Tag: training

Earning My Blue Belt

Posted on | by Dojo Kyle

I was shooting the breeze with Coach Ryan after classes this weekend and we were doing a little reminiscing about our individual training and our time teaching at the dojo. I hope as I continue to write, I’ll build up to how the dojo was started, and some of the early days of the school. I think coming up on our 10 year anniversary this March has me reflecting more and more. 

 

Today I wanted to tell you about earning my blue belt. In Jiu-Jitsu, blue belt is the intermediate rank between being a beginner (white belt) and advanced (purple belt) in the adult program. The average time spent at each belt is around 2 years- for some a little shorter, for others it takes longer. 

 

For me it was 26 months as a white belt- but hey it’s not like I was counting the days or anything haha. It was a small class on a Thursday night in October. Right before we began, our coach King Webb surprised me with the promotion. The other students in class told me congrats and then we got into training. I remember feeling like I had just hit this major milestone! I felt like I had put so much of myself into my training and it was amazing to be recognized by my instructor as no longer a beginner. I thought this was the biggest thing I’d accomplished in my life- and even though I had graduated from university earlier that year- it was true.

 

Like I mentioned in my last post, I had been a slacker basically all of my life. That definitely carried over into my education and caused me to tailor the college experience to be pretty easy- I took some great classes like film, communication, and journalism classes. They were interesting and enjoyable subjects- and I made great grades- but I wasn’t exactly pushing my limit or pulling any all nighters like my friends over in the chemistry department. Just kinda coasting. 

 

There was no way to coast or slack off in Jiu-Jitsu and get results. That was a big part of the attraction to me. There was obviously theory to understand, but there was also a physical component where the rubber met the road and we put the theory into practice.  I had an experience early on in my training that illustrated just how effective this martial art was and I felt I had to know it to be able to defend myself or someone else. On top of that, I was FAR from a natural. Jiu-Jitsu was really hard for me- and that quickly became the main reason why I was there. I wanted the challenge. I wanted to prove to myself that I could come up against difficulty and not fold. 

 

Another thing I think about with my blue belt promotion is that, although my coaches and training partners wanted to see me stick with it and keep going, there was no outside influence or motivation to keep at it. If I would’ve told my friends and family I wanted to quit, they’d have been like, “Oh yeah, you have a lot of other stuff going on. Makes sense. Want to go get something to eat?” We wouldn’t have had an intervention and it wouldn’t have viewed as some major life decision. Although choosing to stick with jiu-jitsu has been one of the best life decisions I could’ve ever made.  

 

They couldn’t have known the impact training was going to have on me, so I can’t blame them. And in fact, that’s part of what made my blue belt promotion that much sweeter. This was my way of working to grow and improve myself. Nobody was forcing me to do it. It wasn’t a requirement for anything. Nobody outside the jiu-jitsu school really knew what to make of it all. I liked that. It was my thing. 

 

In those early days leading up to blue belt, it became apparent to me that everything effects everything else. Since I was in jiu-jitsu and I was going to be a black belt in 8 years (missed that goal date), I couldn’t go out for the late nights because I had training in the morning. I started to get into some better lifestyle habits. The amount of money I saved not going out on Saturday nights more than paid for my tuition to train. I ate like I wanted to get the best out of myself. I started to read more and had a bigger appetite to continue my education like I was doing in jiu-jitsu. The good habits and disciplines of training started to spill over into other areas of my life and made a great impact. 

 

So, you know… I don’t think I’d be overstating it to say that the path to blue belt was a life changing experience for me. Maybe you’ve already had something in your life that made you rise to the occasion and helped you to get the best out of yourself. In that case, your story and the impact training will have on you is going to be different than the impact it’s had on me. One thing I’ll guarantee you though, is that once you make your blue belt you’re going to feel a sense of satisfaction and you’ll 100% feel that you invested your time and energy wisely. 

 

We look forward to helping you along the way at the dojo. 

Will Caldwell

512-504-3354

America’s Best Defense Is Training and More Training

Posted on | by Dojo Kyle

Despite concerted efforts by law enforcement authorities and the criminal justice system, costly crimes such as burglary and muggings still still take place far too often in communities everywhere. If you have found yourself in a position where you are confronted by a mugger or a thief with intent to harm, you may suddenly discover the importance of self-defense. While violence is never the first resort, in some cases, there is little one can do but to fight back. In the heat of the moment, it can be quite difficult to summon up the self-defense training that you have learned though.

The only way to actually to identify how one would truly react in such a confrontation is to experience it first-hand. Many experts in martial arts and self-defense have commented that with constant and dedicated practice, self-defense eventually turns into “muscle memory” and “automatic reflex.” Self-defense training through practical application of martial arts yields many benefits to students of all ages, genders, goals, and backgrounds.

Safety

It goes without saying that the primary benefit of self-defense training is the increased safety and security of yourself and your loved ones. Unlike going to the gym or performing cardio exercises, self-defense training focuses on particular situations in which individuals are against the odds. Participants will learn how to handle criminals who threaten them with superior strength, numbers, or weapons in a variety of practical means. Sometimes using speed and space to gain advantage in a confrontation is all that is required to make an escape from harm.

Confidence

Another important aspect that self-defense training builds in individuals is confidence. Living in fear of what could happen to you on the streets after the sun goes down is hardly a way to live at all. While some precautions need to be taken, learning self-defense training will boost your own confidence levels and allow you to go about your life with this fear diminished.

Fitness

Finally, self-defense training is not solely about situational encounters. In order for you to perform certain skills and techniques, you will need to be physically capable as well. Self- defense training involves a number of exercises that help individuals build their strength, agility, and balance so that bodies and minds are both prepared to perform the required actions. During self-defense training, attentive teachers will identify aspects of your physical ability that could potentially be your weaknesses and look to help you improve upon them over time.

“No BS” Training – It’s REAL

Posted on | by Dojo Kyle

Children can be a frustrating lot, especially if they lack courtesy and discipline. Perhaps it’s an over-generalization, but sometimes it seems that we’ve neglectfully raised a generation of annoying, self-centered brats! (Did our elders say the same of our generation?) To make things worse, we’ve crafted a bunch of excuses to justify both their and our unacceptable behaviors. As parents and teachers, the duty is ours to train children with better attitudes and strong moral values.

Basic tips to train your kids

  • Impulsive behavior is one the biggest problems that parents experience dealing with kids. The bad news is that impulses are a part of our biological make-up. We may be higher animals, but we’re animals nonetheless and so are our children. If they’re not taught to control their impulses, they will look for frustrating and annoying ways to get what they want. That’s how kids are. One of the best ways to deal with this issue is by not responding to any demands made rudely. Once your kids realize that they’re not going to get what they want by throwing tantrums, they’ll learn to wait and delay gratification.
  • Keep your children distracted with a lot of physical activity. Children are practically bundles of energy and if this energy isn’t channeled in the right direction, you could have a major problem on your hands. Introduce them to sports or other activities that they might like and encourage them to participate in those activities. Once they learn to keep busy with wholesome, exhausting extracurricular activities, they don’t have much energy left for misbehaving.
  • Kids can also suffer from anger. This usually stems from the fact that they are not yet aware of how to control their emotions. Much of their behavioral “inspiration” comes from external sources like cartoons and sit-coms. Teach your kids to control their anger and to channel it in more practical ways. For instance, if your child is angry about something, ask him or her to make a list of what makes them angry and as to why. This will help them to understand where their emotions and reactions are coming from.

Train your kids with karate

Quite contrary to its portrayal in the media, karate is an art form that has its foundations in the philosophy of non-violence. Karate might have originated as a fighting style, it evolved into a lifestyle and philosophy fostering important values such as self-discipline, patience, focus, conflict resolution, respect, and more. Allowing your children to learn karate is probably one of the best ways to help instill your shared values and work ethic.