Thursday, February 21, 2008

Web site updates

Thursday Feb. 21st, 2008 the karate training centers web site has added new pages with DVD and Book sales for Adult Kenpo Set Karate at both the beginner/intermediate and advanced level. John Johnson and I are filming the Punching Set Two material and it should be on line in the next two weeks. The kids Club pages are almost finished as well so please keep checking back for more. The kids club is really cool with lots of information just for kids in the martial arts.

Wednesday, February 13, 2008

Just Words...

I originally wrote this in 1998, however the information still reflects how I feel and the things I think are important to a martial artist becoming a better person.

Sunday, December 13, 1998

In Self Defense
Mental disciplines are paramount
MARTY MARTIN Special To The News Herald

During Christmas and New Year we all reflect on the events of the past, think about the future, and make resolutions which we say will make our lives better. These "resolutions" are often based on the events which effected our lives, but not necessarily the meanings behind some of the words which describe the actions we take.
In my teachings as a martial arts instructor I show that the mental disciplines are paramount in the development of student's character. This provides understanding and purpose towards becoming a productive member of society.
I develop this quality by teaching what I feel are the important meanings behind a "word" which provides the student with a better understanding of life.
This holiday I want to share 12 important words which I hope will uplift your spirits and carry you toward your resolutions for the New Year.

Love: That which we show for our fellow human beings. It is shown by our actions with regard to our behavior both in front of and behind someone.

Spirit: It is the innermost feeling which makes us human. It can be the intangible force that gives us the will to do better in our lives. It can be the force which helps individuals to continue to face life's challenges when everything else seems to have failed.

Respect: That which is earned by the treatment we give others when we live by example, teach from experience, reward that which is earned, and correct that which is not.

Discipline: The characteristic a person develops by being patient, learning by doing, and following instruction. This is the trait by which a person stays with a task until it is completed to the best of that person's ability.

Integrity: The sense of purpose brought on by doing what a person knows to be right. Consequently, the individual then stands by what they have said they are going to do, or what they have done.

Family: The core of what every person should consider the center in their life.

Fear: Fear can be a friend or a foe. It is o.k. to be afraid, but it is not o.k. to be afraid to try. Fear can be the driver that helps us to do better or it can drive you to do nothing.

Abuse: The act of hurting someone mentally or physically. Learning to think of someone else first, and considering how an individual's actions will effect others brings its own rewards within its own time. It is better to build someone up than to tear them down.

Hope: These are the thoughts which move us to continue on seeking that which is sometimes hard to find.

Honor: That which we hold dear. To disgrace this concept is to let all that is important to us lose its meaning.

Laughter: Keeps us from going crazy. A smile will always make a friend.

Friendship: A bond that endures the good and the bad, the highs and the lows, the yin and the yang.

Actions speak louder than words, yet we need to remember that without an understanding of the words that guide our actions, neither has any real meaning in life.
Have a Merry Christmas and may your resolutions for the New Year be filled with the things that make your life better.

Marty Martin is a professor of Kenpo Set Karate and a coach for the GunFighters National Karate Team.

© 1998 The News Herald

Thursday, February 7, 2008

Welcome to In Self Defense

Hi this is Coach Marty Martin, I had my own newspaper column published in several newspapers during the ninty's. I wrote stricitly about the areas of self defense and how the things students learn in martial arts classes can be related to every day life. Now that this blogger thing has come to life I will be writing "In Self Defense" again.