getting out of the rough

No matter who you are or how much you have done you are still human. You are likely to brake an arm, bruise your head or get sick once in a while. When said things happen, you get stuck in the rough and of course it’s hard to get out of it. I myself am in that state right now and I can tell you teaching little kids is not the easiest way to get yourself out of the rough, however, its my job and I have to do what I have to do. You learn as you go through though that you can’t do the same thing in the rough that you do when you’re in the fairway obviously. In my case, teaching a class requires you to workout somewhat with the class and not teach from the neck up- so to speak. You can’t workout too hard if you’re just getting over being sick because you would fall right back into the sick state that you were in before. So what I have to do is pull back on working out with them so much and still maintain a good class workout. For example, maybe I do fewer kicks with them but I run with them more or vice versa. It’s a give and take but the end result is you’re not dying by the end of the first class and you still look like you’re working hard, which you are just on a different plain.

Alex Tienda 3rd Dan at the Asian Arts Center

Forming Good Habits Through Taekwondo by Dennis Schaefer

Practicing Taekwondo helps us to rid ourselves of some bad habits but also encourages us to form new ones as well.
Just by showing up we break the bad habit of inactivity. We begin the habit of eating at least 5 servings of fresh fruits and vegetables a day and drinking lots of water. Focusing the eyes, body and mind begin the habit of being aware of our surroundings; knowing where we are supposed to be and what we are supposed to be doing. Being focused is essential for effective self-defense.
Taking a deep breath, or two, when we are stressed helps us to reach a state of calm so the situation can be assessed and proper action taken. In our beginning classes we form the habit of responding “yes sir” and “yes mam” when we are spoken to in order to show respect and show we are listening.
When practicing forms or self defense we practice slowly, with attention to detail, so proper technique and speed grow together to the level of habit.
We develop the habit of meditating before and after our training so we can achieve an empty mind (Mooshim) before, and take time to internalize what we have learned afterwards.
All the good habits we form in Taekwondo become part of character, heart and our success as true martial artists.
Dennis Schaefer is an Instructor at the Asian Arts Center Taekwondo School in Dayton, Ohio. www.aacdayton.com

Awarness

The problem with not going to school anymore is that you feel somewhat dumber at first. Yeah, not having any homework, or papers, or tests is awesome, but I started feeling like I was loosing touch with what was going on around me. Most throw themselves into work or their families or some even go back to school. As for myself, I went the work path for a while and then I realized I can stay in touch with the world by reading about what’s going on. Since then, I’ve been listening to more of news radio shows, I’ve started to read articles that I never thought I would read out of magazine that I thought were for the old or more geared to intellectuals rather than myself. Then it occurred to me that an intellectual is someone who keeps up with current events and doesn’t ignore them. Everyone can be intelligent if they just start being aware. Then I thought of what Matt said a couple of weeks ago. He said, “Being aware of what is going on around you is half the battle.”

Alex Tienda Third Dan at the AAC taekwondo school

Another good start

I have felt pretty good about classes this week! The weather has been a little warmer this week so it’s great to feel the energy in class from that. This week I began an introductory course at the Oakwood Community center. I am pleased to say that i’m excited to continue teaching the group because those enrolled there are great canidates for our program. The first session was fast paced and the kids paid attention very well. It’s always rewarding for me to see the students enjoying the class and giving excellent effort. The goal for the classes at the O.C.C are to get those students in to our regular program at the main school. I hope to see them all there!

Posted by Kellen Brown, 3rd degree

Look Well to this Day by Dennis Schaefer

One of the most important lessons we learn in Taekwondo is “Innae” (patience.)
Today in training we talked about Innae; how long we have been working on timing, distance technique and strategy. I have been sparring competitively now for almost 12 years and, at age 60, I feel like those days are coming to a close. I am envious of my younger mates, how much time they have, how much promise the future holds. But it is hard to be at the beginning too, impatient for the future. I remind myself to be patient to be grateful for all of the tournaments and rounds I have left.
For junior belts, the student has to have 18 to 24 classes between promotion tests. Senior belts have to wait 36 to 48 classes. When you reach first gup it is at least 6 months before you are ready to take the Black Belt test. Even if you learn everything on the first day, you still have to be patient. It is a life lesson to be patient, to work very hard with the goal of making the most of each training day.
The past few days have been warm and thoughts of spring come to mind. Even though it is still February, most people would probably have spring tomorrow if they could, just ignoring the next 23 days of winter. But, be patient.
A famous Sanskrit proverb says:
Look well to this day, for it is life. In it lie all the realities and verities of existence: the bliss of growth, the glory of action, splendor of beauty. For yesterday is but a dream, and tomorrow only a vision. But today well lived makes every yesterday a dream of happiness and every tomorrow a vision of hope. Look well, therefore, to this day for it alone is life.
Dennis Schaefer is an Instructor at the Asian Arts Center Taekwondo School in Dayton, Ohio www.aacdayton.com

meditation

In order to become a black belt I had to go through a grueling 12 hours of meditation. I, by no means, was meditating at any point during.  Don’t get me wrong, I really thought that half-way through I was clear minded. Sadly, however, I was not.  My mind jumped from one random thought to another, from wondering what I would have to eat after I was done, to the pain that was throbing and tingling in my legs and feet.  After I was done I never wanted to go through it again.  That is until I met a very beautiful person who had been a teacher of my girlfriend’s back in high school.  It wasn’t her body nor was it her hair that I thought was beautiful but it was her persona.  She gave off an aora of kindness, love and understanding.  What we were talking about I have no idea but what I do remember is that she saw that my mind was eclectic. She told me that if I meditated more then I would feel better than if I had just done a marathon. That was six months ago and I still did not take her advice until just a few moments ago when I went upstairs to meditate.  I came back down stairs feeling refreshed for only a few moments but I was hooked.  If I had started this months ago then I would be refreshed after every class ready to take on the next challenge, but I haven’t.  Meditation is key for dealing with your life.  Mrs Warren taught me that and now, after months of talking, I finally am listening.

Alex Tienda 3rd dan at the Asian Arts Center

Old is New Again by Dennis Schaefer

Master Matt Pasquinilli and I were evaluating our adult Taekwondo program and one of the issues we discussed was how to integrate modern wants and needs into the traditional martial arts study. Matt noted that “in the old days” when he started, there were mostly teen and adult males and they trained for multiple hours on multiple days of the week. It was a huge commitment of time and effort to get to the Black Belt level and that had been the tradition from the beginning.
The time and commitment required to maintain a strictly traditional program would preclude a lot of potential adult students these days. There is so much focus on multi-tasking, on finding the quickest, most convenient way, on the staggering number of options for exercise and fitness. Our mission is to find the balance between maintaining the integrity of tradition and acknowledging the realities of everyday contemporary life.
From the traditional side come the history, culture and mystique of the martial arts. Martial arts were originally developed for practical reasons: resisting oppression, defense of property and family, making the most of whatever was available. There was honor among the practitioners and the sacrifice it took to become a Master was seen as a necessary initiation. For the serious martial artist those traditions, in some form, should and do remain.
Now to the present day. We compete with work time, family time and leisure time to find reasons for adult students to start their martial arts journey. The benefits we offer are self-defense skills, the confidence and knowledge that come with being physically, mentally, and emotionally fit, and the satisfaction that comes with accomplishing goals that are sometimes difficult to pursue in our modern culture. Who couldn’t use some boxing skills; some additional self-esteem and a wicked round house kick to deal with the crush of modern existence?
Martial arts are a link with the rich tradition of the past, but they are also a way to find a new path, one you perhaps had not considered.

Dennis Schaefer is an Instructor at the asian Arts Center Taekwondo School in Dayton, Ohio
www.aacdayton.com

the next step

I go to sparring classes almost every saturday and most of the time I fight the same people each time.  Eventually, when you fight someone long enough you grow accustomed to their style. We know each other, we laugh and joke with one another and shoot the moon after a great class. Now my next step is to see how others fight and how they move and kick. What I’m excited about is how different they will be.   It’s just like when I was doing Brazilian Jujitsu and  I also fought the same people each time.  I learned how they moved and how to counter them so I could win.  That changed when my teacher brought some people of higher rank that trained with him back in Cincinnati. I had never been beaten so badly in my life. The worst was when I was tapped out within thirty seconds of the match. However, that is not to say that I could never rise to the challenge.  With every match I figured out what to do the next time they tried to fight me.  Of course, I can’t  say that I would win the next round but I did grow smarter-or dumber with every choke- either way I learned something different.  While I learned that lesson three years ago I can still apply it to the situation now.  I will use that lesson to overcome the fears of that unknown opponent that I will soon face and learn from the fight. Win or loose, I will take that terrifying next step

Alex Tienda Third Dan at the Asian Arts Center

Review Your Progress

This week I have taken some time to reflect on the progress I have made in my goals. At the AAC, we have come up with a success formula.  This success formula has been a big help in reaching my goals but also a big confidence booster.  “Review your progress”  can be one of the most important things to remember in the success formula.  The action of reviewing your progress lets you see what you’ve accomplished and how far you’ve come in your training.  Remembering the positive accomplishements and how much strength and growth I’ve gained inspires me to continue and feel good about myself.  Lately I have been making a lot of progress physically.  Before I came in to the martial arts, I had poor posture and as a result I experienced back issues and inflexibility.  By applying the success formula, I have been able to take steps to reach my goal, ask the right questions and, of course, see the results of my progress.  My posture has greatly improved because of my commitement to my goal, working towards it, asking the right questions and getting help.  Now I am able to see the progress I have made and I feel much more confident as a martial artist and my back sure feels a lot better!

The specifics

I train everyday and night- sometimes I swear that I train during my sleep- and I thought that I knew almost everything.  Then today when I came in early to train with Master Matt I found I don’t know enough to even come close to him, obviously. The words Cho Shim, which means beginners mind, kicked me in the face hard today.  I found that it wasn’t the numbers of kicks I did, although that does help, but it was the specifics of the kicks that I had to work on.  Turning my hips correctly, making sure that I didn’t take a step before I kick, and, of course, keeping my hands up.  It is the specifics that I have to concentrate on  because the specifics are what will increase my speed, accuracy and power. Just like doing math homework, reading, or writing you have to look at the specifics of the problem first in order to do well.

Alex Tienda 3rd Dan at the Asian Arts Center