Dear Students, Teachers and Parents,

The main school on York will be closed Monday for Labor Day. I hope
everyone has a great day off.

Belt test will be held at the main school on Saturday the 7th of
September. Little Dragons will be at 9:00, white belts at 9:15,
yellow and orange at 9:30 and green, blue and purple belts at 10:00.
All brown belts will train at 2:00 and those pre-testing for black
belt should be there early and expect to work out at least a couple
of hours.

We are also doing a demo fro the culture festival on the 7th as well.
If you are interested in being a part of the demo team, please
contact Mary or Sensei Richardson.


Lesson of the Week:

Rei – A Bow Of Respect

The Japanese word for bowing is called "rei" and is the method of
greeting one another throughout Asia. Many Americans are confused
about when, where and how to bow in and around the dojo, but seem to
pick it up pretty quick. I guess it's like the military, when in
doubt – bow.

I once read a story that covered respect and the premise was that the
rice stalk that carried the most grain bent the lowest. I find that
in the martial arts, there seems to be a similar truth. It has been
my experience that the most senior and respected teachers are the
most humble and respectful beings around. They understand that
respect is not something one can demand, but earns by showing respect
to others. The very act of taking time to recognize another and
showing that you recognize them and appreciate their being is an act
in humility all in itself.

There is a natural law that I call the law of the farm. This law
specifies that in order to get, you must first give. In order to get
respect from others, you must first give respect. On a farm you plant
seed in the spring, work the crop during the summer, and harvest in
the fall. You can't skip the first part and expect results in the
fall, nor can you rush this process by pulling on the stalk during
the summer. There are those that sit in front of a stove and think
that once it heats up, then they will add wood to the fire. That
process just doesn't work, and yet everyday, products are sold and
bought that promise instant gratification with no effort needed.

Even in the martial arts world, there are those that promise instant
security, a six-month black belt, or deadly abilities in only a few
lessons. Anyone that understands natural laws, must realize that
quality martial arts takes many years, a lot of hard work and
dedication to a good organization and teacher. Every time you bow in
the dojo, you should understand that you have identified this process
and are earning your proficiency the old fashion way – through hard
work, discipline and respect.

Many senior teachers have identified that simply teaching fighting
tactics or strategies, without including the philosophical and
spiritual attributes of respect, humility and self-discipline is
doing nothing more than creating street-fighters. In classical
martial arts, the training of the entire person, mentally,
spiritually and physically is the goal of the teacher. One of the
major first steps towards becoming a great warrior is learning how to
bow properly.

Respectfully,

Terry Bryan