April 2002 Newsletter
SPARRING
TOURNAMENT - APRIL 7TH AT NEWTON HIGH SCHOOL - - 11 A. M.
START
Student
Responsibilities
-
If a student is not going to be in class it is the
responsibility of the student or parent to call
to let us know. If a call
is not made, the class may not be made up.
-
Monthly
dues
should be paid the beginning of the month.
-
Students must train
daily - if the skills taught
are to be learned and mastered.
-
With rank
comes a challenge - - skills must become sharper - - understanding
deeper - - this is true for children & adults.
-
Students should
consider purchasing their own protective
hand and foot gear. Check
with Sensei or Mrs. Hughes for prices.
| $40.00
- ONE CLASS / WEEK
|
$110.00 - THREE MONTH CARD - 1 CLASS / WEEK
|
| $50.00
- TWO CLASSES / WEEK
|
$140.00 - THREE MONTH CARD - 2 CLASSES / WEEK
|
| $60.00
- THREE CLASSES / WEEK
|
FAMILY
DISCOUNT - $10.00 / MONTH FOR ADDITIONAL KARATE STUDENTS
|
CHECKS
SHOULD BE PAYABLE TO: ISSHIN-RYU SCHOOL OF KARATE
Isshin-ryu
World Association Memberships can be requested at this time.
Any adult student above the rank of white belt should be a
member. Any junior
student, who is serious about his or her training may also receive a
certificate and registration number.
The next IWKA
tournament is scheduled to be in Dallas, Texas
. . . if you wish
to participate you should be a member of the association.
The cost is $35.00.
The word DOJO means a training hall of a gymnasium where we
practice the Japanese Martial Arts.
Its more literal translation means, "the place of the
way" or "a place of awakening.”
When one practices Karate within the Dojo, it defines a space
where one's form is contained and nurtured.
This limitation of space gives limits to one's activity, and
thereby brings freedom in that limitation.
Having a definition gives one the opportunity
to explore. It
gives one the opportunity to be observant of the movement. Exploring
is awakening, it is insight into the way things are, for life has
limitations. When one sees this, there is conformity in harmony with
the way of things. When
one enters the Dojo, one can sense the order, the natural conformity
with the way things are. This is not resignation, nor is it
conformity that is blind, that one follows without question.
The Dojo must reflect the natural order, and, in so doing, free
the student to become more than he or she was before entering.
People have built-in feelings and perceptions regarding karate
training, exercise and the ability to learn.
Most Americans are brought up to want to succeed quickly.
Karate is an art that is taught using several methods.
Some dojo test the student at regular intervals, fees are paid
and the student is promoted. In
other dojo the student signs up for a certain length of time and at the
end of the contract, the
student is granted the promotion.
Also, there are training methods where the student trains and
when the level of proficiency is attained, the student is promoted.
The traditional art does not guarantee promotions.
It does promise to help the individual improve physically,
mentally and emotionally; if the student trains properly.
Training methods are learned at the hands of a qualified sensei,
who’s attitude, encouragement and teaching methods help the student to
identify the skills, abilities and values needed to learn.
Motivation is the heart of learning and is dependent upon
the purpose for learning. The
nature and extent of the desire to learn will influence the degree of
motivation. The degree of
student motivation will determine the extent of personal involvement and
help to create the persistence to overcome difficulties and
frustrations. Motivation
and learning are experienced intrinsically and extrinsically.
Extrinsic motivation comes from outside the individual.
The incentive may be to gain prestige, approval or promotions.
Intrinsic motivation is derived inside the individual due to the
enjoyment of the art for its own sake.
The individual derives enjoyment, relaxation, physical benefits,
challenges and an expression of “self” from the study of the art.
Intrinsic motivation does not depend upon what rank a person is
but upon the values and abilities that the individual achieves.
To
learn a person must be patient. To
learn a person must know that there is something to be learned,
knowledge to be gained. The
person must add enthusiasm and the will to learn.
Karate is a progressive art.
One starts training with the basics and then proceeds through
kata. The ultimate
goal is for the student to gain understanding of how one’s body,
mind and spirit may be strengthened. To this end, direction and guidance are added by the
sensei, while motivation and
dedication are added by the student.
With continuing effort and desire, the student will be guided to
understand what is required to become a “true” karate
student, who is a credit to the art.
Keep the drive and desire to learn alive in your training.
Practice each day. Use
a calendar to help chart what you practice.
Review all elements of your training --- not just the ones you
like.
Areas
of continued emphasis for practice:
FORM,
BALANCE, POWER & SPEED, FOCUS OF POWER, RHYTHM
& TIMING, LOWERING STANCE FOR STABILITY
Karate is not the only
sport that concentrates on optimum use of the body and uses the
principles taught in physics and physiology.
The karate student at times must stand on one foot to attack or
defend. The center of balance is always shifting but must be kept under
control. The development of
muscular strength alone will not enable one to excel in the martial arts
. . . but strength is necessary. For
POWER to be developed-- strength, timing and speed must be directed
toward a specific target area. All
the above ideas of optimum use of the body, balance, muscular strength,
timing, speed and focusing power will not be effective if the student
does not learn to use his of her abdomen for breathing properly and the
lower extremities for stability properly.
DESIRE
& ABILITY ARE MORE VALUABLE THAN WHAT OTHERS THINK
An unemployed man is desperate to support his family. His wife
watches TV all day and his three teenage kids have dropped out of high
school to hang around with the local toughs. He applies for a janitor's
job at a large firm and easily passes an aptitude test.
The human resources manager tells him, "You will be hired at
minimum wage of $5.15 an hour. Let me have your e-mail address so that
we can get you in the loop. Our system will automatically e-mail you all
the forms and advise you when to start and where to report on your first
day." Taken back, the
man protests that he is poor and has neither a computer nor an e-mail
address. To this the manager replies, "You must understand that to
a company like ours that means that you virtually do not exist. Without
an e-mail address you can hardly expect to be employed by a high-tech
firm. Good day. "Stunned, the man leaves. Not knowing where to turn
and having $10 in his wallet, he walks past a farmer’s market and sees
a stand selling 25lb crates
of beautiful red tomatoes. He buys a crate, carries it to a busy corner
and displays the tomatoes. In less than 2 hours he sells all the
tomatoes and makes 100% profit. Repeating the process several times more
that day, he ends with almost $100 and arrives home that night with
several bags of groceries for his family. During the night he decides to
repeat the tomato business the next day. By the end of the week he is getting up early every day
and working into the night. He multiplies his profits quickly. Early in
the second week he acquires a cart to transport several boxes of
tomatoes at a time, but before a month is up he sells the cart to buy a
broken-down pickup truck.
At the end of a year he owns three old trucks. His two sons have
left their neighborhood gangs to help him with the tomato business, his
wife is buying the tomatoes, and his daughter is taking night courses at
the community college so she can keep books for him.
By the end of the second year he has a dozen very nice used
trucks and employs fifteen previously unemployed people, all selling
tomatoes. He continues to work hard.
Time passes and at the end of the fifth year he owns a fleet of
nice trucks and a warehouse which his wife supervises, plus two tomato
farms that the boys manage.
Looking at this man’s life and the way the company treated him,
what is being said?
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