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

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

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.

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!

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!

Mrs. Conley's feelings on PBL's Self Protection Seminar

Today, Mr. Conley and I were lucky to find ourselves hosting The Beginner's Mind Dojo’s first ever Women's Self Protection Seminar for Walla Walla Community College and the Phi Beta Lambda club. All the women that attended, were just looking for some self confidence and the skills to keep themselves SAFE!

Before teaching, I had a moment of panic at the realization of this being our debut seminar. People were still arriving as I fidgeted with informational handouts and my nerves were still a twitter. I then remembered the counseling that our sensei offered to and his confidence within us and was beginning to feel empowered but was still reminded that these women were still going to be influenced by my teachings today. After a small amount of speed talking in the beginning (which I slowed directly afterward), the class got underway and the ladies in attendance were excited and eager to get underway and before we knew it, the day zoomed by. Those attending were attentive and thrived on the knowledge we shared with them, everyone participated in all drills and after each one walked away with coments like "wow i can do this", "wait, that was so simple", and my favorite "I can't believe I have that much power just from that!". At the end of our day together, each one thanked Mr. Conley and I for a great day and for about another 30 minutes, slowly one by one took their leave. I feel grateful and honored to have had this opportunity and thanks to my wonderful Husband (punching bag) together made it in my eyes an awesome day.

What I feel all of them left with was an empowering knowledge that everyone can protect themselves and that if they trust in their instincts as well as the individual strengths we worked today they are more protected. What I walked away with was a strong feeling of satisfaction and confidence! Satisfaction that every attendee had a fantastic time and confidence that there were that many more women in the world that have taken the power of protection into their hands!