Martial Arts Mentality

When asked about the value of martial arts, instructors across the globe are quick to explain the great fighting skill as well as physical and health benefits that a person will develop through

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training. The practitioner is usually ready and willing to demonstrate some sort of evidence that this is true, from an intense form, to an impressive series of flying kicks, some board breaking, or even defense against group attacks.

Sometimes, for whatever reason, this does not fully satisfy a person's curiosity which prompts the instructor or practitioner to discuss the mental benefits one gains from the arts such as discipline, honor, courage, and kindness. The fact that the arts enhance these inner abilities is a bit more challenging as no amount of push-ups will prove a person's integrity. These are the skills that are used every day when the martial artist is interacting with the rest of the world. If the practitioner has been really studying his art, it will show through his interactions with the people around him, the respect and courtesy he gives to others, friend and stranger alike. But how do you convey this to the curious? The best way to start is to share a real story, like the one I just recently witnessed:

I have a student in my school that has been training with us for nearly a year now. He is a bright young man with solid plans of becoming a police officer once he is done with high school. He loves challenges and is always incredibly positive. Recently, he has been handling very difficult times in his life and has missed some classes. While in class, he has updated the group and explained that he has spent some time with doctors and has endured increasing back pains. As time progressed, it looked for this student as though he was going to have to undergo surgery to replace some lower disks of his spine. As the instructor, I wanted to help this young man continue with the arts he has such a passion for and I modified each workout to accommodate his needs and discussed with him things that might improve his situation, including recommending vitamins to help strengthen him on the inside.
The true inner warrior showed himself in a fellow student, a gifted martial artist with a natural inclination toward the arts and a desire to be the best of the best. This student quietly listened to every update and was also interested in learning the alternate training to help support his fellow classmate. Two days ago, I got a text message from the quiet student asking if he could visit me at my home, to which I agreed. When he arrived, he was carrying a small box. He didn't say much but wanted me to see to it that his fellow student received this box of men's health vitamins. He knew that his friend was focusing on the medical bills and felt that if he could contribute in some way, his training partner would be better taken care of.
He knew he wasn't a doctor and couldn't help in that capacity so he figured out a way to help and he did so without requesting compensation or recognition. He did it simply because he cared.

This is a living example of what kinds of inner abilities are enhanced with martial arts and the incredible thing about this aspect of the arts is that people can excel in these abilities from the very first day into the arts. I am fortunate that I know these two and every student at the Beginner's Mind Dojo. They are all great martial artists, physically and internally and each one of them inspires me to be a better person every day.

Image by Tom Gill (lapstrake) via Flickr

Best of the Best

On Saturday, December 5th at 4p.m., Beginner's Mind School will be hosting movie night in the dojo! The movie selection is one that has played an important part of building Mr. C's moral compass and is a great film about the importance of teamwork and getting along with others.
Current students, new students, IFYCA members from other schools, and the general public are welcome to attend and enjoy the movie with good company. Bring some munchies and some beverages or just bring your love for martial arts and film and we will see you this Saturday!

Self Defense Seminar for women

"You didn't just teach me how to protect myself, you gave me permission to protect myself."

-Marylin

On Saturday, September 26th, Mrs. Conley will be presenting Self Defense for Women at the Beginner's Mind Dojo at 10am.

This two and a half hour course will cover a solid range of defense from easy to apply techniques to verbal development skills and most importantly, victim prevention. Through the course of this seminar women of any age or body type will develop protective physical skills, confidence building mental skills, and new friendships!

Take the time to get to know the friendly and light-hearted instructors and get assistance with finding our school at the Beginner's Mind Dojo website: www.beginnersmindschool.com

We look forward to meeting you and want you to know that, at the Beginner's Mind, you don't only learn self-defense, you develop confidence!

Saturday Night Fights

This night, Barnaby's bar and restaurant was a martial arts hotspot as people of all ages gathered to an all ages event in which, fighters from as far away as Idaho and California gathered to compete in eleven mixed martial arts matches.

Of these 22 competitors, the Gentleman's Fight Club brought two to the table, Michael and Forrest, each fighter, new to the cage.

Though, this was a martial arts event, one match stood out before the fighters even reached the ring, this was the boxing match midway through the card. In this match, the Gentleman's Fight Club's own Michael stepped in to the ring and, though he didn't take the match, his performance was stellar and the match was a star match of its own with each boxer bringing powerful fists to one another.

The other fighter from the Gentleman's Fight Club was Forrest, another fresh fighter to the cage and, like Michael, also full of enthusiasm and energy. He was the first fighter to step into the ring on this night and was also the provider for the high level of energy that carried through the entire night! Again, the true professional spirit of the Gentleman's Fight Club had decided to shine through as this match, ended within fifty-four seconds and saw Forrest walking away with his first win due to a TKO.

The Gentleman's Fight Club had an excellent night, as did the Tri-Cities based Northwest Elite Martial Arts and the Sun Valley Crew, but, most importantly, Walla Walla was given an amazing gift of entertainment by 22 talented individuals that wanted nothing more than to compete and to live their dream. A thank you goes out from Beginner's Mind Martial Arts to all of the competitors that took a chance and lived!

Gentleman's Fight Club

The Beginner's Mind school is proud to announce our partnership with the Gentleman's Fight Club, a mixed martial arts group full of devotion, determination, and a desire to provide training to individuals with the drive it takes to compete inside the cage.

At the Gentleman's Fight Club, you will get great experience in both your stand-up and your ground work with conditioning, training, and frequent practice. Mike and Lester not only teach great technical skill but also promote respect both inside and outside the ring, bringing a professional atmosphere to amateur fighting.

The Gentleman's Fight Club trains every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday nights starting at 8:30 pm. Stop by, say hi, and get involved for a night.

For driving directions to the Beginner's Mind Dojo, click here.

Kung-Fu Beach

Mr. and Mrs. Conley have just recently spent a great deal of time on the Oregon coast enjoying marine life, light house hopping, and martial arts on the beach.

A lot in martial arts is taken for granted when a person trains in a building with flat floors and sheltering walls. The safety of the dojo can also be seen as a hinderance just as dangerous as an armed assailant. This thought comes from many concepts. One is a psychological one in which a person comes to the dojo to unpack and use the tools of the arts and, when finished, puts those tools away when leaving, not planning to unpack them until at the dojo again.

Another concept, and one more visibly proven, is the effect of the surroundings on an artist. Back to the dojo for a moment, there are walls and a ceiling, a nice flat floor to train on with no obstacles in the way, just open space all around. Safe.

Some of the things we encountered on the beach were immediate changes in our training routine; the shift of the sand under feet, strong winds checking our stances, driftwood and rocks along with other foot entangling obstacles, the waves testing our balance with every crash, bringing your foot back down from a kick to encounter a different terrain than when your foot left the ground...on top of these elemental challenges we enjoyed, there were others, the most notable of which is the human interaction. The onlookers that point and talk, the curious that stare, the insecure that mock, and the inquisitive children.

This is not the first time we have trained in the elements, not by a long shot, but it is the first time we have gotten to discuss it with you. We would strongly encourage outdoor training, be it at the beach or some other fantastic locale or simply at the park or your backyard. This will help you understand your relationship with your surroundings in an organic way as well as help you become comfortable unpacking your tools and using them whenever and wherever you are. Ultimately, the arts are not just for the dojo.

NO MORE TRAINING!

Martial arts is a phenomenon that has steadily swept the United States in the last couple decades and now, as it continues into its stellar orbit with the UFC and amateur MMA rings across the country, many people are getting into the art of whoop-ass. A lot of them actually do really well with their matches and get the ability to walk away with inflated egos that they fought hard to carry.
Some folks don't want to learn Jiu-Jitsu and take other classes like Tae Kwon Do or Karate in order to become better fighters. In addition to that, many boxers are stepping out of the hidden gyms. It seems that we are teaching our country how to fight and defend pretty adequately with no shortage of training camps.

• One thing I see less and less of, it seems, is the ability to teach that the arts are not for fighting, the arts are for peace. Training schools from any background churn out great athelets and fighters but where is the great discipline? What happened to great self control?
• What did the sensei teach the "karate guy" from Pensylvania who assaulted another man with a baseball bat? He made threats and followed up with violence!
• How about the woman from Arkansas that knocked out another girl and then, continued beating her while she was down. Where was the discipline training here?
• This problem even sits in the professional field of MMA (though, it rarely happens) with 'Rampage' Jackson and his driving antics. (Notice the support he gains from the reporter, this type of encouragement is trouble.)

I don't mean to imply that martial arts is a bad thing for our society. I would just like to see more responsibility coming from people that practice martial arts. As is the case with any undertaking in which you develop more power than others, without the self discipline to take on the power of martial arts and treat it (and now, yourself) as a weapon equally as dangerous as a shotgun, or a nuclear warhead, you are a danger to yourself and to those around you...including the people you love the most. I urge you to consider these things before taking up martial arts. If you are already in a school or training privately, please understand there is a time and place for war but peace is the desired result, not destruction. If you are a teacher, please consider teaching from the path of peace, even while training cage fighters.

Maybe it is a bit cheesy, but I often think about Spider-Man and the lesson he learned early in his crime fighting career that, "With great power, comes great responsibility."

What does God say about martial arts?

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An interesting article was passed to me just yesterday from the religious magazine, Awake!, in which martial arts is discussed from a Christian standpoint. I will quote some from this article so, when you see the quotations, I am citing Awake!, June 2008's article, The Bible's Viewpoint- When is Self-Defense Justified? Before I go on, I would like to say that I am NOT Jehovah's Witness and tend to not deal with religions outside of Taoism while dealing in the arts.

The article starts out with a hypothetical situation in which a burglar breaks into the home. It then opens into sermon, saying "The Bible condemns violence and those who resort to it." From this point, I was already building up judgment of the article and had my defense mentally prepared, especially when the column stated, "The Bible observes: 'Where there is no wood the fire goes out, and when there is no slander contention grows still.' (Proverbs 26:20) Calmness often defuses anger and deflects violent confrontation." Again, my defenses were prepared, yet I continued reading, hoping that the 'turn the other cheek' method was not their answer in the event of a break-in.

The next paragraph not only raised my defenses but also my concerns. Is this magazine telling its readers not to raise arms ever?! Are these people learning to roll over and die if put into a life threatening situation?. I continued and, just over a paragraph later, I read, "The Bible thus indicates that a person may defend himself or his family if physically assaulted. He may ward off blows, restrain the attacker, or even strike a blow to stun or incapacitate him. The intention would be to neutralize the aggression or stop the attack." Now, I breathe a great sigh of relief. The explanation in the magazine goes on to clarify, "When escape is not possible, there is no Biblical injunction against reasonably defending ourselves. Still, the course of wisdom would be to do our best to avoid situations with a potential for violence." This is indeed wisdom and responsibility when providing information regarding martial arts to a large reading audience.

This is a wholesome mindset that every single person would benefit from, going into martial arts. We train to fight not for war, but to prevent war. I applaud the Awake! magazine for providing this article to its readers.

Escrima in action

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Thanks to one of the adult class students and his desire to develop a relationship with the Escrima rather than 'learn how to use it', the Beginner's Mind Dojo has played training grounds for working on more than mere drills and exercises with the rattan sticks.

With proper safety gear, training escrima sticks and an open mind, free of damaging ego, teacher and student began working through thirty second drills of escrima fighting to further enhance the relationship and understand the combative nature of stick fighting. After each half minute round, we had a two minute break to share what each round has taught us and elevate one another's skill level.

When these micro rounds provided less threat, other elements of fighting were incorporated, including disarming, throws, and grappling. After developing a comfort level in this realm of fighting, an additional modifier was incorporated- multiple attackers.

Each element and modifier brought a different understanding of the escrima stick and its use in an applicable situation. Some of the important lessons learn today were as follows:

• If you lose your stick, don't waste too much time trying to retrieve it.
• The escrima loves momentum and movement, the more you feed it, the stronger it becomes.
• Don't spend a lot of time blocking your opponent, instead, block as you swing.

Though, each participant walked away with a couple more dings or bumps than before, every one enjoyed themselves and each person developed a better relationship with his escrima sticks.

Grab your own escrima. I have ordered through this place and enjoyed their service.


ALWAYS REMEMBER- TRAIN WITH A RESPONSIBILITY AND WITH A SKILLED INDIVIDUAL! Goofing off hurts people needlessly, so treat your weapons and friends with respect and don't attempt this sort of activity if you are untrained.

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Arts in the park

One of the great things about warm seasons is that, a school can take their training into outdoor environments without catching cold. It is exactly this that the Beginner's Mind crew did today!

The youth class turned the playground equipment from Tietan Park (in Walla Walla) into a junior Ninja Warrior obstacle course and ran a few rounds, modifying the course after each child has gotten their chance to succeed.

Though, this exercise seemed like a great thing, the adult class opted for challenges of their own as they worked punching and kicking drills while strengthening balance. Moving from mitt and resistance drills to escrima stickwork, the crew began their foray into Earth Six and then transitioned to some defense / combat work. Today was also sparring day, but rather than looking like a fight club in the park, BMD decided to flag spar, which was so successful, a pair of spectators eagerly jumped in for their own fun matches.

Thanks to all attendees and we look forward to training in the park more in the future!

Student challenges

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We often blog about the things that our school, Beginner's Mind Dojo, contribute to the Walla Walla community. This blog, we opt to actually discuss our martial arts activities, for a change.

In our adult class, we continue to burn the calories that will help bring our students the physique that they are after. Moving on to the arts, we spent time integrating weapon work into some of the school's forms, experimenting with weapons as well as gaining personal ownership of each kata.

Stepping from katas to Escrima, the class continue exploring the realm of stick fighting.

Martial Arts Bike Ride

Image by Getty Images via Daylife

The second Beginner's Mind dojo bike ride of this year will begin on Saturday morning, June 20. As with the other bike ride, this one is a free event.

School attendees, friends, and family will meet at The Beginner's Mind Dojo by 10 am. The ride will be round trip with no stops scheduled and will be roughly twelve miles. Click here for a map of the route or check the map below.

After putting away bikes, those interested in grabbing lunch will head over to Jefferson Park (next to Hasting's) to enjoy a potluck where everyone brings their favorite dish (or whatever is convenient)!

Relay For Life

The Beginner's Mind Dojo spent time this weekend assisting Valley Residential Services at their tent and along the Borleske track through Friday night walking to raise awareness for the cause of fighting cancer.

Many local businesses were present, including Wal-Mart, Hair Raisers, and Gilbert Auto. The Borleske track met many shoes through the course of a 24 hour period and saw people from all walks of life supporting the cause with walkers making anywhere from one lap to ten hours of laps to show their dedication and care, including friends and families of passsed loved ones and cancer survivors like Rick Morgan, who just recently finished his final round of chemo-therapy a few months back.


Also at the Relay for Life was a dunking booth, a mini-fair and a lengthy slip-n-slide to occupy the children (and a couple of the adults), there was live music and an auction, which all helped keep spirits high and maintain a positive environment for an otherwise painful subject.

IFYCA Mountain Retreat in review

The International Fook Yueng Chuan / Shoshin Ryu Karate-Jitsu Association hosts a couple mountain retreats a year in which martial artists from the United States of America, Canada, and Europe have come to train in martial arts. Many different aspects of the arts are implemented in these retreats and training with weapons is not uncommon. This past retreat, hosted on the first weekend in June of 2009, saw the surprise visit of Jesse Glover, Bruce Lee's first student and teacher of Non-Classical Gung-Fu...but I'm getting ahead of myself.

Friday morning, the drive was pleasant and the weather was warm. Nearly every student of the Beginner's Mind School was in attendance with the majority of them arriving very early. The event began with a large round of introductions in order to help familiarize every one for ease of training (with a large number of attendees hailing from Yuen's Family Martial Arts Centre) and the instruction was under way, courtesy of Master Instructor Steve Smith.
Moods were elevated and training was fluid as many theories and drills were practiced through the evening and well into the night, with but a break for dinner, including an exclusive knife training segment by guest teacher, Chris. By the end of the session, people were making their way to their tents, cabins, or trailers filled with new information and enhanced muscle memory.
Saturday saw much of the same as training began early and ran through the day as Master Smith and Jesse Glover traded of portions of the day, taking the attendees from Yueng Chuan to Gung-Fu and back again. On this day, the training was showing its measure in the shoulders and elbows of every person there. The evening brought rain but that didn't stop the course as the group moved indoors to the pavillion and continued the experience, only to stop late in the night where some of the remaining individuals sat around and talked with Jesse, or rather, listened to him talk about martial arts, history, and truth in teaching.

The rain died some time in the night which gave way to a misty Sunday morning within the pine trees of the campsite and there were still hours of training to be had before this retreat was finished. The camp got right to business and worked solidly up to noon where the goodbyes began.

This weekend brought a great many experiences, some of the most important being new studies of ancient arts, expanded muscle memory and art exploration, the privilege of being accepted and training with our three main teachers at this retreat, and the friendships that have budded or continued from past retreats that will continue to prosper into the future. Additionally, on a more personal view, the untiy with the Beginner's Mind dojo, which was already strong, has solidified even moreso bringing student and instructor alike closer than a team, cementing the relationships just as those of a family

Remembering David Carradine

Today, the world of martial arts mourns another loss in the family as David Carradine has been found hanging in a Bankok hotel room. This deeply saddening event has kicked up a storm of media and speculation so, rather than drive into the depths of the unverified and the half-truths, we prefer to shine the light on what Mr. Carradine loved and gave to us, film.

Mr. Carradine, 72 this year, was extremely active on the silver screen throughout his career and managed to stay embedded in the cult pop of martial arts cinema as well as non-Kung-Fu based films, as early back as 1965 with Bus Riley's Back in Town and The Violent Ones in 1967.

Up until 1972, David was best known for his roles in Western movies such as The Good Guys and the Bad Guys (1969), Young Billy Young (1969), and Macho Callahan (1970) where cowpoking and gun slinging (perhaps the grandfather of Gun-Fu) filled the screen and Mister Carradine met with great success.

In 1972, Kung-Fu hit the small screen and lit the homes with, what most people would have to admit, was their very first introduction to, not just the physical side of the arts, but also the intellectual aspect of the arts as well. This series ran into 1975.

David carradine moved through genres again and managed to carve out a niche in the car race films with his parts in Death Race 2000 (1975), Cannonball (1976), as well as Thunder and Lightning (1978).

Mr. Carradine returned to the Kung-Fu (or Eastern Westerns) with The Silent Flute (1979) but only temporarily as he also settled back into Westerns while acting in a wide range of film types throughout the eighties before and during his exploration of war movies such as P.O.W. The Escape (1986), Armed Response (1986), and The Misfit Brigade (1988).

Through the Nineties, action films saturated the market and David Carradine found himself taking on roles to just stay active like Evil Toons (1991), Karate Cop (1993), and Children of the Corn V (1998) and capped the twentieth century off with a series of David Carradine exercise workout videos.

The new century is when his legendary status truly brought David back into the limelight and re-enforced his status as a martial arts tough guy with Quentin Tarantino's Kill Bill movies, Hell Ride (2008), and Crank: High Voltage (2009) where he played the disgusting, yet hilarious villain, Poon Dong.

It is beyond unfortunate that he has passed and we are a lesser world without having him with us, but this much is true; whether he was gunslinging, car crashing, karate kicking, or just generally being a man's man, David Carradine will always be remembered as one of the legendary silver screen badasses!

IFYCA Mountain Retreat this Friday!

Well, there are less than 5 days until the International Fook Yueng Chuan Association mountain retreat and the anticipation within the Beginner's Mind camp is high!

• With special guest, Jesse Glover, attending this retreat, the preparation is in full gear with a great number of straight-punches, big-punches, sticking hands and other exercises being practiced.
• Bags are being packed and the camo is coming out.
  
• Camping equipment is getting dragged out and tested.
• The natural food sections of the grocery store are seeing more activity.

If attending, be sure to bring:

• Pair of Escrima Sticks
• Safe training knife (one must be rubber)
• Comfortable Outdoor training cloths.
• A tent and all sleeping bags etc.

Beginner's Mind is eager to visit with Yuen's School of Martial Arts and The Little Dojo students and teachers again along with the many other regular attendees!

Walla Walla Author Speaks to College

Joe Cooke, award winning author of Elysen, The Broken Leg Book, Shadow of the Raven, and the recently released Thorsen’s Law will be speaking at Walla Walla Community College on Creative Entrepreneurship as well as discussing the pros and cons of paving your own path in life.

Creative Entreprenuerism

Hosted by: Phi Beta Lambda/FBLA, Walla Walla Community College
Date: Wednesday, June 3rd, 2009
Time: 8:30 - 9:20 am with post event discussion until 10:00 am
Location: WWCC Campus, Health and Science Building. Room 1732
Walla Walla, WA
Phone: 509 - 520 - 1005
E-mail: joecookecpa@yahoo.com

“Self-employment, the pros and cons - questions and comments welcome (e-mail them ahead of time, please) - now open to the general public!
Also, I will have copies of my new novel THORSEN’S LAW available, and I will, of course, sign them for you, if you wish.” –Joe Cooke

This will be a one hour seminar and it is FREE and open to the public so it is a win-win situation for all that might be interested in attending!

International Fook Yueng Chuan- June Mountain Retreat

Jesse Glover, Bruce Lee’s First Student and Assistant Instructor will be a guest at The Little Dojo / International Fook Yueng Chuan Association Mountain Retreat the Weekend of June 5, 6, & 7.

This is a rare and exciting opportunity to meet Jesse Glover and Master Steve Smith long with other fantastic instructors from the United States and Canada as well as the chance to train with not just these supremely talented individuals, but to also meet new people and make some great, long-lasting friendships! The total hour amount of training is also incredible as it can add up to the equivalent of three months of knowledge just based on minute by minute timing! The true value of knowledge is far more extensive than three meager months, however as a single mountain retreat can load, possibly years of information into your karate cranium! Mr. and Mrs. Conley will be attending this event as will the majority of the adult class from the Beginner's Mind Dojo. Many more individuals from the United States, Canada and other parts of the world will be in attendance and, to work with others from other areas offers insight on aspects of the arts that might be overlooked locally!

Jesse Glover is one of the worlds leading experts on Bruce Lee’s fighting methods. Jesse Glover teaches privately at his school in Seattle and does select seminars around the world. Jesse is a consummate coach who is able to see instantly how to get the most out of an individual while helping that person maintain their unique way of moving. This is a rare opportunity to train with on of the worlds finest teachers.

As the history of such an event is one not to be passed up, if you feel as though you would like to attend, please contact Master Smith at SteveSmith@thelittledojo.com to reserve your spot today!

ATTENTION PARENTS - Local Kidnapping Issue

The Beginner's Mind School just received a mass phone call from the Walla Walla police department that explains a predator in a white car is trying to pick up children walking home. If you have children in the WW area (including surrounding towns) BE AWARE of this situation! He is trying to lure them into his car with candy and gifts and has also tried to convince them that a parent requested he pick the children up.

This has caused mixed feelings of concern and anger.
I feel like I am pretty good at seeing the world through the eyes of others, but no matter how many times I try stepping into the shoes of someone like this to understand why they do it, I just don't get it. I can't even come close to getting it.

Whatever the thoughts are behind this deranged person, let's all work together to keep our children protected and informed! The first way to be certain your children learn is to explain the situation to them. Additionally, reassure them that they will NEVER get into trouble for NOT getting into a car with someone that claims mommy or daddy sent them!

Beyond that, here are some websites for you parents to visit in order to help you understand how to protect the one's you love the most!

Website #1

Website #2

Website #3
This site has additional links to organizations that deal in child abduction prevention.

Martial arts is a great defense for a child but it SHOULD NOT BE THE FIRST DEFENSE!

If you have any information on this problem, contact the local police department.

Walla Walla Police Department
15 N 3rd Ave
Walla Walla, WA 99362
(509) 527-4434

College Place Police Department
625 S College Ave
College Place, WA 99324
(800) 433-3243

My First Day of Teaching

I came across this old note that I wrote on what was possibly my first real teaching experience in the martial arts world. Experiences such as this are my motivation.

Each class brings out my weakness which promptly streams from every pore and rolls to the mat and, even though I'm pushed differently and diligently every night, I feel the desire to continue training after class has ended, which is always too soon. I gain a thirty minute cool down while my youngest girl gets on the mat and explodes with a brilliance that most could only hope to witness, much less, become.
During my daughter's class, a young and lonely student of the class following my girl's asked if I would be watching him perform in his class just like I watch my own daughter in her own. I could tell he desperately wanted to connect with someone and there was no one to support him so I offered my attention. Fate wove through this event as our Master Instructor approached me and asked if I would be willing to teach this young man's class.
Immediately, I began questioning my own ability and my confidence was taking blow after blow from the villainous monster known as doubt but we worked through it together and I gladly accepted the offer.
I was no longer the student and was now a teacher, even if only for thirty minutes. It was at that moment of realization that the wash of responsibility drenched me and my alertness level had been heightened to the stratosphere.
The next half hour, I worked very closely with this young man. We built strength and precision. I challenged him physically and he challenged me spiritually. We pushed through techniques and forms. My mind constantly traveled to memories of substitute teachers in middle school through the comparisons and my leniency level was challenged. This intelligent young man was emotionally checking boundaries and testing personality weaknesses to encourage the physical ease of his training and I knew that, as an initiate instructor, I would be a failure if I allowed this to happen but if I was forceful and stern that I would lose my first pupil forever. I was holding the future in my hands, not just mine but this boy's devotion as well. What was I to do? I took a chance and searched for closer connection to this child by digging for his interests that might motivate him to excel of his own accord so we took a moment and talked.
Once we built a solid relationship, our class motored on with freight train intensity and we no longer needed to struggle for control which encouraged his full support and even offered up some genuine smiles through the class from more than just the two of us but also the bystanders that I suddenly realized were very interested in our progress. By the end of the class, I felt confident that he took some valuable lessons home with him and I could tell that he no longer felt that sense of isolation that filled him before class. He got what he was after, the chance to show his skill to an interested peer and to feel accomplished in a field he enjoyed but has not gotten much support in.
We all left the school and his glow was possibly the brightest today. I was proud of him and told him as much as I thanked him for teaching me today in what has been my most valuable lesson thus far.
Experiences like this are the exact reason I pursued a future in teaching and my school, Beginner's Mind Dojo, would not even exist without the valuable experiences I learned from this young man..

Work on the school

This last weekend, some members of the International Fook Yueng Chuan Association took advantage of the 80+ degree weather and began raising walls at the Beginner's Mind School. The construction didn't get finished, but with the help of Dr. Dale Fetroe, Mr. John Humble, Jay Sullivan, Patrick Keenan, Rick Morgan, and few others, we managed to do a fantastic job and, hopefully all enjoyed ourselves at the same time!

Beginner's Mind Spring Bike Ride

The instructors and students of the Beginner's Mind dojo gathered on Sunday morning at the dojo with bicycles and picnic supplies and headed out into the warmth of the Sunday morning.

The ride was kept at a casual pace so that the half of youth students that attended were very comfortable and well taken care of throughout the trip. In order to avoid large amounts of traffic, Mrs. Conley led the large group of cyclists primarily through back streets as our traveling band of merry martial artists enjoyed the sun and conversation while casually working toward our destination at Rook's Park, just outside of Walla Walla.

Traveling from the West end of town to the East, one does not appreciate the incline until it is experienced on a bicycle but the climb was enough that we stopped once for the sake of our youngest student as she caught her breath at Pioneer Middle School. After continuing our trek, we wound our way to the bike path that runs along Mill Creek and followed it the rest of the way, enjoying the sounds and sights of the water as it rushed in the opposite direction in the creek beside us.

Once at the park, the first thought on everyone's mind was the glorious idea of food! We packed out our sandwich gear and side dishes and the gang showed their diversity as each sandwich was compiled just a little bit differently. This was probably the least vocal part of our trip as every person was so completely enamored with their lunch, but that still didn't stop the discussions or joking that stayed high through the entire excursion!

After everyone got their fill, games quickly followed, such as frisbee, horsehoes, and especially a modified game of badminton which saw friendly jibing, broken rackets, and more than one tackle! The hours passed by far too quickly and before anyone was ready, it was suddenly time to go.

The one thing all of the attendees were thankful for was the downhill ride all the way back to the dojo, which afforded the relaxation and ability to tour through some of Walla Walla's historic homes.

To any parents out there concerned about your children and martial arts

Through online study and internet research, Mr. Conley came across this fantastic youtube video composed by Tom Callos from www.ultimateblackbelttest.com and would like to share it with you.



These are things within the Beginner's Mind Dojo that we strongly resonate with, not just as instructors, but as parents.

Thank you Mr. Callos for your insight and wisdom.

Belt Testing

Congratulations go out to the following students of Beginner's Mind for their excellence in skill and technique as well as their perseverance and dedication through their belt test in the fields of katas, self defense, kickboxing, and other areas:

John Humble, graduating to Green Belt!
Kevin Kmineck, graduating to Yellow Belt!
Paul Partida, graduating to Green Belt!
Rose Sarmiento, graduating to Green Belt!

Honorable mention goes to Jesse for his first test and great aptitude!

Walk Against Child Abuse

Walk A Mile In Their Shoes
This event is happening THIS Sunday and the The Beginner's Mind Dojo is showing our support and assistance by providing students, instructors, family, and friends as crossing guards for this event. If you would like to assist and be a volunteer crossing guard, please contact Mr. Conley at mrconley@beginnersmindschool.com so we can get some prepatory work gathered up.e.

THE INFO:
Walk a Mile in Their Shoes, walk against child abuse.
Sunday, April 26th, 1-4 pm.
Meeting at the courthouse.
The walk itself begins at 1:10 and will cover a single mile (in a circular route, beginning and ending at the courthouse).
Walk A Mile In Their Shoes

VOLUNTEERING:
Meet at 12:45 pm near front steps of the courthouse for coordination.
As crossing guards, your time required at the event will only be as long as people are walking. Mr. Conley plans on staying afterward in order to enjoy the day and perhaps help with cleanup.

Happy Easter!

Congratulations!
You found the Easter Egg that is The Beginner's Mind Dojo!
As a reward for your hunt across the internet for a martial arts school that is warm and welcoming, we would like to give you free classes, just in time for Easter!

When you come to our classes, just mention this message to receive your special Easter present- we will waive your fee for the entire month of April! As if that wasn't enough incentive, we also offer to you a positive learning environment and great experiences with a whole building full of new friends! But act fast, this offer is only good up to Easter Day!!!
We don't just give you Karate at the Beginner's Mind, we work very hard to give you real, positive, life enhancement!

You won't have a hard time finding us if you follow this link!

Beginner's Mind Classes

We have 10 openings available in our youth classes (up to 17 years of age) every Monday and Wednesday nights at 6 p.m. Our Little ninjas learn valuable skills and habits while enjoying class time and making new friends.



We also have 6 openings for our adult class on the same nights at 7 p.m.!
Our class finds they develop great physical health while understanding the theory and practice of excellent self defense through the arts and a good exercise.



We would like to welcome you to our class and walk with you on your new adventure into martial arts!
Feel welcome to call our instructor, Mr. Conley at 301 - 7831 or instructor Mrs. Conley at 301 -7848 for more information!

Next Hackey Sack Event!

Greetings all! We wanted to jump on here and announce that, on APRIL 18th, The Beginner's Mind Dojo will be hosting its next Hackey Sack Circle at the school! There is no charge for attending and all members of the Fook Yueng Chuan Association are invited! Bring yourself and, if you like, bring a friend! The details:

April 18, 2009
4pm - 7pm
Beginner's Mind Dojo
Alleyway behind 217 W. Chestnut st.
Walla Walla, WA. 99362

Driving directions!

This is an open house event so feel free to come in late or leave early as needed.
You don't even have to know how to play, you can come for a visit or come to learn how to play; people of many skill levels will be attending!

Hackey Sack at the Beginner's Mind

The wind and rain prevented a small group of friends from going down to the disc-golf course but did not thwart the plans for fun and excitement as The Beginner's Mind Dojo opened its doors for an impromptu round of hackey sack!
From 3 to 6, the school's instructors, a couple students and some friends enjoyed working their legs and balance as they all kicked the small sand hack.
Thank you to everyone that joined and we look forward to seeing more of you at the next one!



Patrick was kind enough to get things started.

Mr. Conley trying to fail gracefully

Still stumbling

Time to pass it off to Rick

Jay getting his hack on!