Thursday, July 10, 2008

HEALTH

1
Seven Habits of Highly
Successful Martial Artists
“Success is not the key to happiness.
Happiness is the key to success. If you
love what you are doing,
you will be successful.”
- Albert Schweitzer
By Joseph Galea & Master Griffin
Regardless of how old you are or what rank you have
acquired in your training, most martial arts students share
a common goal… to be the best they can be. Sure, you may
never be able to leap fi ve feet in the air, fl ip, and accurately
side-kick your target and land in a full split. But, in reality,
that does not matter. What does matter is that you are
striving toward your personal potential. To get there, follow
the seven habits of highly successful students.
Habit One - Be There:
Getting to class is important not only to continue your learning
but also to provide your body with the routine of physically and
mentally utilizing your knowledge. Experts have determined that
two classes per week is optimal for beginners and lower intermediate
students, while higher intermediate and advanced students
may benefi t from three or more classes.
Habit Two - Practice:
Reviewing at home what you learn in class is critical to enabling
you to master your skills. Home practice makes your class experience
much more benefi cial and comfortable. Practice anything
new you learn in class for fi ve to ten minutes as soon as you get
home that day. This ensures that you practice your new material
properly while it is still fresh in your mind.
Habit Three - Eat Right:
You are what you eat. Eat healthfully and your body will pay dividends
when you challenge yourself mentally as well as physically.
Good nutrition is recognized as a necessity for peak performance.
And it’s never too late to make nutrition a priority, so forget what
may have happened over the holidays!!
Habit Four - Stretch Daily:
Muscles that are stretched routinely become more fl exible. Flexible
muscles respond stronger and faster which allows your
body to perform your martial arts techniques with a “superman”
quality. An added benefi t is an increased metabolism… and
we can all use that, right? (Note: warm up your muscles before
stretching.)
Habit Five - Meditate:
Yes, Meditate. Now you don’t have to lull yourself into a trance.
Just take fi ve to ten minutes a day by yourself; close your eyes
and relax. Those precious few minutes right before you pass out
in bed each night don’t count. Challenge yourself to budget additional
time each day. Take a few of those minutes and visualize
yourself performing martial arts techniques that are hard and
challenging. Your mind can be a great asset when it comes time
to perform these techniques live.
Habit Six - Teach:
Help out a fellow student or teach yourself. The teaching process
actually “hard codes” information into your brain and helps you
learn better. In fact, this is a great practicing strategy. Stand in front
of a mirror and verbally teach yourself how to perform a technique.
While speaking out loud, make necessary corrections and positively
reinforce yourself. It may sound silly, but it works!
Habit Seven - Set Goals.
Have you offi cially set Black Belt as your goal yet? Have you set a specifi
c time-line to achieve that goal? Have you set a goal for your next
rank? Would you like to teach some day or have your own school?
What are your goals? A goal set is a goal already half completed.
Follow these seven habits of highly successful martial artists and
you’ll achieve your martial arts potential… and you may even
surprise yourself at what your potential actually is.
2



Are You a Natural Born Leader?
What Every Future Black Belt
Should Know
1.




Obtaining a black belt is a proud moment. However, it
is at this time that you must remember humility.


2.As a black belt, you are a role model. Your actions
represent the martial arts and your school at all times.


3.Black belt marks the end of a long journey and the
beginning of a new road of challenges and rewards.

4.Every black belt practitioner has special skills that make
his or her abilities unique. You are one of a kind.

5.The expertise of a black belt is the balance of both
physical and mental skills and abilities.
Goals and the 3 C’s of Martial Arts
The busy holiday season is upon us, and while the items on
our “To Do” list will certainly multiply, we shouldn’t forget
to take time to review and plan our personal goals and
objectives. After all, this is the time of year to do that, too!
So, where do you start?
I fi nd it easiest to create and manage goals by breaking down
major aspects of my life into categories, separating business
from personal. Kids may start with”school” and”personal,” for
example. Take your two major categories and breakdown further
into as many areas as you can. For”personal,” you might consider
family, social, relationships, education, fi tness, fi nancial, martial
arts, etc. Make a list of specifi c goals and objectives you already
have or would like to add for each . Next, indicate the current
status of each goal. You may also fi nd it helpful to indicate your
status from a year ago. This can help you what you’ve done to
get closer to your goal, as well as actionsmay be preventing you
from reaching or making progress toward your goal.
To dramatically increase yourfor success, you must take action
and work toward your goals. As funny as it may seem, not putting
any eff ort into achieving your goal is the number one cause
of failure!this is another opportunityyour martial arts trainingto
help you succeed. Just remember the three “Cs” of martial arts:
commitment, confi dence, and collaboration. The three “Cs”
are part of the ongoing success you have as a martial arts
student, and they become part of the non-physical benefi ts
of your training.
To be a successfularts student, for example, you must make a
personal commitment to your training. You can demonstrate
that commitment by attending classwhen other challenges
make it diffi cult to get to class, such as the holidays. The results
of commitment yield a strong sense of self value, which
creates a high level of confi dence. Confidence promotes
action, which is absolutely required to achieve goals. Lack of
confi dence creates fear, which prevents action! the final “C,”
collaboration, is understanding that success does not come
without the help of others. Isn’tarts success, including the
skills you achieve, the result of students helping each other
under the guidance of?
Martial arts training can be a powerful ally in all areas of your
life. As you refl ect on your past and plan your future, remember
the subtle lessons and life skills that you are learning in
each class. These are the benefi ts that you will use everyday,
ultimately shaping your life.



By Joseph Galea
3
Answers
Steven Seagal: 1,2,4,8,10,11,14,15,19,20
John Claude Van Damme 3,5,6,7,9,12,13,16,17,18,
Welcome to Kids Korner, the mind boggling, brain teasing section of Kid’s
Zone. If you score: 9 or more, you are a Grandmaster; 7 or 8, a Master; 6, an
Advanced Student; 5, an Intermediate Student; 4, a Beginner Student; 3, do
10 sit-ups; 2, do 10 push-ups; 1, do 10 sit-ups and 10 push-ups. Guess the Bonus
and add +1 to your score. Good luck!!!
Movie Match: Steven Seagal or Jean Claude Van Damme
Match the actor with their movie.
Executive Decision _________________________
The Glimmer Man _________________________
Double Team _________________________
Hard to Kill _________________________
Hard Target _________________________
Blood Sport _________________________
Nowhere to run _________________________
Exit Wounds _________________________
Desert Heat _________________________
The Foreigner _________________________
Marked For Death _________________________
Time Cop _________________________
Derailed _________________________
Above the law _________________________
The Patriot _________________________
Replicant _________________________
Death Warrant _________________________
Double Impact _________________________
On Deadly Ground _________________________
Under Siege _________________________
Kids C orner
Due to a ruling by the Food and Drug Administration in July
2003, we will soon have more information available to us to
make healthy food selections. In the near future, food and
supplement manufacturers will be required to include the
amount of trans-fatty acids (also called trans fats) on their nutrition
labels. For martial artists, who are working toward achieving
maximal health, this information is crucial to make appropriate
food choices.
As martial artists, we strive to embody the ideals of the martial
arts: being healthy in mind and body. To achieve our health
goals, we must physically exercise regularly (daily), train regularly,
and eat correctly by making appropriate food choices. This is not
to say that you can never eat “unhealthy” foods, but you should
at least know all the facts about the foods you are eating before
you choose to ingest them. The new labeling law will help give
you the information you need to make an informed choice.
But what are trans-fatty acids and why are they signifi cant? Transfatty
acids occur naturally in small quantities in some foods,
including beef, pork, lamb, butter and milk. The crucial word
here, though, is small. The vast majority of trans fats that we
actually consume are ingredients in processed foods. Fats that
are “hydrogenated” are the main culprits in supplying trans-fatty
acids. Oils in foods are hydrogenated to produce more palatable
products or to make foods last longer. Some peanut butters are
hydrogenated to make them “creamier.” And liquid vegetable oil
is hydrogenated to produce solid (stick or tub) margarine.
Trans-fatty acids aff ect your body in much the same way as saturated
fats. They tend to raise your cholesterol levels (of the “bad”
LDL-type), and even decrease the “good” HDL-type cholesterol in
your blood. Even if you have normal cholesterol levels, trans fats
are certainly an “un-natural” substance that does your body no
good whatsoever.
While your body does need some fat in your diet, the type of fat
you select is crucial to consuming a healthy diet. Good choices of
fats are “polyunsaturated fats” such as those found in saffl ower,
sunfl ower, corn and soybean oils; and “monounsaturated fats”
such as those found mainly in canola, olive and peanut oils.
HealthKick:
New Law Allows You To Make
Better Food Choices
By Jennifer G. Galea MS RD
An overall maximally healthy diet is the compilation of mostly
excellent food choices, mixed with some “OK” food choices, and
very few “poor” choices. In this way, your diet can assist you in
reaching your martial arts goals, culminating in a healthy mind,
body and spirit.
4

GMA BLACK BELT CLUB

What is a GRIFFIN MARTIAL ARTS Black Belt Club?
The Black Belt Club (BBC) is not a way to buy or sell black belts. It is a recognition program for students who have made the commitiment to earn their black belt. The BBC is designed to keep them focused on achieving that goal. No other program is as effective for long-term retention as a well run BBC.
The commitment to black belt is very prestigious and is given tremendous reverence within the school ranks. Of course, we know that you should not be able to buy a black belt, I'm saying a student should not be able to even buy the commitment on behalf of the school to train them to black belt.
If the student says that he wants a black belt and they are willing to commit to that goal and fulfill all the qualification requirements, I know I have a committed student.
So the primary job of the instructors in the first 3 - 6 months of a student's martial arts life is to educate and motivate him to develop a burning desire for black belt. Then you have a student who will overcome obstacles that maybe he wouldn't have without that powerful goal. On the other hand, when a student enrolls in a Black Belt Club without having that seed planted and cultivated there is an attitude of training for the moment instead of the long term-goal. This student tends to view martial arts as an alternative to the gym and takes it one class at a time. Conversely, the black belt oriented student now has a strong reason for training and is less apt to be distracted by the inevitable temptations and obstacles that can pull a student away from the school.
For example, the student enrolls in a one year trial program to see if he can qualify for advanced training in the Black Belt Club. After three months a series of evaluations should begin with short surveys about progress and goals. Instructors should keep a list of these students and their place in the evaluation process. Some will stand out immediately as ready to renew while others will be much more difficult. The majority of students will be on the fence, waiting to be influenced by your example.
When a student makes the commitment to black belt, it extends his current program length from one year to three and a half or four years or whatever it's estimated to make black belt in your school.
There is no guarantee of earning the belt. Once the student makes the commitment of enrolling in the Black Belt Club, he qualifies for additional classes and seminars, special uniforms and patches. In addition, special social events for Black Belt Club members are a great way reinforce the commitment to black belt by creating an opportunity for them to socialize and bond.
The Black Belt Club is the innercore of the school, not a separate program but the only program. Student merely purchase portions of that Black Belt Club. Usually, a one-third or one-fourth initially with the remaining two-thirds or three-quarters as the follow up Black Belt Club.
White to green belt students are usually in the trial phase of their training. They are evaluating us to see if martial arts is for them and we are evaluating them to see if they fit into our culture and climate and demonstrate the attitudes necessary to earn a black belt. While it may sound pompous, that attitude of selectivity is very important in elevating the stature of black belt in your school.
The argument usually comes back, "Why not get a three year commitment when they enroll, then if they quit you have their money?" First, when your instructors are measured not by how many people they sign up and how much money they take in but by how many people they can get to share the vision of black belt, you will see a huge difference in their performance and the overall attitude of the school. Second, in the vast majority of cases, students that don't come to class don't pay.
Third, all this goes back to your purpose as a professional martial artist. If your goal is to help as many people as possible through the life enhancing qualities of the martial arts, then you realize that persuading someone to sign a contract for something they know nothing about is not in their best interest. Instead, we bring them along a course of education so that later, when they do have a clear idea of the wonderful benefits of martial arts, they can make a solid commitment, often at a higher price, than a wide eyed white belt with visions of Chuck Norris.
This process, of course, puts pressure on the instructors to do a great job. It shows tremendous confidence on behalf of the school to say to a student, "No, we won't take your money for a Black Belt Club until we feel you are ready and capable of making that decision."