Dear Students, Teachers and Friends,

Congratulations to those that competed at the Pikes Peak Karate
Tournament this weekend. Our students seemed to have a great time
and did very well.

The Academy will be closed Thursday, Friday and Saturday this week
for the Thanksgiving Holiday. Have a great holiday!

Quotes of the Week
ALICE WALKER:
No person is your friend who demands your silence, or denies your
right to grow.
EPICTETUS:
It is impossible for a man to learn what he thinks he already knows.
Lesson of the Week
Sempai and Kohai

In the dojo we use the Japanese concept of Sempai and Kohai to
designate your relationship with your fellow students. A sempai is a
student that is your senior by age, rank, experience or title. By
the very definition of the word sempai, this person has the
responsibility to help guide you along your path in the martial
arts. A sempai is there to be able to ask questions about
techniques, martial arts philosophy and even dojo rules and
regulations. This places a burden on senior students to always stay
informed and up to date with what is going on in the school so as to
be able to become a better leader.
A kohai is a junior student and in their search of constant
and never ending improvement look to their sempai for advice and
help in order to reach their goals faster. A kohai always shows
respect to his seniors and therefore their sempai are always willing
to help in any way they can.
The sempai and kohai relationship is constantly changing.
For example, in the dojo one of your peers may indeed be your
sempai, but outside the dojo in a different relationship you may
indeed be the sempai. It is understanding this relationship and how
it can be beneficial to your progress that is important. You will
soon recognize that even your Sensei has his or her own sempai and
kohai, and are working constantly on their growth and development as
they help you with yours. When used well, the sempai and kohai
relationship helps an organization run smooth and develops
leadership qualities within its members. This is an important
process in the development of black belt excellence.
Respectfully,
Terry Bryan