Dear Students, Teachers, Parents and Friends,

Quote of the Week:

PROGRESS BEGINS ONE STEP AT A TIME. ---------------------------------
---- There is no sudden leap to greatness. Your success lies in
doing, day by day. Your upward reach comes from working well and
carefully. Good work done little by little becomes great work. Your
house of success will be built brick by brick. Adopt the pace of
nature. The secret is patience. A bottle fills drop by drop.

The Lesson of the Week

Karate-Do – The Empty-Hand-Way

The word kara-te translates as empty hand but is actually two
different ideas combined together to reach its meaning. The
philosophy behind the word kara or empty, is that of the Zen
warrior, always striving to keep the mind empty of negative
thoughts. Knowing that thought actually slows one down in reacting
to situations; the true warrior relies on his or her training and
puts his reactions on autopilot reacting with preconditioned
reflexes.

Te is actually the word used to describe the martial arts as they
were known in China and later in Okinawa. This could mean empty hand
striking arts, grappling arts or even arts that teach weapons. By
combining these two words you come up with the meaning of a martial
art that emphasizes mental training as well. After all, the mind is
truly the most powerful weapon and should be trained equally with
the hands and feet.

Do, pronounced "dough", translates as the way or path. Adding this
to the word karate emphasizes the spiritual aspect of training in
the martial arts. The growth of the student is not just in physical
or even mental growth, but takes on the attitude that it is a way of
life. The strategies and tactics used in the martial arts are used
to develop life skills so that the student can be successful in any
and all areas of their life. Using this complete term of karate-do,
explains the methods we use to produce future leaders of our
society.

Respectfully,
Terry Bryan, Kyoshi