another quote from Master Twakefield

With extensive study, you will find more similarities than differences in all martial arts. When you get down to the root of it all, it's just a matter of strategies and tactics.

Master Wakefield

moving on up

So we started out doing three laps, did some jumping jacks, and pushups. Then me and the other green brown belt did some of my upper forms. We worked on quite a few of our forms. Then the we did escrima sticks then work on our sai form.

One thing is I would like to go take my brown belt test for weapons with the other green-brown belt if we are going to do it take our blackbelt test together. Use the brown belt test as a trial run. Then see what we need to work on.

moving on up

So we started out doing three laps, did some jumping jacks, and pushups. Then me and the other green brown belt did some of my upper forms. We worked on quite a few of our forms. Then the we did escrima sticks then work on our sai form.

One thing is I would like to go take my brown belt test for weapons with the other green-brown belt if we are going to do it take our blackbelt test together. Use the brown belt test as a trial run. Then see what we need to work on.

front roll

So we lined the kids up, had them mediate, then had them run some laps. I got a blocker and made them run around me. Then we did some bear crawls. Then we had the thought of the week. Next we did some stretching, and I did the lower body and another person did the upper body.

Then we broke off into groups. I worked with another peron with the purple belts. First I went through the material they had. Then I made some corrections. The other person worked with the 2 other purple belts while I worked with one on a front roll. I think we helped that blue belt on the front roll.

Then most of the class did jump the dragon. One person wanted to play snowballs. So what we did is one of the leadership team people was there opponent. Then I had them stay back to back and had them take five paces forward. Then turn and fire. I think this could be incorporated to a larger group activity.

With the blue through green brown belts we warmed them up, and had them do jumping jacks, push ups and situps. I worked with the blue belts and a few blue green belts. There was five people and they needed five kempos and five overheads, and five sideclubs so we did that. Well, it was interesting, I tried teaching them the 6 combination lockflow, but they weren't ready for it I don't think. Oh well, live and learn.

For the game, we played kick the bag. I helped to line up the bags.

my lastest read

Been reading "Starting and Running Your Own Martial Arts School" by Karen Levitz Vactor and Sussan Lynn Peterson, PH.D, it answers alot of the questions I was wondering about.

practicing with improvised weapons

One thing is I don't like practicing with improvised weapons. They have a tendency to break to easy. For instance when I'm popping cans. I can hit my bo staff against a tree and it was just fine. Now try doing that with a brooom. KIDS DON'T TRY THAT AT HOME! NO REALLY DON'T!

beginning of next weapons form

I went early to practice the weapons. I did my sai and tonfa forms. I practiced the eight angles on the rope. When I do the fifth angle I like touching the rope to practice my arcuracy. I also practiced with my bo staff and even my nunchaku's.

Class we started with 4 laps of pumping the bo staff. Then 25 jumping jacks. We did the first three bo staff forms with escrima sticks. Then the blue belts and green brown belts broke of to do our more advanced forms.

Then we got out the tonfa's and practiced with them. I got started on a second tonfa form. Then we got out the sai's and practiced with them. My second sai form still needs work but I will I'm confident I will get it down.

Then it was the end of class.

starting a school

I have come to the relization that I don't want to start a school. I want to start schools. There are several reasons for this.

One reason is one can easily get lost in a school. If you have a hundred students, if you have a wonderful student you might not be able to spend alot of time with them. Also alot of students are harder to manage.

Another thing is one could share reasources such as training equipment, technical resources, etc. Also tests, tournments, seminar's, etc would be easier to manage to manage for multiple groups.

Another thing is it would cut down on the politics. For example, you could have different themes for schools. One school could be a children's school, while another could be more self-defense related. Someone could join a different school without losing there rank. There could be one person instructor in charge of the school.

Over time, a school may grow larger, and that's okay.

Tunnel of Doom

So we started the white through purple belt class. For a warm-up we had them line up then touch the red mats at the other side of the dojo. I had a blocker and tried to be an obstacle in there way.

Then after that we did the thought of the week. Then we broke up into groups. I took the purple belts. We went over strikes. Then through some basic combinations. Then a shuffling exercise with some basic punches. For a game we played ring around the dragon.

With the blue through green brown class. For a warmup we did some laps. Then did the thought of the week.

We broke up into groups. We worked on forms alot today. I had them do kempos and plum tree to do something different. I also had them stand back to back, infront of each other, and to the corners.

Then for a game we played what I call the "Tunnel of Doom". Basically put some mats down and ukemi balls through the matts. One thing we ended up doing is once one person went through having them stay over on the other side and rolling the balls through the other side. The kids seemed to like it.

freeze tag

So I helped out with the white through purple class. We had a new helper, one of the people I've been working with in the blue through green-brown class. She was a little nervous. So I talked with her about she would be doing before class.

Then we got them lined up, stretched up, and warmed up. Then I checked stripes. Then we played a game to see how fast they could go as a team. Then the next thing for a variation of dodge ball, but used some small bags.

The next class, we get them lined up, warmed up, and stretched out. Then we did alot of forms especially one kata. Then I worked with the blue and blue/green belts. I did a bunch of different stuff. I worked alot on strikes.

Then did the gauntlet exercise. However, I broke it down so I said rotate, and go. We did side clubs, overheads, and kempo punch techniques with the yellow bats. Thing is those yellow bats have alot of protection.

For the game we played freeze tag. Everyone got a turn with the bats. Then it was the instructors turn. Once all the students were tagged class was dismissed.