Saturday March 23, 2012 at American Karate & Martial Science.
Breathing: In My Opinion-Think About It
What is the importance of proper breathing in your kata performances and fighting? Would it have anything to do with blood flow, oxygen, power, muscle contraction, muscle relaxation, faintness, relaxation, or blood pressure? Ponder that for a moment.
I have seen karatekas, weight lifters, runners, people hyper-ventilating, etc not properly breathe while executing their particular exercise. I want to focus on the karateka in my expression/this thought/this observation about breathing. It is very important to breathe, and not hold your breath while performing your training routine, whatever, the activity. By holding your breathe in the performance of kata, you could faint, and increase your blood pressure with the off and on of improper breathing sequences. Remember proper breathing does help your blood flow with the exchange of oxygen flowing in and out through your lungs and veins, which most of you are familiar with, but should you learn how to do ‘deep belly’ breathing expect a completely new experience in your techniques, posture, stamina, executions.
Not breathing properly can cause injury to you. Proper breathing sync with the particular technique adds power and speed to your technique upon execution. You the karateka have to determine the inhale/exhale sequence that work for you. Remember, to thrust a punch/kick, you must contract the muscle and relax it to get the best action from it. However, adding good breathing to your techniques can accelerate and produce great power upon making contact to an imaginary opponent, attacking opponent, and tournament opponent (with control). Don’t forget to be in a good stance to compliment your technique while breathing correctly. In the event you have any comments, feel free to contact me at www.youngsankarate.com (on the feedback form) or h.james@youngsankarate.com.
Master H. James Young
Bushido Virtue #7 Chugi
In America today, loyalty can be seen in many forms. The most blatant example might be avid sports fans. Even when a beloved team is having a terrible season, a loyal fan will still cheer them on, hope for the best; and even attend games where a loss is expected.
When the going in life gets rough, however, do we stay the course? Do we remain focused on our path and our goals and refuse to allow what’s around us drag us off course? The last of the traditional Bushido tenets, loyalty, or chugi in Japanese, seems to be the epitomal manifestation of the previous six tenets in a samurai’s life.
Judging from the origins of the word according to Encyclopædia Britannica Eleventh Edition, its meaning is rooted in “allegiance to the sovereign or established government of one’s country”. Over time, loyalty has come to embody allegiance to just about anything. Dictionary.com defines loyalty as “faithfulness to commitments or obligations” and gives fealty, devotion, constancy, and fidelity as synonyms. Inherent in all of these descriptions is that loyalty comes from a choice.
So, first and foremost, to what are we loyal? Our dojo, sensei, fellow karate-ka? Our family, friends, country? Our faith? Bushido itself? Ourselves? Secondly, how deeply are we loyal? On a scale of 1 to 10, what is your loyalty to your martial arts training? To the study of Bushido? To striving for excellence not only during class but every second of every day?
If you ask a black belt, your spouse, a co-worker what their honest appraisal of your loyalty is, would you truly honestly be willing to hear what they say? Even better, what would you do with what they say?
Ultimately, the choice is up to you. Loyalty springs from understanding and choosing to follow the previous virtues of Bushido. The path lies before you, clear and well-traveled for centuries. Many travel it now and you will not be alone when the going gets tough. Will you stay the course?
Cristine Warring
Self Esteem-Part 1
What Is Self-Esteem?
To understand self-esteem, it helps to break the term into two words. Let's take a look at the word esteem (say: ess-teem) first. Esteem is a fancy word for thinking that someone or something is important or valuing that person or thing. For example, if you really admire your friend's dad because he volunteers at the fire department, it means you hold him in high esteem. And the special trophy for the most valuable player on a team is often called an esteemed trophy. This means the trophy stands for an important accomplishment. And self means, well, yourself! So put the two words together and it's easier to see what self-esteem is. It's how much you value yourself and how important you think you are. It's how you see yourself and how you feel about your achievements. Self-esteem isn't bragging about how great you are. It's more like quietly knowing that you're worth a lot (priceless, in fact!). It's not about thinking you're perfect — because nobody is — but knowing that you're worthy of being loved and accepted.
Why Self-Esteem Is Important?
Self-esteem isn't like a cool pair of sneakers that you'd love to have but don't have to have. A kid needs to have self-esteem. Good self-esteem is important because it helps you to hold your head high and feel proud of yourself and what you can do. It gives you the courage to try new things and the power to believe in yourself. It lets you respect yourself, even when you make mistakes. And when you respect yourself, adults and other kids usually respect you, too. Having good self-esteem is also the ticket to making good choices about your mind and body. If you think you're important, you'll be less likely to follow the crowd if your friends are doing something dumb or dangerous. If you have good self-esteem, you know that you're smart enough to make your own decisions. You value your safety, your feelings, your health, your whole self! Good self-esteem helps you know that every part of you is worth caring for and protecting.
How Kids Get Self-Esteem
As children get older, they can have a bigger role in developing their self-esteem. Achievements like getting a good grade on a test or making the All-Star soccer team are things children can be proud of. So are having a good sense of humor or being a good friend. A child’s family and other people in his or her life like coaches, teammates, and classmates also can boost his or her self-esteem. They can help a child figure out how to do things or notice his or her good qualities. They can believe in the child and encourage him or her to try again when something doesn't go right the first time. It's all part of a child’s learning to see themselves in a positive way, to feel proud of what they've done, and to be confident that there's a lot more they can do.
Tommy Williams, Chief Instructor
TIME AND EFFORT
We often talk about dedication to the martial arts. But the martial arts is about more than kicks, punches, racking up trophies or points in a sports karate magazine or constantly adding stripes to your belt as if it would earn you more respect. It is about that journey to perfection through excellence and dedication to yourself, your friends, your family, your job and your craft. Dedication often comes with long hours of study, training and some pain. Quality time in training hones your character. It earns you respect from your peers and superiors as well as your subordinates. There is no easy road. Today we want everything easy. Today we chase rank and achieve master level rank at an alarming rate.
Korean Grandmaster, instructor, author and actor Hee Il Cho wrote this in a recent magazine article. "I was ten years old, and I simply joined a class. Not a proper kind of training - just coming in, cleaning the place and helping out. By 13, I made black belt. Natural talent? No matter how good your coordination, how much natural talent, even so, you must put in time and effort."
It is time for some of us to put in some "time an effort" and stop chasing that which you don't know what to do with when you catch it. In everything there is a time and a season. Let the evolution of your seasons come and go with the natural order of things.
TOURNAMENTS
WICHITA OPEN KARATE TOURNEY
Cancelled due to weather-TBA
Army National Guard Armory
3617 South Seneca Wichita, KS
CONTACT: Mickey Gomez 316-8383-8210
MID CONTINENT OPEN
Saturday March 9th, 2013
Andover Central Middle School
903 90th St. Andover, KS 67002
CONTACT: 316-733-2298 aircapitaltkd@cox.net
SEIBUKAN KARATE INVITATIONAL
Saturday March 23, 2013
Holy Cross Lutheran Church
600 N. Greenwich Road Wichita, KS
CONTACT: John Goertz 316-516-4101 ksseibukan@yahoo.com
MID AMERICA KARATE TOURNAMENT
Saturday March 30th, 2013
Christ the King Church
25th and Wannamaker Topeka, KS
CONTACT: Pam Johansen 785-844-0050 pam@midamerica_karate.com
KARATE TOURNAMENT
Saturday March 30, 2013
El Dorado 4H-Building
200 N. Griffith El Dorado, KS
CONTACT: Dave Estes 316-320-5425
AMERICAN KARATE PHOTO DAY
Saturday, April 6th will be our annual photo day at American Karate. Wheeler Photography will be at the school from 9:00 am to 10:30 am to do a group class photo and individual photos. There will be more details as this date grows closer.
WOMEN'S SELF DEFENSE
Crime Victims Awareness Month
Our Women's Self Defense Workshop is scheduled fro Saturday, April 27th. This is a FREE workshop for ladies ages 13 and over. This event will be from 9:30 am until 2:00 pm.
If you or your employer would like to make a donation to the school to help purchase equipment or help a disadvantaged youth take martial arts lessons please fill out this form or pick one up at the school.
