail to succeed. Once we begin to accept total responsibility for our actions, we will often find we can more easily overcome the difficulties life throws at us. Parental guidance plays a key role in ensuring children succeed. At American Karate Studios we will work with you to help educate and motivate your child, so they can reach their goals in all areas of life
Word of the Month - Perseverance
Perseverance is an invaluable character trait. It’s the ability to face a challenge and keep pushing forward and do it one step at a time. An individual with perseverance is steadfastness in what they do despite difficulty or delay in achieving success, and to keep on going even when you want to give up.
Nothing in life goes as you expected it to be. You can't master a particular skill or fail a test in these obstacles, they can be challenging in life and they can turn many people away from their goals. The obstacles can make the universe seem like it’s out to get you. That can become an overwhelming feeling. To try not to quit is to handle it with both perseverance and toughness.
The toughness has to come from failing and getting back up to try again. Staying down – that’s the quitting part. It takes training to get back up again and to keep moving forward no matter what life throws at your way. It takes perseverance and self-confidence. Its ok to be scared, but just remember never quit.
That’s where self-respect comes in. You have to be understanding and forgiving yourself. You have to learn because if you are stubborn and make the same mistakes over again, you’ll fail the exact same way. Failing is an act of learning, and not quitting means putting those new lessons you’ve learned into practice.
Put those two things together: getting up, and learning from having fallen in the first place. It’s a difficult habit to learn, but once you do, life opens up to you. Not quitting is a rare combination of softness and hardness, because we will always be failing at something in life. The key is to get back up again, lessons learned and implemented, so that we can try again.
Not quitting isn’t just trying the same thing over and over again until you break either the obstacle or yourself. Not quitting is being open to learning, expanding what you can do, and what you think you can do. It’s the act of removing doubt, because the number one factor in our staying down and thinking we shouldn’t get back up again? That’s doubt, and doubt is what we need to beat.
Nothing in life goes as you expected it to be. You can't master a particular skill or fail a test in these obstacles, they can be challenging in life and they can turn many people away from their goals. The obstacles can make the universe seem like it’s out to get you. That can become an overwhelming feeling. To try not to quit is to handle it with both perseverance and toughness.
The toughness has to come from failing and getting back up to try again. Staying down – that’s the quitting part. It takes training to get back up again and to keep moving forward no matter what life throws at your way. It takes perseverance and self-confidence. Its ok to be scared, but just remember never quit.
That’s where self-respect comes in. You have to be understanding and forgiving yourself. You have to learn because if you are stubborn and make the same mistakes over again, you’ll fail the exact same way. Failing is an act of learning, and not quitting means putting those new lessons you’ve learned into practice.
Put those two things together: getting up, and learning from having fallen in the first place. It’s a difficult habit to learn, but once you do, life opens up to you. Not quitting is a rare combination of softness and hardness, because we will always be failing at something in life. The key is to get back up again, lessons learned and implemented, so that we can try again.
Not quitting isn’t just trying the same thing over and over again until you break either the obstacle or yourself. Not quitting is being open to learning, expanding what you can do, and what you think you can do. It’s the act of removing doubt, because the number one factor in our staying down and thinking we shouldn’t get back up again? That’s doubt, and doubt is what we need to beat.
TRAINING TIP:
Increasing Agility by Strengthening Your Core
All Black Belts have exceptional flexibility, technique and accuracy skills, which is why they should be able to respond quicker than their peers during competitive sparring. Black Belts who do not use those skills correctly are more likely to be hit by their opponents. Training your agility outside of the dojo can give you a competitive advantage over other Black Belts, classmates and competitors.
Start with a look at your “core.” The core refers to the center of your body. Your core is essentially the key area you must control to be agile. The core of your body is its balance point, and if the rest of your body is not centered at your core, then you will lose your balance and agility.
Perform these preparation drills to strengthen your core:
Crunches: Your abdominal muscles help stabilize your core. Start to strengthen your abs with 10 crunches to the middle, 10 to the left and then 10 to the right. Do at least three sets of these crunches per day. As your abdominal muscles become stronger, add more reps and sets to your daily routine.
Reverse sit-ups: Your back muscles are also key components of a stable core. Start to strengthen your back muscles by lying on your stomach as if you were doing push-ups. Place your hands behind your head and lift your upper body from the ground and extend as high as your able without straining your neck or back. Do at least three sets of 10 reps per day. As your back muscles feel stronger, increase your reps and sets.
By Improving abdominal and back muscle strength will dramatically increase your agility. After a few months of these preparation drills, you’ll notice that you’re able to maneuver faster with greater control. These simple training exercises will most definitely give you an edge when performing the martial arts and participating in competitions.
All Black Belts have exceptional flexibility, technique and accuracy skills, which is why they should be able to respond quicker than their peers during competitive sparring. Black Belts who do not use those skills correctly are more likely to be hit by their opponents. Training your agility outside of the dojo can give you a competitive advantage over other Black Belts, classmates and competitors.
Start with a look at your “core.” The core refers to the center of your body. Your core is essentially the key area you must control to be agile. The core of your body is its balance point, and if the rest of your body is not centered at your core, then you will lose your balance and agility.
Perform these preparation drills to strengthen your core:
Crunches: Your abdominal muscles help stabilize your core. Start to strengthen your abs with 10 crunches to the middle, 10 to the left and then 10 to the right. Do at least three sets of these crunches per day. As your abdominal muscles become stronger, add more reps and sets to your daily routine.
Reverse sit-ups: Your back muscles are also key components of a stable core. Start to strengthen your back muscles by lying on your stomach as if you were doing push-ups. Place your hands behind your head and lift your upper body from the ground and extend as high as your able without straining your neck or back. Do at least three sets of 10 reps per day. As your back muscles feel stronger, increase your reps and sets.
By Improving abdominal and back muscle strength will dramatically increase your agility. After a few months of these preparation drills, you’ll notice that you’re able to maneuver faster with greater control. These simple training exercises will most definitely give you an edge when performing the martial arts and participating in competitions.
2018 STUDENT OF THE MONTH AWARDS
JASON |
CHIMA |
EVANS |
EVAN |
COLIN |
Alivyanna |