KICKIN' IT! BLOG

Look for the Learning Opportunity

Martial arts are great at providing learning opportunities. If someone is looking to become a better version of themselves, the martial arts provides PLENTY of chance. Let me explain.

A friend of mine runs a really great school. There is nothing but positive vibes there. On top of that, she produces really great competitors. One time one of her competitors was facing another person and her competitor said “I don’t know if I can beat this person. I think they’re better than me.” My friend responded with what is now this week’s message of the week…

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Know to pick your battles!

Are you picking the right ones?

My wife often says to me “Pick your battles”. Last week my daughter and I were clashing heads. This tends to happen because we’re similar personalities. If you’re a parent, you can certainly relate to this. If you’re not a parent, you still can because I don’t know anyone who has gone through life and not disagreed with someone. Eventually, my wife gave me the signal to drop the fight and move on. When she did that, that got me thinking about my Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu training and a basic principle that we have in it. That’s what this week’s message of the week is all about.

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Heather’s Competing at Worlds!

Just a warning…we’re going to ask for some help.

If you’ve been with us for any length of time, you know what a big part of the dojo Heather is. She’s taught here forever, coached the Demo Team, Tournament Team, run Power Weekend and, MUCH MORE. Certainly, without her, the dojo and all of us would be a little less.

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Ask yourself “Why not?”

Ask yourself “Why not?” This is the one question that every beginner martial artist should ask themselves.

I think if more beginners asked themselves this question, it would make their experience so much more enjoyable. They’d have more fun while training, and if they do that, I can almost guarantee that one day, they’ll be a Black Belt.

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Why is earning a Black Belt so hard?

Inevitably, every martial artist at one point asks…Why is this so hard? Why is training so hard? Why am I not getting better? Why is earning a Black Belt so hard?

One of the things that I think holds most martial artists back is trying to work on too many things at once. They’re trying to learn too many skills, practicing too many drills and running in too many different directions at once and because of that their training becomes muddled. When that happens, they don’t get better…just more confused.

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All Sports One Day Event

Ever wanted to try a new sport?

“All Sport One Day” is a new multi-sport event that lets people of all ages and skill levels try a new sports in a ‘playful’ environment with trained instructors from different Sport Aurora organizations.

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What are you willing to give up?

I’ve got a goal, but I have to give up what!? Yup…What are you willing to give up?

Last week I had a conversation with a student about them achieving their Black Belt and it really changed how I think about achieving my goals. After the conversation, it really made me stop and ask myself “What am I willing to give up, to achieve my goals?”

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Stop picking fights you can’t win!

I have some simple advice…stop picking fights you can’t win.

If you’re fighting a fight that can’t be won, you’re wasting time. You should be spending time on fights that you can win. One of the things that you quickly learn in martial arts is which fights you should or shouldn’t be fighting.

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How to succeed in the martial arts.

How to do I become a great martial artist? That’s a big question that I’ve been asked more than once. It’s hard to answer, but there is one skill that I’ve realized every successful martial artist has. If you can master it, not only will you be a great martial artist, you’ll be great at everything you try. That’s what this week’s message of the week is all about.

The one skill that every successful martial artist needs is flexibility and I’m not talking about touching your toes. I’m talking about being able to adapt and adjust to new situations and events. Rarely does something go smoothy and you get it on the first try so you need to be flexible.

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What’s your SUPERPOWER? What are you truly capable of?

We all have hidden talents. Superpowers that we just haven’t yet discovered! What’s your superpower? What are you truly capable of?

I was speaking with a parent this week and they said “You had to totally reinvent your business,” and I said “Yes I have. I have never run a martial arts school during a global pandemic. It is definitely something that I am new to.” As we talked about that it got me thinking about this week’s message of the week.

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