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Kids who aim for high goals will reach higher, become more and achieve more self esteem than those who don't. Call us today to discover what Marty Martin Karate has to offer. 850-785-2024.

Myths - Stretch Before Exercise

Some fitness facts that sound true may actually be myths or only partly true. If you want to be successful at slimming down and staying fit, it’s important to know the difference between fitness facts and fiction.

Stretch Before You Exercise 

Although fitness experts have debated about the best time to stretch, the consensus is that it’s better, safer, and more effective to stretch after you have warmed up your muscles. “Before exercise you can warm up with easy movements that prepare you for exercise,” says Debbie Mandel, fitness and stress management expert and author of Turn On Your Inner Light: Fitness for Body, Mind, and Soul. For example, if you are going on a run, kick things off by walking first, she suggests. Then you can stretch your already warmed-up muscles. 

Lessons for life

Mackenzie Dern won it all. Practically born on the mats, the 23-year-old is making her transition to MMA after insanely active and successful run in BJJ. Two-time world champion as a black belt, ADCC champion and WPJJC open class champion, Mackenzie has a lot to teach for those who want to emulate her results. We gathered five lessons from interviews we had with Dern throughout the years. Enjoy.

Compete often, compete easy

“I have always competed way better than I train and I think that’s because of how much I have competed. Plus, I know what it takes to win and it makes it easier for me to do my camps and go in with a good mindset. I prepared myself the best I could and there is nothing more important for an athlete than his mind and confidence.”

Don’t slow down, speed up

“I train harder as a black belt than I ever trained at other belts, because that’s what you need to be successful at this level and when you really push yourself past your limits, you get more confident. I think that’s when I got the in right mindset and everything else fell into place.”

Get used to the struggle

“Competing trains your mind and your body. I think that’s why I am able to control my adrenaline so well at major tournaments. I have gone through the process so many times; the weight cut, the anticipation, testing myself against so many different people.”

Pursue your goals, no matter how long it takes to achieve them

“It’s a personal goal of mine to win the open class at the Worlds, I know it’s possible and I definitely won’t stop trying, but I know it’s difficult with me being a featherweight. Every tournament I am trying to correct details that I think are missing!”

Experience will come. Be patient

“I think the biggest difference was to be more experienced as a black belt. It’s something that you can’t really teach. It just comes with time. Some people mature faster or slower than others and I think having gone through my ACL surgery [in 2014] on my first year as a black belt helped me mature faster.”

Lightning Fast Real-Life Disarm Caught on Camera MATURE

Active Self Defense How would you react?

Lightning Fast Real-Life Disarm Caught on Camera from Active Self Protection on Vimeo.

from Active Self Protection

Teaching Teens

No doubt one of the toughest groups to work with, here are 6 tips to help.

Elevating brainpower during this impressionable life stage of adolescents is imperative to promoting independent life success. Follow the below tips to inspire the best and brightest brain performance and to enhance vital frontal lobe development of your teenager.

      Teach your teen to conceive many unique interpretations of movies, books, political discussions, 

      unsettling school or peer issues, or works of art.

      Encourage your youth to be a problem finder and solution setter for issues that arise daily and 

     discuss how academic content supports this expertise.

     Ask your teenager to give you a “message” from a book or movie or hurtful experience rather than      a long-winded retell without reflection.

     Have your adolescent interpret the lyrics of their favorite song from positive and negative          

     perspectives and do the same for your song with them.

     Watch their favorite TV show with them and share different take-home messages for the different 

     characters.

     Push for a multitude of answers to a question or problem versus seeking the “right” answer. 

Our brains are wired to be inspired – especially during teen years. Fostering creativity and innovation to tackle difficult and multifaceted problems – in and out of school – will drive successful futures of our youth for generations to come. As Einstein once said, “Imagination is more important than knowledge. Knowledge is limited. Imagination encircles the world.”

Sandra Bond Chapman Ph.D

Helping Students Learn

Since its back to school time here is an interesting article to help parents help their children become more successful

4 MINDFUL STEPS to Nurture Empathy:

Your Child’s KEY TO SUCCESS

STEP 1: Teach the Growth Mindset Model

Tell kids: “Empathy can be increased with practice just like your muscles stretch with exercise. Practice is a key to success. The more you practice, the better you’ll be at understanding another’s thoughts and feelings.”

STEP 2: Emphasize Effort

Underscore process as a key to success. (“You are really making an effort to help others. Look how happy your kindness made Grandpa feel”), not the end product (“You delivered twenty canned goods today!”). This subtle switch stresses that empathy can be expanded.

STEP 3: Encourage Practice

Kids who see themselves as altruistic are likely to lend a hand because we tend to behave in ways that mirror our views of ourselves.  So provide ways for your kids to see themselves as altruistic.

• Keep a box handy so they can donate their gently used toys to a shelter.
• Encourage giving a part of their allowance to a charity.
• Find ways to help others (helping an elderly neighbor rake her lawn).
• And keep stressing: “Practicing empathy is how we become more caring.”

STEP 4: Recap the Impact

Dr. Ervin Staub found that children who are given the opportunity to help others tend to become more helpful, especially if the impact of their helpful actions is pointed out, so they can reflect upon it. This opportunity to reflect is a key to success. It nudges kids to develop a growth mindset about empathy. So encourage your child to reflect on her servicing experiences: “What did the person do when you helped? How do you think he felt? How did you feel? Is lending a hand easier than it used to be?”

by Michele Borba, Ed.D

Active Self Defense

How would you react?

Officer Involved Shooting Shows Danger to Bystanders from Active Self Protection on Vimeo.

from Active Self Protection

Better Grades through Martial Arts

Is it true that martial arts students make better grades?  

Why does this happen? 

Because true martial arts develop individual character. Its not something that happens directly, character development is a bi-product of all the hard work and effort a student puts in to improve their skills. It's a bi-product of learning new material both mentally and physically which in turn add to the individuals character. Collectively the martial arts contribute to building the individuals character.

Here is a fact - it doesn't happen over night. Just as it takes consistent learning, consistent practice, consistent training to earn the next martial arts belt level making good grades and improving a individuals mind takes consistent learning, consistent practice and consistent training. The discipline brought on by the martial arts to accomplish this also becomes the character building discipline in making better grades in young students.