Archive for category: Blogs

Everybody experiences a ‘wakeup call’ in some form or another at some stage of their life.  Although, it can be a shock to the system the outcome can be quite positive because this enables us to take action before it might ever happen again.  Wakeup calls are a warning to prepare, otherwise, be prepared to face the same consequences again.

Wakeup calls can be a catalyst for improvement in our martial arts training.  Our first tournament match can be a shock to anybody’s system but it is what we do after that to be able to handle the same situation again in a positive manner.  The same goes for that street encounter that might not go so well.  With the homework all done, the second and third time round, those situations don't turn to be as much of a shock.

In BJJ (Brazilian Jiu Jitsu), there comes a time when you come up against an opponent who throws you in all sorts of disarray.  My attitude is ‘many thanks for that.  You have prompted me to do something about it.’  The lesson here, SHOCK, DISCOVER, LEARN & FIX. 

They say adrenaline is good for performance in these situations but too much of this medication will work have the opposite effect; besides you cannot control the right amount of dose for maximum performance but you can attain knowledge which can eliminate those shocking experiences.

So remember, if you are feeling down one day, you will feel that 'high' the next day when you take action and do something about it.  I hope I haven't shocked anybody.
GA

The thing about bullying is there is no one solution to ending the problem.  There are a lot of resources of how to deal with it (as shown on our website) which may be of some help but the truth is the victim has to build confidence and self esteem because I don’t believe written material is enough.  It is a world known fact the martial arts have been making a positive impact on youngsters out there crying for help.  Most young people will not admit to their friends, teachers or parents of being bullied because they believe it to be a sign of weakness or may even fear reprisals from thugs.  Most parents, including me, choose to believe it does not happen to their children but the stats say 1 in 3 Australian children will experience bullying.

What makes me an expert on this subject is I, too, was a victim of bullying at school which went on for years and this is why I took up the martial arts.  I had to work out different routes from class to class to avoid confronting bullies but they would always catch up with me eventually.  I would be fighting in the stairwell, classroom, school playground and en route home.  There was no end to it.  I never told my parents and I never told the teachers or my friends.

There was very little known about the martial arts at the time but it sounded a good idea at the time.  Training, especially those days, was a lot of hard work and my main motivation, at the time, was to get back at these thugs.  By the time I got good enough I was happy to take the thugs on but they shied away, to my disappointment.

Bullying causes scarring which never seems to go away.  How many times do adults look at people and say in jest, ‘that guy must’ve been belted up at school’ but what they are really saying is that person must've been bulliled atg school hence their behaviour. 

The martial arts builds confidence and self esteem the fun way.  One thing for sure, the martial arts school is a 'no bully zone' where they can talk and make friends in a non-hostile environment.
GA

A lot of good things had come out of last week’s seminar in Bendigo at the Australian College of Sports Development (ACSD).  One of the discussions was about youths in the martial arts.  Most of us can give many reasons why children should be in the martial arts such as anti-bullying, obesity, discipline, self esteem and the list goes on but there is something we might not be aware of. 

According to the ACSD martial arts training is ideal for physical development in children.  Young people’s skeletal structures, muscles and ligaments are in the growing stages and the martial arts will greatly assist in building and strengthening their bodies as they mature.  This results less prone to injuries in later life.  As parents we should not forget these important reasons for our children training in the martial arts.  With this in mind, if ‘little Johnny’ says ‘I’m bored’ it is up to the parents to take a stance because they know what’s best for their kids.  Instructors are always happy to discuss such a situation.

Mental challenges, increased confidence and focussing are some of the other things children can expect from the martial arts; not to mention keeping away from bad company.  They will learn to recognise the difference between good and bad.  What is also another important factor is that children in the martial arts are more likely to keep up some physical activity for the rest of their lives in order to stay in shape, feel young and enjoy a healthier life style. That's the secret of remaining young.

At the end of the day, there’s nothing better than a child achieving these mental and physical skills and be awarded a black belt doing their family and friends proud.
GA

John Will (Master Grappler) received a message on Facebook from one of his friends saying that ‘he was just mugged in the Philippines … and hinted that he was penniless and stuck there’.   John was suspicious of the wording and asked a BJJ security question, something only his friend would know the answer to.  Needless to say, it was a scam.  This happens quite often on Facebook by people who hack accounts and pose as FRIENDS.

So, too, in the big WORLD of martial arts, we can expect some sort of scamming ie people after your money.  Because Instructors are not licenced by any government regulating body they are not held accountable for what they say or do making it difficult for the average person to know what they are getting into.  These scammers (I hope not many of them) believe they are, or pretend to be qualified in the martial arts and do very well using clever marketing.  That spells 'gullible' but you only have to look at those people who are gullible enough to buy those useless Magic Steam Mops advertised on television. Maybe, we give one of these Steam Mops away to everybody who signs up.

These type of people have a fascination with belts and ranks and and look for an easy way to get promoted.  They love to add years to their training by not mentioning they had a 10 year break in between, and there are those who claim starting training as child with the few months they did but actually started training 10 years later.  I might as well claim 20 years training in BJJ if I count from my first seminar with John Will in 1992.

As an Instructor, it is important for him or her to maintain credibility based on years of training and authentic credentialisation.  Ranks and claims that are not genuine will only disrepute the Instructor and school. 

Hint: people who are after ranks don’t usually train, people that train are not usually after ranks. 
GA   

My first memories of karate are of a young naive kid sweating all over a rough wooden surface in a Scout Hall.  I would catch two buses and walk a kilometre to the dojo, I would never speak to the Instructor and he would never speak to me.  The training was 2 hours long, the floor had no mats and sparring gear was non existent (we sparred bare knuckle and no mouthguard).  This sounds all negative but I was truly inspired because it was an honour just to be accepted into a school.

After training I had to walk back up one of the steepest hills in the world (I reckon) and by then I had worked up such a thirst, I would reward myself with a soft drink from the drink machine which was located next to the bus stop in the middle of nowhere; must’ve been strategically put there for people climbing up that hill.

If you got injured you had to suck it up.  If you wanted to complain you went to the bathroom and talk to yourself.  Water and toilet breaks only when you were allowed to.  You did as you were told and you had to follow the rules.  All this, just to learn Karate.  No matter how bad it was, there was always loyalty and respect with each other and the Instructor which is a diminishing thing today because the new generation have their own ideas and want to question everything.  Questioning is a good thing but not to the point where it doesn’t get you anywhere and waste valuable time. 

The way martial arts is today (which is far better) ie mats, drink machine, punching bags; now you can speak to the Instructor and they will speak to you and even shake hands however I believe what made us real warriors is something a young Instructor cannot convey to their students or relate to.  History always plays a part in building the future.
GA