Arrowhead Martial Arts Studio Blog

WELCOME TO MY MARTIAL ARTS BLOG! Keep up to date on all the latest news, tips and ideas from Arrowhead Martial Arts Studio by subscribing to my RSS feed or you can receive email updates right to your inbox. Thanks for visiting! -- Ryan Wheaton

I’m sure we don’t have many Kobe Bryant Fans in class (Go Jazz!), but I did think this was interesting to learn that he takes martial arts. I’m surprised that more professional athletes don’t take martial arts. Their ability to read their opponents motion, fake them out, have quicker footwork and reflexes, and so forth could all be elevated. It’s hard to say but I’m sure it’s giving Kobe even more of an edge than he already had over and above his natural abilities and talents.

Social Bookmark This Post!

It seems like it wasn’t that long ago that I wrote about our Salt Lake City Utah Martial Arts school’s sixth year anniversary. Now, a year later, I’m scratching my head wondering how quick things have passed by.

So, without any further ado, happy seven anniversary Arrowhead Martial Arts Studio!

The past year was a great year for our Kenpo studio. We had a lot of new students join us, so much so that we had to create a waiting list last June. To all those who have been patiently waiting to get in, I thank you for hanging in there. As you know, I did this to keep the instruction and attention levels high at my studio so my students never got lost in the shuffle. Know that once you make it in, you too will get the same level of care and consideration.

We also started our monthly martial arts newsletter to which we have received a lot of great feedback and comments. Each month there are tips, news, and info you can’t find on our website. If you haven’t signed up yet, I suggest you check it out.

I also became a more active martial arts blogger so that our students could get even more information and details outside of class. It’s been great to see all of the comments our students and other people have left. All I can say is keep it up as it helps motivate me to write! I have several more posts I’m wrapping up that I think you’ll enjoy.

Several of our assistant instructors are about to test for black belt. It’s an exciting time for these people and it has been great to see their progress as they move to higher levels in the art. I can’t wait to welcome them into the black belt ranks!

I’m also impressed with the dedication and passion our students have for the art and how focused they are in class. Several students have gone up in the ranks with more testing in the near future. All I can say is - treat every class like it’s a test night as it very well could be!

To all my students, assistant instructors, and instructors - Thank you for training at my Kenpo studio and for being so loyal, dedicated, and passionate. It is truly humbling for me to be your instructor.

Here’s to another great year!

–

Ryan Wheaton
Chief Instructor
Arrowhead Martial Arts Studio
Salt Lake City, Utah

Social Bookmark This Post!

I’m not sure what hurt worse… the kicks to the face… the ones to the back of the head… the axe kick to the sternum. Either way, it was painful to watch! I love the expressions in the crowd. Totally priceless.

Social Bookmark This Post!

This just in: March 2nd is the room reservation cut off date for the March 2008 Paul Mills Las Vegas Kenpo Camp. If you haven’t yet made your reservations, and are considering going, I encourage you do so now. You can always cancel later. If you don’t make your reservations by then, you won’t get a discount and the rooms will be released to the general public and will go fast.

March 27-29, 2008

Sam’s Town
5111 Boulder Highway
Las Vegas, NV 89122
1 (800) 634-6371

HOTEL RATES:
Sun - Thurs = $49.99/night
Fri - Sat = $120.00/night

Don’t know what the Las Vegas AKKI Kenpo camp is all about? Get caught up to speed here!

Social Bookmark This Post!

What makes American Kenpo different from all other martial arts systems is the use of principles of motion. Think of principles of motion as ingredients to make the perfect recipe for performance.

Each of our techniques, forms, sets, freestyle, and drills are designed to help us understand, explore and internalize proper action through the use of principles.

As a student of the Art, I would encourage you to learn, incorporate, and apply these principles in everything you do. The difference between an average Kenpoist and a great one, often lies in their use and understanding of the principles of motion.

Here are some core principles you should unequivocally incorporate into your training, in no particular order:

1. Logic - If there were one principle to rule them all, this would be it.
2. Point of Origin - John Wayne could’ve used this one and refers to moving any natural weapon from wherever it originates rather than cocking it before deploying it. Helps to eliminate telegraphing your moves.
3. Economy of Motion - Make sure every move counts and is efficient.
4. Centerline - Learn how to minimize yours and maximize your opponents.
5. Margin for Error - Build this into everything you do both offensively and defensively.
6. Tea Kettle - Exhale at the proper moment for maximum effect.
7. Simplicity - If it’s too complex, you’ll never be able to pull it off.
8. Engagement - Have your mind, body, emotion, and spirit ready.
9. Anchoring - Get your butt under you and drop your elbows.
10. Black Dot Focus - Be aware of everything going on around you, not just in front of you.

11-20 I want to hear from you!

What other principles would you add to the list and why? Add your comment below by clicking the “Add Your Comment Here” link now and help me get to 20 core American Kenpo Principles!

Social Bookmark This Post!

Did you know you can automatically be notified when I’ve posted a new blog post?

If you don’t know what RSS is, here is a quick primer: RSS stands for Really Simple Syndication and is a web friendly format that allows users to optin to content updates from a particular website. This saves you time from visiting a website everyday as updates are delivered in real time. I use Yahoo! Mail’s integrated feed reader and know Google and many others offer this.

Check out this video to learn more:

Subscribe today!

• Subscribe via RSS - Get updates delivered to your favorite RSS reader!
• Subscribe via Email - Get updates delivered right to your inbox!

Leave me a comment if you still don’t get it and need more information.

Social Bookmark This Post!

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.

Social Bookmark This Post!

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.

Social Bookmark This Post!

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!

Social Bookmark This Post!