A Radical Idea?

There is a nasty debate raging in Washington, D.C. concerning the US debt ceiling and the need to reduce the deficit by cutting programs or raising taxes.

 

Of course, there is a huge split between the parties and they both seem content with holding their ground and allowing our country to go into default.

 

How did we get here?

 

Well, if you listen to the right, it's all President Obama's fault and if you listen to the left, George Bush is still responsible for everything bad that is happening.  If you didn't know better, you would think both Obama and Bush were terribly evil men.

 

I know, why don't we make a constitutional amendment that requires all sitting Senators and Congressmen to perform 1,000 acts of kindness throughout the year?

 

Maybe, they just might learn to treat each other with some dignity and respect and restore some civility in their negotiations and get on with solving some of our country's serious problems.

 

 

Now that would be radical idea and a lesson we could share with our students!

 

"Any 20 year old who isn't a liberal doesn't have a heart, and any 40 year old who isn't conservative doesn't have a brain."  Unknown

 

This blog post is a part of The Ultimate Black Belt Test (ultimateblackbelttest.com), an undertaking ofThe 100 (the100.us), and a part of Samurai Karate Studio (samuraikaratestudio.net)

 

 

 

New School Year Around The Corner

Phew!

The summer has really gone by quickly, with just a few weeks left before school starts.  I am always sad as summer comes to an end, but I love the excitement and energy that a new school year brings as well.

Busy School Year

I expect this to be a very busy school year, as I will be involved in many different programs.  Aside from teaching my regular classes at Samurai Karate Studio, I will also be teaching at the University of South Carolina.  I am a professor there.  I will be teaching beginner karate, but hopefully, I will be adding a second class, self defense for women, in the Spring.  

I love teaching at USC!  College students enroll in this class because they are interested in learning how to defend themselves and gaining an understanding of karate.  These students tend to be in pretty good shape, are flexible and pick up the techniques pretty quickly.

I will be teaching twice a week at USC.

I have also offered my services, to teach basic self defense skills to the women in the USC sororities.  Statistically, this age group is one of the most vulnerable to sexual assault and it is my goal, to help educate as many women as possible so that they can defend themselves if assaulted.

Richland County School District 2

I will be teaching afterschool karate programs at Rice Creek Elementary, Sandlapper Elementary and North Springs Elementary Schools. This will be my 3rd year teaching at these schools and I have a blast working with the younger students.  These classes focus on character skills such as discipline and respect, cover topics like stranger danger and Diabetes awareness as well as cover basic karate techniques.

I am hoping to pick up another afterschool program, across the street from my dojo, at Living Springs Church.

In addition to my karate programs, I work with the local teachers and guidance counselors covering various presentations.  The most popular one (of course) is bullying and how to defeat the bully in a non violent kind of way.  I have taught hundreds of kids over the past 4 years and I have had great luck helping these children understand what bullying is and how they can "fight back"  without resorting to kicking or punching.

Of course, if you know someone who is having a problem with bullies, please contact me and I will work one on one with the child and parent to help them deal with their situation.

Community Service

In addition to all of the above, SKS will continue to serve it's community in many different ways.  I am looking forward to a trash clean up project, a homeless project, Harvest Hope Food Drive, etc.  If you or someone you know, needs some work done, SKS is here to serve you.  Just call us at 803-462-9425.

Lastly, SKS has it's first students testing for black belt in September.  This is a very special event for me, as these are my very own students that I will be promoting to black belt.

So, as you can see, this will be a very busy school year, but I am really looking forward to it.

 

Sensei Chris Feldt

Samurai Karate Studio

Columbia, SC  29229

803-462-9425

samuraikaratestudio@gmail.com

The 4 Levels of Mastery Training

This past week during my Bujutsu training, my instructor took a few minutes during our training to talk about what he believed were the 4 levels of training mastery. I have thought about what he said and wanted to share them with you. The reality is, you can probably apply these same concepts to most anything you do in life.

1. Unconscious Incompetence
This is when you first start out in your training and you have no idea what you are doing and more importantly, why you are doing it. You are going through the motions with little regard for stances, balance, power, form or speed. This is most definitely a white belt, or beginner student.

2. Conscious Incompetence
This best describes the student who is advancing from beginner to intermediate. The student has begun to understand many of the principles involved in training, but doesn't have the experience to execute the majority of them. Techniques are beginning to form and the student tends to be less awkward.

3. Conscious Competence
As many of us progress into the more advanced stages (black belt level) of our training, this is where most of us stay. We can execute most techniques at a high level, understanding most of the principles involved in footwork, balance, power, and speed. We can look at a form or kata and break it down into little pieces and translate the basic blocks, strikes and kicks. This is considered a high level of training.

4. Unconscious Competence
This is what my instructor characterized as the highest level of training; a level that we should all aspire to train at. This is for the advanced student who has trained for many years and through repetition, acts on instinct, without really needing to think about what to do.

I thought this was a great way to talk about our (your) training and a depending on what your goals are, something to shoot for. Level 4 is much like master. Something we are always striving for and within reach, but never quite grasping.
What level are you at?

I fear not the man who has practiced 10,000 kicks once, but I fear the man who has practiced one kick 10,000 times. Bruce Lee

Sensei Chris Feldt

Samurai Karate Studio

Columbia, SC 29229
803-462-9425
samuraikaratestudio@gmail.com