Martial Arts Training Tips, Ideas, and Random Thoughts
About the Author: Ryan Wheaton has been teaching American Kenpo since 1991 and is the chief instructor at Arrowhead Martial Arts Studio in Salt Lake City, Utah. He is an internationally certified 6th degree black belt and personal student of 10th degree black belt Paul Mills. Ryan sits on the Board of Directors for the American Kenpo Karate International (AKKI) and is also a regular seminar presenter at AKKI National & International events.
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Did you catch this news story? Earlier this month a woman was beaten on UTA TRAX in Salt Lake City Utah by a 37 year old man and no one stepped in to help, push the emergency button, call the police or do anything. They just sat there, watching as this man punched her in the face.
This is a tragic but true story. This poor woman didn’t expect this to happen. Absolutely didn’t deserve it and was hoping someone would step up and help her in her time of need. However, that help never came.
It makes me wonder what the world is coming to when you hear about things like this. All it took is one person to use their cell phone… push the emergency button… tell the guy they’re calling 911.. something.
However, this happens all the time and is shocking to me and those that I speak to about events like this.
I’ve written about this before but I want to make sure all the new readers to the blog know that you can pretty much expect people to act this way. People don’t want to get involved. More than that, they’re waiting for someone else to help. They don’t feel personally connected to the events. They might even worry they’ll get sued. In short, they just tuck their heads down and do nothing and hope it just goes away.
However, there are things that you can do to get people involved. If you haven’t read my post about “What To Do If You Ever Need to Yell for ‘Help!’” I suggest you take a minute to read it. It could very well prevent bystanders from just sitting there and doing nothing if you’re ever in an emergency situation, assault or not.
Read this post. Share it with your friends. Tell your loved ones. And if you’re ever a witness to something like this, PLEASE do something.
It’s amazing to me how many black belts are now out there in this world and how many instructors seem to just give them out to their students anymore.
I’ve even seen ads in Black Belt magazine for “organizations” that will send you a black belt certificate without verifying your credentials if you send them a check. There are even video learning programs that send you DVD’s and certificate, saying they work on the “honor system.” Again, these instructors DO NOT substantiate anything before printing out a black belt certificate with your name on it and sending it to you. To which I reply…
Are you kidding me?!
There is no sum of money large enough for me to simply hand you a black belt. And it’s not just about the belt itself but, rather, the journey and sacrifice it represents. I for one will not compromise quality for quantity of black belts at my studio.
I would rather be known for having a couple remarkable students than to have produced 100 average black belts. I NEVER want to be know as the person who watered down the meaning of a black belt. I worked too hard, too many hours, invested too much, and sacrificed too much for that honor. As long as I have students, they too will have to work to earn that privilege, just as I did.
What does having a black belt mean to me? Everything.
What are your thoughts? Do you agree or disagree? Leave your opinion in the form of a comment below.
Finally… the holidays are over! For all you hardcores that have been counting the days this is not news to you, but just in case, class starts tonight again at 7:30pm. So, dust off your gi’s and get ready to move tonight. We’ll be breaking in the New Years right!
If it’s been longer than a year since you paid your American Kenpo Karate International association dues I am going to be collecting them this month (January).
This way I can get the majority of them turned into Mrs. Mills as opposed to trying to keep track of who needs to renew each month. As I’ve said before, I want to focus on teaching and making our classes better, instead of eating up so much time with this kind of stuff.
The renewal fee is $25 and you can just include that in this months tuition. Thanks and please let me know if you have any questions.
No, I’m not talking about buying a ring. I’m talking about getting engaged in your KENPO.
Most people refer to being engaged when talking about stances. Are you knees bent? Are they both pointed in the right direction? Are you on the balls of your feet? Is your weight divided correctly? Is your butt anchored? Etc.
While those are good questions to ask yourself, it shouldn’t stop there.
Engagement works on many levels, not just the physical. Are you mentally prepared to defend yourself? Are you emotionally in check and in control? Are you spiritually engaged?
When you practice, you’re trying to realistically prepare yourself for the street. However, many people don’t train fully engaged - they only engage themselves 1/4 or only 1/2 of the way. What if you’re faced with an attacker who is 75% engaged? Is 25% enough?
If you haven’t thought about this. I recommend your reconsider and seriously evaluate how you’re training.
What’s your take on this? Simply click on the “comments” link below and let me know what you think!
About the Author: 
