Dear Students, Teachers and Parents,

Congratulations to all those that tested for their new belt and
passed.
Up and coming events include a weapons seminar taught by Sensei
Richardson and the Safety Day sponsored by Sensei Britton and our
friends from the Police Department.

For those that do long range planning, the Okinawan World
Championships will be held on August 16th – 19th 2003 in Naha,
Okinawa. We are taking a group and probably will be going out about a
week early to train and socialize.

Message of the Week

"Dao" or "Do"

Dao, also spelled Tao, is a very important concept in ancient Chinese
thought, and is often translated as "the way" or "the path" but these
words do not do justice to the true meaning. In English we use the
word `way' to describe concepts like - course, method, manner, mode,
means, practice, fashion, technique or style. These tend to lead us
to believe that way is a method of action, but in Chinese thought,
non-action is of equal importance in the dao.

The other commonly used term is "path" and can be equally misleading.
For example, one might inquire "the way to Denver", and yet the path
could be a multitude of responses. Responses could range from head
north on I-25 to giving specific latitude and longitude coordinates.
Those that understand the backwoods of Colorado, understand that
there many types of paths one follows in the wild, as well as many
different methods of marking those paths so other can follow. The art
and science of tracking animals and other humans that have gone down
a path ahead of you is an art and science unto itself. And yet those
of us that study this method soon find that the natural paths created
by natures engineers, like the deer and sheep, are the most
economical and easiest to use when traveling. It seems most animals
are very in tune with nature and automatically follow the dao.

In problem solving, we usually brainstorm and identify several ways
to solve a specific challenge, and then try and select the best way.
While there are many solutions that will work, we assume that there
is one course of action that is better than all the others. This one
method would include every little detail of this particular course.
This one best method could be described as the dao.

Many times the word dao or do is added to another word to describe a
new concept. For example, jiang dao is the word for "to preach"
or "to speak the dao". In Japanese language the concept of dao is
translated as do and is used in many of the martial arts to describe
the total aspect of the way of their martial art. For example, judo,
karate-do, or kendo, implies that their martial art form is a
complete and well thought out art form that includes aspects of
mental, physical and spiritual training.

Lao Tzu once stated that the dao that can be explained is not the
dao. This is in reference to the idea of the dao is a constant and
changing thing, and one can experience it, and use that experience to
understand it, but if you try and collect it to study or analyze it,
it is no longer the dao. Take for example the martial arts teacher or
student. It is impossible to teach students to defend themselves
against an attacker in the street, because combat is alive and
constantly changing. Yet we can share principles and concepts that
may enable the student to go with the flow and adapt to a specific
situation, and increase their ability to find the proper path at that
time.

This leads us to the concept of karate-do; the way of karate. Many
people believe that the path is different for each of us, but has
common roots. This is why we spend time to work on goal setting and
values clarification with our students. Your path must be congruent
with your personal values and goals, and only then will your karate
training begin to experience the do aspect.

The path of karate-do is hard to explain and even harder to
experience. Each of us needs to find a good Sensei (one who has
walked before), to help guide us down this path and to remind us when
we step off the path. I can assure a new student that the benefits of
self-confidence, higher self-esteem and the overall success they will
experience in their life because of this journey will be well worth
it, but it is them that must keep putting one foot in front of the
other along the path of black belt excellence. As you begin or
continue along your path in karate-do, I wish you the very best in
your journey and hope your journey is as blessed as mine has been and
more.

Respectfully,

Terry Bryan

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

Dear Students, Teachers and Parents,

I wanted to give you a quick reminder that the new schedule goes into
effect this week at the main school. Please call Dawn at 598-0398 if
you have any questions or pick up a new schedule at the dojo. The new
sparring classes start this Friday, if you are planning on attending
please bring your sparring gear.

Lesson of the Week – Giri



The concept of "Giri" contains elements from words like loyalty,
duty, responsibility and obligation. In America this is a hard
concept to explain because most of our citizens are brought up very
individualistic and not taught the concept of duty or obligation.

How does a person repay one's parents for bringing them in the world?
This precious gift that we call life, what is the true value? What
method of payment is considered adequate?

Well, these questions may seem silly, but in reality one does not
simply write a check for $10,000 when they turn 18 years of age and
call it even. If you recognize that you are born into this world with
a debt to pay, then we can begin to look at proper behaviors that are
congruent with the repayment of this debt. For example, bringing
honor and respect to the family name is one method. Anything we do
that brings honor to the family is seen as a credit and anything that
we do that dishonors the family does not go towards repayment of that
debt. We have certain responsibilities and obligations within the
family, such as taking care of siblings, respecting our parents, and
doing the right thing for the benefit of others that are all a part
of being a member of the family.

In the martial arts, the concept is very similar. Most people
understand that training in the martial arts is a life changing
experience, one that has a tremendous value. In fact, no matter how
much you try, you will never totally repay your teachers for what you
will learn from classical karate. Your school is an extended family.
Those sempai (higher ranking students that help you through the
learning process) are seen as older brothers and sisters, and take on
the duty of helping you along the path as their sempai did them. In
the dojo, the beginning of life is perceived as having begun when you
put on that while belt and began your training. The person that takes
you in and takes you to black belt is seen as a father and is given
the respect of that position. Although we may never completely repay
our debt to our teachers, or their teachers, it is our duty to try.
The method of repayment is by what we do and what we say.

In order to show respect to the art, we always show respect to those
above us and those below us. We strive to exemplify the traits of a
warrior by working hard, striving for excellence, and by being
compassionate. Whenever faced with a decision, we always ask
ourselves, "What is the right thing to do that will bring honor to
the school and my teacher?" We teach the art to others, because it
was taught to us. We bow to the dojo and to our classmates because it
shows that we understand respect and duty. Black belt excellence is
one element of giri, for yourself and for your
organization.

Respectfully,

Terry Bryan

Dear Students, Teachers and Parents,

The new school year is upon us and we are working hard to get all the
clubs and High School programs going this week. We have also just
been awarded the contract to teach the karate program at Pikes Peak
Community College. This program doesn't pay very well, but it
does
allow us to award scholarship hours (up to 80 hours per semester) for
students that may need assistance with their first 2 years of
college. We will be having team try-outs and awarding scholarships
September 4th so please contact me, or your Sensei right away if you
are interested.

Our new schedule for the main school goes in effect next week. If you
attend classes at the main school and have not picked up a new
schedule please do so.
The new hours for our classes are:
On Monday and Wednesday –
4:30-5:15 Kids Kempo Karate
5:15 – 6:00 Beginner and Novice Kempo Karate (white belts through
Purple belts – we will split into groups and use upstairs and
downstairs)
Special new class for 7 and under (they get to wear cool dragon
uniforms too) 5:45-6:15-Little Dragons ( Mary Britton and Jennifer
Gandolf will be teaching this program.
6:00-6:30 will be black belts only kata training with us
concentrating on Monday for 1st degrees and Wednesdays working on 2nd
degrees and above.
Brown and Black class has moved 15 minutes earlier running from 6:30-
7:15.
At 7:15 – 8:00 we will be having another Beginner and Novice
class.
On Tuesday and Thursdays we will be still teaching 4:00-4:45 Kids all
rank and 4:45 – 5:30 a Beginning and Novice Family class.
Saturdays we will be hosting our Chinese class (Tai Chi and other
soft forms) by Shihan Hack and a Family all ranks class from 8:45-
9:30. The Chinese class is open to family members of students as well
as students.

We have also given a home to Master Chase who teaches Tae Kwon Do and
recently closed his school down over on the west side. He will be
teaching from 7:15 – 9:00 on Mondays and Wednesdays so please
show
courteously and make his students feel welcome at our dojo. We also
have Kurt Frankenburg teaching eclectic martial arts program on
Tuesdays and Thursdays, at the same time as Kyoshi Ader.

Next belt test will be held in the morning of September 7th. 9:00 am
for Little Dragons, 9:15 for White belts, 9:30 for Yellow and Orange
belts, and 10 am for Green through Purple belts. There will be a
brown belt workout and pretest for those wishing to test for black in
the next year or so from 2:00 – 4:00 that afternoon.

Sensei Scott will be having a weapons seminar (the bo) around noon on
the 21st of September.

Hope everyone is geared up for a great year!

Respectfully,
Terry Bryan, Kyoshi

Dear Students, Teachers and Parents,

We begin our summer schedule this week, offering day classes on
Monday and Wednesdays at 12:00 noon and on Tuesday and Thursday at
9:00 am. Friday sparring classes will be 4:15 for kids and 6:00 –
7:30 for teens and adults.

The Colorado State Games will be held on August 3rd. Registrations
have to be in by the end of June, but we are limiting this years
event to 200 competitors, so if you are planning on competing please
get your registrations in early. The Colorado State Games is like the
Olympics for all Colorado athletes in a variety of sports and levels,
including the martial arts. We have committed all of our resources to
make this a great event for all the competitors in the state. You can
register on-line at www.sportsnuts.com or pick up a registration kit
at the dojo. If you are interested in helping, please contact Mary so
she can put you on our volunteer list. We will need referees,
scorekeepers and timers to help make this a smooth event. There will
be nighttime finals at 6:00 pm at Air Academy High School.

Brown and Black Belts - We are having a special guest instructor
Monday evening teaching class. Master Ken Baker is known for his
expertice in jujitsu, karate and eagle claw kung fu. Hope you are
able to attend class.


Lesson of the Week

This week, while Diana and I were taking a walk in the neighborhood,
we came across a robin sitting on a rail on a front porch. The front
windows of this house had a reflective coating on them that made them
look like mirrors and they reflected the beautiful blue sky. This
robin, seeing the reflection, flew into the window and then when she
found that she couldn't get through would settle down on the railing
once again. We watched as she tried over and over again, with the
same results. Having never witnessed such a display we watched for
several minutes but the robin never learned, she continued the same
behavior over and over again.

I thought that although this behavior was indeed strange, it is very
common with humans. How many people do you know that are not happy
with their lives but continue doing the same old things but expecting
different outcomes? They blame their position on bad luck or other
people instead of identifying specific problems in their life and
doing something about it. They continue with their same old habits
and hope that someday they will get lucky.

Practicing the martial arts teaches us how to instantly identify a
problem, come up with a strategy to neutralize it and then to take
action. Soon we learn that preventative actions are more effective
than responding to an action when it happens, or in other words to be
proactive instead of reactive.

When you combine this attitude with the simple concept that all
actions have consequences, you can come up with a simple but very
powerful strategy. If you are where you are at currently based on
your previous actions, then if you identifying and implement new
actions, you can create a wonderful and different future.

The next time you find yourself in a situation where you want to
blame someone else for something that has gone wrong, simply try and
identify what actions you did that caused it and change those
actions. After all, how many times are you planning on flying into
the same window hoping for a different result?

Respectfully,

Terry Bryan, Kyoshi

Dear Students, Teachers and Parents,

As we come close to the end of another school year, I want to take a
moment to congratulate all our students for a successful year. Many
of our students are graduating from high school and heading for
college, where I am sure they will continue in their path towards
black belt excellence. We wish you much success and happiness in your
future.

Also congratulation is in order for our newest instructor candidates
that just finished their comprehensive instructor-training program.
We are blessed with many talented students that wish to give back to
their community, by mentoring other students in our many programs.
This fall we are planning on having several after-school programs
throughout the city and are going to need plenty of help in making
this mission a reality. If you are interested in helping, please talk
to Kyoshi or Mary.

We will be closed Monday the 27th for the Memorial Day holiday.
Please take the time to remember those that we have lost.

Lesson Of The Week – The $25,000 Idea

Have you ever heard the story of the $25,000 idea? Well, the story
goes that the president of a big steel company had granted an
interview to an efficiency expert named Ivy Lee. Lee was telling his
prospective client how he could help him do a better job of managing
the company when the president broke in to say something like he was
managing the company the best he knew how. He went on to tell Ivy
that what was needed wasn't more knowing, but more doing. He said, "
We know what we should be doing. If you can show us a better way of
getting it done – then I will listen – and pay you anything you ask
within reason.

Lee handed the executive a blank piece of paper and said, " Write
down on this paper the 6 most important things you have to do
tomorrow." The executive thought about it and then did as he was
requested. It took three to four minutes.

Lee then said, " Now number them in their order of importance to you
and to the company." This took another couple of minutes.

Then Lee said, " Now put the paper in your pocket, and the first
thing tomorrow morning take it out and look at number one. Don't look
at the others, just number one and start working on it. If you can,
stay with it till you are finished, then proceed to number two and so
on till it is time to quit for the day.

Lee went on to say, " Do this everyday and after you are convinced of
its value, share it with your employees. Take as long as you want and
then send me your check for what ever you think the idea is worth.

The story goes that within a few weeks Ivy received a check in the
mail for $25,000 and this company went on to become one of the
leading steel companies in America.

I suggest you try this $25,000 idea for 7 days and I think you will
see the tremendous benefits of planning the most important activities
to accomplish on a daily, weekly and monthly basis. As the saying
goes, " Take care of the days and the years take care of themselves."

Respectfully,

Terry Bryan

Dear Students, Teachers and Parents,

Hope everyone enjoyed the great weekend! Congratulations are in order
to all the new black belts. Our senior instructors from around the
country had nothing but great things to say about your attitude and
talent. Good job everyone!

I would also like to express my appreciation to all those that helped
with the planning and running of the events of the weekend – it ran
very smooth.

Lesson Of the Week


The Person In Front Of You

In the martial arts we soon realize that in a self-defense situation,
the person that is attacking you is your prime objective and nothing
else matters. This is not the time to have attention deficit or to
shift your attention to something else – your life depends on it. You
focus on their energy, what resources they have, what their
intentions are and begin to instantly read their verbal and nonverbal
communication to understand exactly what is the true meaning behind
the attack. These attributes of "seeing" falls under what we call
zanshin – "total awareness". These attributes are developed slowly
over the years through constant martial arts training under a
qualified teacher. What seems to be logical understanding to the
advanced student almost seems mystical to the untrained person's
mind.

A benefit of developing this awareness is seen in the ability to
understand instantly what your actions have on others. This feedback
allows you to follow the right and noble path more times than those
that seem to just let things happen. As you begin to develop the
habit of looking at others in this manner, you will soon see that
more positive things begin to happen in your life.

Here are a couple of suggestions as you begin to develop the habit of
seeing:

1. Don't waste time talking about your problems with people that
can't solve them.
2. Always radiate the attitude of well-being and confidence, the
attitude of a person that knows where he is going.
3. Treat every person you come in contact with as the most
important person in the world. You should do that because:
a. As far as that person is concerned, he is the most important
in the world.
b. That is the way human beings should treat one another.
c. And by doing this you will begin to develop the habit of
helping create self-esteem in others – one of the most powerful
things in the world.

I guess it is one of those little secrets in life, to give total
attention to the ones that are the closest to you. This works in
friendships, as well as combat.

Respectfully,

Terry Bryan

Dear Students, Teachers and Parents,
Next week is our Black Belt weekend! Friday night we will have black
belt testing beginning at 6 pm at Air Academy High School and
admission is free. It should last a couple of hours. I hope you have
the chance to come and witness some of our students make the jump
into the black belt ranking. On Saturday we will be having seminars
by some of the best instructors around. Special guests include Kyoshi
Kennedy from Kansas City and Kyoshi Greene from Oklahoma. The
seminars will run from 9 am to 1 pm. For more information and to sign
up, please contact Mary. Saturday evening at 6 pm will be our awards
dinner, which will be held at the Air Force Academy press box. This
is sure to be a great event with dinner, entertainment and
celebration.

Congratulations to everyone that passed their belt test this week.
Everyone looked awesome!


Lesson Of The Week – Acres of Diamonds

Dr. Russell H. Conwell founded Temple University in 1884 by traveling
around the country raising money by giving over 6000 lectures. In
each of those lectures he told a true story entitled " Acres of
Diamonds".

The story was an account of an African farmer who had heard tales
about other farmers who had made millions by discovering diamond
mines. These tales so excited the farmer that he could hardly wait to
sell his farm and go prospecting for diamonds himself. So he sold the
farm and spent the rest of his life wandering the African continent,
searching unsuccessfully for the gleaming gems that brought such high
prices on the markets of the world. Finally, the story goes, worn-out
and in a fit of despair, he threw himself into a river and drowned.

Meanwhile, back on the farm he had sold, the man that had bought it
happened to be crossing the small stream on the property. Suddenly,
there was a bright flash of blue and red light from the bottom of the
stream. He bent down and picked up the stone and later placed it on
his fireplace.

Several weeks later, a visitor to his home picked up the stone and
almost passed out. He asked the farmer if he knew what he had found.
When the farmer said no, that he thought it was probably a piece of
crystal, the visitor told him that he had found one of the largest
diamonds ever discovered.

Needless to say, the farm that the first farmer had sold so he could
go look for diamonds, turned out to become one of the most productive
diamond mines on the entire continent. The first farmer had owned
free and clear, acres of diamonds, but had sold it for little of
nothing in order to go look for them elsewhere.

The moral of the story is clear – had the farmer taken the time to
study and prepare himself – to know what diamonds look like in their
rough state – and since he already owned a piece of property – to
thoroughly explore that property before looking elsewhere, all his
wildest dreams would have come true.

What makes this story important is each of us, at this very moment,
is standing within our own acres of diamonds. If we only had the
wisdom and patience to intelligently and effectively explore the work
we are currently engaged in, to explore ourselves, then we would
probably find all the riches we seek, whether they are financial,
intangible or both. Instead of running off to greener pastures, we
should explore how to make our own pastures greener.

J.B. Mathews wrote: " Unless a person has trained himself for his
chance, the chance will only make him ridiculous. A great occasion is
worth to a man exactly what his preparation enables him to make of
it." It takes curious imagination to see diamonds in their rough
state as cut and polished gemstones, or "problems" that you encounter
as opportunities for growth. Your mind is your most powerful
resource. By exploring all the possibilities and striving for black
belt excellence, you will soon begin to see the diamonds that lay at
your feet.

Respectfully,

Terry Bryan

Dear Students, Teachers and Friends,

We are only a couple of weeks from our Black Belt Weekend. Black Belt
testing will be on Friday the 10th of May at 6 pm at Air Academy High
School. The test is open to the public and admission is free. The
following day we will be having our seminars at the same location,
which will taught by our guest master instructors from 9 am till 1
pm. That evening at 6 pm we will be having our awards dinner at the
Air Force Academy football stadium. If you are planning on attending
the dinner, we need to know right away to take care of catering. You
can contact Mary at brittonme@... to ensure your place at the
awards dinner.



Lesson Of The Week

"In matters of style, swim with the current; in matters of principle,
stand like a rock." — Thomas Jefferson


The early Chinese philosophers created the 5-element theory to try
and help them understand how the universe worked. They saw the entire
universe was based on the inter-workings of 5 major elements – fire,
wood, water, earth and metal. Other educators added more ideas, which
included animals and their attributes to better understand the key
principles of success and to create the foundation of their style of
martial arts training. Today Kojosho Kempo uses 18 such ideas or
postures, which are made up of 9 elements and 9 animals. The above
statement by Thomas Jefferson describes clearly the relationship
between two of these elements – water and mountain.

Water simply flows – if there is an object in front of its path, it
goes around it. If there is a hole in front of its path, it simply
fills it and then continues on its journey. It does not have any
regret or animosity for challenges that show themselves, it simply
accepts them and goes with the flow. Each of us must follow our own
paths, progressively realizing our internal goals, flowing through
life much as water flows down stream. We have much to learn from the
simplicity and naturalness of water seeking the lowest position.

The mountain, on the other hand, is rock solid. From the mountain we
learn the importance of a strong foundation and that there are times
we want to adapt the attitude of the immoveable object. In the
martial arts the front stance or the horse stance are the physical
expressions of this posture, which demonstrate sinking or rooting
oneself to the earth. For the mind and the spirit, integrity is the
foundation from which all positive characteristics come from.

In the pursuit of black belt excellence, we recognize that there are
times to go with the flow like water and that there are times to
stand solid like a mountain. This concept seems pretty easy to
understand, but most civilians don't recognize which is the best
strategy for the current situation. Martial artists on the other
hand, know which strategy will work best based on the principles of
the combat experience from their art. Understanding these key
postures and the strategy of how they work together is the key to
black belt excellence. Is it any wonder, that most high-level martial
artists that understand this are successful in all areas of their
life?

Respectfully,

Terry Bryan

Dear Students Teachers and Friends,

Congratulations to everyone that competed at the Pikes Peak
Championships – all our students did a great job!

We have a nunchaku seminar this Saturday from 1-3. Sensei Scott will
be teaching. Please see Mary if you are interested in attending.

Also don't forget the black belt testing and training camp coming up
the weekend of May 10th and 11th. The testing and seminar will be
held at Air Academy High School, and the awards dinner will be held
at the press box at the football stadium. Please see Mary for more
details.

Lastly, we will not be having regular classes on Saturday morning for
a while due the heavy amount of special events. W will try and set up
our special seminars on Saturdays. We will have a new schedule this
week to show these changes.


Lesson Of The Week

One Encounter – One Chance

This concept is easy to understand when it comes to a life and death
scenario on the street. I mean after all, how many time can you loose
in this environment? What most people fail to recognize is that this
same concept applies to every thing we do. In a world where
mediocrity is the standard, it is easy to loose site of striving for
excellence.

We have watched as sport karate has evolved from 1-point matches, to
three point matches and now finally 8 point matches. Standard testing
has come to a point where one just keeps testing until a passing
grade finally occurs. Consequences for making the wrong decisions are
down played. It is very easy to fall into a category of just getting
along, and enjoying this level of progress.

Did you know most people create an impression of a new person in the
first 5 seconds? Do we ever get a second chance on creating that
first impression? How many people get to go back and re-do their high
school years? College years? The highly trained person tries to do
his or her very best the very first time.

Every minute of every day we are at a crossroad, and the decisions we
make will take us towards a more successful life or away from it.
Every action has a consequence and we are completely in charge of
those actions. Each action should be decided with the attitude
of "One encounter, one chance", because it is. It is this attitude
that propels one towards black belt excellence.

Respectfully,

Terry Bryan

Dear Teachers, Students and Parents,

We had a great trip to Kansas City where we helped with their black
belt test and had the opportunity to train together. It looks like
they are going to respond by bringing several people out to our
testing and seminar next month. In attendance were Kyoshi Roger
Greene and Kyoshi Dan Kennedy, as well as other prominent martial
arts teachers. Hope everyone puts our yearly training session down on
their schedule – May 11th – so they won't miss this training
opportunity.

Next weekend is the Pikes Peak Martial Arts Championships. There are
some tournaments, which we don't support because of the officiating
or the dangerous rules. The Pike Peak tournament has always been a
friendly and safe event and because of that, I encourage all our
students to support this event if they want to try a tournament. The
cost of the event is $40 for all events, which means a competitor can
do forms, sparring, weapons and all team events for one price. They
are also the only ones to give family discounts for parents with more
than one child that wants to compete. The event is going to be held
at Air Academy High School and begins at 9 am. For those wanting to
help score keep, referee or judge, there will be a training session
at the main dojo at 7 pm Friday evening. See you there!

Lesson Of The Week:

The Heart of the Warrior

The true warrior understands compassion and understanding. Although
their goal is one of Black Belt Excellence in everything they do,
they recognize that we live in a world that edifies mediocrity. The
modern warrior has to learn to become tolerant of human weaknesses
and incompetence.

Living in a proactive world, the martial artist understands the ease
with which a conflict can break out in even the simplest of settings.
The warrior understands how hard it is to maintain their balance in
all things and learns to accept others as they attempt to understand
the universal truths in life, no matter how pathetic an attempt it
may be.

An expanded heart is one of those simple truths in life. The amount
of opposition you experience in life is in direct proportion to the
amount of compassion that you display in your life to others. Having
a bigger heart means less resistance, fewer enemies, and fewer
battles to fight. Besides, having a bigger heart is more fun. When
one learns to accept people with all their inadequacies, you will
also see that they are pretty brilliant in some areas as well.

Expanding ones heart is fairly simply, but takes time. You start by
opening your heart, one small step at a time. First let in a few
ideas, concepts or phrases and try and understand them from the other
person's perspective. Soon you will find your comfort zone is
expanding. You will learn to reframe your perspective to include a
wider experience and greater diversity. The ultimate goal of Black
Belt Excellence is to make the entire world and everything in it, a
part of your comfort zone.


Respectfully,

Terry Bryan

Dear Students, Teachers and Parents,

We are supporting the Pikes Peak Martial Arts Championships, which
will be held at Air Academy High School on the 20th of this month.
Please see your Sensei for a registration form. Right after the
tournament, we will be having a Ripley's Party at the main school.
This will be a potluck affair and basically a block party celebrating
my successful venture in California. Please see Mary as to what to
bring. We should begin around 5 pm with food, music and plenty of
friends. If you haven't seen the video of the arrow catch, go to:

http://www.jinmukan.com/sv/Terry-Bryan-catches-arrow.shtml


There will also be a nunchaku seminar on Saturday the 27th of this
month from 1- 3. Following the seminar we will be giving a seminar on
the Kubotan keychain.


Lesson of the Week

Magnetic North

  It is truly a blessing to live in Colorado with its clean air,
mountains and forests. Here you can still go backpacking for days and
not see another human being, just the wonders of nature. One thing
every backpacker knows is how to get from one place to another in the
backwoods. Two things are important, a map and a compass. The process
entails looking at a map, finding the proper direction with a compass
and then once you identify where you want to go, you pick a major
landmark and start walking. It is important to stop occasionally and
check your bearings to make sure you are still heading in the right
direction.

A person's life is very similar. Our destination is the long-term
goals and dreams we set for ourselves and we create our map by
breaking those long-term goals into simpler short-term achievable
goals. We need to constantly review and renew our goals to make sure
we are staying on the right path. Success has been defined as the
progressive realization of a worthwhile goal. Black Belt excellence
is dependent on being able to set clearly defined and worthwhile
goals, and never giving up.

The compass we use in life is not based on magnetic north but on our
values, integrity and character; to always do the right thing for the
right reasons. When you are traveling in the backwoods, you must stop
and pull out the compass occasionally. Likewise, in life it takes
self-discipline to succeed in the attainment of your goals. To ensure
you stay on the proper path of reaching your goals in the shortest
distance, one must stay congruent with their core values and beliefs.
Self-discipline is knowing the right thing to do and then doing it.

I learned a long time ago, that in order to do a great job, one needs
the right tools. To train yourself to be the best you can be or to
empower your children or students to become successful, you need to
help them have the right tools. These include a strong character,
unyielding integrity and the ability to dream big dreams.

Respectfully,

Terry Bryan

Dear Students, Teachers and Friends,

Hope everyone had a great Spring Break.

This Wednesday the arrow catch will air on "Ripley's Believe It Or
Not" on TBS. I believe it comes on at 6 and 9 pm. I have no idea of
how the final show is going to come out, but they did promise to
edify our school and our students.

We will have testing for the clubs on the 6th of April at the main
school, so we will not be having regular classes.

On April 12th we are heading to Kansas to help with the black belt
testing of Kyoshi Kennedy's crew.

The Pikes Peak Championship is April 20th at Air Academy high School.
We will be having a referee and volunteer seminar at 7pm on the 19th
for those that want to help at the tournament the next day. If you
are competing, please get your registration forms filled out right
away and give them to your Sensei.

Lesson Of The Week

Shingitai:  Mind – Technique – Body


The first line of our student creed states: "As a student of USA
Karate, I will train my mind, my body and my spirit." Most people
understand that we are working on three different aspects so that we
can improve ourselves as a whole, but many fail to understand that it
is the unification of all three that is the real key.

When it comes to karate techniques, many people understand the
physical laws of generating body power, angles of movement and
physical strategy or tactics of defense. The real key, however, is
the harmony of "shin" the mind and attitudes, with the "gi"
(technique) and the "tai" (the body). To understand this concept, let
us discuss briefly the concept of natural laws.

There are basically two types of laws in the universe – man-made laws
and natural laws. While you may be able to violate man-made laws and
not get caught, and therefore not see the ramifications of those
actions, natural laws are different. Natural laws work all the time,
in all circumstances, for everyone. If you try and break a natural
law, you will get caught every time. These natural laws can further
be broken down into physicals laws and mental laws.

Physical laws are those laws that can be demonstrated in the lab in a
controlled environment. Mental laws however, are only proven through
experience and intuition. These mental laws which are harder to see
and understand, are centuries old and were at one time not shared
with the general public because they were afraid these principles
would be misunderstood or abused. Today these concepts are openly
discussed, but still only a small percentage of the population are
aware of them. The knowledge of these principles is an operations
manual for increasing human potential.

Be assured that these laws are universal. If you jump off a 10 story
building in New York or Tokyo, you will go splat just the same. It
doesn't matter if you were never told about the law of gravity,
whether you believe in it or even if you agree with it. It is neutral
and applies consequences evenly to everyone and is in effect 100% of
the time.

Mental laws work exactly the same. When your life is going great it
is because your thoughts and actions are in harmony with these
natural laws. If you are experiencing problems, it is almost always
as a result of you having violated one of these mental laws, whether
you are aware of them or not. The only way you can tell if you are in
harmony is by the results of your actions or the consequences.

An example of a mental law is the law of control. You basically feel
positive about yourself to the degree to which you feel in control of
your life. On the other hand, you feel negative about your life to
the degree that you feel some external force, person or influence
controls you. The feeling of not being in control causes most stress,
anxiety and tension in a person's life. This explains how a martial
artist is able to remain clam during a crisis situation, because they
feel that even in the worst-case scenario, they could still control
the situation.

Today there are many people that play karate – for sport or as a
hobby. The karate-ka however, follows the path of karate when he or
she understands the concept of shingitai (mind-body-technique) and
encompasses that into their daily life and training.


Respectfully,

Terry Bryan

Dear Friends,

I hope everyone is enjoying their spring break so far. As I look
outside and the 6 inches of snow on the deck, I am reminded how
wonderful springtime in the Rockies can be.

A quick reminder of next month's events would include club belt
testing on the 6th of April, Black Belt Testing in Kansas on the
13th, and the Pikes Peak Karate Championships on April 20th at the
Air Force Academy.

Lesson of the Week


There Is No First Strike In Karate

I had the great pleasure of training with Dan Smith, my Shorin Ryu
teacher this weekend in Denver at the Seibukan training camp.
Although my body may not be as strong as it used to be, I must admit
the thrill of learning new things are as strong as they were when I
first began this journey so long ago.

One of the things we talked about, during training and at dinner, was
the saying, "Karate ni sente nashi" – there is no first strike in
karate. I had always concluded that this was a philosophical
statement designed to keep students from abusing the techniques they
learn. After this weekend, I have a better understanding of this
ideology from the physical, mental and spiritual levels.

While it is true that morally one should not throw the first punch in
any encounter, we also worked on the physical application of this
principle by learning how this applies to the use of the kamai in the
kata. Specific postures solicit specific responses from the opponent
if he attacks, thus allowing the karate-ka an advantage by waiting
patently for the opponent's action. Once the attacker commits, it is
too late to see and defend against the counterattack, thus assuring
victory for the karate-ka.

But I think the real meaning of "there is no first strike in karate"
lies in the mental and spiritual realm. All conflict begins because
of negative emotions. Doubt, fear, guilt, resentment, envy and even
jealousy come about because we allow ourselves to have these negative
emotions. Nothing good ever comes from negative emotions. Negative
emotions are developed from four major sources – justification,
identification, lack of consideration and blame.

Before a negative emotion can develop, we have to justify to
ourselves that we are entitled in having this emotion. Negative
emotions are a choice, so choose not to have them. The second step is
that we identify with the problem personally. The secret is to be
detached and not to take things personally. The only thing we have
control of is our reactions not to many of the things that happen
around us. The third step is that we feel that we have been
disrespected or have been shown a lack of consideration. A wise man
once said, " You should not worry so much about what other people
think of you, because if you knew how seldom they did, you would be
insulted."  The last cause of negative emotions is blame. If you
eliminate the ability to blame other people or circumstances for
anything, by taking personal responsibility for everything in your
life, this will most of the time prevent negative emotions.

I truly believe that anything that you believe with emotion can and
will become a reality. It is in this realm that I believe that the
true intent of karate ni sente nashi is held.

Respectfully,

Terry Bryan

Dear Students, Teachers and Parents,

Just got back in town - sorry for the late karate-gram. We will be
closed for spring break the Saturday the 23rd through Saturday the
30th.


Message of the Week

Speed, Timing and Zanshin

This weekend I was given the rare opportunity to show the nation the
specific attribute of black belt speed, timing and zanshin. About a
month ago, I received a call from Ripley's Believe It Or Not, and the
producer had said that he had read an article that stated I was one
of the fastest karate men alive. After I got done laughing, I told
him that I had once heard that you should believe only about half of
what you see and none of what you read. Well, he said he had this
great idea for one of his shows – a man catching an arrow live on TV.
He had called Jim Mather who had done this once before, but he stated
that he was too old but that I might do it. They issued me a
challenge and bet me I couldn't do it. Well, at least they understood
the best way to motivate me to do anything, is to tell me it can't be
done.

I thought long and hard about this and tried to understand how this
could help or hurt our organization. I didn't want to lower the value
of what classical martial arts is all about by simply performing a
stunt, but also knew that the national PR could be a good thing if
executed correctly. I was also worried that some kid would not
realize how dangerous this really was and might get hurt trying to
duplicate this stunt. I finally agreed to try, if they would do the
background story on the positive benefits that karate does for kids –
goal setting, self-confidence, self-discipline, etc, and also if they
would allow me to tell everyone not to try this - that it is really
dangerous. They agreed to my demands.

I also understand the concept of superior customer service and
decided that I wanted to give them more than what they asked for.
When we arrived in Hollywood, I informed them that not only would I
catch a speeding arrow traveling at over 100 mph's with my bare hand;
I would do it blindfolded.  I succeeded in pulling it off and they
said that out of the 13 shows they have shot this year, this was by
far the best yet. Although I have not seen the final cuts for the
show, they took some great footage of our students in action and
interviewed me about the positive qualities of martial arts training.

My intent is to show people that fear is devastating to the average
person. The fear of someone hurting you, the fear of failure or
simply the fear of setting high expectations for yourself limits ones
true potential. Martial arts training teaches us about courage; and
in the absence of fear, great things are possible. This should air
within the next month or so, and I hope this will be a positive thing
for the students and teachers of classical martial arts. I will let
everyone know of the exact airdate, as we get closer in case anyone
wants to build a local marketing campaign or teaching lesson around
the show.

Respectfully,

Terry Bryan

Hi All,
I have posted the school information after the lesson of the week.

Lesson of the Week

The White Rabbit

Before you can achieve anything in life you, must do something else
first. In order to become a winner, one must accept complete
responsibility for who you are and everything that you become. The
first step in this process is to understand that you are where you
are and who you are because of yourself.

The basic law of cause and effect dictates that if you want things to
change, you must change first. Your thoughts determine your life, and
since you are free to choose your own thoughts and contents of your
conscious mind, you are in complete charge of the consequences of
those thoughts. Your thoughts determine your attitude, conduct and
behavior, and these attributes are the key to becoming a winner.

From early on, we are taken care of. We are provided food, clothing
and shelter. As children we live in a cocoon, where we are taught to
not worry about being responsible, because someone else will take
care of you. Ideally though, by the time a person reaches 18 he
should be a fully functional and personally responsible adult. Yet
many people tend to hold on and expect someone or something to take
care of them.

I once read a short story many years ago where the children were
taught that the secret of happiness was in the backyard, but in order
to find it they must never do one thing. They must never think of a
white rabbit while they are searching for the secret in the backyard.
Well, you know what happened – the more they thought about not
thinking about a white rabbit, the more they thought about it. No
matter how hard they tried, they could never find the secret to
happiness.

Each of us has our own white rabbits. Our white rabbits are our
excuses or road- blocks we use to not set clearly defined goals and
benchmarks for ourselves. You have heard these white rabbits from
others – "I'm too old", or "I'm too young". Maybe it was "I'm not
smart enough" or even " I'm just not ready".

In the martial arts, we have heard that our greatest enemy is
ourselves. I think this is very true. The pursuit of Black Belt
Excellence is all about looking deep within, identifying our own
personal white rabbits, and creating a plan of action to make them go
away. The ultimate rabbit defense, no matter what the situation, is
to look in the mirror and say, " I am responsible. Now what am I
going to do about this."

Happy hunting.

School Info:
There will be an in-house tournament next Saturday begining at 9 am.
For registration information see Mary.

"Ripleys Beleive It Or Not" will be in Colorado Springs next weekend
filming me catching an arrow for their show next month.

We will be close the 23rd through the 30th for Spring Break. Have a
great break!

Respectfully,

Terry Bryan

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

Dear Students, Teachers and Parents,
Just a quick reminder that belt test for the main school will be held
next Saturday morning March 2nd. White belts at karate-tots at 9,
Yellow and Orange belts at 9:30 and Green through Purple at 10. There
will be a brown belt workout and test from 1-2:30 and also a BBC
seminar on the kata sandan from 2:30 - 4. Hope to see you there.

Lesson of the Week –
This week's lesson comes from Frederic Absher's book
entitled "Kojosho". If you would like your own copy of this work, you
can obtain more information at www.kojosho.com.

The Story Of The Stone

	 "Traditionally, the instructor gives every promising Kojosho
student an unusual gift. On some momentous day, an insignificant
stone is picked off the ground and formally presented to the eager
student.
	 Nothing has intrinsic value. The worth of any object is
determined not by its essential nature, but by the price a person is
willing to pay. A diamond can have utilitarian value as a cutting
tool and an aesthetic value as a gemstone, but its value is measured
by the price it commands in the marketplace.
	 An object is given worth by the person who possesses it
because that person lends value to the object. Technical expertise in
karate cannot be bought with money. Its price is years of effort,
countless attempts, innumerable failures, and finally some measure of
success. The value the student places on his or her training is
readily apparent to all, and the superior student cherishes all
martial arts, all instructors, and thereby enriches him or herself.
	 The warrior who owns a priceless sword does not place it in
the hands of a child. Ignorant of its worth, the child will not value
the treasure or treat it with responsibility or respect. To a child,
a sword is just another toy, and in play, without care, that child
will drag the most priceless sword through the mud.
	 To most people, Kojosho training is as worthless as any stone
on the ground, unknown and unimportant. It is the responsibility of
the instructor to show his students the respect he has for his art
and to teach them to treat it with reverence. The most insignificant
stone, when presented by an instructor, gains in value when guarded
and cherished. The student who makes the commitment lends to Kojosho
the value of personal devotion."

I hope these words help you reflect on what the value of your
training is to you. There are many teachers out there that are living
treasures, who have dedicated their entire lives in giving this
priceless gift to others. Most people wait until it is too late, and
then realize what a true gift they had in their hands.
 	 How do you acknowledge this respect? How do you show the
value of this priceless gift? Well, it is not by what you say. It is
what you do. Actions are the only thing that truly shows how you feel
about something. Each of our actions, in and out of the dojo,
displays our inner feelings as to the value of our school, our art
and our teacher. Ah, now here is the real question, "Are your current
actions, congruent with your beliefs of what the value is of the
martial arts in your life?"  If not, what changes are we going to
implement next week?

Respectfully,
Terry Bryan

Dear Students, Teachers and Parents,

I hope everyone is having a great 3-day weekend. I am getting ready
to head out to the Chinese New Years celebration and help Gu Ping
with his demo but wanted to get the lesson of the week to you and
remind everyone that the school is closed Monday for the holiday. We
are also having a tonfa seminar next weekend if anyone is interested.
Please let Mary know right away if you are planning on coming so we
know we will have enough tonfa on hand.

Lesson of the Week

The Fearless Warrior

One of the attributes we relate to the tiger is courage. To
understand how and why a martial artist develops courage, a brief
overview of fear needs to be discussed.

Fear is probably the greatest threat to human potential and
performance. Fear robs us of our happiness and fear causes us to
settle for far less than we are capable of. Fear is the cause of most
negative emotions, our unhappiness and most problems in
relationships. If fear is such a damaging problem, where does fear
come from?

Children are basically born with only two fears – the fear of loud
noises and the fear of falling. All other fears are taught to the
child by their parents, probably by the age of 6 years of age. Some
fears that turn into an awareness of danger are a good thing, like
learning to look before stepping out into traffic. What we are
talking about here is negative fears that impact human potential,
often not based on reality. While a child is born fearless and
uninhibited, it is the parents through creating a perception of a
withdrawal of love, verbal commands or physical punishment that is
the root of all fears in our adult lives. All inhibitive or
compulsive behaviors that are based on the fear of failure or the
desire to please others are learned habit patterns. The good news is
that if it is learned, then it can be unlearned.

The way we combat these fears, is through the development of high
self-esteem and self-confidence. Basically, the more that we like
ourselves, the less fear we have of the world and those around us.
Our method of teaching in the classroom is designed on an all-
positive reinforcement teaching style, designed to reward each small
step in the overall growth process. Each time a student earns a
stripe or a new belt, he or she is one step closer to achieve the
black belt excellence goal of "No Fear".

An assignment for each of us would be to write down the following
statement and answer it in as many ways as possible. This exercise
will help you set goals and truly see how fear has impacted your life.

" If I were totally unafraid of anything or anyone, what I would do
differently in my life would be…."

Good luck with your homework.

Respectfully,
Terry Bryan

Dear Students, Teachers and Parents,

For those of you coming to the main dojo this week, please drive
careful as the City of Colorado Springs is laying a pipe line through
our property and they will have the pavement dug up on the east side
of the building. This trench may be 6-8 feet deep and we don't want
any of our kids falling in, or their parents trying to park below
ground.

Next Saturday we are having Paintball wars between the schools and
clubs. If you are interested in playing, please see Sensei Scott
Richardson. We are also performing for the Chinese New Years
celebration on Sunday at the City Auditorium. Master Gu Ping and a
few of our students will be demonstrating Tai Chi and Kung Fu.
Tickets are available at the main school if you want to attend and
support this event. Please see Mary if you are interested.

Lesson of the Week


Attitude Determines Success


Most martial arts instructors recognize that when a student trains in
a classical martial art many positive benefits are experienced
including improved grades, higher self-esteem, an increase in self-
confidence and a more positive attitude on life in general. Up until
now, many people have not understood how this occurs; only that it
does.

A lot of study has gone into sport psychology in the last few years
in an effort to determine how obtain peak performance from our
athletes. The great thing about the knowledge acquired from these
studies, is that it can have a tremendous impact on each of our lives
as we try and become more successful in our personal goals. What is
truly remarkable is that every time they come up with a new idea, it
can be linked to what has been taught in the martial arts for over
1000 years.

One modern way of looking at human performance is outlined in the
following formula:
IA + AA x A = IHP
IA stands for inborn attributes and AA stands for acquired
attributes, while A stands for attitude and IHP stands for individual
human performance. From this formula we can see that while inborn
attributes and acquired attributes are important, it is the attitude
of the person that has the most overall impact. This means that an
average person with average abilities can be very successful if they
possess the right attitude.

Attitude is sometimes defined as how one reacts when things go wrong
or how one reacts to adversity. While the person with a negative
attitude always sees the bad in a situation and the final outcome as
being negative, the person with high self-esteem and perceived
abilities has a positive outlook on the situation and the final
outcome.

In the martial arts, strategy and tactics of how to overcome
adversity is a daily activity. Within a short time, losing or
experiencing defeat is no longer tolerated in the students mind, only
which technique is best suited to respond to a specific attack.
Constant repetition of successful defenses against a variety of
situations creates the belief of being able to handle adversity. This
belief increases self-confidence, which in turn, actually increases
the ability to respond to adversity. When faced with a crisis, the
warrior sees many options from which to respond with confidence,
while the civilian many times freezes, focusing instead on the
negative situation at the time.

I once heard that having a college degree doesn't mean that you know
everything, only that you now know where to find the answers. I think
the same can be said about black belt excellence. Earning a black
belt may not mean that you can defeat all opponents all the time,
only that you understand the proper attitude necessary for victory in
any particular situation.

Respectfully,

Terry Bryan

Dear Students, Teachers, Parents and Friends,

We just finished a very busy weekend with seminars, black belt pre-
testing and a tournament. I think all the students that attended
Sensei High's kata and sword seminar had a great time. The testing on
Saturday was awesome with many students being promoted and some were
invited to test for black belt in May. Our team did a great job at
the tournament and brought back a bunch of medals. There are a couple
of them they may be sore tomorrow, but they all did great.

Lesson of the Week


The Enemy is Never Wrong

The warrior's wisdom is based on the premise that no matter what the
enemy does, it is never wrong. Whether the attack is a verbal
assault, or a knife attack to the ribs, or even negative thoughts and
actions, it makes no difference – it just is. The civilian meets
resistance with anger and gets upset. He curses his opponent and
whines about unreasonable behavior. The warrior, on the other hand,
accepts whatever attack comes his way and responds with grace and a
presence. A warrior's job is not to understand or judge an attacker's
behavior, but to respond with creativity and a quality response. In
the real world, problems present themselves to you not for you to
judge them, but for you to find a solution. Engage the enemy as you
find him, not as you wish him to be.
In reality, your most powerful enemy is yourself. We all know what we
need to do in life, yet we are constantly surrounded by negative
people, thoughts or actions. All successful people do not see
problems at all, but instead, opportunities for growth. When
presented an obstacle, they immediately think to themselves, " This
is good" and then develop the rational of what is to be learned from
this experience. What ever you spend time thinking about and believe
to be true, will more than likely become a reality. By thinking and
planning on those things he/she wants, the successful person spends a
great deal of time thinking about their goals and what they want, and
not what they don't want. This strategy will enable the average
person to achieve more in a short time, than many people can
accomplish in a lifetime. As the saying goes, "If you believe you
can, or believe you can't – your right."

Respectfully,
Terry Bryan

Students, Teachers, Friends and Parents,

The first Saturday of every month is belt testing, so no regular
classes will be held for our Kempo program. One month will be testing
for the main school and the next month will be testing for the clubs.
Saturday February 2nd will be club testing.

Sensei Barrowclough is continuing the Plum Blossom Saber training on
Sunday evenings at 6 pm. Those that are interested please talk to her
or Mary.

Howard High is coming here from Kansas City to do a seminar for us
next weekend. Friday night from 6-8 he will be teaching two WKF
forms – Sepai and Jion. This seminar is open to brown and black belts
only. On Saturday from 3 – 5 he will teach a class on the samurai
sword. This is open to anyone and the cost is $30 to help cover his
expenses.

On Saturday February 2nd from 1 – 2:30, we will be having black belt
pre-testing. This is open to all brown belts and mandatory for anyone
wishing to test this May.

On Sunday Feruary 3rd some of us will be going to Gary Tsutsui's
tournament in Denver. Good luck to all our competitors.

If you are interested in our ski trip coming up February 9th please
talk to Mary.

We will also be doing a demo at the City Auditorium for the Chinese
Culture Center as they celebrate the Chinese New Year. This will be
on February 17th and we have tickets on sale at the main dojo.

Sensei Richardson is teaching a Tonfa seminar on the 23rd of
February. See Mary for details.


Lesson of the Week

The Wisdom of the Crane

"The crane's beak is long and pointed, a stabbing weapon useful for
self-defense. She is calm and poised, balanced and disciplined. When
attacked, she knows she cannot meet force with force. She therefore
controls the fight by yielding, until an opening appears, then
counters immediately." - Fred Absher – Kojosho Kempo

Calm, balanced and disciplined – what better attributes could you
want in a fighter? The crane is a master of angles. She has learned
to wait till the last second and then by making a slight movement or
shifting of the body, the stronger and more aggressive attacker
simply throws himself off balance. A tremendous amount of mental
practice is necessary to remain calm as a serious attack is
approaching, and yet not physically reacting too soon is the key to
success. There is a saying that an attack of 1000 pounds can be
redirected by an ounce of energy, if you use proper angles and
timing.  Learning to redirect a superior force with minimum energy,
as well as optimizing effectiveness of its strikes based upon proper
angles and points of attack is the key strategy of the crane
stylists. She knows that the best defense is "Don't be there", and
has developed that strategy into a fine science. The crane has the
ability to stand on one leg for hours at a time while she stays
motionless and totally aware of her surroundings.

As we try and figure how this attribute of balance applies to a
person, we first learn that in order to be in balance, one needs to
know where the center is. Physically, the center of balance is
located two inches below the belly button. Most classical martial
arts spend a great amount of time working on kuzushi, or breaking
your opponents balance.

Each of us must learn to create balance in all areas of our lives and
not focus too much on any one area. Balance between work and rest,
family and business, as well as the correct amount of time spent on
mental, spiritual and physical training is absolutely necessary to
maintain balance.

Mentally, the center is based on your true values. Once a person has
identified what he/she feels is most important in life, then it
becomes imperative to make sure that these values are up held in
every part of their life. Understanding our major definite purpose in
life and working towards that goal while staying true to our values
is what balance is all about. Only then will balance be achieved and
the true essence of the crane understood.

Respectfully,
Terry Bryan

Dear Students, Teachers and Parents,

Hope everyone is having a great long weekend. We have been working on
the dojo, so prepare yourself to be surprised at the new look when
you walk in. I hope you like it.

I want to take this opportunity to welcome back Jason Craig to our
staff as program director. Many of our long time students will
remember him from when he worked with us before. We also have brought
on board Julianne Wish to help with the programs as well. Their
mission is to help direct students into the best programs for their
needs. If you have not picked up some of our VIP guest passes to hand
out to your friends, please do so and have them call the school to
set up their first lesson.

Mary Britton will continue working on keeping me on track, (a
difficult job indeed) and will also have the additional duties of all
special events which include our clubs, belt testing, seminars,
private lessons and merchandise sales.

As always if we can do anything to enhance your training at our
academy, please do not hesitate to ask.

Lesson of the Week



The Tiger and Courage



"The tiger's fangs are long and his claws are sharp. He is
unrelenting and stern, courageous and cunning – the ruler of earth.
To become like the tiger you must let your spirit merge with the
spirit of an animal that knows no fear and can attack without
hesitation."

These are the words of Fred Absher and are the foundation for my
understanding the posture of the tiger. One must understand that the
tiger is a style of resolving conflict and a series of tactics, but
more importantly it is an attitude.

The tiger knows that most real encounters are finished at close range
and right away. He views long range tactics like kicking and punching
that you see in tournaments, as entertaining to watch but having
little value in real combat. Either you close quickly, and go for the
juggler or break the neck - or you simply don't waste your time.

There is the tale of two tigers, where it is explained that two
tigers in the wild never fight. The reason, it is explained, is
because they know that one will die and one will be maimed for life
in any such encounter. The tiger stylist has the same attitude. He
knows, that should he have to defend himself or his loved ones, he
will do so with extreme prejudice and without hesitation. Simply
knowing this and showing no fear is usually enough to deter most
aggressors. Having nothing to prove, he walks among us without fear,
and that overwhelming and confident attitude projects this intent
that is immediately felt when he walks into a room. Instead of others
feeling threatened when he walks in the room because of his
tremendous abilities, they actually feel safer and more comfortable
when he is around.

Most martial artists understand what physical courage is, to make the
body do what it fears to do. Slowly we learn to overcome our fears
through this simple process of doing what we fear to do. Many times
it is the moral courage that is needed the most in the modern
society. Moral courage is the ability not to abandon a position or
belief you hold when it may not be popular. Moral courage may be
standing up to bigotry, racism, and unfairness or bullying behavior.
Moral courage is the challenge of standing up for what is right
without fear of personal consequences. It takes courage to do the
right thing especially when everyone else is going as different
direction.


Respectfully,

Terry Bryan, Kyoshi

Dear Students, Teachers and Parents,

Congratulations to all those that tested and earned a new belt rank
this weekend. Everyone looked great.

Remember that we are having a sai seminar next Saturday at 1:00.
Please let us know if you are planning on attending.

The Friendship tournament is going to be held in Denver on Sunday the
3rd of February. To get a registration form, please talk to your
Sensei.

We are also going to host a seminar taught by Howard High on the 2nd
of February from 3:00-5:00 pm on Kenjitsu or the art of the Samurai
swords man. Seminar fee will be $30 and limited space is available.
Please call Mary to register.

Lesson of the Week

Understanding the Postures

I have learned that the true essence of Okinawan karate is in
understanding the Kamaii, or the fighting postures of the kata. In
fact, I have come to believe this is true of all classical martial
arts and life itself. Learning to read postures, understand their
intent and being proactive in their use is the mark of a true warrior.

In western thinking, we believe that when a person has self-
confidence, his posture changes and he projects that confidence in
the way he sits, stands and walks. In Eastern thought, if a person
improves his posture in sitting, standing and walking, his self-
confidence improves. Whatever your school of thought, there is a
direct correlation between posture and self-confidence. Seasoned
opponents recognize this and many time will avoid a conflict with a
person that exerts a confident posture.

To understand postures is to understand the truth. The warrior is in
constant pursuit of the truth, not as things seem to be. He
understands the ways of deception and how a cleaver opponent uses
them. Hiding the real and concealing the truth is a cleaver tactic.
In the animal word, they show false strength by posturing. Humans
show false strength with exaggerated postures and overblown words.

Showing false strength is a bluff, and works at times in the natural
world – like a blowfish or a bear standing up on two legs. In the
word of man however, this tactic can have some significant
weaknesses. First, it is relying on the opponent's sense of
rationality.  This is a gamble, and may actually trigger the attack
you are trying to prevent.

Showing false weakness, on the other hand, is a more effective
tactic. Lao Tzu said, " Pretend inferiority and encourage his
arrogance." This is the demeanor of the Chinese master that appears
to be old and slow, but in reality is agile and powerful. This tactic
can be used to pull an opponent in. Birds do this by pretending to
have a broken wing, to pull intruders away from their nests. If you
intentionally show a weakness, you have a high probability of knowing
what your opponent is going to do, which gives you a tremendous
advantage.

It is said that the stalk of rice with the most fruit bows the
lowest. The warrior that has the most confidence in his abilities to
fight, is usually the most humble person you will ever meet.
Successful people set high goals but take their accomplishments with
a grain of salt and give credit to others.

Respectfully,
Terry Bryan, Kyoshi

Dear Students, Parents and Teachers,

I hope everyone had a great holiday break and are ready to get busy
as we begin a new year. We have done a lot of planning this year to
hopefully provide additional activities and seminars based on what
our students have asked for. We have added some other classes for our
black belt club students, including a weapons class on Thursdays and
a Jujitsu class on Fridays.

The sword seminar taught by Sensei Barrowclough will start tonight at
6:00 and will continue every Sunday evening for the next two months.

Belt test for the main school students is next Saturday. 9 am for
white belts, 9:30 for yellow and orange belts and 10:00 for green,
blue and purple belts. Brown belt workout will be at 1:00 (not 12:30
like I posted last week). I will also be teaching the pinan nidan
seminar from 2:30 – 4:00 next Saturday. This will get into the bunkai
or application of the form, fighting strategies, how to develop body
power, etc.

On the 19th, Sensei Richardson will be teaching a Sai seminar from 1 –
  3pm.

This is the time of year when many people decide to try and study the
martial arts. Not only do we need additional members into our Kempo
classes, but we are also trying to help Gu Ping build his Shaolin
Kung Fu and Tai Chi programs. We are blessed to have an authentic
Chinese master here with us and are actively trying to get his visa
so he can stay in this country and bring over his wife and child. We
may not be able to save the world, but with your help, we can provide
the opportunity for one family to experience the American dream and
at the same time provide a needed resource in this community.

On a final note, we are pleased to announce that we now have a
Shotokan karate club training at the school. They will be having
classes on Tuesday and Wednesday evenings and on Saturdays at noon.
When you meet them, please introduce yourself and welcome them to our
facility.

Lesson of the Week

BUDO – The Way of Stopping Conflict

Many people translate Budo as "the way of war", but "to stop
conflict" is probably a better definition. From a soldiers point of
view it may be easier to see, but how does the modern martial artist
use this principle in the everyday life?

The modern warrior seeks peace and is a master of resolving conflict.
He strives for peace while at the same time not allowing himself to
become a victim. He has learned the ways of the world by observing
nature, and adopting the successful strategies and principles of
others. Knowing that he can't do any good for his family or his
community if abused, victimized or dead; he defends his place in the
universe. There are several ways of defending against threats, and
the first is simply don't be there. This is the art of awareness, the
art of avoiding dangerous situations and always taking positions of
relative safety. When you find yourself in a crisis situation, then
avoidance is a solution. Using the way of the crane, he uses angling
and stepping off the line of attack as a common tactic. This strategy
demands the psychological attribute or ability to give up or yield a
position, as well as the physical traits of balance and agility. The
modern warrior also uses the tactics of the leopard, yielding to
aggression until the time is right for a defense. The civilian on the
other hand, stands strong and hardens his position, many time
suffering the same fate as the mighty oak tree during a wind storm
.
The warrior looks for the win-win situation in every encounter while
the civilian sees this tactic as weak and ineffective. A key
principle in looking for the win-win, is to truly know yourself and
your opponent. Many times what the civilian sees as the attack, is
only a posture and the true intent and attack is hidden. The warrior
has the ability to see things as they really are, and therefore is
guaranteed success before the action begins.

In combat, attacks are usually fairly obvious, but in general, most
attacks to our well being are subtle and almost undetected.
Sometimes, simply hanging around people with negative attitudes can
be a tremendous threat. Many negative comments, that do indeed
threaten your success in life, need to be neutralized with positive
thinking, clearly defined goals, and proactive action based
strategies. This is why you may see students doing push ups in the
dojo for using "the four-letter word can't!"

Having a positive attitude, setting goals and being proactive won't
allow you to do everything, but it will allow you to do everything
better than negative thinking and tactics will.

Respectfully,

Terry Bryan, Kyoshi

Dear Students, Parents and Teachers,

Hope everyone is having a great holiday. We will be open for classes
Tuesday evening for those that want to start the year off right.

Remember that the sword seminar taught by Sensei Barrowclough will
begin Sunday the 6th of January at 6 pm. She will be teaching Plum
Blossom Saber every Sunday for the entire month.

Sensei Richardson will also be teaching a Sai seminar on the 19th at
12:30 for those that are interested in this classical Okinawan
weapon.

I am also planning on teaching a monthly seminar on a specific kata
for the lower belts. These seminars will be geared for green belts
and above and will concentrate on teaching the meaning and purpose
behind the movements in the katas. We use the Pinan kata in our
beginning and novice programs, (affectionately known as Itosu's
Greatest Hits), and many people think that since they were developed
to teach kids in school, that they are kids karate. These kata
clinics will be designed to educate our students to the fact that the
Pinan kata are "real" karate indeed. As a general rule, these clinics
are open to teenager and adult black club members that have earned
the rank of at least green belt. Other students need to get
permission from their Sensei to attend. First seminar will be January
the 12th from 2:30 – 4:00 on the kata Pinan Nidan.

Belt test for the main school students will be held at the main
school on the 12th of January. Schedule will be white belts at 9:00,
Yellow and Orange belts will test at 9:30, and green, blue and purple
belts will test at 10:00. Purple belts testing to brown should test
at 10:00 also and then come back for the brown belt testing and
workout/ seminar at 12:30. Brown belts will workout from 12:30 to
2:00. The seminar will be Kyan's classical "Seisan" and Yokosuku
kumite. From 2:30 – 4:00 we will be having the seminar on the kata
Pinan Nidan for our beginning and novice students.

As we approach the time of the year when people look into doing
something healthy with their lives, I would appreciate your telling
your friends about the martial arts and encouraging them to come in
and give it a try. We have VIP guest passes at the dojo because we
know the best advertising around is the word of mouth of our
students. Not only do we want our karate program to grow so that we
can help more people, but we have also agreed to help Gu Ping
establish a viable kung fu and tai chi program here at our school as
well. Your help would greatly be appreciated.

Lesson of the Week

Do "It" Now

This time of year encourages many of us to plan and set goals for the
coming year. High achievers accomplish their goals by planning far in
advance, but more importantly through their day-to-day activities.
The goal of becoming a black belt begins in the mind, but is
accomplished by daily sweat and training.

Through out the ages, we have watched the winners in combat and
adopted their attitudes and behaviors because we have seen the
ramifications of using the strategy and tactics of their loosing
adversaries. A warrior understands that it is easy to know how to
become successful in battle or even life. Simply watch what
successful people do and duplicate their actions.

All successful people have a unique ability to see the future through
a keen vision. They create their future one step at a time. The
actions they take in the now, are not highly evolved tactics, but
usually very basic things linked to universal truths. To understand
yourself and the world around you, you must learn to incorporate
these universal truths into your everyday life. This tactic begins
with truly paying attention to what you should be doing right here
and right now.

Have you ever noticed at a martial arts seminar, that the beginners
are working on the basics – how to stand, step, and how to deliver a
powerful technique while staying in balance. The more advanced
students are working on fancy moves, advanced techniques and
sophisticated tactics. But over in the corner, you will see the
senior instructors working on…. the basics - how to stand, step, and
how to deliver a powerful technique while staying in balance.

Standing, sitting, walking and lying down are the 4 virtues according
to Chinese thought. The civilian thinks these things easy but the
warrior knows different. Of course the warrior seeks excellence, but
achieves it through concentration of the basic things. He learns to
do the basic things very well and goes back to them often.

  Nietzche once said, " The higher we soar, the smaller we appear to
those who cannot fly."  The warrior does not worry about how small he
may look in someone else's eye. He is too busy right now, identifying
and working on the basics.

Happy New Year Everyone,

Terry Bryan

Dear Students, Teachers and Parents,

I know many of you are well on your way to visit friends and family
and I want to wish you a safe and happy holiday. We will be closed
all next week, and reopen for business on the 1st of January 2002.
Please be careful out there, because there are always those that tend
to over do it during these times and their actions can be dangerous
to those around them.  Please don't drink and drive.

As we approach the New Year, I hope each of you will consider what is
important in your life and as you set new goals for the upcoming
year, make sure all the important areas are covered. Hopefully this
weeks message will help you set aside some times for mental and
physical training every week

Lesson of the Week

The Way is in the Training

The warrior understands what is measured improves. He also recognizes
that in order to reach his true potential, he must practice his arts
and tactics as often as possible. When walking, standing or sitting
he is constantly training his mind, body and spirit. He is constantly
reading or listening to that which will make him a better person.
When traveling you will see that good books or tapes are a vital part
of his travel kit.

What you don't use goes away – use it or loose it the saying goes.
Well the mind doesn't necessarily go, but it fades pretty fast. The
goal is to work smarter not harder and this is accomplished by being
creative. Creativity is a product of self-esteem and knowing that you
have many options to choose from. Having lots of options gives one
the sense of control and increases self-esteem.

We use kihon renshu, or basic karate exercises to develop the body
for karate techniques, but what techniques do we use to train the
mind. Wu Wei is the first concept one needs to understand in training
the mind, which translates as no unnecessary action. While in the
physical world, more power and energy usually means better results,
in the mind less is more. We learn to trust our instincts after they
are developed and understand that the mind works best with faith and
relaxation. Through practice, the warrior learns to use the power of
his mind to redirect hostile intention and to bring positive things
into his life. A true warrior is always prepared to use his most
powerful weapon – the mind.

Respectfully,
Terry Bryan

Dear Students, Parents and Teachers,

Just a quick reminder, that we will be closed at the main school from
December 22nd through December 31st. We will reopen on New Years day
so that everyone can start the year off right with a workout.

I know many of you are heading out of town to see loved ones this
week and I just want to wish you a safe and enjoyable holiday.

Lesson Of The Week

Kaizen – The Path of Constant and Never Ending Improvement

The civilian lives in a world that edifies mediocrity. He spends his
time playing computer games and when he looses, he just hits replay
to try again. He watches TV where the person dies and next week guess
what, he is back on the screen again. Instead of taking personal
responsibility, he looks to blame others, society or the government
for his problems.

The warrior, on the other hand, understands the concept of one
encounter one chance. He knows that in a life and death encounter
there is no second place. He never takes these things lightly, and
would never engage in a situation where he is not assured victory. He
believes in the saying, "If it is to be, it is up to me."

He constantly strives to increase his abilities and his understanding
of the obstacles around him. He believes there is truth to the
statement that you are either getting better or your getting worse
all the time, and therefore works everyday to improve mentally,
physically and spiritually. This concept is not trying to be better
than someone else, only that you are improving a little everyday.

  Kaizen is the Japanese word for constant and never ending
improvement. In our quest for black belt excellence, there is no time
off. This is a 24/7 endeavor. If you witness senior students and
instructors they are always working on improving their mind, body and
spirit. Winners feel they are destined for success and are constantly
trying to grow and prepare for that goal. Successful people
constantly read and listen to positive and inspirational books and
tapes. They know that by reading 30 minutes everyday, within a few
years they will be in the top 10% of their chosen field. In the dojo,
they give it all they have every class, forging their spirit and
attitude.

The Chinese say that a journey of 1000 miles begins with one step.
Kaizen is all about making that step towards improvement, everyday –
in every way.

Respectfully,
Terry Bryan

Dear Students, Teachers and Parents,

Just a quick reminder that we will be closed from December 22nd
through the 30th. I hope everyone has a great Christmas break.

We will also be having a weapons seminar on next Saturday the 15th on
the Bo form Sushi No Kun. If you are interested in training, please
talk to your Sensei.

Message of the Week
The Hawk and the Art of Scanning

The early Chinese martial artists tried to understand the world
around them through a process called Shamanism. They watched nature
and used what they saw as a base for creating concepts of the world
as it really is. In Kojosho, we have 18 postures that are used to
help create an understanding as to the ways of the world and the
martial arts. These 18 postures are made up of 9 animals and 9
elements, each with their own specific virtues and key principles.
Each modern Kojosho student concentrates on these concepts and uses
them to help understand the key principles of success – in combat and
life in general.
This week we will talk about some of the attributes of the Hawk. The
hawk defends by staying outside of her opponents range, circling,
probing for weaknesses. When she attacks, she darts in like a
thunderbolt. She is vicious, ripping and tearing with her talon and
beak, and then quickly retreats before her enemy can retaliate. These
physical attributes are easy to see, but what about the hidden
success qualities the hawk possess.
One of the key principles is that the hawk is a master at scanning as
a method of awareness. By moving her attention smoothly and
continuously, she builds a comprehensive image of the current
situation as it develops. There are two major errors in the scanning
process that the hawk has learned to overcome – fixation and
omission.
Fixation and omission are universal errors in human attention.
Fixation is deadly in combat. It is imperative that the mind be alert
in combat in the now, not detained or focused elsewhere. When we
become fixated on a given situation, we are open to other attacks
which could be equally or more dangerous. The hawk sees everything,
as it truly is, not giving it more importance than is necessary to
handle the situation.
Omission is equally dangerous, because if you deny the existence of a
threat, then you may miss the danger and get hurt. Each detail is
paid attention to with an understanding of how that detail is linked
to our own specific needs and goals. The hawk knows that she does not
have the ability to go toe-to-toe with the larger or stronger
opponent, so she has become a master of seeing what cannot be seen.
Only by seeing everything, can a true warrior make the right decision
in the moment of choice. This is the way of the hawk.

Till Next Week,
Terry Bryan, Kyoshi

Dear Students, Teachers and Parents,

The Pikes Peak Championships went well with ABBA dominating the
competition. Congratulations to all those that competed and a special
thanks to all those that helped make this a safe and fun event.

Remember to let us know right away if you need some martial arts
merchandise while we still have time to get it in before Christmas.
If you need anything, please let Mary know.

There will be a brown belt work out this Saturday at 10:30. We will
spend an hour going over the brown requirements to black belt. If you
are planning on testing in May 2002 you should be there.

We are starting our weapons seminars and classes once again for those
interested. If you are interested in learning a special weapon,
please let your Sensei know.

We will be closed December 23rd through December 29th for Christmas
break.

Lesson of the Week

"Law of Personal Responsibility" or "Who's in Charge Here Anyway"

Because the warrior deals with life and death situations, he
understands the concept of one encounter – one chance. He understands
that not knowing the difference between real or false, or allowing
his self to unconsciously be weakened by negative ideas, thoughts or
actions, or even weak training habits; can be the difference between
life and death.  A true warrior understands that life or death is
totally his responsibility, we can never rely on maybe someone will
show up to help. The training we do every day – mental, physical and
spiritual will be the foundation to success on the battlefield and in
life.

Personal responsibility is not an option it is 100% mandatory. Where
you will be tomorrow is directly dependent on what you do today.
Successful people take a high degree of responsibility over their
lives and there is a direct correlation to a feeling of self-control
and high self-esteem. Success has been identified as having the
greatest number of great experiences over the longest period of time.
Responsible people are proactive in making those experiences happen.
Make it a point today to take responsibility for your own life and
get away from blaming others for anything.

Till next week,
Terry Bryan, Kyoshi