System Wide Change

I have put this off for way, way too long. Had I done it earlier it would have been easier. I figured that I better get it done now because the longer I waited, the harder it would be.

We are changing the way punching attacks are done. In the past, we have punched with the same hand as the leg we had forward. The attacker would step in with their right foot and punch with their right hand. It's a traditional type of attack.

It's just not how most people in this area are going to attack. Most people here are going to lunge in with the left foot and punch with the right hand, like a boxer.

I feel dumb looking back but sometimes you buy into the tradition. You see, when new students would come in and throw a punch, it would be like a boxer. We would have to take the time to teach them how to throw a punch the traditional way. When they started getting proficient with the techniques, we would remind them that most people are going to punch like boxers and they should practice for that. Crazy!

In addition to that, many of my students have been or are currently in law enforcement and security. Many have used what they have learned and I'm sure many more will in the future. I owe it to them to make the system as realistic as possible, for their safety. I'm going to feel bad enough when one of my students gets hurt but I would feel worse if it was because I intentionaly taught them something that goes against common sense.

15 minutes a day

That's all I ask my students to practice each day outside of class. I know it doesn't seem like much but for many people, it still doesn't get done.

15 minutes should be enough to keep most things fresh in their minds and give them a chance to run through the exercise circuit once.

I think that many times if they will just do those 15 minutes, they will find something that they want to work on and they may devote even more time to practice. Most of the time though, if they are like me, time is tight and 15 minutes is all martial arts gets out of the day. Between family, jobs and other commitments, there may not be much more than that.

One thing I used to do is practice 5 minutes at a time, 3 times a day. I liked that approach. That didn't give me time for the exercises but it did keep the techniques fresh in my head all day. I don't do it that way anymore, opting for doing it once a day and including the exercises now. It is an option though and one that I may go back to in the future.

You can run through your techniques when you get up, during your lunch break and before you go to bed.

Once nice thing about the 15 minute guideline is there really aren't any excuses for not doing it. Everyone can fit 5 minutes in here and there.

Yellow Belt format change complete

I am trying to overhaul my entire website which consists of about 150 pages so far, with the same amount waiting in the wings if I can ever complete stage 1.

One thing that I do each time I make big changes is add small changes as well. I don't tell my students about all these changes. Partially because sometimes there are so many that it isn't practical. The other reason is that I want to reward the ones that go back through the site.

I think that my site is underutilized right now. For those that take the time, they will actually learn more than those that just show up to the physical classes. The reason that I have a website, mailing list, blog, and message forum is because there just isn't enough time in the classroom to teach everything. I use all these other mediums to try and fill in the blanks left at class.

I post to the forums after almost every class with things that we covered (for the benefit of the other school) and with subjects that occurred to me that I didn't have to go over.

I suppose that a great deal depends on what the student wants to get out of the art. If you continue to show up and practice the physical moves, you can move through the different belt levels. For me thought, there is so much more involved in the martial arts.

Tonight's workout went much better

Now I have to find some mystical ninja trick to create more time. =)

There is always so much that I want to cover and never enough time. Part of the problem is the fact that we teach all belt levels at Blue Tiger as part of one class. I do break up the time a little bit, dedicating a half hour to the white belts because they usually need the extra attention.

The upper belt class is a mix of belt levels and since I allow white belts to stay for that, it runs the full rainbow. I don't usually give too many tips to the white belts at this time because they have their own time. It's more of a practice session for them than anything. I try to use the time for instruction for the upper belts.

I also tend to cycle through the belt levels, teaching people that I think should be ready for the next test or are at least trying hard to get to the next level. Right now, that means my blue belts. They are pushing the hardest.

Planning my work and working my plan

I went back to work on my website a couple of days ago. I have planned out my time for the week so that I make sure that I'm working on it consistantly. There is so much to do but if I do a little bit each day, and I have a day planned where I get a lot done, I should see good progress within the month.

My goal is to have the bulk of the work done in that time frame. I have ideas of what I want to add after that and there are lots of things that need to be refined and better defined. The website will never actually be done. As long as I'm teaching martial arts, I'll add information to the website from the classes.

If I were to ever quit adding to the page, it would mean that I have nothing left to learn. I seriously doubt that day will ever come.

I can tell it has been a while since I have worked out

I'm feeling it today. I can feel it all over. It's a good feeling, a reminder that I am back on track. I didn't even make it all the way through the workout so I suspect that my progress will be fairly good when I do the whole thing.

The first two weeks of any program are the hardest as your mind and body resist the change. Two weeks really isn't that long and will be gone before I know it. Maybe I'll adapt quicker than that too.

I need to learn to quit stopping. It's easier to keep going on a program than to start and stop, over and over. Not to mention, consistancy is a far better way to make progress. Doing something every day is better than trying to cram to make up for lost time.

Looking for a balance

I usually go without any food before going to class. I get off of work at 8am and have to be to class by 9am. That doesn't give much time for eating. I am there until 1pm so as class goes on, I tend to get a little hungry.

Today, I decided to blend up a protein shake before I went. The adult class doesn't start until 11am so I figured that would give me plenty of time to digest it before I got into working out.

I figured wrong. I wasn't able to finish working out with the class for fear of spewing. I went for as long as I could but then I ended up sitting for quite a while after. It wasn't good at all.

I think that next week, I may go with the shake at half potency and see if that does the trick. I need to find something that will give me energy through the class without making me sick.

Ever thought of being a martial arts instructor?

I have written an article on the subject. Being an instructor has been very rewarding but it has also been a lot of work.

Martial Arts Instructor - Plan For Challenges

I may be opening a new school too. I'll tell you more about it tomorrow.