Service Nation

You all know by now (I hope!) that my students and I are committed to community activism through service projects and project-based leadership training, right? I've just discovered — and will continue to investigate — a new outlet and connection for our community service initiatives. Please take a few moments to check out Service Nation.

And, if you feel inspired to do so, sign their Declaration of Service. I did, and I challenge you to do the same!

Right now, some of my students are planning their community service projects. Right now, we are creating excitement and buzz in our community. Right now, we are, bit by bit, making the world a better place.

What more could I ask for?

This, I believe, is the ultimate expression of martial art!

Some Interesting Empathy Training

Last weekend both my wife and I wore infusion sets for an insulin pump to see which configuration will be most comfortable for our daughter Ava. For those who don't know, an infusion set is a small needle that gets inserted into the body which then connects to a tube that leads to an insulin pump. When Ava gets her pump, it will be attached to her 24 hours a day to deliver the insulin that will regulate her blood sugar. The pump itself is about the size of a pager -- not so bad for an adult, but for a 2-year-old it's HUGE.

She'll be on the pump for life, or until a cure for diabetes is found. We're all praying for that. By the way the JDRF Walk for A Cure is coming up: please donate if you can. One of my long-time karate training partners is participating in the walk. You can contribute to her walking page here.

Anyway, I wore two types of infusion sets -- one plastic, one metal -- throughout the weekend to get a sense of what wearing one full-time would feel like. It wasn't entirely comfortable, but it wasn't painful, either. In fact, I taught 3 karate classes last Saturday morning while wearing the sets: I was literally a walking pin cushion, but it didn't really affect my performance on the floor. I didn't tell my students what I was up to either, I guess because I wanted to prove to myself that my daughter would not be slowed down by this disease.

And Ava, my little hero, wore a set over the weekend too. She didn't have to, but she asked for it when she saw my wife and I wearing ours. So I imagine Ava's playground roughhousing won't be too interrupted once she's on the pump. But man, did she EVER scream when we took it off.

Such a brave little trooper!

So Much To Do, So Little Time!

Just a quick post today, folks. I've been so busy planning for the new studio I haven't had time to write — or sleep. Build out plans, paint colors, telephone installation, equipment ordering... Man, there's a lot that goes into this "running a dojo" thing!

In any case, the latest information on the progress at our new facility can be found here.

Last week's presentation at the local school went extremely well. Haven't had time to reflect on it, but I felt energized by speaking to a room full of educators about education!

I read Coach Tom's post from earlier this week, and I'm happy to announce that we've added a yoga program at our dojo. Check out the new yoga page here.

I'm coming up on the end of my UBBT, and I owe everyone a progress report. Coming soon!

Exploring New Opportunities

The principal of the local school has invited me to speak not to the kids, not to the parents, but to all of the teachers and staff at his school. He has followed my UBBT and the service activities at my dojo, and he's asked me — ME! — to come and talk to his entire staff (100+ teachers, aides, and support personnel) about the "role of an educator."

Essentially, he wants me to fire them up at their start-of-year-staff orientation meeting — to inspire them at the start of the new school year and zero them in on some new concepts of "teaching."

Of course, I'll tie what I say to my martial arts experience, but I won't be wearing my gi or breaking bricks during my presentation. Nope, this is a suit and tie affair.

I'm still putting the final touches on my presentation, but my major themes will be:

1. You are not the teacher, you are the student.
2. Don't be a "teacher," be an "educator."
3. Education is self-defense.

Me, a motivational speaker. Who would have thought?

A Rolling Stone Gathers No Moss

Another busy week. I've been ratcheting up marketing activity in preparation for moving over to our new location: ordered vinyl banners for the building, printed up 2,000 new flyers, created an ad for a fall marketing campaign, and sent out a press release. I'm interviewing potential new staff members for youth and yoga programs, picking out paint colors, making build out modification plans, and calculating move-in expenses. And oh yeah, I'm still teaching classes, too!

Trying to finish up the MADDCAP education materials and keep up with my own training. Now that we've wrapped up our summer tai chi program at the dojo, I've been watching one of Bill Kipp's FAST Defense videos (great stuff, Bill!) and working on ground defense techniques, and also brushing up on stick work.

I'm still keeping a hand on the pulse of the community by writing a letter of support for the local Family Literacy Program where I gave a presentation on goal setting and time management last spring. They have an excellent program for immigrant families, and they are seeking funding for a program Coordinator and classroom instructors. It's a nice feeling to be able to help them out.

Picked up a new book called Do Less, Achieve More. I think it's exactly what the doctor ordered.

Now, if I could just find a few minutes to read it!

August 13

Not too much new: It's been a busy week (what week isn't a busy week these days?), with getting ready for the opening of the new dojo space, visiting family, work, and training. Haven't had much time for rest or reflection, so I took some this morning and posted to my Martial Musings blog. Please check it out and let me know what you think.

I've been running a series of self-defense classes at the Carroll Center for the Blind this month. For the last three weeks, I've been working with a group of about 25 teenagers there. An amazing, inspiring, and insightful group of kids -- what a wonderful opportunity! Working with them stretches me, as I have to think and teach more creatively. I'm impressed by their maturity — and their ability to generate power while practicing physical resistance techniques!

The Rise and Fall of a Future Black Belt

Over the weekend, we ran belt testing in my dojo, in which two of my senior students were attempting ikkyu, the rank immediately before Black Belt. The testing was fairly intense, and consisted of basics, forms, weapons, and sparring. Things were going great during the test, and I was pleased with how both students were performing under pressure. But, in the very last second of the sparring portion of the test, one of my students tripped up and badly sprained her ankle.

It wasn't a glorious injury. My student didn't get hurt while doing anything heroic or overly complicated. It wasn't the kind of injury that you can later tell war stories about. My student just tripped and got hurt. I'm sure we'll all have a good laugh about it later. But with her friends and family looking on, she fell to the floor in what was clearly a great deal of pain. I'm not sure which one of us was more disappointed.

Of course, my student passed her test. But I was sorry to have to hand her her new rank certificate and belt on the edge of the mat where she sat on the sideline with her foot on ice and elevated.

And that's when the realization hit me: it could have been any one of us.

Life comes at us all the time with ankle sprains, and other challenges, right when we least expect them. These little surprises – these gifts – come at the worst possible time, to test us, to knock us off our game plan, and to see what we're really made of.

Seems like I'm "spraining my ankle" on a daily basis as of late. How about you? Keep moving forward – even if you have to limp. If it really hurts, rest. But don't sit there on the sidelines of life forever!

I think Rocky said it best: