Brown Belts,
This BLOG is now available to keep track of your progress and to help you on your journey to black belt. You will be required to post here once a week to let me know how you are doing. Think of this as an on-line journal. Take a look at http://www.ultimateblackbelttest.com/journals.asp to see kind of what I'm looking for.

I hope this goes well.

Sensei

Just a reminder that the Spring Spruce-Up will begin at 9:00 am, Saturday, April 22. We will be painting the dojo and giving it a good, all-around cleaning. If you have step ladders, push brooms, and shovels, please feel free to bring them, as well. Everyone is invited and lunch will be served.

Thanks to everyone in advanced.

Sensei

I just wanted to give a HUGE THANK YOU to everyone that participated in the Spring Spruce-Up. It was a HUGE success and the dojo looks AWESOME!!

Thank you all, again, very, very much!!

Sensei

Kumite Class is cancelled for tonight, April 24th.

Thanks.

Sensei

Just a reminder the 12th Annual Matsumura Seito Shorin Ryu Clinic featuring Sensei Koeppel we be held on May 20 in Okemos, MI. The cost is 55.00 and will be from 12:00 pm - 4:30 pm.

Thanks.

Sensei

Just wanted to give an update from the our trip to take Mahayla to Mayo Clinic.  It was a long trip. 4 days of testing turned into 10 and all raising more questions than answers.  Mahayla on the other hand did quite well and was a trooper the whole time.  As long as she got to go swimming she was happy.  I do want to thank you for all your prayers while we were gone and I look forward to seeing every one soon.

15 hours on the road is a killer.  We had a long trip up to Mayo last Tuesday.  At the hotel they had a pool and it was always refreshing (once you get used to the cool water).  I found that it was enjoyable to run Kata in the pool.  I had to stay in very deep stances to keep my shoulders under water, but I wanted to have full body resistance.  It was great.  I found that it wears you out fast, but you get twice the workout.  I did that 2-3 nights that we were at Mayo.  We also went somewhere that had a wave pool and water slides one night.  I know that in the 4 hours we were there I climbed up over 2000 steps.  If you want a good workout the water park is a great way to do it.  You have the 90 steps to climb and only a 10 second ride but it is exhilerating.  Enough so to make you climb again and again and not realize how much you have climbed until the next morning when you have to crawl to the hot tub or the spa downstairs to recoup.  
Here's a suggestion.  How about have

I believe PAIN would be the best way to describe this week.  Two wonderful classes this week.  The kicking on Tuesday really did me in.  I must have pulled something during the lunges before class because I wasn't able to move very well.  I did, however, find that working out with Sensei one on one is different than working with others.  The constant instruction really helped to motivate and pushed me to do better.  As brown belts, whenever we work with each other or other students, we should be paying close attention to what the person you are paired with is doing.  Taking the example of Sensei we should commend when a technique is done right and instruct when it is not quite where it needs to be.  Human nature thrives on praise.  To be commended or the preverbial pat on the back is what motivates us as people.  It is a simple conditioning technique that works with the simplest of animals to the most complex of human beings.  The next time your partner does something really well

Reminder: Brown Belt Class will be this Monday, May 22 at 6:30. The uniform will be gis and sneakers.

Hope to see you there.

Sensei