importance of chi flow

To most people chi would be an abstract concept and it is. Yet in other ways it is very down to earth. For instance, drive in an area that is accident prone alot and you may get hit with some bad chi. Or if you work alot getting one's energy levels up is very important.

combinations review

So we started out with escrima sticks. The first lap we would do 1 and 2 angles. Then the next lap three and four and so on and so forth. Then we did some overhead strikes and sided strikes half mooning back and forth.

Then I worked with the second bo staff form with one of the blackbelts. He hadn't been around when the changes had been made to the form, so I hoped it helped. Then Bruce worked with me on the next form. He said I had been practicing, but it really was that I was more relaxed. So I saw more of the next form.

Then for empty hand class, Brad had us do three laps. Then called out some strikes then called out some stuff in the middle of the strikes. Then he had us do one pinion, and called out some stuff. Then we worked on combinations.

Then the blackbelts broke off and worked on our own and did blackbelt combinations. It was a good review of them. It was nice to work with other blackbelts on the combinations.

Then we did a ring of fire. First everyone did a overhead attack with takedowns. Then we were to do combinations.

noodle obstacle course

Well, we got the kids lined up and running around. Then doing some situps, pushups and jumping jacks. Jim did the thought of the week, while me and Baily setup and obstacle course. First there were some stair masters to run over, a folding mat on some steps to go under then a cone with a snowball on it to kick. The we had the kids do it in pairs while hodling onto a noodle. If they let go of the noodle then they didn't lost. We had the kids switch partners. We also threw frisbees at the kids. One reason for doing the obstacle course is some of the kids have difficulty working together. So having the kids do it together is a way of getting them to work together.

Then Jim had them do some other stuff, hand strikes while we modified the course. This time we moved so it was one course and took out the cones, and put in some feet, and a ball they would have to dodge. They went through it individually first, then in pairs.

For a game we played freeze tag but with a twist. In that if the person with the noodle got hit they would have to hand over the noodle. It was a little advanced for the the kids at there age level.

For the next class, we had them line up, sit down and mediate. Then had them go back and forth from the mirrors to the wavemasters. Then I had them run laps passing a yellow bat as they did laps. We had them do different type of laps in this way.

Then we had the thought of the week. Then we had them do a gauntlet with overhead club techniques. I emphasised running away part.

For a game we played frisbees tag. I lined the next class up and warmed them up.

Army Crawl

Well, I worked with someone before class on the first bo staff form and the eight escrima counts. Then me and Bruce taught class today. First we had them run laps pumping and doing an army crawl through some mats, and running over some stacked cones.

Then we worked on some bo staff forms. I had them work with different angles. I worked with the white belts while Bruce worked with the upper belts and took them up through there sai form.

I took the purple belts and blue-green belts to where one person catched the a foam noodle and four other he would battle it out with four other people. The rules were if you got hit in the leg then you lost use of the leg, if you got hit in the arm you lost the use of the arm. Everyone got there chance with the noodle.

Then I had them people against each other with yellow foarm bats, and foam noodles. Then the winners faced off with each other. We did that a couple of times.

For the last part of class we did some nunchucka stuff. Bruce demonstrated a few moves. Then he and a Josh demonstrated the first bo staff form.

For open hand class we did seven laps, then every person did a cardio activity. Then each person did a stretch.

Then we did some mat stuff. The first thing was where we made steps with the mats. We did a few sets of those. Then we did a ring of fire with the mats in a pentagon. Next we did an exercise where we would go over the mats. I made it with six mats high which is high, with a little help.

Then we picked up, and that was the end of class. I did a little grappling with Travis.

sharpening the five senses

I saw this link of sharpening the five senses. I thought it was a good article that I wanted to share it.

bullies

So we got the kids lined up and had them run around. One of the little kids was cold, so I had her image that the kids image they were by a fireplace. Then the thought of the week, with the little ninja's also. Then we moved them to the other side.

Jim Embrossi took one person off to th side and me and the helpers worked with the three other kids. So we did some combinations, then I tried having the kids do the combinations on the ukemi balls that didn't work so well. But having them practice some kicks, and strikes on the ukemi balls did help. It helps with timing, and getting power in there punches. One thing is getting something they will understand to do. Like if we were to setup wavemasters they might not be able to hit it hard.

While I was doing that the helpers setup and obstacle course to run them through. So I kept rolling the ukemi ball. Then eventually we played a game with snowballs. We used the nerf catching things as shields so if they blocked with it, they weren't out. They they recited the Villari Oath.

So then I lined the kids up and had them line up. Then I had them run figure eights, which were better than last week with various different types of laps. It's probably not easy to do with half of the rooms. Then we did some pushups, situps, and jumping jacks.

Then I had them do one pinion without going in the boundaries. Then two pinion. Then we had them run laps. One of the kids was breathing hard so I had her do the lotus palm breathing technique.

Then we had the thought of the week, and there were alot of questions about bullies. So we had them do a exercise. I had everyone walk around then gave one person a club. After a few times, I had the kids go into a focus circle and asked them why was it some people got attacked, and others didn't? Then we played a game of frisbees.

new hand grab techniques

Well, weapons class started out with a few laps. Then some 20 overhead strikes, 20 side strikes, and 20 helicopter strikes. Then we did some forms. Then the blue-green belts and brown belts did some forms together. Me and Bruce worked on my highest bo staff form. Apparently the idea is to always keep your eyes on the enemy.

Then after that I went around and helped people on the escrima stuff. I worked with someone on the 5 count. Then I worked with someone on the eight angles and 2 count. Then worked with someone on six count with the poke.

Then empty hand class, we had to not touch the blue. So we had to get out mats to put over and do our regular laps. If we did we had to do twenty pushups.

Then we did some new wrist grap techniques. I found them interesting. Then did a ring of fire. First we did a ring of fire were the person on the inside of the "ring" attacks the people in a circle around him. Then we did a ring of fire with knife techniques.

striking film

So I got the kids lined up and had them run around in figure eights. Then I did some stretches then we did the thought of the week. Next we did some strikes and kicks on the handbags, where me and Jim would hold them and the kids would strike them. Then we did striking film which was basically the same thing. Then we put bags on the kids front position and had them walk to the mirrors. Me and another person tried distracting them.

We split up. I worked with two orange belts on different strikes. One thing I had them do is go backward and foreward in the cats stance then throw some punches. Also worked on some kicks, such as the roundhouse kick.

Then we played kick the bags. One thing we did different was if you hit someone with the black handbag then your whole team came back in. So that was interesting.

Then the blue through green/brown belts lined up and we did figure eights. They had a little bit of trouble. But eventually they got the idea.

Then I had divide up into rows and do kempos techniques down the room. We did the thought of the week next. Then we did two circles of fire, and I would call out the same color for both circles. Then I had the kids divide up again. This time I had them try and hit a ukemi ball without having it go out of the circle. If it did then they had to do pushups.

For a game the kids played frisbees. I used a bo staff to scoop the frisbees closer to the kids. Then after they were lined up I helped someone with two pinion.

Are you missing a core way to advertise for your studio?

One thing got me thinking. Alot of young people have blogs. Why not get a bunch of them to write about martial arts? That could be alot of advertising.

Of course your going to have to watch out for things such as names and stuff. But if you had ten people mention your school, think about how much advertising that could create?

Tai chi saturday

I played some soft relaxing music, and read a quote from one of the books while I had them mediate in a horse stance.

Well, I tried doing more tai chi class but the group I had of kids wouldn't "get" it. So I kind of switched gears a little bit. I had the class run around alot then do the lotus palm breathing technique. Then I had the people with the plum tree blocking system, and the other people doing parry parry blocking. Then I had them doing one pinion and the yellow belts doing there tiger kemp technique.

The plum tree blocking people later brought some yellow bats, and did blocks with those. Then moved onto ten point. Then a greenbelt lead the lower belts through the eight point blocking system and halfmooning.

Then I gave each of the brown belts a group, and had them teach something. To finish up the class we did two games. The first was where they were to throw a snowball through a hoop I rolled on the floor. The next was freeze tag with noodles. I gave the noodles to the two smallest people, and let them go at it. Then put out a fuzzy dice they could be "tagged" with.

I was told there was a nice variety.

cementing forms in

So we started off doing some bo staff twirls, while going over some mats. It made arms tired. But that's okay.

Then I worked with the white belts on the first bo staff form. First I had them scoop some hand bags. Then I had them do some side strikes on a wavemaster. One of them had more of the form then the other person. So I worked with her on being able to do a Villari V, and do strike. Then a figure eight and a poke. I was trying to cement in the material they had.

Then we got out the escrima sticks and started in with the counts. We added footwork in with it too. We didn't go in with the advanced counts.

We did some laps at the start of the empty hand class, then did some forms. Brad called out some punches and combinations while we were doing the form. He had the blackbelts work with some of the lower belts. I worked with one person on two kata. I took out some stairmasters and have him do it on there. Then took some cones out and had him avoid the cones. Also I had him turn to various angles.

Then we got back up and did some rings of fire. We did any attack we wanted to, so I did alot of grabs. I thought it was a good idea to surprise someone.

wavemasters and dodgeball

So we got the kids lined up and first we had them do some laps, then I had a dice. One of the helpers would throw the dice and that's how many strikes they would do. I wish we had an eight sided fuzzy dice for the eight point blocking system.

Then we had the thought of the week. Some of the kids had rough days today. So I thought it would be apprioprate to tell them this:

Today

Outside my window, a new day I see,
And only I can Determine,
What kind of day it will be,
It can be busy and sunny, laughing and gay,
Or boring and cold, unhappy and gray,
My own state of mind is the determing key,
For I am only the person I let myself be,
I can be thoughtful and do all I can to help,
Or be selfish and think just for myself,
I can enjoy what I do and make it seem fun,
Or gripe and complain and make it hard on someone,
I can be patient with those who may not understand,
Or belittle and hurt them as much as I can,
But I have faith in myself, And believe what I say,
And I personally intend to make the Best of eacy day
By Jan LaValley

After that we broke up into groups, and I setup up some wavemasters for the game. I helped where needed when the kids needed it. Then we played dodgeball, with a ukemi ball and some small wavemasters. After they "got" on a wavemaster they were to do two punches on it.

Then for the green-brown belt. I laid on the floor and swung a rope around and they were to jump over it. The little ninja's were still going so we only had half of the studio. Then we worked on some of the kicks and some handstrikes strikes. The we did though of the week. Next we did some rings of fire. It turned into a review of knife techniques. For a game we had frisbee tag.

halloween party

I had carved some pumpkins for the halloween party, that I put outside. One was a hand traced with a marker, another generic smily, a vampire pumpkin, and one sharped by sauron's head. Alot of hours of playing LOTR: the 3rd age went into making the one shaped by sauron's head.

We got it setup in two hours. I was the "dungeon keeper". I guided the kids in and guided the construction of the tunnel. We did a u-shaped thing, with lots of lights by the mirrors, and spider webbing over wavemasters. Then less light and a graveyard scene on the way out. We didn't make tunnels with chairs since it's kind of we didn't have enough stuff to. Some of the kids wanted to go two times through.

I left after "haunted tunnel" part, I had to go to work. I had work uniform over my costume, so I just got a bite to eat. I had dressed up as a monk.