Prayers go out to the Vanachen family. Sam Vanachen, a former student of American Karate is facing serious charges for death of his mother Karla and sister, Audrey. Sam’s father survives. For the short time he was a student her was quiet and well mannered. As an instructor I struggle to identify any signs that would lead me to believe that he was capable of the crimes he is now facing.  

 BELT TESTS 

Friday September 20th - Adult Belt Test

Everette Gould-Gold Belt

Dawson Deetz-Green Belt

Saturday September 21st - Youth Belt Test

Chance Barr-Gold Belt

Damian Hurt-Gold Belt

Jake Winters-Gold Belt

Alex Johnson-Jr. Green belt

Elijah Bruch-Jr. Green Belt

Cayden Deetz-Green Belt

Levi Geesling-Purple Belt

Shayla Johnson-Jr. Brown Belt

TOURNAMENTS 

Saturday, September 21st - Kent Clayborn Tournament, El Dorado, Ks.

 Dakota Douglas

1^st Youth  Intermediate Kata

1^st Youth Intermediate Sparring

 MARTIAL ARTS EXHIBITION

 We attended the Burton, Kansas Fall Festival on the 28^th. Everyone did a good job during the exhibition. After their performance Mr. Williams and several students gave an interactive lesson on basics and bullying. Ms. Gaeddert, Ms. Brown and Ms Marquez gave an interactive lesson to the women on self defense. Mr. Williams would like to thank the students and parents that supported and participated in this event.

MARTIAL SPIRIT

Martial Artists always look inward. This means that they evaluate themselves, truthfully seeking faults that can be corrected just as they always look at their own techniques and seek ways to improve them. You cannot control the actions of other people, but you can control yourself so that even if someone else acts inappropriately, your own conduct is your own responsibility and is not excused by what someone else may have done.

The spiritual aspects of the Martial Arts are not as mystical and abstruse as they seem. The physical and mental training hones the spirit as well as the body, and the practitioner will naturally change in personality as well as physically. From unremitting training comes indomitable spirit; from the great exertion sometimes required to achieve even modest goals comes modesty; from a knowledge of how much you do not know comes humility; from the realization that only you can judge yourself and that “faking it” only hurts yourself comes honesty; from a realization of that the effort you put into your training is equaled or exceeded by the efforts of others comes respect; and from the recognition of your own shortcomings that become apparent during your training comes tolerance. The spirit of the Martial Arts is not separate from the practice: it is a part of the practice

IT’S NOT ABOUT GETTING A BLACK BELT; IT’S ABOUT BEING ONE

To so many people, getting their black belt is their ultimate goal, and once they accomplish that goal, they are done with the martial arts. Their black belt is basically no more than a trophy or certificate of participation for them, much like someone who wants to run the Boulder Bolder just one time in their life. They worked hard to get their black belt, and now they are happy.

This is wrong thinking. For the martial arts to really be what they are meant to be, they have to become a part of who you are. Martial arts are not really about winning trophies and getting belts. True martial arts are a way of life. In the same way, your goal should not be to GET a black belt, but to BE a black belt.

Any moron can go online and buy a black belt for very little money. I understand, people who just want a black belt don't want to buy it, they want to earn it, and that is admirable. But hopefully their instructor will instill the love of the warrior lifestyle into them during their quest, and it will become more of a quest to BE a black belt than to GET a black belt and put it in their trophy case.

So what does it mean to be a black belt? It means different things to different people, but to me it means you have shown your perseverance and dedication to the martial arts and are ready to continue your learning, along with helping others who are just starting their journey. It means a greater responsibility to both your dojo and to the lower belts who train in your dojo.

New students in the martial arts look up to the black belts. As a black belt, you have a duty to set a good example for the novice martial artist. You are a mentor to these students and should show the honor and character that once were considered a part of being a black belt. You represent your martial art, your instructor, and your organization. And, you represent yourself. Do so with honor, character, and integrity.

Once you are a black belt, people have greater expectations of you. These traits and expectations should have been taught to you during your training to become a black belt. Character training is a vital part of martial arts training, but has fallen to the wayside over the past years. Maybe it is time to bring honor, character and integrity back to the dojo and produce real black belts instead of just presenting trophy belts.

Bohdi Sanders ~ MODERN BUSHIDO: Living a Life of Excellence