Dear Students, Teachers and Parents,

I want to congratulate everyone that tested for his or her new belt
this weekend. Keep up the hard work because reaching the rank of
black belt happens one step at a time.

We have re-scheduled the instructor training class due to me having
to spend time in the hospital. If you are interested in attending the
class, please talk to Sensei Mary and we will let you know of the new
date.

Our next tournament is April 19th and is going to be held at
Timberview Middle School. Please see you Sensei for a registration
form and get ready to go for the gold. This event is open for
everyone and is geared for every competitor to walk away feeling like
a winner. We are having team divisions in forms and sparring, so
please start recruiting now to get a winning team.

Lesson Of The Week

The Empty Cup
A young disciple shows up to begin his lessons from the local kung fu
master. He had already trained a little bit on his own and knew what
he wanted to learn from this famous master, and was looking forward
to this first meeting.
After a brief talk, the master offered the young student a cup of
tea. As the student continued to talk the kung fu master continued
pouring the tea until it began to overflow onto the table. The
student jumped up and exclaimed, "Its full already… enough!"
The master in turn responded, "Your mind is full already as well and
you must learn to empty your cup in order to become my student."
The problem with students wanting to learn but are not willing to
give up past beliefs or assumptions and fully dedicate themselves to
their teacher is a problem today, just like it was in the old days.
To be a good student requires one to research and find the best
possible teacher and then dedicate yourself to his or her
methodology. This dedication of a student towards his teacher is
called giri and is seen as a serious responsibility in classical
martial arts training. If the teacher tells you to go stand in the
corner in a horse stance for 30 minutes, the serious student does not
ask questions, but simply does it. The dedicated student understands
that he may not understand why he is being told to do something, but
trusts that their teacher will always do the right thing that will
make them the best in the long run. In Japanese karate schools, the
student is taught the response of "oos" which basically means, "yes
sir". In reality it is deeper and means more than that. It means that
you recognize this person as a Sensei and that you are willing to
persevere with a dedicated attitude to do what you are told because
you truly value being a student an appreciate the knowledge.
Getting a stripe or a new belt is similar. If your teacher tells you
that additional work is needed, then you should respect their opinion
and work harder. In traditional thinking, if a teacher likes you,
then they will be hard on you in the dojo. If he doesn't like you, he
will be easy on you and let life teach you those valuable lessons,
usually at the wrong time.
Each of us should choose our teachers and role models carefully and
then do exactly what they tell you. This is the fastest way towards a
successful path.
Respectfully,
Terry Bryan