Happy, sweating, living the sweet life.

Wow what a view. It was a great hike to the top of this hill @ Lost Maples. A quick bite to eat then it was back down to the water below for a cool down. The sun was mostly behind the clouds but the humidity felt to be 90%. Everyone was sweating- alot. This park was my first real experience with hiking @ 5 years old, so its always cool to come back and remember how remote and grand this placed seemed. This was my son's 4th time back and he always wants to come back. I only hope more people get to experience the joys of being outside. All the kids hiked & ran for miles with smiles. I think a lot of life's problems for young and old can be solved on the trail. Thanks to all that made the trip. I look forward to the next trek together

Summer 2010 is almost gone

Wow what an adventure. We had our 10Th year of summer camps. It is so cool to see kids come back summer after summer for the Karate camps who do not even take classes. The goal is to have a great time while doing Karate skills. It seems that we have met our goal. Every camp fills up and it seems that kids are having even more fun. I would like to thank all those who came to the camps and to those who ran the camps. As tired as the students get after hours of drills and games the instructors do as well. It was really nice having Sean back this summer. He has always been a great student and has become an awesome help to World Karate. We will miss him again while he is gone. The last month of summer has brought some really nice surprises. Several students that started 8-9 years ago have return for some more training. It gives me such a great feeling to have students return from a school break or just a long layoff. To me it shows they are really into the training to come back from a long break. Obviously its not for my great personality. Even though school is starting back up and its only getting hotter summer has to come to an end. We will miss all those who are returning or leaving for the first time to college.

Parents join in the fun.

All the years of bring your parents to class days, this one might have been the best. Everyone was eager to participate and seemed to be enjoying time spent with the kids. I can remember in past years where dads would ask a question then turn it into an attack on me. Not this weekend. Everyone was really cool and all smiles. It always makes me feel even closer to the students and their families when we get to do a class together. I hope everyone can make the hike coming up in September. Thanks to everyone who showed up and made it a great day.

Summer Belt Test

The hot days of summer are here in force. Summer belt test is not only a test of skill but also time management. Most families take time to go on a vacation or two. This means a student must put in extra effort to make up for the classes missed in order to be prepared for the challenge. It always seems odd to me when a student is gone for a month and wants to test for the next rank without putting in extra effort. Yet it always impresses me to see a student want to do what ever it takes to reach that next level even if the were gone for a few weeks. We had two adult and one youth student earn their red/black belts this summer in great form. Maybe we can look forward to some more black belts in the near future.
Thank you to all students and parents for all the effort that goes into being a full time martial artist. World Karate is a great place to train because of you.

Ahh the joys of training.

Bumps, bruises, black eyes, broken bones, back ache, cuts, fractures, frustration, kicked in the head, larger opponents, matt burns, nausea, punched in the face, sprains, swelling, swept, sweat from someone else, smoked, tired, taken down, tapped out, time extension, then back for more the next day.

Is it worth it?
Is achieving goals that were once thought too hard worth it?
Is the ability to protect yourself worth it?
Is setting an example of hard work, discipline, and perseverance worth it?
Is challenging yourself mentally and physically to become stronger worth it?
Is being apart of something that most have only seen worth it?
You decide.
For me life is about living. I can not avoid the things that allow me to experience the most out of life for fear of pain. Most great experiences for me come after lots of hard work, discipline, pain, and a great amount of focus. These are strengths that I gain by training martial arts. Everything in my life benefits from my training. The joys of training. That's why I and many others understand that life is lived greater with a few bumps & bruises.
LIVE TO TRAIN TRAIN TO LIVE

Whats better than a day @ the studio? How about a few days at the beach.

World Karate family hike @ Government Canyon. We all had a great time with nice weather. I was very impressed with the 4 & 5 year olds with hiking the entire 4.5 miles of rugged terrian with big smiles. I am looking for getting back out and hope more will be able to join us.