Top 5 things your martial arts teacher would like from parents.
Parenting is the most important vocation anyone could ever do. In today’s fast paced, high tech world, the average parent is burdened with so many obligations and responsibilities that it can become a daunting task. Remember: it take a village to raise a child and parents should be , and deserve to be, supported by their community. As martial arts teachers we understand that we are partners in your child’s character development and our influence and responsibility doesn’t end on the mat. At K2 Martial Arts we have a specialized curriculum that encourages children to grow as a person academically, socially, and personally. We also understand that parents of our students are a huge part of that success. We know for a fact that when Mom and Dad become involved in their child’s martial arts program, the positive results from our martial arts lessons are amplified exponentially. Here are the top 5 things that your karate teacher wishes parents would do to make the most of our K2 Martial Arts program.
1. Read to your child. Not only is it a requirement for their achievements stripes, research has shown that reading to your child aloud is the single most important activity for building the knowledge required for eventually having your child to find success in learning to read.
2. Be knowledgeable about your child’s martial arts and academic life. Start by getting to know your child’s karate teacher and school teachers by name. Make sure to communicate and touch base about any concern with the teachers before or after their class. Watch your child’s karate lessons and reinforce character lessons being taught at home, and attend open house events and family activity days at K2 martial arts to build a stronger partnership with teachers and assistant teachers. Most importantly, talk to your child regularly about the principles of the martial arts being taught and practiced during their K2 class on a regular basis.
3. Take part in their K2 martial arts life. Don’t miss out on events like tournaments, demonstrations, or belt and strip presentation nights. Your support and encouragement will be so meaningful to your child’s success and spur them on to future achievements.
4. Lead your child by example. Be a healthy example physically, mentally, and emotionally for your child to follow. Be active with them by exercising together in martial arts or other activities. Have them see you read regularly for yourself to instill in them that knowledge acquisition is an ongoing process that even Mom and Dad participate in (learning side by side with them in their karate class will also exemplify this). Be careful of the words you use in their proximity, even if we are not directly communicating to them; when having a casual conversation with another adult, friend, or spouse, if those conversation have any negative connotations, your child can easily pick up on it and may replicate the negative nature with peers. Show your child that you also value education by sharing with them knowledge you acquired during a class or interest you participate in.
5. Create learning moments at home. At K2 martial arts we consider parents the most important life coaches that a child has, and we remind our students of the importance of listening and respecting our parents as we would our martial arts instructor, for the lessons our parents share with us are of the greatest importance. There are many learning moments at home with the family that can be very educational and fun, such as learning to bake and gardening. Field trips to museums with the entire family are a great outing and extremely beneficial to all.
Your child and your child’s martial arts teacher will appreciate your support as a valuable part of their success in the martial arts and life!
Sensei Madeleine’s journey at K2 Martial Arts
Sensei Maddie
Sensei Madeleine Soroczan-Wright reviews her journey at K2 Martial Arts:
“My journey and success studying Jiu-Jitsu is what I’m most proud of in my life. My experience has been full and rewarding from the moment I stepped on the mat for my first class, to writing this.
When my cousin joined Jiu Jitsu 10 years ago, after his best friend encouraged him to join, my parents thought it would be a good idea to enrol me in martial arts. As a small 5 year old girl who loved Bruce Lee, my parents thought that Jiu Jitsu would offer a fun, educational, and athletic way to spend Saturday mornings. The martial arts training would also give me confidence in all aspects in my life. They could not have been more right. Through my childhood years it offered great learning experiences for me to not only develop my skills in basic martial arts, but also to develop me as a fast growing person.
When I turned 13, I had an extreme interest in testing for my Junior Black Belt. It became my obsession, requesting my father to help me with my techniques every night at the dojo for many hours – along with the helpful guidance of Sensei Marc Burelle – as well as telling anyone who would listen how amazing my Jiu Jitsu training was going. I became so emotionally invested in fact, that when I accidentally missed my black belt pretest and was told that I couldn’t test that round, I broke down in silent tears. Fortunately, the instructor saw how dedicated I was to testing, an organized a private pretest with Sensei Steve Perron for me to qualify. I poured my heart and soul into that pretest, and worked myself so hard that I ended up being sick before coming out for more of the evaluation. I passed that test (Sensei Steve was impressed by my commitment to the test) and now I was to train for my exam. Every night after schoolwork, my training going through the modules would begin. My diet changed from carbs to protein, and I lost 20 pounds. Finally, the day of the test arrived and after calming myself down with the most zen music I could find on my iPod, I started the test. At first I was so nervous, wracked with performance anxiety and full of adrenaline the quality of my techniques were affected, but then instinct took over. I braved a cold, cramps, and a very sore body and after the test was done, my father carried my exhausted 13 year old body home and put me straight to bed. The next day was harder on my mind, but easier on my body – so afterward I treated my uki Alex Liepmann to DQ. After performing my demo with my father as my partner (including a creative original escape created by me) I went up to receive my black belt. The moment Renshi Chris tied my black belt around my waist was one of the proudest days of my life. My life had been changed forever.
Through all this my passion for teaching has grown and I’ve become more comfortable in a leadership role in my life. My training has not only shaped my body but has also helped me form the person I am today. I intend to continue this endeavour for as long as I possibly can.”
-Sensei Maddie Soroczan-Wright
Sensei Maddie teaching Kids Karate to little Ninja’s
RCMP officer visited K2 Martial Arts to educate the students on street safety tips.
RCMP Officer Visits K2
The K2 Martial Arts children’s’ class in Ottawa, Canada was treated to a special visit by Corporal Julia Bernier-Makenzie of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, who spoke to the children about the importance of keeping a focused eye for danger and hazards while playing outdoors.
The children enjoyed the discussion and benefited from Corporal Julia’s safety tips. The RCMP Corporal was gracious enough to allow the children turns trying on her hat and, as a bonus, taught them the proper way to salute. K2 Martial Arts teaches kids focus and discipline attributes to Jiu-jitsu and karate alike. We offer monthly community workshops for issues such as street safety, anti bullying, and goal setting. These workshops are always open to the general public and, of course, friends and family members. Please feel free to contact us at info@martialartsottawa.com for more information.
Teaching the RCMP Salute!
My Jiu-Jitsu Experience by Grace Taylor
Grace & Renshi Scott
Grace Taylor has literally grown up in our K2 Martial Arts Children’s program, she has applied herself to her martial arts lessons day in and day out, her attendance has been golden and now she is in the process of grading for her Black Belt. Jiu-Jitsu like karate and other martial arts requires years of devotion, Grace is now entering her 9th year of training. She reviews her progress and achievements in the following post.
“November 2004 was my first class at jiu-jitsu. I will never forget what Renchi Scott told me as he presented me my white. He told me that your white belt is the beginning of a journey, that no one could get where they got without getting their white belt first. He said that white belt symbolizes courage. He was right, I get that now. My white belt was the beginning of my jiu-jitsu career but it was more than that, it was the beginning of friendships, relationships, courage, devotion, and dedication.
When I was eight years old I had finally found something I enjoyed. I had done ballet and did not like it but was also bullied a lot. I had tried swimming but again did not like and was bullied. Eventually I tried Tae Kwan Do with my school. I really enjoyed Tae Kwon Do, I was a yellow belt when they stopped offering it with my school. I one day was talking to my grandparents and there friend Jules Ladouceur. Jules was an eight degree black belt in jiu-jitsu. He was my inspiration for joining jiu-jitsu. When I joined jiu-jitsu it was not like anything else. The people there were so kind I quickly made a lot of friends. When at jiu-jitsu if anyone ever did not get something someone would quickly go over and help them it was great. Everyone was so kind it just made me feel welcome and accepted.
When my test for my yellow belt came up I was so nervous as it was my first test on testing day. But the friends I had made helped me. And the Sensei’s were so kind it helped me feel confidant. This memory always make me think back to when I received my white belt. All those first classes when you do not know what is going on, all the tests, even classes now take courage. It takes courage to learn something new and it take courage to test yourself.
Now that I am going for my black belt I have realized how much determination and dedication it takes to do jiu-jitsu. Last year I was going for my brown belt I had had a very bad day. I was not feeling well and I was extremely anxious. I had freaked out in the morning and was ill so I spent the entire day in bed except my belt test. I tried my best and I passed, I was so proud of myself I have never been that determine before. Ever since just before my brown belt unless I was contagious or had broken limbs I have gone to every class, at least twice a week. It takes so much dedication to practice martial arts, this is something I am glad that I to have learned.
The friends I have made, the experiences I have had, and the lessons that I have learned will stay with me for life. Jiu-jitsu is not just a sport it is a lifestyle, it is part of who you are. Jiu-jitsu is a journey. It is like climbing a mountain. Getting your white belt is your first step up the mountain. Getting your black belt is reaching a peak but the whole mountain is your memories.”
– Grace Taylor (Ottawa Canada)
History and Movement Of Mixed Martial Arts by Samir Zarrouki
Pankration was the first Mixed Art
Purpose
The purpose of the research assignment is to track through geography and history the drivers of the modern sport of Mixed Martial Arts (MMA). The real focus is in the sport and its contributing styles and movement through time and space; how MMA became the sport it is today. An important factor is the “Mixed” portion of the sport which is the cornerstone of the sports novelty and importance.
Background
What is mixed martial arts? An easy definition is in the name itself a blend of styles of martial arts. What are the martial arts then? According to dictionary.com they are “any of the traditional forms of Oriental self-defence or combat that utilize physical skill and coordination without weapons, as karate, aikido, judo, or kung fu, often practiced as sport.” By definition mixed martial arts should be purely oriental styles of martial arts mixed together as a sport. However for modern martial arts this is not the case. The place of origin of Mixed Martial arts or “MMA” can be traced back all the way to ancient Greece, to a sport called pankration.
Pankration is the very first Mixed Martial Art, a blend of boxing and wrestling, the two most ancient styles of fighting. The ancient Greeks took these two popular styles of Martial Art and blended them in an open combat sport. Pankration was the first Mixed Art, something of legend and started the trend of sport fighting transforming into military hand to hand combat. Modern pankration is a sanctioned combat sport. The first official introduction was by Jim Arvanitis in 1969 and globally in 1973. Arvanitis is credited by some to be one of the early drivers of modern MMA and is definitely the driver behind modern pankration. Pankrations contribution to MMA is in the form of Pancrase, a Japanese fighting league that encourages all aspects of martial arts and is modeled after the original sport. In Pancrase there are no pads on the hands but there are shin pads. Pancrase was introduced in 1993 and had a very high influence on the American fighting league, the Ultimate Fighting Challenge (UFC) as they entered their first king of Pancrase, Ken Shamrock.
The military aspect is very important because it is essentially the driver for the distribution of martial arts. It also drives the movement and evolution of the mixed aspect of martial arts. For the Greek military, pankration played a very important role as many soldiers, those not of noble blood, needed to buy their own weapons. The result of having to buy their own weapons, which were expensive, means that the knowledge of an unarmed fighting style was essential. The soldiers who could not afford weapons could be still effective with knowledge of pankration. The soldiers who were not nobles were often Olympians, many champion pankriatists or wrestlers. Many styles of martial arts are effective against armed or armoured opponents. Military units all needed to learn a form of unarmed combat. When a soldier loses their weapon it often means death for that soldier. When a soldier knows how to defend themselves without use of a weapon, then they have a second chance at life during battle. The importance of learning a style of self-defence is very high; martial arts fill that area of self-defence. The creation of a large number of martial arts is military based. The best examples of these martial arts, Muay-Thai, wrestling and Jujutsu play a huge role in the modern form of Mixed Martial Arts. The creation of these two martial arts have and essential role in the realization of Mixed Martial Arts.
The start of modern MMA can be traced back to the introduction of judo/jujutsu to Brazil. The man who brought this style of fighting over in 1914 was Mitsuyo Maeda, a Judo practitioner or Judo-ka from Japan. He introduced his style to Helio Gracie the son of his Brazilian friend who then passed on the techniques to his brothers. The Gracie family then reformed the techniques as Helio was not physically able to perform many of the judo throws because he had genetically weak joints and muscles. He reformed Judo to suit his body type, and make it effective for anyone to perform. From the reformed style Brazilian Jiu-jitsu (BJJ) was formed. It was called “jiu-jitsu” and not Judo because at the time Judo was still called jujutsu in japan. The style that the Gracie family taught had a huge influence over the direction of modern MMA but it would be known until 1993 at UFC 1. The historic event of UFC 1, the first ultimate fighting challenge, catapulted the sport of MMA to a new height. UFC 1 was the beginning of the modern era of mixed martial arts. Royce Gracie won that tournament against many other men who were much bigger than him, using his family’s style of combat, Brazilian Jiu-jitsu. After that victory and many other UFC and Pride championship victories, both mixed martial art tournaments, people realized how dominant the combat style was and it became an essential part of MMA. On that night “he revolutionized the sport” (Joe Rogan, UFC commentator),the importance and influence the Gracie family had on and in MMA with the unimposing Royce, called the “Godfather” of Mixed Martial Arts by Dana White(UFC President), at the helm is what drove MMA into the mainstream of today.
Methodology
To choose what was important to the global movement of Mixed Martial Arts as a sport the modern sport had to be broken down in a present-past fashion. The theme followed was what are the most widely practiced and effective styles of martial arts that would drive the mainstream society to go out and practice this mixed style of martial arts. Also ineffective styles, speaking purely the styles that are popularly practiced yet ineffectively mixed into modern MMA had to be considered as drivers because they popularized learning a martial art or combat sport. Historical martial arts had to be included as well as they are the drivers that progress their sport and are taught around the world. Global movement is an important aspect in choosing the mix of martial arts but just as important are the historical beginnings of the martial arts. Wrestling, boxing and jujutsu had to be researched from their beginnings to their effect on mixed martial arts.
Results
Historic styles
Pankration 646 B.C Greece
Jujutsu/judo 1100/1880s Japan
Wrestling 2400 B.C Egypt
Current styles
Brazilian Jiu-jitsu 1920 Brazil
Wrestling 2400 B.C Greece
Muay-thai/kickboxing 1800 /1970 Thailand /Japan
Mixed Martial Art Leagues
UFC (United States of America) 1993
Pride (Japan) 1995
Pancrase (Japan) 1993
Vale Tudo/Gracie Challenge (Brazil) 1920/1930
Pankration as sanctioned by FILA (international) 1973 Greece
Analysis/Discussion
The hardest part of following MMA is the nature of its name. In the name “Mixed” plays a very important role. Deciding which Martial Art(s) to follow played a crucial role in determining the drivers of this sport. To succeed at the sport athletes must learn many styles of Martial arts that translate into three stages of the modern sport. The stages are standing, clinch and ground. For an athlete to be successful they must learn all aspects and be masters of them all. The most successful athletes, like the Canadian George St. Pierre, are extremely adept at all stages. The importance of the learning and the effectiveness of the styles on display is what drives people to participate and grow the sport. For example when Royce Gracie won UFC 1 he drew people to learn Brazilian Jiu-jitsu. When Randy Couture (former light heavyweight and heavyweight UFC champion) won his titles he drew people to learn the clinch. All aspects of Mixed Martial Arts are important to be successful and to drive the sport forward as only in drawing in athletes can the sport grow.
The best way to determine the drivers is explained by Bas Rutten, a veteran and Pioneer of the sport, stated “Mixed Martial Arts is a triathlon” (Episode 9 Human Weapon). The triathlon of MMA is the standing phase (muay-thai/Kickboxing), the wrestling phase and the ground phase (Brazilian jiu-jitsu). All phases are essential for the practitioner or athlete to learn, knowing and mastering the basics of these phases is an art in itself. The importance of learning and combining these martial arts is the cornerstone of the sport. Any athlete who lacks experience or training in one area is not going to be effective in a certain phase.
The most interesting finding from a geography stand point is the west-east-west movement of the martial arts. It all started in ancient Greece with the Olympic sport of pankration. For a long period of time there would be no official MMA until the 1920s in brazil when the Gracie challenge was issued to all martial artists to attempt to beat the new Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu style with any martial art they thought would beat the new martial art. The matches were first held in the first Gracie jiu-jitsu gym in Brazil but soon the challenge evolved into Vale Tudo matches. Vale Tudo means “anything goes” and most matches were held or made by Gracie family members or official practitioners of Jiu-jitsu.
Many people believe that martial arts are solely an oriental practice, but with the existence present in Pankration, it is clear that the base of mixing martial arts existed first in the first western culture and then moved westward in terms of competition. The timeline of MMA begins with pankration (Greece) and moves in chronological order of sport to vale tudo (Brazil), pancrase (japan), UFC (United States). The competition of MMA exists in large populations and centers of high prosperity, first world often western oriented countries. MMA as a sport flourishes in these areas producing the top athletes in the western cultures especially Brazil, the home of Brazilian Jiu-jitsu, which has 4 of the title holders in the UFC, the largest combat sport league at this time.
Conclusion
Throughout history fighting has been an important part of society. It has many styles, the most current and popular is Mixed Martial Arts. The earliest form was pankration in ancient Greece. That was the first time anyone had mixed two styles of fighting, or martial arts. Over time in the spirit of seeing which martial art was best the Gracie challenge/Vale Tudo was introduced in Brazil. Many practitioners of martial arts attempted to beat the challenge presented in the form of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. From pankration and Jiu-jitsu two mixed martial art leagues were born, Pancrase in Japan and the Ultimate Fighting challenge in the United States. The two leagues were the beginning and current form of the new Mixed Martial Arts. Combat sports have always been popular, none more so than now, it is the fastest growing sport in the world.
Bibliography
- BJJ Heroes. “What is Jiu Jitsu | BJJ Heroes: the jiu jitsu encyclopedia.” BJJ Heroes: the jiu jitsu encyclopedia. N.p., n.d. Web. 26 Nov. 2012. <http://www.bjjheroes.com/bjj-news/brazilian-jiu-jitsu>.
- FILA. “Pankration.” FILA. FILA, n.d. Web. 26 Nov. 2012. <www.fila-official.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=476&Itemid=100225>.
- Gracie Academy. “Gracie History.” Gracie Academy ®. N.p., n.d. Web. 26 Nov. 2012. <http://www.gracieacademy.com/history.asp>.
- Human weapon. Dir. Jason Chambers. Perf. Jason Chambers, Bill Duff. 2007. A & E Television Networks :, 2008. Film.
- Kano, Jigoro, and T. Lindsay. “Jujutsu and the origins of Judo.” Official Judo Information Site at JudoInfo.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 26 Nov. 2012. <http://www.judoinfo.com/kano6.htm>.
- Miller, Christopher. “Historical Pankration Project – Historical-Pankration.com .”Historical Pankration Project – Historical-Pankration.com . N.p., n.d. Web. 26 Nov. 2012. <http://www.historical-pankration.com/articles_wrestling.html>.
- Ultimate Gracie. Dir. Anthony Storm. Perf. Royce Gracie, Dana White, Joe Rogan. Spike TV, 2011. Film.
- Walter Jr., Donald F.. “Mixed Martial Arts: Ultimate Sport, or Ultimately Illegal? Part 1 of 3. – Grapplearts.” Grappling, Brazilian Jiu-jitsu, MMA and NHB, submission techniques, information, videos, DVDs. N.p., n.d. Web. 26 Nov. 2012. <http://www.grapplearts.com/Blog/2008/12/mixed-martial-arts-ultimate-sport-or-ultimately-illegal/>.
- “Wrestling History. All About Wrestling..”College Athletic Scholarships. College Sports Recruiting.. N.p., n.d. Web. 26 Nov. 2012. <http://www.collegesportsscholarships.com/history-wrestling.htm>.
- Yazin, Eleştiri . “Martial Arts of the World: An Encyclopedia of History and Innovation – Google Kitaplar.” Google Kitaplar. N.p., n.d. Web. 26 Nov. 2012. <http://books.google.com.tr/books?id=P-Nv_LUi6KgC&pg=PA33&lpg=PA33&dq=circo+am%C3%A9ricano+gracie&source=bl&ots=I5GBH5jYTL&sig=s4jvJ0FgXAJG42REg_YrUJmmYLY&hl=tr&ei=Mi1ETofBNMON-wagoZnQCQ&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=res
Written and researched by Samir Zarrouki /Ottawa Team Machado Member(Ottawa,Ontario,Canada)
Kids Karate Christmas party was a Kick’n Good Time(photos are ready)
All the children were delighted to spend the afternoon training with Renshi Scott. Renshi Scott held a special class and party that focused on celebrating the upcoming holidays with an ‘Attitude of Gratitude’. Renshi Scott explained to the children that holidays like Christmas are about much more than receiving presents, it’s also a time to be grateful for what we already have and enjoy. The children also enjoyed Renshi’s special introduction to grappling (Brazilian Jiu Jitsu) and loved the different games played to hone their grappling abilities. It wasn’t all hard work that day, the kids were treated to pizza and prizes as well. We even had a surprise visitor that day, K2 Panda and Mr. Santa Claus who greeted everyone and made sure they were available for pictures (see below for instructions on how parents can download photos). Santa was so caught up in the grappling class that he too decided to participate. 
All in all, it was a great time at K2 Martial Arts. We’ve uploaded all the individual and group photos to our secured members section to allow parents to download them.
Click here to get instructions on how to enter the secure members section.(once you enter that secured section the “Members” section will appear in the the top menu bar, we’ve added a new section to the drop down list Programs,Schedules,Calendars,and 2012 Christmas photos.)
“I feel like I’m 22, thanks to K2 Martial Arts Kickboxing”
Feeling younger through Martial Arts training.
Martial Arts training can have remarkable rejuvenated abilities, like the mythical fountain of youth. We have many students at K2 Martial Arts who have reviewed about the program on it’s ability for allowing them to feel and act younger. Bernadette Kaye is an excellent example of one of those reviews and testimonials that we commonly receive.
When training in martial arts like kickboxing, karate, and Kung Fu one enjoys many benefits. These benefits includes increased flexibility, increased strength and toning, and overall health that makes participants feel younger and more energetic. Bernadette Kaye is one of our most veteran members. Today she enjoys another birthday but unlike most people her age she feels younger than ever as a result of her regular participation in our kickboxing program. Whenever we receive raving reviews about the positive effects of our kickboxing classes it warms our hearts.
Many of our students are regular every day good hearted people like Bernadette ‘Special’ Kaye who enjoy extraordinary results directly related to our programs. On behalf of all the members of K2 Martial Arts we would like to wish Bernadette all the best on her birthday and continued success with her kickboxing training! If you ever thought about training and participating in a kickboxing class we are now offering a free 30 day trial. We would love to help you achieve your fitness goals through any of our martial arts programs like our family martial arts class, kickboxing, or Brazilian jiujitsu programs. If your tired of feeling older, run down and lethargic please come in for an orientation an free 30 day trial. Please take the time to watch Bernadette’s review and testimonial below.
What does Renshi mean?
That’s an excellent question! Many people don’t fully understand or appreciate the scope of the ‘Renshi’ title. I think it’s fair to say that everyone you know has some idea of the meaning of a black belt. They usually will associate with a high level of martial arts proficiency or even romanticize the notion of the bearer being an indestructible fighting machine. The point is, they know and understand that it takes years of devotion and concentrated practice to achieve the necessary martial art skills to be promoted to the rank of black belt. However, when it comes to titles like Sempai, Sensei, or Renshi, there’s a certain level of confusion of what exactly that entails.
A sempai simply means senior student, someone who leads by example and act as a role model for others to follow. A sensei is a black belt who has chosen to teach others to follow in their footsteps. At K2 Martial Arts we have an extensive course that black belts must study carefully and apply teaching knowledge set in various modules before they can be recognized as a ‘sensei’. After years of being a teacher (on average, 10 plus) and continually honing your craft, you may one day achieve the honour of receiving the title ‘Renshi’. The title signifies that you are a polished, expert instructor, who have devoted themselves to the powerful transformational effects that martial arts have, when taught properly and with upmost care. It is not necessarily associated with rank like most people commonly perceive. It’s about a person’s ability to teach and share knowledge to those students under their care. Because it takes many, many years to become an expert (in any field of study), spending an average of 10,000 hours practicing the craft, you normally only see very mature and high ranking black belts receive this statute.
K2 Martial Arts is very proud to have three of their instructors to have achieved this milestone. Renshi Scott, Renshi Aksell and now, Renshi Chris, who is the latest to have ascended to the title of Renshi! We are very proud of Renshi Chris Davison and congratulate him whole-heartedly on his spectacular achievement. If you see Renshi Chris or are lucky enough to participate in one of his classes, be sure to shake his hand and congratulate him in person.
Making A Winning Fitness Plan For 2013
By Scott FitzPatrick
Win the fitness game in 2013
It’ mind boggling that we find ourselves making the same fitness resolution year after year, though it should be a hint that there’s often something remiss in our approach. Indeed, studies have shown that only about 8 percent of the newly resolute who are hoisting dumbbells or trying to figure out how to program the elliptical trainer this week will still be exercising regularly a few months down the road. It could be that their expectations are unduly influenced by TV infomercials, which show preternaturally buff models and promise you can get a six-pack in the time it takes to make three monthly credit-card payments.
Most people set their goals unrealistically high, but there is a way to keep that resolution and reinvent yourself physically in 2013. You need a plan and K2 Martial Arts and Fitness coaches are experts in helping you build such a plan, with reasonable, realistic, achievable goals, and a step-by-step schedule for getting there that you’ll be able to stick to. Think of it this way: If you had resolved to start a yogurt stand or a mail-order company in 2013, you wouldn’t even consider investing your time and money until you developed a detailed business plan. Think of this as a business plan for your body. If you’re serious about seeing results and keeping to this year’s fitness resolutions you’ll understand the importance of getting expert consultation with a proven track record as the K2 Martial Arts & Fitness coaches provide.
Here are some key points that we’ll focus on when creating your fitness plan for 2013.
1. Start with an honest self-assessment.
Unless you know where your starting point is, it’s difficult to know what is attainable in a year’s time. One way to do this is to have a K2 Martial Arts and Fitness coach evaluate you, we meet every new candidate individually to preform a one on one assessment to identify exactly where we need to concentrate to gain maximum results. (Of course, if you haven’t been active in a while, you also should get a checkup from your doctor as well.)
2. Set realistic goals, and create a clear picture of them in your mind.
You don’t necessarily need a drastic metamorphosis to look and feel better, or be healthier. Research shows that even losing five percent of your body weight –10 pounds in a 200-pound person — can significantly lower your risk for diabetes, heart disease and other health problems. So losing simply 10 pounds and keeping it off is a worthy goal for some of us.
If you’re already an experienced martial artist with a passion for the sport/art, you can also set a performance goal. Increased stamina training or faster execution of your kickboxing techniques, more powerful and accurate movements, a higher level difficulty of combinations and strikes are some examples of worthy performance goals.
3. Figure out a step-by-step schedule for gradually achieving your goal.
Once you can envision yourself as you want to be on December 31, we suggests that you engage in a bit of reverse-engineering. If you see yourself as 30 pounds lighter, or being able to do a 1000 kick challenge or participating in an amateur competition ,work backwards and figure out how much progress you need to make each month, week or even each day. When you break a task down into smaller increments, it seems more achievable. For example, if you expend an average of 200-to-500 calories per day exercising — something you can easily achieve with three to four weekly sessions of 45 minutes of Kickboxing and Martial Arts — and combine that with eating 250-to-400 fewer calories each day, you probably can lose about one-and-a-quarter pounds a week. If you can stick to that, by the end of April, you’ll be 20 pounds lighter.
4. Get fitter in phases.
Before you build a house, you’ve got to lay a foundation and put up a sturdy inner frame, and the same principle holds true for your body. K2 Martial Arts & Fitness coaches will help you gradually build up strength and conditioning through proper technical instruction of how to properly execute your strikes and exercise components. This foundation is critical to allow us later to ramp up the intensity and overall performance. Think about it, like a car engine on a bitterly cold morning, you don’t just want to jump in a drive off gunning the engine at the maximin RPM. That would be crazy! Same is true for our human body, initially we have to tune up and gradually elevate the strain so we can safely reach our full potential.
5. Factor rest into the equation.
It’s common knowledge that our muscles and cardiovascular systems take longer to recover from strenuous exercise as we get older, plan your rest time between exercise sessions as carefully as you do your workouts. K2 Martial Arts & Fitness programs have some really exciting and innovative ways to help lessen soreness, the bane of aging athletes: by switching up periodically the nature of your workout replace high endurance exercises with circuit training and then again with strength and power training. This way your not beating up the same muscles with repetitive motions.
6. Be adaptable to the unpredictable.
Inevitably, life gets in the way of your exercise plans, whether the interruption comes from a nasty case of the flu, a family emergency, or a boss who’s piling a mountain of work in your inbox. Those are the moments when you’re most likely to give up on your fitness resolution, unless you learn to go with the flow. We have to act as pilots for our own personal fitness destination. Imagine an airline pilot that takes off from Ottawa to fly to Vancouver. He’s got a course mapped out. However if he encounters a thunderstorm over Winnipeg, he may have to change direction and fly around it. When he gets back to clear skies, he goes back to the straightforward route. You’ve got to be prepared for distractions. Don’t use them as an excuse. If you can’t get to your K2 Martial Arts and Fitness class, take a brisk walk around the block, practice your movements at home or squeeze in one of our online home training segements. That way, you can more quickly catch up when you get back to your regular class routine.