Trying to Look Beyond My Own Challenges

Things are simultaneously wonderful and stressful. Enrollments are up at the dojo, our prospects for growth and expansion look great, and the students continue to make excellent progress with their training. Some of my students are wrapping up dynamic service projects, including a successful holiday toy collection event and a blood platelet donation drive. I even took a bit of time to teach a kickboxing class as part of a fundraiser to benefit the Accelerated Cure Project for Multiple Sclerosis.

I'm a little concerned that our little dojo isn't big enough to handle the influx of new members, but I suppose it's an excellent sign that our "little goldfish" needs a bigger tank! Wonderful things are on the way!

Physical training is going well, and my students and I are all getting back into shape. Our dojo's Black Belt Club is focusing on groundwork this quarter, which provides and excellent opportunity to work with ju-jitsu drills and other mat training.

Looking at the paper today — and beyond my own immediate problems and challenges — I was saddened and frustrated to read that there have already been four homicides in the city of Boston this year. We're only two weeks into 2008! And tragically, the average age of the victims is only 19 years of age: Joseph Clarke, 23, was fatally shot on a Dorchester street on January 6; Darrion Carrington, 18, was shot at a Chinese restaurant in Dorchester on January 7; Tyrone Hicks, 20, was shot on a Dorchester street on January 12; a 16-year-old boy named Carlos Sierra was shot to death in Boston's Dorchester section last night. Sierra, pictured above, was reportedly shot 13 times.

As a martial artist, how can I help to stop this unimaginable violence from harming our city's youth? What tools can I provide to help people to resolve their disputes peacefully – or at least without GUNS? This year, our dojo's focus on "self-defense" must continue to push beyond punches and kicks to get to the heart of this matter.