Black Belt and Beyond

Blogging from the perspective of a professional Tiger Rock Martial Arts instructor and martial artist. Producing articles pertaining to the life lessons from martial arts training for kids, teens, and adults. (and random thoughts from life in general)

[daviddeartkd]

Awesome Instructor Traits

Instructors and instructor team members come in a wide variety of personalities. I would like to point out some key character traits that we look for when we select students to join our leadership team.

Lead by Example. An instructor has to lead by being the example they want the student to be. If I am excited the students will be excited. If I make awesome stances they will want to make awesome stances. If I am bored-you guessed it they will be bored as well.

Life Lessons to Share Instructors have to be able to relate the life skills from training and how they relate to everyday life. It is way more than just punching and kicking. Martial arts is just the vehicle that we use to teach the students lessons that will make them better at life-more fit, more respectful, hard working, and the list goes on.

Connection Instructors have to be able to connect with the students. All of them. Anyone can get great results from 11 year old super athlete youth kid. Can you connect with a 4 year old? 7? 15? 45? Every class is different and has different ages and personalities. You have to get them to want to improve, want to give 100%, and enjoy doing that while physically tired. A great instructor can make the students forget that they were having a bad day before they stepped on the mat.

Pride in the Students Instructors have to also show pride in their product-the students. Let then students know that you noticed their improvement. Some students don’t always see their own improvement-they are stuck comparing themselves to the best student in class. They need to hear about their accomplishments as they are on a different journey than the one they are stuck comparing themselves too.Small successes add up over time to make huge goals happen!

 Smile This seems so simple but I want happy people on my instructor team. If they are happy it is contagious. What is a better thing to catch than a smile? This is imperative as students do not know what you are thinking. They only see your expression, body language, and hear your words. A smile conveys so much without any words. A smile also makes you much more approachable if they have a question-some people are already intimidated by the black belts.

Creativity One of my favorites. Anyone can lead a class. 20+ classes a week over a few years adds up very quickly. If you teach the same class the same way over and over no one will stick around long. You have to mix it up. Create new drills. Use the tools at your disposal. How many ways can you use a blocker? How many ways can you teach a form? How many ways can you perform a round kick?

A Great Group Attitude It is not about you or me. It is about the team. How we help our team grow and improve. It is so much fun to be a part of a group that loves sharing martial arts with others. This is a small group that assisted with a beginner kids testing recently. We have about 40 total students on the leadership team as I type. I am so proud of the team that we have built and look forward to even more growth and improvement.

There are more traits that help make up an awesome instructor. These are just scratching the surface. Every instructor does not have every trait listed. Some have major strengths in a few areas. Some flourish in other areas. They are all different. Some connect better with the younger kids some connect better with the adults.

The journey of being an instructor team member helps these students in other areas of life where leadership and assertiveness is rewarded. It also looks great on a resume for work or college. It show determination and desire to improve one’s ability and others.

More to come later on the journey from a white belt in the kids class to a teen that is ready to teach a lesson solo!

David Dear

griffinstkd.com

[daviddeartkd]

Students and Social Media

Today’s youth have access to so many social media platforms. It can be overwhelming at times. These are a few simple suggestions on how to utilize them effectively without getting yourself into trouble, looking dumb, and or losing friends along the way.

If you post something online it is out there forever. Do not trust that if you delete it is gone. Snapchats etc can be screenshot/saved and re-posted. It is better to be safe than sorry. :) 

It is cool to be able to instantly post material online and have it immediately available to others. Things posted online are very rarely if ever actually anonymous.

 Should I post it?

Yes to any of these questions=Go ahead and post it

Is it helpful?

Is it funny?

Would my parents be proud of me if they saw it?

Would my teachers, instructors, mentors be proud if they saw it?

Would I willingly show it or share it to the masses?

Is it going to make someone’s day?

Would this look good to a future employer?

YES to any of these questions=DO NOT POST IT:

Is it hurtful to others?

Is it vulgar?

Would my parents be upset if they read it?

Is it fun at someone else’s expense?

Is it offensive to the masses?  (everything offends someone –but it offends most  everyone I’d reconsider posting)

Would this look terrible to a future employer?

…but I have the Right to Free Speech.

That is very true. That gives you the right to say or post most anything. That does not mean it is a great idea. Free speech basically means you will not go to jail for saying things that you shouldn't say. You most definitely can lose a job for it. If it is untrue things you are spreading you could face legal issues as well. 

Posting something inappropriate can cost you. People lose careers over online posts these days. Teens lose friendships all the time based on what they share and spread online. 

Who do you represent? Today people focus a lot on just themselves. There is a much bigger picture that you may not see yet. As a martial arts student and as an individual you represent yourself, your family, your martial arts academy (especially if you are on the leadership team, black belt, etc.) 

Are you a great ambassador for yourself, your family, your academic school, your sports team, and your martial arts school?

Everything you post says something about you. 

WHAT DOES IT SAY ABOUT YOU??  

Is it saying something positive? There is enough negativity in this world. 

Be the change you want to see! 

Tip of the day:

Don’t be the person that only complains online. No one wants to read your sob story. No one needs extra negativity on there newsfeed.  

David Dear

www.griffinstkd.com

[daviddeartkd]

Students and Social Media

Today’s youth have access to so many social media platforms. It can be overwhelming at times. These are a few simple suggestions on how to utilize them effectively without getting yourself into trouble, looking dumb, and or losing friends along the way.

If you post something online it is out there forever. Do not trust that if you delete it is gone. Snapchats etc can be screenshot/saved and re-posted. It is better to be safe than sorry. :) 

It is cool to be able to instantly post material online and have it immediately available to others. Things posted online are very rarely if ever actually anonymous.

 Should I post it?

Yes to any of these questions=Go ahead and post it

Is it helpful?

Is it funny?

Would my parents be proud of me if they saw it?

Would my teachers, instructors, mentors be proud if they saw it?

Would I willingly show it or share it to the masses?

Is it going to make someone’s day?

Would this look good to a future employer?

YES to any of these questions=DO NOT POST IT:

Is it hurtful to others?

Is it vulgar?

Would my parents be upset if they read it?

Is it fun at someone else’s expense?

Is it offensive to the masses?  (everything offends someone –but it offends most  everyone I’d reconsider posting)

Would this look terrible to a future employer?

…but I have the Right to Free Speech.

That is very true. That gives you the right to say or post most anything. That does not mean it is a great idea. Free speech basically means you will not go to jail for saying things that you shouldn't say. You most definitely can lose a job for it. If it is untrue things you are spreading you could face legal issues as well. 

Posting something inappropriate can cost you. People lose careers over online posts these days. Teens lose friendships all the time based on what they share and spread online. 

Who do you represent? Today people focus a lot on just themselves. There is a much bigger picture that you may not see yet. As a martial arts student and as an individual you represent yourself, your family, your martial arts academy (especially if you are on the leadership team, black belt, etc.) 

Are you a great ambassador for yourself, your family, your academic school, your sports team, and your martial arts school?

Everything you post says something about you. 

WHAT DOES IT SAY ABOUT YOU??  

Is it saying something positive? There is enough negativity in this world. 

Be the change you want to see! 

Tip of the day:

Don’t be the person that only complains online. No one wants to read your sob story. No one needs extra negativity on there newsfeed.  

David Dear

www.griffinstkd.com

[daviddeartkd]

All I knew is that I never wanted to be average.

No one sets out to be average.

No one joins a martial arts school to be average.

So, you’ve made the choice to not be average. What’s next?

Here are a few tips to excel past mediocre.

☑️Be early or on time at the bare minimum.

☑️Commit-greatness takes time.

☑️Set some short, intermediate, and long term goals

☑️Give your best effort in class

☑️Actively listen versus just hearing. Eyes on the person talking. Focus with intent.

☑️Step up when challenged versus stepping back from a challenge.

☑️You will face adversity. Plan on it and don’t be surprised by it.

☑️Be coachable. We all can learn from almost anyone if we are open to it. Your instructors are going to push you to reach new limits

[daviddeartkd]

Testing Before During and After. Updated for 2022

BEFORE

So Testing is approaching at Tiger Rock. What do you need to know or do?

We offer testing 6 times per year for White-Red Belts plus 3 testing opportunities for Black Belts (Black Belts also have a Rank Up option based on Tournament Results too!)

Be in class as much as you can and we will work with you to be progressing in your martial arts skill. Each cycle you will be trying to earn your stripes. The stripes change each cycle but the number of stripes generally stay the same.

White Belts earn 3-Stances, Form, Sparring Drill or Contact Skill.

Yellow Belts earn 2 Form, Sparring Drill or Contact Skill.

Green Belts earn 2 Form, Sparring Drill

Blue Belts and up earn 2 Form and Board Breaks

Once you earn your stripes and testing is near we will award the Permission to Test Stripes (RISE). That means you are eligible for the test and you have demonstrated the material. It does not guarantee that you will pass your test. The performance at testing will determine that. Almost every student will either miss some tests or have a no change on a test where they do not pass. Just as you can’t expect to win every game you play in sports there will be ups and downs on your martial arts tests and competitions.

DURING

Arrive early and be in full uniform. We will warm up as a group with some basics, form, sparring drills etc. We will give a few brief announcements before the test starts. Once the test starts we will call students out to the numbers on the training floor. There are 8 easy steps to follow when you get called to your number. 8 sounds like a lot but they are easy.

1. Answer Up ( say yes sir/ma’am)

2. Run to your number (stand beside the number. Number should be to your right)

3. Attention Stance

4. Turn to the right (180 degree turn and face away from front)

5. Fix everything (fix uniform, belt, hair, etc)

6. Turn to the right (180 degree turn now facing the front again)

7. Attention Stance

8. Wait (for all others to be ready and for instructions from the judge)

Form Time! On form there a few things they are watching and grading the students on. 1 Did they get the moves right? (Right order, right technique etc) 2 How good does it look? (Stances, foot position, power, speed of technique, pause between moves, eye control, proper preparation, kicking details, etc) As they get higher and higher in rank they are expected and required to improve in these aspects of form.

If everyone gets the form right (correct moves not the details/how it looks) on the 1st attempt we move on to the next part of their test. If some mistakes were made we will have 1 more round of form. For White and Yellow Belts they do the form together as a team on the 2nd attempt and they can get a bit of help on their test as they are really new and haven’t tested much. For Green Belts and up the student that made the mistake goes again by themself. At Green and up they do not get any help or a teammate to do it with.

After Form we move to the next area for them. For Beginners that could be Sparring Drills or Contact Skills next. For Green Belts and above they put their Sparring Gear on and move to sparring next.

Sparring Time!

The students will spar 2-3-4 Rounds and possibly a couple of rounds as a full in partner as well. There are 2 types of Sparring that we rotate each cycle Free Sparring and Tournament/Sport Sparring. Both styles have some similarities and some differences that we cover in classes. A few things we need to see in both styles are Hand position, knees bent, short sparring stance, correct technique selection, good blocking. Some specific tips for each style will be listed below.

Free Sparring is the more continuous sparring. The only times you should stop are: someone falls down, someone gets hurt, someone breaks the rules, or judge says stop. In Free Sparring we need to see a wide variety of techniques. Punches and kicks with both hands and both feet. Front leg kicks, back leg kicks, jumps, spins, advanced techniques etc. In Free Sparring you have to be able to get hit and counter back with an attack.

Tournament Sparring/Sport Sparring this is the style we use for all Tournament Competition. This style has more stops and starts. A judge will be with each group starting them and stopping them when a point or strike occurs. 1 point for a kick to the front of the body or a back arm punch to the body. 2 points for a kick to the helmet. Strikes are for hitting goals illegal targets (face, head contact with hands, anything to the back or below the belt [exception youth and adult leg checks]) or using illegal techniques (knees, elbows etc) A few keys to this style are: favorite leg in front, use a lot of front leg kicks, double and triple kicks to different heights work well, try to go first, don’t sit back and wait on them, any strike or point stops the action so counters only work if the block is awesome and they don’t touch you.

In both styles they are judged on how well they perform the skills and how well they are progressing. At testing they are graded against themselves. Are they a good bit better than 2 months ago? Are they the same? Have they gotten sloppy or lazy?

Board Breaks! Blue Belts and up get their striking gloves on after sparring and prepare for board breaks. Blue through Red Belts have to break 2 out of the 4 boards. 1 attempt at each station/technique. Black Belts have to break 3 out of 4 boards. 1 attempt at each station/technique. The board break techniques do change over time. Currently for Blue-Red Belts they are 1. downward palm heel or hammer fist 2. downward elbow 3. #2 front kick (back leg) 4. #3 side kick (step together, step behind, or hop side kick with the front leg). For Black Belts the current breaks are 1. downward palm heel or downward reverse punch 2. Downward elbow strike 3. #3 jump front kick 4. spin side kick.

After the last portion there will be a few announcements about what will be happening next at the academy.

After Testing

After the test the judges will compile notes and go over there suggestions etc. All of the tests finish up on Saturday. On/by the following Monday test results will be posted. To see the results the fastest go to your kicksite member page and login (we send each student a kicksite invite when they enroll). As soon as the ranks are posted you will see the new rank posted on your page. No News is Good News! If you PASS the test we will not send you an email with the results and you are good to attend the Awards Night (usually the following Wednesday). If you DO NOT PASS you will get an email with the results. If you do not pass you also test next time at no charge and you have 2 weeks to schedule a free private lesson while the testing is still fresh on their mind.

Pass or Fail we still congratulate you on getting out there and putting in the work. Pass or Not we will all look to move forward and keep improving along our martial arts journey.

Awards Night. Check the academy schedule and attend during the appropriate time for you and your rank.

[daviddeartkd]

Awesome Instructor Traits

Instructors and instructor team members come in a wide variety of personalities. I would like to point out some key character traits that we look for when we select students to join our leadership team.

Lead by Example. An instructor has to lead by being the example they want the student to be. If I am excited the students will be excited. If I make awesome stances they will want to make awesome stances. If I am bored-you guessed it they will be bored as well.

Life Lessons to Share Instructors have to be able to relate the life skills from training and how they relate to everyday life. It is way more than just punching and kicking. Martial arts is just the vehicle that we use to teach the students lessons that will make them better at life-more fit, more respectful, hard working, and the list goes on.

Connection Instructors have to be able to connect with the students. All of them. Anyone can get great results from 11 year old super athlete youth kid. Can you connect with a 4 year old? 7? 15? 45? Every class is different and has different ages and personalities. You have to get them to want to improve, want to give 100%, and enjoy doing that while physically tired. A great instructor can make the students forget that they were having a bad day before they stepped on the mat.

Pride in the Students Instructors have to also show pride in their product-the students. Let then students know that you noticed their improvement. Some students don’t always see their own improvement-they are stuck comparing themselves to the best student in class. They need to hear about their accomplishments as they are on a different journey than the one they are stuck comparing themselves too.Small successes add up over time to make huge goals happen!

 Smile This seems so simple but I want happy people on my instructor team. If they are happy it is contagious. What is a better thing to catch than a smile? This is imperative as students do not know what you are thinking. They only see your expression, body language, and hear your words. A smile conveys so much without any words. A smile also makes you much more approachable if they have a question-some people are already intimidated by the black belts.

Creativity One of my favorites. Anyone can lead a class. 20+ classes a week over a few years adds up very quickly. If you teach the same class the same way over and over no one will stick around long. You have to mix it up. Create new drills. Use the tools at your disposal. How many ways can you use a blocker? How many ways can you teach a form? How many ways can you perform a round kick?

A Great Group Attitude It is not about you or me. It is about the team. How we help our team grow and improve. It is so much fun to be a part of a group that loves sharing martial arts with others. This is a small group that assisted with a beginner kids testing recently. We have about 40 total students on the leadership team as I type. I am so proud of the team that we have built and look forward to even more growth and improvement.

There are more traits that help make up an awesome instructor. These are just scratching the surface. Every instructor does not have every trait listed. Some have major strengths in a few areas. Some flourish in other areas. They are all different. Some connect better with the younger kids some connect better with the adults.

The journey of being an instructor team member helps these students in other areas of life where leadership and assertiveness is rewarded. It also looks great on a resume for work or college. It show determination and desire to improve one’s ability and others.

More to come later on the journey from a white belt in the kids class to a teen that is ready to teach a lesson solo!

David Dear

griffinstkd.com

[daviddeartkd]

Growth Mindset-by Anna Grace Teal

I was one of those kids with a ton of natural talent. I won lots of gold medals and to this day I have not failed a testing. But let me tell you why all this is really not as cool as it sounds…

I honestly feel like my successes early on stifled my growth as a martial artist in the long run.

It’s a lot cooler to me to see hard earned progress rather than natural skill. Progress requires a change from a fixed mindset to a growth mindset. These mindsets refer to our beliefs about our own intelligence/athleticism and achievement.

A fixed mindset sounds like this: I’m dumb. I’m average. I’m weak. OR…I’m intelligent. I’m athletic.

Notice even positive traits still belong to a fixed mindset!

A GROWTH mindset sounds like this: My brain can grow. My body can get faster, stronger, and more flexible. I can get smarter. My goal is to learn. Effort makes me stronger.

Research shows that when kids (or anybody) believes their brains and bodies can grow/improve, they behave differently. A change in mindset from fixed to growth actually leads to increased motivation and achievement.

Natural ability can only get you so far. While I have not failed a testing, rest be assured I have no shortage of failure in other areas of life, and this is how I can speak about the importance of a growth mindset also. We all fail in some way or another, and the mindset adjustments that we make as a result are critical determinants of achievement and progress.

The thought processes of a growth mindset are simple and concise, but they are not intuitive to children. They must be taught through failures and mistakes! Up until the point of failure, a fixed mindset (I’m smart, I’m athletic, I’m a good student, etc.) will not be CHALLENGED. When failure happens—as it eventually will, the fixed mindset does not hold, and this is a critical opportunity to develop a much stronger mindset of growth.

Parents and teachers of every kind can also help! Here’s what you can do as an instructor/parent to encourage a growth mindset in a kid.

-Reward kids for choosing a challenge rather than a shortcut. Challenges are risky because they may lead to failure. A growth mindset does not fear failure—it is FUELED by it.

-Don’t praise kids for being smart, athletic, etc.—praise them for HARD WORK and EFFORT. After a failure, the right kind of praise is linked to greater impact on resilience. Don’t keep telling your kid he/she is smart when failure challenges that idea—tell your kid that getting that A or B depends on PRACTICE even though it’s HARD. Tell your kid that he/she can do hard things. Life is tough, but so are you.

-Final note to parents and teachers is:…be PATIENT and COMPASSIONATE with your kids and don’t get in a hurry with your kid’s acquisition of the growth mindset. With a growth mindset you are ALWAYS learning and there is ALWAYS room for more failure because that is the most crucial fuel for learning.

Want to see some of the studies I looked at? Check out https://www.mindsetworks.com/science/

Anna Grace Teal Cell

[daviddeartkd]

Testing Before During and After. Updated for 2022

BEFORE

So Testing is approaching at Tiger Rock. What do you need to know or do?

We offer testing 6 times per year for White-Red Belts plus 3 testing opportunities for Black Belts (Black Belts also have a Rank Up option based on Tournament Results too!)

Be in class as much as you can and we will work with you to be progressing in your martial arts skill. Each cycle you will be trying to earn your stripes. The stripes change each cycle but the number of stripes generally stay the same.

White Belts earn 3-Stances, Form, Sparring Drill or Contact Skill.

Yellow Belts earn 2 Form, Sparring Drill or Contact Skill.

Green Belts earn 2 Form, Sparring Drill

Blue Belts and up earn 2 Form and Board Breaks

Once you earn your stripes and testing is near we will award the Permission to Test Stripes (RISE). That means you are eligible for the test and you have demonstrated the material. It does not guarantee that you will pass your test. The performance at testing will determine that. Almost every student will either miss some tests or have a no change on a test where they do not pass. Just as you can’t expect to win every game you play in sports there will be ups and downs on your martial arts tests and competitions.

DURING

Arrive early and be in full uniform. We will warm up as a group with some basics, form, sparring drills etc. We will give a few brief announcements before the test starts. Once the test starts we will call students out to the numbers on the training floor. There are 8 easy steps to follow when you get called to your number. 8 sounds like a lot but they are easy.

1. Answer Up ( say yes sir/ma’am)

2. Run to your number (stand beside the number. Number should be to your right)

3. Attention Stance

4. Turn to the right (180 degree turn and face away from front)

5. Fix everything (fix uniform, belt, hair, etc)

6. Turn to the right (180 degree turn now facing the front again)

7. Attention Stance

8. Wait (for all others to be ready and for instructions from the judge)

Form Time! On form there a few things they are watching and grading the students on. 1 Did they get the moves right? (Right order, right technique etc) 2 How good does it look? (Stances, foot position, power, speed of technique, pause between moves, eye control, proper preparation, kicking details, etc) As they get higher and higher in rank they are expected and required to improve in these aspects of form.

If everyone gets the form right (correct moves not the details/how it looks) on the 1st attempt we move on to the next part of their test. If some mistakes were made we will have 1 more round of form. For White and Yellow Belts they do the form together as a team on the 2nd attempt and they can get a bit of help on their test as they are really new and haven’t tested much. For Green Belts and up the student that made the mistake goes again by themself. At Green and up they do not get any help or a teammate to do it with.

After Form we move to the next area for them. For Beginners that could be Sparring Drills or Contact Skills next. For Green Belts and above they put their Sparring Gear on and move to sparring next.

Sparring Time!

The students will spar 2-3-4 Rounds and possibly a couple of rounds as a full in partner as well. There are 2 types of Sparring that we rotate each cycle Free Sparring and Tournament/Sport Sparring. Both styles have some similarities and some differences that we cover in classes. A few things we need to see in both styles are Hand position, knees bent, short sparring stance, correct technique selection, good blocking. Some specific tips for each style will be listed below.

Free Sparring is the more continuous sparring. The only times you should stop are: someone falls down, someone gets hurt, someone breaks the rules, or judge says stop. In Free Sparring we need to see a wide variety of techniques. Punches and kicks with both hands and both feet. Front leg kicks, back leg kicks, jumps, spins, advanced techniques etc. In Free Sparring you have to be able to get hit and counter back with an attack.

Tournament Sparring/Sport Sparring this is the style we use for all Tournament Competition. This style has more stops and starts. A judge will be with each group starting them and stopping them when a point or strike occurs. 1 point for a kick to the front of the body or a back arm punch to the body. 2 points for a kick to the helmet. Strikes are for hitting goals illegal targets (face, head contact with hands, anything to the back or below the belt [exception youth and adult leg checks]) or using illegal techniques (knees, elbows etc) A few keys to this style are: favorite leg in front, use a lot of front leg kicks, double and triple kicks to different heights work well, try to go first, don’t sit back and wait on them, any strike or point stops the action so counters only work if the block is awesome and they don’t touch you.

In both styles they are judged on how well they perform the skills and how well they are progressing. At testing they are graded against themselves. Are they a good bit better than 2 months ago? Are they the same? Have they gotten sloppy or lazy?

Board Breaks! Blue Belts and up get their striking gloves on after sparring and prepare for board breaks. Blue through Red Belts have to break 2 out of the 4 boards. 1 attempt at each station/technique. Black Belts have to break 3 out of 4 boards. 1 attempt at each station/technique. The board break techniques do change over time. Currently for Blue-Red Belts they are 1. downward palm heel or hammer fist 2. downward elbow 3. #2 front kick (back leg) 4. #3 side kick (step together, step behind, or hop side kick with the front leg). For Black Belts the current breaks are 1. downward palm heel or downward reverse punch 2. Downward elbow strike 3. #3 jump front kick 4. spin side kick.

After the last portion there will be a few announcements about what will be happening next at the academy.

After Testing

After the test the judges will compile notes and go over there suggestions etc. All of the tests finish up on Saturday. On/by the following Monday test results will be posted. To see the results the fastest go to your kicksite member page and login (we send each student a kicksite invite when they enroll). As soon as the ranks are posted you will see the new rank posted on your page. No News is Good News! If you PASS the test we will not send you an email with the results and you are good to attend the Awards Night (usually the following Wednesday). If you DO NOT PASS you will get an email with the results. If you do not pass you also test next time at no charge and you have 2 weeks to schedule a free private lesson while the testing is still fresh on their mind.

Pass or Fail we still congratulate you on getting out there and putting in the work. Pass or Not we will all look to move forward and keep improving along our martial arts journey.

Awards Night. Check the academy schedule and attend during the appropriate time for you and your rank.

[daviddeartkd]

Is Tournament Competition for you?

Here are 10 of my top reasons you should compete at the District Tournament

10 Generally closer than the larger tournaments

Some Tournament require hours on the road plus hotel stay. A district tournament is usually local.

9 Smaller group of competitors

There are fewer competitions per ring. These are great for starter tournaments and to prep seasoned competitors for the bigger events as well.

8 Face your fears

Tournaments and performing in front of others can be a barrier for students. Events are where students can make some huge break throughs in their training!

7 Fun learning experience

Many of us have many forgettable weekends. Instead make some memories and take that next step on your martial arts journey. Winning is awesome but I have personally probably learned more through my losses.

6 Represent your local academy & Compete with and against your teammates

Your instructors put in countless hours prepping the students to have a great showing at the competition. Represent your City and Instructor Team and give it a shot. We are proud of you whether you win or lose. Stepping up to the competition is a small win all by itself!

5 Earn a masters invite and or a Rank up

Green Belts-Black Belts can earn a Masters Invite where you can compete with the winners from the other tournaments that lead up to the summer World tournament. Black Belts up to level 2 3rd degree can earn a rank up based on their tournament results! It is like a bonus testing by competing against your peers.

4 Meet and compete with new friends

You will meet some awesome people through the years at the competitions. Tiger Rock Schools are on the same testing cycles and you will progress along side them as well. You could be competing with some of them for years!

3 Test your skills

Find out how you stack up against your peers. What do you excel at? What area do you need to spend more time?

2 Get out of your comfort zone & Challenge yourself.

Stepping out of your comfort zone is a huge step into improving. As people we can all get complacent at times. It is great to keep challenging yourself and see what you are capable of.

1 Grow on your martial arts journey

Classes are the main course for your martial arts journey. Testing and Tournaments are the side dishes and the dessert that makes it more complete and more enjoyable!

[daviddeartkd]

All I knew is that I never wanted to be average.

No one sets out to be average.

No one joins a martial arts school to be average.

So, you’ve made the choice to not be average. What’s next?

Here are a few tips to excel past mediocre.

☑️Be early or on time at the bare minimum.

☑️Commit-greatness takes time.

☑️Set some short, intermediate, and long term goals

☑️Give your best effort in class

☑️Actively listen versus just hearing. Eyes on the person talking. Focus with intent.

☑️Step up when challenged versus stepping back from a challenge.

☑️You will face adversity. Plan on it and don’t be surprised by it.

☑️Be coachable. We all can learn from almost anyone if we are open to it. Your instructors are going to push you to reach new limits

[daviddeartkd]

What does Learning look like?

I talked with a student recently that felt a little burnt out. They felt they hadn’t learned a new move recently and to them that meant they weren’t learning or improving.

As a kid that makes sense to think that. They may not see the Big picture. I personally haven’t learned a new move in 10-15 years. The improvements come in application of the techniques. Pro baseball players aren’t learning new ways to catch or throw but they are amazing at both skills. Same is true for martial artists.

It took me a long time to be able to apply some techniques at a high level against others of my skill level. Sometimes the improvements are readily noticeable and sometimes improvement is more gradual.

TIPS: If you are the top level of the class (age, rank, size)-this is your time to work on the more advanced techniques that you may not yet be able to score with on people of your skill level. Favorite side and least favorite side should both be worked on. Set the example for others to follow.

If you are on the lower levels of class (age, rank, size) you have to focus on the basics 1st. Even if you can’t make them work on higher skilled people yet they will work when you improve on them.

I remember many many times of getting smashed as a Red Belt by Mr Griffin (5th or 6th degree at the time). Then I would go to a tournament and spar other red belts and it seemed as if they in slow motion. All those rounds I was losing didn’t feel I like I was improving, but the competitions proved I was making drastic improvements that I didn’t even notice.

Tips for Parents- All students are going to have ups and downs on their martial arts journeys as in life and other sports. If you notice a down swing that we don’t notice please bring it to our attention. Most students do great once they get in class but sometimes they may be difficult to get to class (already playing a video game or with a friend etc).

Side note- Kaylee was not the kid I talked to but I was amazed at her improvement on board breaking on Saturday!! She broke 7-8 in a row on her 1st attempt. That is a huge noticeable improvement of the gradual work she has put in at class and at home 🏡

[daviddeartkd]

Two men signed up for Facebook...

One became grumpy and depressed, the other very wealthy.

What was different?

The grumpy depressed guy followed a bunch of celebrities, popular people, and accepted all friend requests.

He figured... If he had a lot of friends he would become popular and if he followed all the celebrities he would learn from them.

His plan was become popular and learn the celeb secrets. If he did he would become wealthy.

Instead what actually happened was he grew cynical of his friends because they never supported him. They didn't know him and he didn't really know them. When he would share something it felt like he was still on his own even though he had hundreds almost thousands of friends.

The more he followed the celebrities the more he felt bad about his own life. Compounded by the fact that his new friends didn't support him.

He would get overwhelmed by one celeb saying do this and another completely disagreeing. He couldn't afford the fancy cars they had, the big houses, or the luxury vacations.

He was surrounded by people who didn't support him, didn't know him, and people who made him feel small.

What did the second guy do that was different?

The second guy became incredibly wealthy even though he started out broke.

He decided he wanted to start a business. He knew nothing about how to do that though. So he researched some experts that he could follow.

Instead of following all of them he looked for just a couple that shared his same values and style. Since he didn't have a lot of friends it was easy to follow these two experts.

He watched what they did and started doing what they did. If they had a blog, he had a blog. If they sold a product, he sold something similar.

Except he had no readers or customers.

He researched who read blogs like his and who bought products like his. It was easy to find these people on Twitter and Facebook and Instagram thanks to hashtags and search boxes.

He started strategically friend requesting the most passionate readers and customers. Before long he had hundreds of friends who were now reading his blog and buying his products.

The two experts took notice of the new guy and reached out to him. They wanted to collaborate on some blog posts with him. Now he was gaining their audience and becoming a 3rd authority in his market.

He kept nurturing the relationships he had using Facebook. He would share the blog posts and promotions of the other two experts. They did the same for him.

He used Facebook to listen to feedback and suggestions of his customers. His products got better and better because of it.

Soon word spread far and wide about his business. His customers loved the experience his company created and referred all their friends to him.

Two years of this and he gained many friendships with other experts as well as thousands of die hard customers.

He eventually sold his business for millions to an investor and became a very wealthy man.

Two guys...

Same resources...

One became depressed and the other wealthy.

[daviddeartkd]

How I got started in Taekwondo as a student and a career

I first took martial arts as a 7 year old. It was taekwondo and it was taught in Florence and I lived in Harrisville. I took for maybe a year? Not really certain as Facebook wasn’t around to record our life events at that time :-). I remember going to my first tournament. It was in Little Rock, Arkansas. The 1988 ATA nationals. I was still a beginner at that point and don’t remember the competition at all. I got 3rd place in forms competition and got a gigantic trophy that to this day seems like overkill for a 3rd place beginner form. That school eventually moved to Clinton and I had to stop training as that was way too far to make classes. Later on in high school my friend Matthew and I tried some Shotokan classes in Richland. Matthew had years of taekwondo experience and was ver good. The classes were at Sugar’s gym. We took class there for only a few months as we didn’t find the classes very enjoyable. A little too slow paced and predictable for me. A couple of years later, one day at work my friend Ray and I had talked about how we had both tried martial arts as kids. We decided that we would like to try it again. The search for a martial arts school started. We didn’t care what style we took. We checked them all out. We watched classes in Ninjitsu, shotokan, Kung fu, Hapkido etc. I was honestly surprised at what I saw. A lot of disorganized out of shape instructors. Out of shape guy telling us will get you guys in shape! We were already in better physical condition than most of them (does that mean they couldn’t fight/defend themselves-not necessarily *see UFC fighter Roy Nelson-look at him and you would think he is out of shape but man that guy can take a punch and knockout some folks!). The last school we tried was Jason Griffin’s Taekwondo Academy. At that time it was above Party City on Countyline Rd. We were pleasantly surprised to find a clean school with an upbeat leader. Ray and I tried class while two of our buddies watched (1 of whom joined 2 months later). We were hooked after lesson number 1. Mr. Griffin was a super athlete and excited about teaching every time we saw him. His classes were fast paced and unpredictable. We were going to try what? Ok I’ll give it a shot! About a year into our training Ray and his brother Jay both stopped to pursue jobs in different states. I stuck with it and turned down jobs that would require me to move. I waited to keep training in taekwondo. At red belt-about 2 years into training one of Mr. Griffin’s managers moved away. Mr. Griffin and I talked about a part time job. I was pretty nervous as at that point I had never taught kids anything or worked with kids. (I had worked mostly in restaurant kitchens.) I had no idea if I would be good at it, but I saw how much Mr Griffin enjoyed his job and I wanted something that was that much fun. At that point you weren’t even allowed to help with class in anyway unless you were a Black Belt. For the first few months I worked just a couple hours a day a few days a week. I worked 3 15 hour days at my other job to make it all work. At the TKD Academy I answered the phone, took messages, and attempted to answer parent’s questions although I usually had to refer them back to Mr. Griffin or Caitlin Wright (now Leopard). One of the perks of being an employee there I got invited to attend the black belt morning workouts. My training took off. I got to take class more and train with just the highest ranks in the morning. I worked there for a couple of years with the manager Caitlin. We eventually started looking for a 2nd location for me to start a school that I would one day own. We decided on Brandon. At that point I had never been in Brandon for much of anything. I Didn’t know anyone here or my way around town (luckily it’s small and easy to navigate). In November of 2005 our new academy was getting ready for action. We started taking reservations for January of 2006. We had our very first class on January 2nd 2006. The first class was just one Tiger Cub (4-5yr old) and me. It was pretty odd going from the Ridgeland school teaching groups of 30-40 to the new Brandon school teaching groups of 1-15. It was exciting and stressful at the same time. Would I succeed? Would my school grow? Was I ready? Was I good enough? All of these questions were on my mind daily. After 8 years these questions have all been answered. I am just as excited now as I was on day one. This is an amazing career. I get to be a positive influence on so many people in our area. Teaching them characteristics that will help them become successful no matter what they pursue. More of the story coming later…….

[daviddeartkd]

Students and Social Media

Today’s youth have access to so many social media platforms. It can be overwhelming at times. These are a few simple suggestions on how to utilize them effectively without getting yourself into trouble, looking dumb, and or losing friends along the way.

If you post something online it is out there forever. Do not trust that if you delete it is gone. Snapchats etc can be screenshot/saved and re-posted. It is better to be safe than sorry. :) 

It is cool to be able to instantly post material online and have it immediately available to others. Things posted online are very rarely if ever actually anonymous.

 Should I post it?

Yes to any of these questions=Go ahead and post it

Is it helpful?

Is it funny?

Would my parents be proud of me if they saw it?

Would my teachers, instructors, mentors be proud if they saw it?

Would I willingly show it or share it to the masses?

Is it going to make someone’s day?

Would this look good to a future employer?

YES to any of these questions=DO NOT POST IT:

Is it hurtful to others?

Is it vulgar?

Would my parents be upset if they read it?

Is it fun at someone else’s expense?

Is it offensive to the masses?  (everything offends someone –but it offends most  everyone I’d reconsider posting)

Would this look terrible to a future employer?

…but I have the Right to Free Speech.

That is very true. That gives you the right to say or post most anything. That does not mean it is a great idea. Free speech basically means you will not go to jail for saying things that you shouldn't say. You most definitely can lose a job for it. If it is untrue things you are spreading you could face legal issues as well. 

Posting something inappropriate can cost you. People lose careers over online posts these days. Teens lose friendships all the time based on what they share and spread online. 

Who do you represent? Today people focus a lot on just themselves. There is a much bigger picture that you may not see yet. As a martial arts student and as an individual you represent yourself, your family, your martial arts academy (especially if you are on the leadership team, black belt, etc.) 

Are you a great ambassador for yourself, your family, your academic school, your sports team, and your martial arts school?

Everything you post says something about you. 

WHAT DOES IT SAY ABOUT YOU??  

Is it saying something positive? There is enough negativity in this world. 

Be the change you want to see! 

Tip of the day:

Don’t be the person that only complains online. No one wants to read your sob story. No one needs extra negativity on there newsfeed.  

David Dear

www.griffinstkd.com

[daviddeartkd]

Tiger Rock Martial Arts of Brandon

Join our team this Fall! Could your child use: 🥋More confidence? 🥋Better listening skills? 🥋The ability to set goals and focus on accomplis

[daviddeartkd]

10 of the many lessons we want to instill in our students.

[daviddeartkd]

Life Lessons with Allura: The Power of a Compliment

At Tiger- Rock I have always strive to stay positive with the kids. This kid has taken it another level. Allura is the most complimentary kid I think I have ever met.

At the age of 4 her attitude and consistent positive attitude are contagious to even the adults around her. I challenge our leadership team to give more compliments per class than she gives out. :)  

Some of the most common ones I have heard from her to myself and others:

“I love you”

“You are very handsome”

“You are beautiful”

“You are an awesome instructor”

“You are my favorite”

“I like your shoes”

“I like that shirt, Where did you get it?”

“I like your lipstick” [not to me :) ]

I am sure there are many more that I have missed. It is eye opening to see such a young child give such sincere appreciation. It has made a lot of us challenge ourselves to be even more positive. We already try to be good finders and the world has too many people that can find the negative in every situation.

Keep it up Allura!

I love all of our students, past, present, and future. I look forward to being a positive catalyst in their lives like they have been in my life.

I love our staff and our leadership team so much. They are making a huge difference in so many lives in our community! There aren’t many places where a 10 year old, teenager, young adult, etc  get to make a lasting impact on a child’s life!

David Dear

www.tigerrockbrandon.com