Dear Students, Teachers and Parents,

I want to start this week's letter by congratulating all the students
that were promoted yesterday at the belt test. I must say everyone
looked great!

I also want to remind those that were interested in learning the
Chinese Long Staff form, that Sensei Barrowclough will start that
class this evening at 6 pm at the main school. It will run the entire
month of March and the cost is $25.

We will also be having a buddy week during the week of March 11 –
March 16th. We know that the best advertising we can ever do is by
word of mouth. We also recognize that friends share the good things
in their life. We are hoping that each of our students will think of
someone they know that would benefit from classical martial arts
training and invite them to come in and train. It is our intent to
edify our existing students by allowing them to help teach, while at
the same time introduce martial arts training to their friends that
may have always wanted to do it, but were never asked. I hope you
take this opportunity to help us help more people enjoy all the
benefits of martial arts training.

One final thing is our in-house karate tournament coming up Saturday,
March 16th. This is a great event to be introduced to sport karate or
as a tune up for the city-wide event on April 20th. We will also be
hosting the Colorado State Games on August 3rd at the Air Force
Academy. Cost for the in-house event is only $15, to cover the cost
of medals. If you are interested in competing, please talk to Mary at
the main school.

Lesson of the Week


Know The Needs And Outcome Before You Start

Two warriors face each other, their razor sharp swords raised
ready to do battle. This mindset is the foundation of modern WKF
style sport sparring action. In traditional sport karate, an ippon or
point is sometimes identified as a simulated destruction of your
enemy. From this perspective, there are four possible outcomes of
this type of engagement – you kill him, he kills you, you kill each
other, or you both miss. In the sport karate, you only receive a
point for one of these – you killing him. While this win-loose
situation is understood in the area of sport, in the real world, this
tactic is not always the best solution.
In the pursuit of black belt excellence, we recognize that
there exist 6 possible outcomes in any encounter whether we are
talking about a conversation, a relationship, business deal or even
combat. In Steven Covey's book "The Seven Habits of Successful
People" he identifies these 6 options in the following manner: win-
win, loose-win, win-loose, loose- loose, a compromise or no deal. In
my opinion one should always strive for win-win scenarios or no deal
at all.
One of the best descriptions of a win-win situation is from Gerald
Neiberg as he describes the perfect negotiator. He says, " The aim of
negotiating is to reach an agreement such that all parties have their
needs satisfied to the degree to which they are internally motivated
to fulfill their commitment and enter into subsequent negotiations
and transactions with the same party."
A loose-loose situation occurs when the final outcome was not
good for either party. Many times they get tired of fighting and
settle for something neither one really wanted and they regret it
everyday. In a combat setting, this is where one or both people die,
or are severely wounded.
A loose-win or a win-loose is where one person gets what they
want, but at the sacrifice of the other. Although a win-loose
situation may be better than a loose-win one, in reality because of
the hard feelings and resentment, and the chance of loosing any
future negotiations, this is not valid course of action. This is hard
for many martial artists, because they have the power to create a win-
loose situation. For the long run, it is imperative for the martial
artist to truly seek the higher-level option, thus increasing winning
situations in the future.
A compromise is where both parties are partially satisfied
and partially dissatisfied. In general, both parties feel that
certain areas were unsolved and this hampers any future dealings.
A no-deal is a situation where the people agree to disagree.
This is not really productive, but at least it leaves the door open
for future dealings. If a win-win can't be created, then this is the
best option. In a conflict situation, this may be where you just
change the subject or simply walk away.
A martial artist will recognize a win-win as using proactive
tactics to prevent an opportunity from ever escalating to a physical
situation. An even more proactive method is to initiate first, with
positive goals and outcomes as the objective. A win-win situation is
where both parties are satisfied with the final outcome as having
reached their needs. To create a win-win, one must be able to see the
situation from the other person's perspective, and develop an action
plan designed to solve both people's needs. By concentrating on win-
win solutions, you will rapidly see more people supporting you and
helping you reach your goals in life, as you do with theirs. The path
of Black Belt Excellence dictates that you learn to see the world
through other people's eyes, and place a high priority on the long-
term relationship of all parties concerned.

Respectfully,

Terry Bryan