MARTIAL ARTS ETIQUETTE by Sr. Master Instructor Dan Zaleski

All of us who call ourselves martial artists from the new student to Grand Master must at all time observe a high degree of etiquette. This not only applies in our training hall but outside in our daily lives as well.  As martial arts practitioners we must know and have the proper respect and expected behaviour for each other. This applies to any and all styles of martial arts.  When meeting other martial artists especially Black belts, Masters and Grandmasters correct and proper salutation must be used. All instructors, masters and Grandmasters should be addressed as Mr. Ms. or by their respective titles. E.g.: Hello Master Smith.  All though your teacher may not want to use these basics at his or her academy, (which is their decision of course) we should if we call our self a martial artist be aware of these universal signs of respect and courtesy.

        Let’s start with the most well know sign of etiquette the bow. It means that we have respect and humility. This Asian custom is comparable to our western handshake.  Stand with your hands to the side and your feet together. Bend at your waist 30-45 degrees while keeping your back straight. Some traditions tell us not to look up as we bow as this shows a lack of trust. Let your senior rise from the bow first.
        Your uniform should be clean, ironed if possible and fresh smelling at all times.
Students should always arrive to class on time. If you are late for a reason beyond your control it is good etiquette to wait before joining into the class in session by bowing to the instructor when he or she acknowledges you. If you are late just because of a negative habit, it’s just rude as you are disturbing your Instructor and fellow students.
It’s considered poor taste to tie your belt or fixing your uniform while facing another student or instructor.
       While your teacher is explaining and your listening it is considered disrespectful to have your arms crossed or on your hips. If instructors do this while teaching it shows a lack of respect to the student as the body language communicates boredom
Students, no free sparring is allowed without an instructor present. Not only for your safety, but to also make sure you do not develop bad habits that become your metal and physical habit tracks, therefore become very hard to fix.
        We must always take it upon ourselves to help and encourage others. Be courteous and respect people’s time, space (do not walk in front of someone doing their pattern) and art, that they may practice or even might have mastered. Most etiquette is really just common sense like don’t attend class if you have the flu or are sick as germs spread very quickly in a humid atmosphere.
Keep your emotions under control. Leave the training hall better than you found it, clean and in order.  
        Ask appropriate and respectful questions, most can be answered after class. Teaching without clear permission of your instructor is not allowed as you may be showing something that may injure a junior or be teaching something incorrectly.
         No jewelry besides a medical bracelet or a wedding ring should be worn during class.
Competing in tournaments locally, nationally or internationally- emphasis should be on playing your best and meeting new martial artists. After a tournament, or high ranking grading you may be invited to a dinner or social gathering. Allow your seniors to begin before you. Behave respectfully. (Remember the Canadian Championships in Kelowna April 27th!!!)
       While visiting another academy or club never show your martial arts unless you are invited to do so.
       Do not take any photographs in any training hall unless you have the instructor’s permission. Others may not want their picture taken even if they are in the background.

        True Masters have dedicated decades of their lives to share what they love. If you learn with the attitude of gratitude you to shall be a master of your thoughts, emotions, actions and your own gratitude you to shall be a master of your thoughts, emotions, actions and your own results in life.

This academy is a proud member of Tae Kwon-Do International Canada©

Taking Charge of Your Life

How do we get ourselves motivated after an unexpected challenge has suddenly entered and disrupted our life? It could be an injury while training, or to a loved one, or someone close to you passes away. It just seems unfair and it takes our energy away and knocks us off our path.
Realize positive thinking alone is not enough to get you back and turn your life around. Here are some strategies for changing your thoughts to use every single day.
First thing first… believe that it is possible to change. The saying the past does not equal the future is true. When you get sick and tired of being sick and tired, have faith, and that just means to believe it, before you see it!
Next realize that no problem, no matter how big it seems at this moment is permanent for you. “This too shall pass”. Start with small actions. Use continuous positive daily habits towards what you want. While you keep self control of your mind and off of negative thoughts.
Realize that everyone has problems, challenges and losses in their lives. Your job is to know that it’s not the problem that’s the problem, but what you do with the problem that’s the problem. Know that what ever you have tried and did not succeed at does not mean that you give up. You must use persistence and faith to enjoy the journey.
Which brings me to the next topic; there are no mistakes only lessons. It’s easy to say “ I've tried that and it doesn't work” Success in your life is the result of good judgement  Good judgement is the result of experience. Experience is often the result of bad judgement.
So what ever it is that you want, from feeling better to feeling great. Getting to your next level in Tae Kwon-Do. Realize we learn something every time from our mistakes. (Sometimes called action signals, which just tells us to try a different way)
To really empower ourselves we must realize that questions are the answer. What you ask yourself does change your life. Understanding to look for the good within every challenge we have will sooner then later teach us that there is a positive or greater advantage with every challenge you are given on this journey. Here are samples of questions that change your state to be more positive and abundant. Ask yourself:
What am I grateful for in my life? Do I live in a free country? Who loves me and who do I love? Who are my true friends? Finally no matter what you’re facing ask: What’s good about this? Or what could be good about this?
Respectfully,
Mr. Chris Rowe
This academy is a proud member of Tae Kwon-Do International Canada©

Blank Canvas

Today is the blank canvas you have been waiting for.  The clean slate, the blank page, the first snow fall the New Birth and breath of life.  What will you do with it?  How will you spend you 168 hrs/week, or 1440 minutes/day?  Will you fill them with Fears, Worries and Anxieties? Or will you allow the power that flows through you to come out so you and truly embrace the person you were created to be?  You were not created to be mediocre, but rather to be GREAT!  You were not created to accumulate stuff or things, but to impact lives and help others realize their potential. But before you can really help someone else you must first make sure you are on the path, not the right path just the path.  Because who’s to say what is right? 

But one of the biggest single lessons we will all have is that waiting for things to be perfect is allowing the idea, the goal, vision, or the dream to fade into obscurity.  Don't wait, take chances fall down, feel the bumps and bruises of learning and growing.  Get out of your comfort zone, and just make things happen. 

            

            Happy Goal Setting Day! 

Doug Weibe spoke at Willow Park Church this past weekend and said that he was NOT going to make Resolutions this year. I could not agree more, making a resolution is a waste of time.  There is not real energy or life breathed into a resolution…”This year I will eat better!”  What does that mean?  Look like, feel like, when do you want to do that and for how long?  Have you ever tried just changing something, maybe you were more successful than I was but it never turned out.  But once you identify that you must change and you develop your MAP (Massive Action Plan), and you get a taste of what that vision, dream, GOAL looks like and it becomes your passion.  It gives you a rush of energy, enthusiasm, and the ability to overcome so many little things that will come along to try and stop you from reaching your goals. 

            

           So again Happy Goal Setting Day, three main goals Health, Financial and Relationships.  Drill down and get specific who do you want a relationship with?  Start with you, get to know yourself and do not be afraid to sit in silence and just listen. Something will speak or flash words pictures or memories in your mind.  I call it God you can call it whatever you want, but that voice will let you know what to do in so many situations.  We just have to listen, and if it aligns with our core values then it is a great thing for you to do.

           

          So what are you core values?  That is another topic for another New Day.

Happy New Year, may your Year be filled with Blessings of abundance and joy, May you be fill Blessed with everything you need in life, the eyes to see the things around you, and the mind to understand the importance of those events, whether they be seen as Good or Bad.

How to Achieve more in 2013

   Happy New Year everyone… There are two directions you can go this year. One is positive and the other is negative, so what is your choice. At the end of 2013 what way will you have chosen? You say positive…I thought so… or you would not even be reading this right now.

      The first step is always a definite chief aim at your goal. What level will you be at the end of the year? To start with we all need to know the goal setting dance. Which is - Know what you want, take action, daily habits towards your goal, be willing to do what’s necessary, with the attitude of gratitude and remember to enjoy the journey.

     When you know where it is you want to get to you will need a map to get you there. Anthony Robbins uses the acronym - M.A.P. which is a “massive action plan” 

  

    Your plan must include the goal of course, plus what you have to do to get it as well as things you need to do (like train 2-3 times a week) that can be broken down even further to 1% improvements everyday towards your goal. You cannot fail to reach your goal unless you quit. Everyone knows that winners never quit and quitters never win.

           

     As martial artists we must break our training down to four (4) 10 -12 week cycles throughout a training year. This puts a time limit on reaching our goal(s). You will be amazed at what you can achieve in this short time. The natural breaks your academy does on holidays allows the necessary time for your body to heal between cycles. When you break your large goal(s) into daily habits you choose to always take action over procrastination and being an eager student or instructor of life puts positive energy in to the growth of your academy.

           
      When your goals are… “out of sight then they are out of mind!”.  Write it down and keep it with you!   When I say I want to lose 20 pounds this year it seems like a lot but when I tell myself that it’s less than 2 lbs a month or a ½ of a pound a week, I know I can do that. When you look at your goal card daily it reminds you to just do 1% a day and you will be successful. 

   Have a Happy and Successful 2013!

Respectfully, 

Chris Rowe

THE PATH TO MASTERY

BEING A MASTER MEANS FIRST BECOMING A MASTER STUDENT.

Being a Master means first becoming a Master Student.  You must learn constantly or you will stop growing.  True master instructors are the ones who are consistently growing, changing and re-inventing themselves.

Mastery means regularly challenging your beliefs, questioning methods and adjusting accordingly to your approach in training Tae Kwon-Do

Mastery is working on mastering your own life.  This is simply laid out in Tae Kwon-Do, by mastering the Tenants; Courtesy, Integrity, Perseverance, Self-Control and Indomitable Spirit.  Easily said, challenging to live by.

You are on the path; you are looking for ideas in which to improve yourself.  It is the very reason you are honoring our Academy by your presence.

The Academy is a place where the methods are questioned, and the process brought out into the light of day.  The master sleeps within you ready to be awakened!

Finally you have to let go of your ego!  Your ego will hold you back from walking the path to mastery.  Your ego is what says, "Yes I know that.  I have tried that it didn't work for me." It may not have worked a year ago but maybe now is the time?  We have a saying, it is not what I know it is what I do with what I know!  As students and teachers we can only share information.  It is up to you to take the Action!

Knowledge in my Mind

At  Quest Martial Arts November first marks the beginning of the last full six week training cycle until after the Christmas break. This month, we as instructors want to make sure that you understand these four important lessons so that you are finishing strong rather than looking to coast into the finish line. Start by using this lesson first:

Six by six goal setting – This is adapted from Bill Hybels a Senior Pastor of Willow Creek, who runs a Leadership Summit every year.  This is picking six small goals that you will achieve in six weeks or sooner. They have got to be SMART, specific, measurable, achievable, realistic for you and time oriented. Could you lose 5 -10 unwanted pounds by Christmas? What about measuring your centre split and improving by an inch or two. Just 6 small improvements will be the best gifts you can give your self. The confidence this will give you will start your 2013 training with a roar.

Eat the frog – Do the thing that feels the worst for you to do first. This means if you ate a giant frog first thing in the morning everything else would be easy. What’s the first thing you need to get done?

Know these numbers – 168, 24, and 1440. They stand for 168 hours in a week.  24 hours in a day and one thousand four hundred and forty minutes in each day they are for you to use as you please. But once they are gone, they are gone forever. We ask our students for 2 hours a week out of the 168 to work on themselves.  The saying Do it now, do it right and do it all, applies here!

We can only take our memories – No amount of material wealth can buy an extension on life. No matter the amount of money in the bank on the day you pass to whatever you believe is next; you’ll be leaving it all. In this respect the passing of a king or an animal is the same. Live life for this day, treat every person you meet with the respect that they deserve. You will be creating great memories which are the real treasure you will have for the rest of your life.

Respectfully, 

Chris Rowe

2012 Trail Championships

      This past weekend Quest Martial Arts took a group of players down to Trail BC for the 2nd Annual Trail Championships hosted by Trail Martial Arts and sanctioned by TKDI Canada.  In Attendance was Master Dan Zaleski 8th Dan Black Belt and President of TKDI Canada, along with schools from Camrose, Calgary, Cranbrook, Chilliwack, Kamloops and of course Kelowna.

      It is a great tournament that allows players and parents to learn about tournaments without being over whelming.  These types of tournaments are always fun and very safe for the players.  It featured, Individual Sparring, Patterns, Team Sparring and the Flying Side Kick.

    Quest Martial Arts was represented by a strong group of 17 players many of whom were double medal winners, and in the case of Aaron Graham a triple medal winner finishing tied for first in the Flying Side kick. Also Carson Benedict won 4 Gold Medals, in Colour belt patterns, Sparring, Team Sparring as well as Black belt light weight sparring although he is not yet ranked a black belt.  Carson is one of 2 competitors from this weekend who will be travelling to Cracow Poland to compete in the Taekwondo International European Championships on October 26th.  The other being Jon Zaleksi who won gold in Black Belt patterns and Heavywieght Sparring as well as silver for Team Sparring.  Mr. Zaleski is looking forward to having another shot at Steve Miller from the USA in Cracow.  Mr Miller holds two victories over Mr. Zaleksi in the past 2 meetings.