Category: All Posts

The school in the south

the past couple of weeks have been filled with paint, screws, mats, pictures, mirrors and the usual sweat and tears.  Waking up at 7:30 everyday and staying till 9 almost every other night is hard work but the school looks great and honestly I’m working really hard to make this dream come true with a bang.  I’m a little worried for the future because I don’t know what lies ahead but I hope that it will be fantastic and long lasting.  For the first time in a while I’m sailing in unknown waters and as exhilarating as it is, the waters are going to be a little rough to deal with, however I need to hold on tight and yell to the skies to bring it on.

Alex Tienda 3rd Dan at the Asian Arts Center


Pilseung (Victory) by Dennis Schaefer

Last August I blogged about wanting to lose enough poundage to fight in a weight class lower than “unlimited”, any weight class lower than unlimited. Well, I am happy to report that I tipped the scales at 175 the other day, down from 200, and am entered to spar in the 2012 USTA National Championships in July.
In what might be my last national tournament- I turn 61 in September and most of the competitors close to my age are now on to golf or Tai Chi- I will not face any 6’5”, 300 pound gorillas. I wanted to go out with at least a chance of winning. And even though I might still face some 51 year-old youngsters, I have greatly improved my odds for gold.
How do you lose 25 pounds in a year? More importantly, how do you continue to set and achieve goals with each of life’s transitions; keep “Choshim”, a Beginners Mind? Because, in my first attempt to seriously lose weight in my life, I could not have done it without a compelling goal.
In my blog a year ago I observed, somewhat glibly, that losing weight was based on a simple equation: burn more calories than you consume. But I quickly found that it was not that simple. It was a daily effort involving a great deal of discipline, both in exercising more and avoiding a lot of the foods that I love. Research told me that I should also mix it up: eat different foods at different times of the day and change some well established habits.
Once again my martial arts training has provided both the goal and the framework to achieve it. “Innae”(patience), looking at the long term benefit, working toward a distant destination with lesser amounts of immediate gratification; “GeungGi”(persistence); “Geukki”(discipline); “JungShinTongIl”(concentration of the mind, body spirit and emotions); and, finally,”YongSa” (forgiveness). It has not been easy for me or others.
I have felt a bit guilty at times, trying so hard not to eat when so many others in the world don’t have enough. But I am growing stronger in my ability to make a difference, to be an example of how to continue to make the most of the life I have been given.
Dennis Schaefer is an Instructor at the Asian arts center taekwondo School in Dayton, Ohio. www.aacdayton.com


Old Age-New Brain by Dennis Schaefer

I was shocked to learn that my brain has not stopped growing…
For decades I, along with researchers, believed that as we age individual neurons in our brain started dying off, that the loss was permanent and that the brain couldn’t make new nerve cells to replace the dead ones. We seniors seemed doomed to an eventual life of confused doddering, senility or, at the very least, forgetting the grandchildren’s names.
Recently, researchers announced that they had succeeded in stimulating the human brain into growing new brain cells by putting subjects on a three month aerobic workout regimen. Other experts have discovered that vigorous and complex exercises can stimulate older brain cells to form dense, interconnected webs that make the brain run faster and more efficiently. So it seems that we can not only build capacity in some parts of the brain but also improve the overall operation.
In his book “Spark: The Revolutionary New Science of Exercise and the Brain,” John J. Ratey, MD, clinical associate professor of psychiatry at Harvard Medical School, explained the basic science in layman’s terms. Every time a muscle contracts and releases it sends out chemicals, including a protein called IGF-1 that travels through the bloodstream and into the brain. There it stimulates the production of several chemicals, including one called brain- derived neurotrophic factor, or BDNF, that fuels almost all of the activities that lead to higher thought. Ratey calls it, “miracle grow for the brain.”
Until recently it was thought that, although people maintain relatively constant levels of BDNF through adult years, individual neurons gradually die off. The accepted conclusion was that no new nerve cells were manufactured to replace the old; lost and gone forever. A recent study, published in the proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, reaches a different conclusion. After the three month aerobic workout regime, all the participants showed new neuron growth. The supposition was that it was BDNF at work, transforming stem cells into full-grown functional neurons.
Further observation showed that that new neurons created appeared in only one part of the brain, the area that controls learning and memory, the hippocampus. That region helps the brain match names to faces- one of the first skills to suffer as we age. The area has also proven to be especially responsive to BDNF’s effects, apparently restoring it to a healthier, more youthful state. “It’s not just a matter of slowing down the aging process,” says Arthur Kramer, a psychologist at the University of Illinois. “It’s a matter of reversing it.”
Although it is thought that new neurons can’t grow throughout the rest of the brain, there are other proven secondary benefits to the brain and neurological system from a good exercise session. Exercise increases blood volume and new capillaries which, in turn, lessens inflammation in the brain and the occurrence of mini-strokes says neuroscientist Kristine Yaffe. John Ratey also notes that levels of neurotransmitters like dopamine, serotonin and norepinephrine are elevated after a workout. “So having a workout will help with focus, calming down, impulsivity- its like taking a little bit of Prozac and a little bit of Ritalin.”
UCLA neuroscientist Fernando Gomez-Pinilla points out that humans have evolved to thrive on physical activity. Without regular exercise, “our brains aren’t doing what they are supposed to do.” Some early research suggests that people who exercise frequently tend to develop Alzheimer’s less often and, if so, later in life. Other research shows that one of Alzheimer’s first targets is the hippocampus, the main beneficiary of vigorous exercise and the resultant BDNF.
The best news of all is that age is not a factor in this equation. As long as we continue to exercise, we reap the benefits of more and better operating brain cells. The mind-body connection is a fascinating subject. Its never too late to learn that lesson.


The Complete Martial Artist by Dennis Schaefer

At this time of the year at the Asian Arts Center we start anticipating summer camps, vacations and a lot of hard, sweaty workouts. Some of our students take breaks at various times during the summer, some take the whole summer off. We remind ourselves and our students that there are always opportunities to practice what we have learned, even if we are not in class.
Focus and paying attention to what is going on around us is essential in school, at home and particularly during vacation when we are outside at the beach, a cookout or in our own backyard, in order to protect ourselves from danger or accidents. Our training for adult and young students alike helps us to maintain that habit.
Summer gives us an opportunity to do some cross training with baseball, swimming and many other physical activities. Balance, coordination and discipline that we practice as martial artists helps us in these activities. Core strengthening that we practice with planks in class can also be accomplished by pushing a lawnmower.
We don’t need a classroom to stretch, practice Mooshim or show respect to ourselves and others by continuing the good work and habits we exercise in the dojang. That is truly the sign of a complete martial artist.
Dennis Schaefer is an Instructor at the Asian Arts Center Taekwondo School in Dayton, Ohio. www.aacdayton.com


The Home Rules by Dennis Schaefer

Here at the Asian Arts Center every new student receives a refrigerator magnet with our 10 home rules. I explain to student and, if appropriate, the parents that learning and following these rules is an essential part of becoming a martial artist. A typical comment from parents is “these sound like the rules we try to follow at our house.” That is music to my ears.
Those ten rules are as follows:
1. Obey your parents
2. Cooperate with brothers and sisters
3. Keep your room neat and clean
4. Keep your body, hair and teeth clean
5. Eat and sleep properly
6. Do not interrupt conversations
7. Complete homework before TV or play
8. Respect teachers and elders
9. Be truthful and honest
10. Finish what you start
These rules communicate the fact that it is not enough to do a good job in Taekwondo class. The student also has to do a good job at home, school and in the community. Learning to focus and pay attention to what is going on around you, knowing the rules and doing your work is our definition of “integrity” and essential requirements for being a true martial artist.
Dennis Schaefer is an Instructor at the Asian Arts Center Taekwondo School in Kettering, Ohio. www.aacdayton.com


two week trial

Master Matt was out this past week and he won’t be back until the end of next week. As a result Dennis has taken up the role of Matt and leaving me with a little more responsibility as the head of the school, at least that’s the way I like to think about it. Even though I think everyone’s doing a great job, however, I found myself getting off track a little and not meaning to. My classes are running smoothly but I mistakenly added in some drills that were not routine and thus tweaked the dynamic. Once I found out what I did, I immediately went back to the original structure. The main reason I found out what I did was because Luckily, I had Dennis to push me back on track but it made me think that if I could get off track just a little and not realize it here at this school, then running a school on my own will have to take a ton of focus to stay on track. Focus that I hope I will learn as I go through it with Master Matt or Dennis.
Alex Tienda, third Dan at the Asian Arts Center


What is the Most Difficult Thing About Competing in a Tournament? by Dennis Schaefer

What is the most difficult thing about competing in a tournament? There are so many reasons why I enjoy competing that it is difficult to come up with an answer. But I imagine it is more a question of perspective.
Competing against myself and others is sometimes nothing more than the reward I give myself for all of the hard work and training. There is a brother/sisterhood that develops in training. The competition there is pushing yourself to the limit; delaying gratification and imagining how those extra 100 kicks are going to save you in the last round. The difficult part is not having enough time to train the way I would like to or being patient with myself when I am trying to work out a new strategy or combination and its not clicking yet.
The butterflies I get in my stomach start the morning of the tournament and are flying full speed just before I enter the ring. Some people would say that is a difficult thing about competing. But to me it is one of the main reasons I compete. Those butterflies tell me that I am about to do something extraordinary, something way outside my comfort zone, something that is going to test me and all I have worked for.
Some would say that losing a fight or taking a particularly powerful kick to the breadbasket are difficulties that competitors face. To me, they are a reason to come back next time. Because for every disappointing performance and bad day in the ring there is an equal chance that the next time everything will come together and make it all worthwhile. That’s what I work for.