Hope Everyone is Enjoying the Long Weekend.

Hopefully we didn't eat so much Turkey that we fell asleepI know a lot of us are enjoying some football this weekend, so I thought I would share this NFL factoid. David Akers is a well-known kicker in NFL (American pro football) and he trains jiu-jitsu a Japanese martial art consisting of joint locks, throws, and submissions. This style is the root of braizialian ground wrestling we do at the academy.

He also does Shaolin kempo a precursor to Shorin-Ryu Karate Do which is the main style we train in at our Academy. I am sure he has to use all his Black Belt Leadership focus to block out the distractions during a game winning field goal. See you all next week for stripe testing, partner drills, sparring, and ground wrestling. It going to be a blast.

I also found these awesome martial arts pictures of a Japanese archery demonstration. This is part of our advanced black belt training. It is very challenging to fire these large bows.

Thoughts on Thanksgiving...

The Attitude of Gratitude

#1. I always think Thanksgiving is one of the very best holidays...
because there is not so much HYPE!

#2. If you ever find yourself down in the dumps, sit down and
actually WRITE OUT everything you have to be grateful for. When I
do this, I can always come up with 50+ things...and find myself
re-focused on how good I actually have it!

#3. Being grateful is not just a NICE thing...it is a REQUIRED thing!
Remember when you were a kid and your Grandmother would
always send you a card with $10 in it? And you always spent the
money...but never wrote Grandma a thank you note?
And then, you were disappointed when Grandma quit sending
the money? You see, Grandma knew it wasn't in your best interest
to keep sending you a blessing that you weren't grateful for!
So it is with the things God has blessed us with! We keep asking
for MORE blessings...and yet we haven't fully acknowledged what
has ALREADY been given to us!

So...as Thanksgiving Day approaches...have a happy gratitude!

Courage!

Many people, when they think of courage, imagine a fearless warrior in battle, charging at the enemy, overcoming tremendous odds, and winning a big victory. This is surely one kind of courage, but we don’t often see it in daily life. Most of us will never be in a war - and if we are, it won’t be quite so dramatic.

Courage means much more than fearlessness in battle. It is a quality of mind and spirit. It suggests a person who faces danger, unpleasantness, or opposition calmly and firmly.

Courage reminds us of George Washington and the cherry tree. When Washington was a boy, his father gave him a hatchet and George foolishly tried it out on a cherry tree in the family yard. When Mr. Washington saw his tree had been cut down, he asked George about it, who replied: “Father, I cannot tell a lie. I did it with my hatchet.”

George Washington showed courage at that moment, for he saw that his father was angry and knew that we has almost sure to be punished. He may have been afraid - he was human, after all - but he calmly faced the consequences of his mistake. The important thing was to tell the truth.

George Washington grew up to be a great general and the first President of the United States. He showed courage in battle and - by strength of leadership and character - kept his army together through a long winter at Valley Forge when the Revolutionary War seemed lost. In great things and small, George Washington was a man of courage.

So when your Martial Art teacher speaks to you of courage, don’t just think of wars and battles. Think of all the times in your daily life when you must stand up for your beliefs and defend yourself from others. You’ll see that you need courage every day!

What are some examples of everyday courage?

Way to go Adon Semety!

We just got back from a demo at Tiger Tech Day Care in Mantua and our student Adon Semety did a great job help as an assistant instructor. He lead the three keys to respect and broke a board. Way to go Sir. I can tell the other kids really look up to you.


We do demos for teachers, schools, businesses, day care, churches, Boy Scouts, PTA's, and any other groups. If you might be interested in helping our academy at demo or hosting a demo please let Mrs. Barna or myself know. Thanks.

Sincerely,
Scott Shoen

Voting is a Right and a Responsibility.

I wish all the students and their families the best as we exercise our right to vote today. All the wonderful rights we enjoy in the country also have commensurate responsibilities. While responsibility has become a bad word in today's society of do whatever you like, they are actual a wonderful blessing because without them our rights would disappear. Responsibilitie and rights are like two sides of a coin. So as you enjoy this wonderful right remember the responsibilities that come with this right and make sure to vote.

God Bless Our Country,
Scott Shoen

Two of Our Awesome Students Training on Vacation!

Sam & Miriam Stanley Training on Vacations.

Way to go future Black Belt Leaders. You both look so cool. Miriam you are flying so high it totally looks like an awesome kung fu movie! I am going to have to call my Sensei Brian Ricci who does special effects and stunt coordination for big time movies!

Becoming A Champion!

Who wants to be a Champion? (raise your hand!) What does this mean?

Here are some facts about being a Champion...
being a Champion does NOT mean that you always win! In fact, many Champions became Champions by losing many, many times. They didn't use their losses as opportunities to feel sorry for themselves...they didn't give up! They used each loss as EXPERIENCE...and LEARNED how to do better next time!

Champions NEVER complain about doing the right things. Others might complain, but people committed to becoming Champions take care of business...with a positive attitude!

Champions are gracious...they are quick to help and encourage others. They respect and learn from all others. They NEVER criticize; even thought they are confident, they are also HUMBLE!

Champions have GOALS; they know what they want, and they have a plan to get there!

Champions ALWAYS take great care of their bodies; they eat the right things, get the right amount of sleep, and always exercise...every day!

Each of you is on your way towards being Champion Black Belt Leaders Keep it Up!

Sincerely,
Scott Shoen