Martial Arts classes in Wiltshire, Somerset and Dorset – 26.9

 

“When your temper rises, lower your fists – when your fists rise, lower your temper.”

– Chojun Miyagi

Wise words, and through learning martial arts we learn how to respond to difficult and testing situations.

Last week we focused on self defence which is a very important aspect of our syllabus. I was massively impressed by the hard work of all of our Young Warriors who worked hard to learn their new defence technique for their current grade, the majority going home with a red stripe on their belt. It was brilliant to see the readiness in which the senior students took on the task of helping the juniors with their particular defence. Having good role models in class to look up to is great for our younger students, seeing what is achievable with hard work, determination and a positive attitude, I try and get the seniors to work with juniors as often as I can. The seniors who helped out this week all earned their yellow stripe for Leadership and had a big confidence boost as well, so well done guys! Learning how to defend yourself is essential, we teach our students not just to react but to respond to situations giving them the confidence to deal with moments of conflict. Knowing that you have the skill set to deal with an attack gives you the calmness to be able to think when the pressure is on. This normally allows you to respond in a way that defuses the situation as your evident confidence unnerves your attacker, making them rethink their actions. But in a case where you need to defend yourself, you can, effectively and efficiently.

The students taking our Nunchuku course have been working hard too. They have learnt the first Kata along with lots of new techniques and will be working hard to perfect them before the assessment in six weeks time. Learning how to use these weapons which have been a part of martial arts for hundreds of years is a brilliant way to improve focus, coordination and is lots of fun!

This week we will be focusing on sparring. Honing our skills ready for the next competition. So make sure all young warriors bring sparring kit to class this week. For our young warriors (below yellow belt) we will be working on elbow tag and shoulder tag. So please make sure all warriors have a drink with them as sparring is thirsty work!

‘Little Steps…..Big achievements’

This week we send congratulations to the achievements made by the young warriors in gaining their red stripes; this stripe is awarded for completion and achievement in demonstrating a competence for the self-defence element of their particular level of grade and belt. For many this is the first time they have been introduced to the stripe system and as they move along the path towards the grading they will be asked to show competences in areas of fitness, leadership and technique, these little steps allow for focus in specific areas and are in fact big achievements…. Well done to you all, I’m very proud!
This week has also been a very exciting time for many new recruits, it was the first sessions and launches of a number of new classes and locations; it’s no surprise that we have been totally overwhelmed with the amount of interest shown even before the classes started. The new introductions to the Warrior Academy methodology and way of teaching were a resounding success with the very excited recruits….. These are fantastic times for an instructor to immediately instil good practice, good technique, good skills, good habits and more importantly the strong foundations to build on as the little warrior’s progress forward on their journey with us. I know of no single formula for success, but over the years I have observed that some attributes of leadership are universal and are often about finding ways of encouraging people to combine their efforts, their talents, their insights, their enthusiasm and their inspiration to work together, getting things right at this stage sows the seeds for the future…..
done to all of you and see you in class!!