To take a stand (this is impossibly important to me)

I was taught the meaning of "taking a stand" last summer during a leadership seminar in Philadelphia.  The class was a very intense 3-day weekend where I learned a lot about myself, other people, and how we interact with each other.  One of the many affirmations that I got from the seminar was "Big people take a stand for each other."

Over the past few months, I've been talking to parents about taking a stand for their children.  My call to action has been:

"My passion for the character development in children inspires me to give you this call to action:  Take a stand for the important people in your life that train in martial arts - get them to commit to competing in a tournament to make them better martial artists and stronger people."

Sometimes, you really have to "force" a kid to do something they won't like so that they can become better people or better at what they do.  This could be a Lacrosse Camp that they don't want to go to, a tutoring school that's extracurricular, or a martial arts tournament.  No one can "force" anyone to do anything.  A parent can take things away from a child and ground them or whatever they want but when it comes down to it, a child will make the decision whether to do something or not.  Parents give motivation or inspiration for a child to do something, that is what we mean by "force."  For example:  A parent can motivate a child by saying "If you get 1st place at world championships, I'll buy you the Star Wars Death Star Lego Set!!"  Or, the parent can inspire the child by saying, "Can you imagine what it will feel like wearing your Black Belt??  That will be the coolest thing in the world!!"  But picking a child up and bringing them to karate class will not make them into black belts, the parents must inspire or motivate them to do it. 

Here's a quote that I truly believe in.

Re-reading the last paragraph makes me think about two kinds of kids and parents.  Parents who have self-motivated kids who try their best always and parents that have to constantly motivate their children with negative or positive reinforcement to get them to do their best.  There is always a teeter-totter of emotion about staying on track for their goals and keeping a high level of discipline.  But what about those parents that don't take a stand? 

Parents who don't take a stand for their child and let them make their own decision.  A parent that allows their children to skate through a program, not helping to keep them engaged because of their own personal interests.  I feel bad for the children whose parents let them quit.  The children in a seemingly happy household whose mother and father will not take a stand for something that a child has, at one point, set forth with intensity to achieve something that only a few can.  And at the first sign of failure or loss-of-interest, the parent lets the child decide what's best for them. 

Think about the 8 or 9 year old kid who looks at her mother and says, "I don't want to go today."  Mom says, "Oh you're going, don't even try it."  The child attends their class at their martial arts school or dance school and enjoys herself, as usual.  It really hurts me to think about that same girl who looks at her mom and she says, "OK, don't do it then."  Mother doesn't care whether the girl does it or not.  Mother doesn't care. 

Something about Respect

Recently, I visited a gym that had a very unique policy.  As we walked by the over 50 pieces of cardio equipment, the sales person said that this is a judgement free zone - "members can relax, get in shape, and have fun without being subjected to the hard-core, look-at-me attitude that exists in too many gyms."  After that, we got a tour of the strength training equipment in the back.  There were machines that you push, pull, sit on and kick your legs up and back, and a bunch of other things.  There were free weights and something called a Smith Machine (it's like a barbell machine that actually guides your movement instead of being free).  On the wall was a big alarm that said it will go off - light up and make a loud sound - if someone acts a certain way.  Specifically, if a person grunts, drops weights, or judges other people

After studying fitness and training in strength, cardio, and martial arts over the past 10 years, I've created a plan-of-action for myself that I share with everyone that trains with me. 

My philosophy on training: 

• When it comes to training in a gym, there is no "relax."  You should go in, get busy, then leave.
• There is nowhere in the entire universe that is "judgement free."  You will be judged your whole life on everything you do.  You may not hear what other people are saying about you, but trust that your every action will be judged.  The way you handle criticism and compliments is a true test of your character. So what would you rather be judged on - not trying hard or watching others work out or being the hardest working one in the gym?
• As far as the person that grunts, drops weights, or judges other people in a way that others are embarrassed or creeped out, that stems from the other person's insecurities.  When someone grunts loud on every exercise, they are usually looking for attention.  When you judge and criticize other people, it is usually because you're insecure about yourself.  You will notice people that are nice, outgoing, and friendly, usually are secure about the way they look and feel good about themselves.  So the grunter, weight dropping, judger is just a person that shows a lot of disrespect for the people near him/ her.
• To really become the strongest version of yourself, you have to come out of your comfort zone.  Train with people that are better than you and develop a vision of how you want to look and feel a year from now.  Let others set the example for you until you reach your goal fitness level!

To finish this, I feel like having an alarm for a "lunk" is a passive-aggressive way to solve a problem that is caused by a tiny minority of people showing disrespect in a gym.  Let's show more respect to each other like this:

• Be aware of others' personal space 
• Don't stare at someone unless you are going to say, "Hi!"
• If you feel someone disrespects you, speak your mind in a respectful way to tell them how you feel and a solution to the problem - if that offends them, then welcome them to the club!

Instead of joining a "beginner's gym" or a gym that brags that you will get results there, just come and take ATAfit.  The class is to-the-point, we have fun while we're training, you get to punch and kick bags, and if you try your hardest, you'll improve your fitness level. 
CLICK HERE to sign up for a free class

Special Training for color belts

Check out these videos designed for our school. Do 30 seconds of each warm up drill, every basic technique ten times on each side (with 100% power), and the segment in the video 10 times.

For beginners: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p2jL9KmpkWc&feature=youtube_gdata_player

For intermediate levels:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2VbuHXTzMmQ&feature=youtube_gdata_player

If you are red black belts or higher, choose which video to practice as a quick martial arts workout. Perform this stuff at 100% and it will be a great warm up to a perfect work out!

Upcoming events this summer

June 16th:
Father's day classes!!
9:30am - 10am Tiny Tigers and their Dads, Dudes, and Daughters!
10am - 10:30am Juniors and their Dads, Dudes, and Daughters!
After that, Hyper Pro Training and Leadership Action Classes as normal.  This is also the last day to register for promotions before the "red zone."

June 23rd:
NO EVENTS - Regular Classes

June 30th:
Belt Promotions!
10am - White through Yellow Belts
11:30am - Camo through Red Belts
3:30 - 5:30pm Black Belts

July 4th:
Abridged schedule: 
We'll be closed at night but have 2 classes in the morning:
9:30am - 10am - All Tiny Tigers
10:15am - 11:00am - All Juniors
After that, go hang out with your family!

July 7th - 13th:
ATA Elkton will be closed for mandatory decompression, sorry :(

July 14th:
NO EVENTS - Regular Classes (see new schedule)

July 16th-20th:
HYPER Summer Camp!!  Kicks, Tricks, and Flips!  9am - 3pm with after care til 5:30 if needed.  Still $199 to register and there are still some spots left.  Check out HYPER TV for more info!

July 21st:
Outdoor Training Event - Hyper Park Session - FOR EVERYONE!!

July 28th:
Regional Tournament in Lincroft, NJ
Mandatory for all SWAT and Instructors - you should totally go!!

July 30th - August 3rd:
RANK UP Camp!  Forms, Sparring, Self Defense!  Try your best and go to the next belt at the end!  9am - 3pm with after care til 5:30 if needed.  Still $199 to register and there are still some spots left.

August 4th:
ATA Summer Picnic!! More details to come!!

August 11th:
NO EVENTS - Regular Classes

August 18th:
HYPER Olympics and ATA Inner School Tournament
All Morning/ Afternoon.  Register at the front desk to compete and see who wins the point contest!

August 25th:
Belt Promotions (same times as the June 30th one)

This just in:

September 15th:
Kid Power Child Safety Course:
Stranger Danger, Bully defense, and focusing on how to have a successful school year. Most importantly, dealing with one of the five dangers facing our kids today: Lack of Motivation! Times will be posted soon!

Class Planners and how to be a black belt

We've organized every single class from the time a student begins until the time that they earn their 4th degree black belt.  This includes Tiny Tiger students, ATAfit students, and Leadership Classes.  I feel that with this structure, the parents will be more involved in practicing with the kids and will even join the class themselves. 

In addition to that, I've asked a few parents what would help them practice at home better.  Most said, "If you come home with me and work out with my son."  Well, I'm not going to do that with everyone but what I'll start to do is creating a 1 or 2 minute training video on "what to practice tonight."  This will create a plan so that you can practice for 20-30 minutes, know the actual techniques to practice, and have a world champion plan.

The disconnect here is that many parents don't check their emails - those parents aren't even reading this.  Some have facebook and haven't "liked" ATA Elkton.  Some just don't pay attention.  To keep your child involved long-term, train with them!  Stay tuned to get all the training for next cycle!

Here are some of our Overviews and How each student can get their stripes next cycle:
Here's what the color belts are DOING
Here's how you can earn your STRIPES - remember stripe 1 is week 2, stripe 2 is week 4, strike 3 is week 6.  Share that goal with your son or daughter!
Here's what the First Degrees are DOING - We're starting from cycle 1
Here are some CHECKPOINTS, use these just like the color belt stripes(for 1st Degrees)
Here's what the Second Degrees are DOING - we're starting from cycle 4
Here are some CHECKPOINTS, use these just like the color belt stripes (for 2nd Degrees)
For third degrees, there will be a check points sheet and a list of midterms coming soon, for now, use the 2nd degree one but switch out 2nd degree form with 3rd degree form since the requirements will be the same, only at a higher skill level.

Upcoming Schedule Evolution!

After the next belt promotion cycle, our schedule is going to adjust a little.  There is good reason for it and I'm really excited to share it!  Here's a list of classes:

• White-Yellow Belt Tigers - there are 4 classes to choose from so you can train on the weekends or during the week!  Choose 2 to get the best out of your training and Stick to it!
• White-Yellow Belt Juniors - there are 4 classes to choose from so you can train on the weekends or during the week!  Choose 2 to get the best out of your training and Stick to it!
• 1st Degree Black Belts - you've made it!  You're the top of the color belts.  Focus your goals on competition to unleash your winning potential!  Train on the two weekday classes and weekend class
• 2nd and 3rd Degrees - you all train together because you are awesome at motivating each other!  Focus your goals on competition to unleash your winning potential!  Train on the two weekday classes and weekend class
• Adult TKD - you have two weekday classes and then come to ATAfit on Friday night or Fit Club on Saturday morning in Elkton to get a full experience of Forms, Fitness, and Self Defense!
• ATAfit - you barf you win, 'nuff said.
• Camo-Red Tigers - a constantly fluctuating class that has a focused plan to achieve black belt from an early age - 4 different opportunities to train, choose 2 to get the bet out of your training and Stick to it!
• Camo-Red Belts - 16 new yellow belts coming in and 5 Red Belts returning to class!  That's why we added an extra class on Saturdays!  If you come in and it's a packed house, try another day!  Choose 2 to get the bet out of your training and Stick to it!
• RFLX Tactial - training for real-life situations where going to the ground is not an option.  Multiple attacker scenarios and control drills designed for Law Enforcement, Security, and Military, but anyone 18+ can take it!  Add this class on for $15 a class or $49 a month.
• HYPER Pro Training - You've seen it on the TV in our pro shop and I've seen you watching with your jaw on the floor!  This stuff is sweeet and we have a structured plan to take a student from ZERO to HERO!!  Pro athlete mindset will get these students pumped and primed for their new favorite class!
• Leadership Action Class (LAC) - We train leaders at ATA Elkton and this is how we do it.  Never been to it before?  Call or ask and we'll schedule a "first class."

CLICK RIGHT HERE TO GET THE NEW SCHEDULE, EFFECTIVE 7/2/12

An ounce of performance is worth pounds of promises!

"I wish I had someone that could give me a call to kick my butt into doing what I need to do!" Lack of motivation is one of the greatest dangers facing our kids these days. Is it more fun to play baseball or play baseball on Xbox 360? These days, it is important to be fit, confidence, and healthy. A man who lost his wife in the tragedy of 9-11 was interviewed and he was asked, "If this were to ever happen to again, what advice would you give America?"  His wife didn't make it to the bottom of the World Trade Center that she was working in because of her fitness level. The man said, "You have to be as fit as you possibly can." 

This summer is the test for parents in helping their children reach their goals.  Something called "Narrow Mind Focus" will affect 70%-80% of our students this summer.  N.M.F. goes like this:  A student is swimming in a pool on a warm summer day.  It's about 4pm and it's time to get ready for class, mom walks up to her son and says, "Tommy, it's time to get out of the pool and get ready for karate!"  Tommy says, "I don't think I like karate anymore, I want to quit."  Two weeks ago, Tommy told mom about how he wants to be a karate instructor when he grows up and he was so excited to earn his stripe and now he wants to quit?  No.  Tommy is testing mom and has Narrow Mind Focus!  All he is thinking about is swimming in the pool and doesn't want to get out so he says what he thinks mom will react to. 

The lack of motivation usually starts with mom letting Tommy quit karate.  Then while Tommy is "searching for something else to try," he starts playing video games and is locked in to something that isn't as beneficial as martial arts training.  It's important to remind Tommy about his goals and keep him committed to them!  When you first enrolled Tommy into a program, he didn't understand the power of commitment - but you did!  This is a commitment for Tommy to always try his best, the instructors to keep him excited IN class, and Mom and Dad to commit to bring him to class no matter what!  Don't you wish you had someone [like you] that would kick your butt every time you wanted to quit something that you started out strong with? (Working out, quitting smoking, eating better, etc)

This summer, ATA is going to be THE PLACE TO BE!  We are going to have an awesome ticket contest, referral contest, fun events, water gun and balloon battles, special competitions, and a bunch of other cool things, too!  Of course, some cool movies are coming out and we're going to be doing special themed classes and movie nights where kids can win a NERF Gatling gun!  They are going to love martial arts this summer, have a cool group of friends, and you will help to inspire them and teach them about the POWER of commitment! 

Read this and apply it to FORCING Tommy out of the pool:

"Commitment in the face of conflict produces character." -Unknown (but not me, until now!)