Dear Students, Teachers and Parents,

What a great weekend! We had guests from as far east as New Jersey
and from as far west as California. Our black belt candidates did a
great job and the senior members of the board all commented on the
superior quality of our black belts. The seminars were awesome and
our students had the chance to work with some of the best teachers in
the country. The awards dinner was filled with emotion, friendship,
good food, and of course, the notorious grog bowl. Congratulations to
all the new black belts and to those being promoted to a higher
degree.

This coming Saturday I will be teaching a seminar on an ancient
Chinese form called Lao Gar. The word Lao is a proper name in China
and is also used to indicate older. For example, my son – Sensei
Bryan would be called Sifu Bryan in China while I might be called Lao
Bryan. Gar means system or style and therefore, the name indicates
the old style. This form has been handed down for over a thousand
years and is one of the classics of Chinese martial arts. This
seminar is free for black belt club members and is $25 for anyone
else. The seminar will run from 9:00-10:30 on Saturday morning.



Lesson Of The Week

Black Belt Learning

I think most of the black belts that attended the seminar this
weekend were once again reminded that earning a black belt doesn't
mean that you have learned everything, but indeed that they have
mastered the basics and are now ready to begin a lifelong journey of
continued learning.
Our society is currently moving from an era of manpower to one of
mind power. In the information age, knowledge is king, and those
people who develop the ability to continuously acquire new and better
forms of knowledge that they can apply to their work and to their
lives will be the movers and shakers in our society for the
indefinite future.
Knowledge is doubling every two to three years in almost every
occupation and profession, including yours. This means that your
knowledge must double every two to three years for you to just stay
even. People who are not aggressively and continuously upgrading
their knowledge and skills are not staying in the same place. They
are falling behind.
The martial arts are no different. As students we attend class to
maintain what we have, learn new material and to continue perfecting
the basics, which is the foundation of success. But this is not
enough. We must continue to read, study, and attend seminars to
continue our growth and to just keep up with others. This is
extremely important for black belts and teachers.
Joining the learning generation and deciding to become a student for
the rest of your life will propel you to future successes you have
only dreamed of. This key principle of black belt excellence is
imperative in and out of the dojo.

Respectfully,
Terry Bryan