Black History Month
February is Black History Month in our country, and at Family Karate.
This quarter we are focusing on Taekwondo's first tenet, Courtesy, and our life model is Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
There are many important leaders who have been inspired by Dr. King, including Nelson Mandela and Barack Obama.
Dr. King was in turn inspired by leaders like Frederick Douglass and Ida B. Wells.
In class we will learn about the first black woman in space, the athlete who defied Hitler, and many others.
Try a Fun, Complimentary Class
by emailing us here
Or enjoy a few sessions with us from Activity Hero this month
Karate Escondido - Self Protection, Fitness & Life Skills
We are Recommended by Principals, Praised by Teachers, & Partnered with our Community
Introductory Classes, Black History Month & Community Service
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This grandson of a slave did more to change race relations in this country than did any of our elected leaders. His drive for justice, peace and equality brought him the undying love and gratitude of millions, and the Nobel Peace Prize in 1964. It also brought him an assassin’s bullet.
Dr. King won many hard-earned victories in his lifetime, and his war for justice lives after him. How did he succeed against the violent forces of prejudice, hate, and even Federal law? He overcame them by applying the principles of martial arts. He may never have studied in a dojang, but he certainly learned and lived the tenets of Tae Kwon Do.
COURTESY. Dr. King believed in nonviolent methods to achieve his goals of freedom and equality for his people. He never swayed from his belief even though he was beaten, jailed, hounded, and persecuted. He turned his opponents’ force against them, until it overwhelmed them and they submitted.
INTEGRITY. Dr. King was willing to pay the ultimate price for his beliefs, his mission and his people. On their side, his opponents had tradition, law, and might: Dr. King had right.
PERSEVERANCE. Dr. King persevered through incredible hardships and heartache. His life’s work lasts far beyond his death. His opponents miscalculated his strength and fortitude.
SELF-CONTROL. Dr. King was enraged by injustice and infuriated by prejudice, yet he always presented a message of peace and brotherhood, never violence and hatred. Tolstoy said “the greatest warriors are Patience and Time”. While Dr. King did not have enough time with us, time is truly bringing about his goals for us.
INDOMITABLE SPIRIT. Dr. King was acclaimed worldwide as a Nobel Peace Prize winner, yet he was treated as a second-class citizen in his own country. Dr. King was named Time Magazine’s “Man of the Year”, yet he was jailed like a common criminal. Never did his opponents break Dr. King’s spirit, and never will they end his fight.
GRATITUDE. Dr. King was thankful to live in a country that promised freedom of speech, peaceful assembly, and justice for all. Dr. King’s Senseis were Jesus, Gandhi and Thoreau, and he showed his gratitude by following their examples. Dr. King in turn inspired Nelson Mandela, Barack Obama, Kamala Harris, and countless others.
Dr. King was a peacemaker who mastered the principles of martial arts - courtesy, integrity, perseverance, self control, and indomitable spirit, and gratitude - to become a victorious Warrior for Peace.
At Family Karate we celebrate the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. by recognizing our students for being warriors committed to "building a more just and peaceful world".
Our latest Spirit of Dr. King Award winner is Jason Mendez
"I attend a Middle School where bullying and fighting takes place every day. Very few students have respect for teachers. I do my part to prevent and stop fights.
One day I came out the locker room straight into the perfect fight setting - two Sixth Graders squared off, no teachers around, and tons of witnesses gathered. They were sizing each other up, and the cuss words were flying. I came in at the last moment, but I was able to prevent a fight between two boys I didn't even know.
What's funny is that when I see these guys now they are good friends! If all people could learn to forgive and forget the world would be better, but for now we each need to care for each other."
Previous Spirit of Dr. King honorees:
Cavan Lynch
Sylvia Tran
We promise to teach your children the secrets to being a Black Belt in School by:
1. Building their Self Discipline and Personal Responsibility
2. Privately going over each Report Card they bring in
3. Publicly celebrating every School Award they earn
4. Asking their Teachers for recommendations before each belt promotion
5. Teaching them our Black Belt HWPO Principal - Hard Work Pays Off!
Teen Safety Training - Awareness, Skills & Safety for the most Vulnerable Years
For whom: Recommended for 11-15 year olds. (We also offer College Life & Workplace safety training for 16 & above, and Body-guarding your Family for parents)
How much: Free to our community. Donations to Champions for Children are welcomed.
What: Awareness, Skills, and Safety for:
- Digital Safety Cyberbullying. Digital safety. Online self-management.
- Emotional Safety Psychological bullying. Relationship abuse. Safe Adult.
- Physical Safety De-escalation skills. Abduction prevention. Predator protection.
RSVP by email or call (760) 746-0983
Break-a-thon for the Milaan Foundation
Thanks to each of you who joined us in supporting a wonderful foundation. You did a great job breaking your boards, and raised a lot of money to help educate and empower young women in India.
Mr. Singh wrote: It gives Shweta and me immense joy to congratulate each one of the participating families for becoming an active participant in our relentless pursuit to bring a sense of safety, provide globally relevant education, and a life-long sense of self-confidence to young girls in Rural India.
If you would like to learn more about this work, make a one-time donation, or add your monthly support please visit the Milaan Foundation.
HAPPY NEW YEAR!
Now is a great time to
- try new adventures
- grab more family time
- make new friends
Let us help you with free trial classes and - just in January - free uniforms with enrollment! Just e-mail or call (858) 480-9408 today.
Forget New Year's Resolutions: Make Commitments!
Want to feel better? Look better? Do better? We all do. And each year we make resolutions to get there. (Well, except for those of us who decide that our New Year's resolution will be to make a resolution next year!)
To do something difficult, we all need three things: a clear vision, a supportive team, and a public, unbreakable commitment.
Many adults join our classes simply for a new way to get in shape with a supportive team. They do, and then along the way they discover that they also love becoming safer and sharing this activity with their kids.
Other parents join just to have fun with their kids, and maybe learn to protect their families. Suddenly they find out they can do more, feel stronger, sleep better, and are setting a great example for their kids.
Some adults have frankly told us they needed this for their own self discipline, then discovered joy and freedom in holding themselves accountable for consistent, progressive training with their team-mates.
We are here to partner with you in making your commitments come true this year. Just e-mail or call (858) 480-9408 and get started today.
Instructor & Black Belt Promotions
Congratulations to our most recent World Martial Arts Ranking Association graduates!
At our Black Belt Graduation many Moms, Dads, and grand-parents kindly came to say how much our high expectations and guidance have meant to their kids and to their families.
These families were very grateful that their academic kids found this thing to make them stronger and safer, and that their athletic kids found this path to self discipline and wise choices.
We are very honored to partner with these hugely supportive parents to help make a big, long-term difference in our students' lives.
Break-a-thon Champions for Children
For over 30 years Champions for Children has provided community service programs for the physically challenged, at-risk children, college scholarships, and Say No to Drugs education. Thank you for changing so many children’s lives through your efforts and generosity. Hope you had fun breaking boards too!
Previous Project: Strong
Project Strong is a way to walk the Warrior Path by strengthening our Minds, our Bodies, and our World. Each goal is illuminated by a life-model.
Gratitude
Mind: Study hard, and be thankful we can learn every day of our lives
Body: Train hard, and be thankful that we can teach our bodies new, healthy habits
World: Look hard, and be thankful we can make a difference in our world
Our Life-model for Gratitude is Rosa Parks, a champion for freedom, justice, and peace. Ms. Parks showed gratitude to her country by helping it move towards living up to its founding values. She worked for civil rights her whole life, and passed away just four years before the inauguration of President Obama, for whom she certainly helped pave the way. Read more about this amazing woman here.
Respect
Mind: Respect others who are different from us
Body: Respect the gift of our bodies by using them for good
World: Respect the amazing space-ship we all call home
Our Life-model for Respectfulness is Mahatma Gandhi, a champion for freedom, justice, and peace.
Mind: He disciplined his words and actions to be respectful and peaceful to those who opposed him: the British who ruled India, the Japanese who invaded India, the Muslims who partitioned India, and his fellow Hindus who used violence in India and who ultimately assassinated him.
Body: He marched against oppression, and fasted against violence.
World: He respected our planet by being a vegetarian, by recycling, and by living simply and self-sufficiently.
Read more about Mahatma Gandhi's life and work here.
Pull-Ups for Feeding America
The aim of Project: STRONG is to help each of us become the strongest version of ourselves possible, both mentally and physically, and to use that strength to work together to make the world a better place.
Thank you for giving to Feeding America. You donated over 8,000 meals to hungry Americans! To learn more, or continue to help this organization please visit their website.
Podcast for Parents
I have a favorite new podcast for parents: Warrior Kid by "Jocko" Willink. If you are not familiar with Jocko, he is a decorated Navy SEAL team leader, Jiu Jitsu Black Belt and Instructor, author, business consultant, and podcaster. I do suggest listening entirely though each Warrior Kid podcast before allowing your children to hear it, but I promise you will get great parenting ideas and life lessons from each one.
Congratulations to Team U.S.A. for winning the 2019 Women's World Cup!
Did you know... one of our Escondido Karate Kids, Nikki Serlenga, played for the United States? She scored in her very first game, and won a Silver Medal at the Sydney Olympics!
Movie Recommendation
During her Spring Break from college, my daughter suggested we watch the Oscar-winning documentary Free Solo. I was very glad we did. This movie about free-climbing tells an amazing story, but is also a clear depiction of the Warrior Way. The climber Alex Honnold even articulates what the Way is: commitment, training, and perfection.
We are on solid ground with the first two, but the perfection may seem a mirage. Combat situations are so dynamic that we may survive a mistake, but for free-climbers a mistake means death and survival requires perfection. Alex's goal is to learn, mentally rehearse, and physically practice each move so deeply that he turns a free-climb into a low-risk, albeit high-consequence, flow.
Master Hawkins has often told us about the Japanese sword art that consists of draw, cut, re-sheath. Imagine facing a kenshi who had spent a life-time perfecting only this...
Our Black Belt Fitness Test Can Save Your Life!
The Fitness Test for our Black Belt Exam includes 40 push-ups for men. A recent Harvard study says: Active, middle-aged men able to complete more than 40 pushups had a significantly lower risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD) outcomes — including diagnoses of coronary artery disease and major events such as heart failure — during 10 years of follow-up compared with those who were able to do fewer than 10 pushups during the baseline exam.
So we're on the right path to self-protection in more than one way! You can read the complete article here.
Birthday Parties
Ever had your birthday cake cut with a Samurai sword? Boys and girls love how much fun our parties are, and parents love how easy they are! Please reserve your party 30 days in advance as we only have a few spots available each weekend. Thanks.
Thanksgiving Gifts. Thank you for the hundred of gifts you brought in for the Community Resource Center. Thank you also for teaching your children to be generous and caring with others. We appreciate that the CRC provides not only food and clothing, but also counseling, education, jobs, and many other steps towards self-sufficiency. You can volunteer or donate to the CRC any time here.
Brain Cancer Fund-raiser. Thanks to the generosity of our Black Belts, and most especially Master and Mrs. Johnson, we have raised thousands of dollars for the 2017 Over the Edge Brain Cancer event. We recently lost one of Karate Moms to brain cancer, and one of her close friends (who has a fear of heights!) is rappelling off the top of San Diego's tallest building on December 3. We'll post video!
The funds raised go to brain cancer research right here in San Diego, and you can still donate directly here. Thank you.
Red Cross Breakathon. Thanks to all of you for helping the Red Cross provide safe water, medical services, food and shelter to hurricane victims. Our Escondido Breakathon raised over $1,300, and our top fund-raiser was Taylor Hobson! Overall, Family Karate raised over $4,000 for the Red Cross in one week.
Parents Night Out - We give Moms and Dads a break with specially-themed Fun Nights! Please keep checking back here for our next fun event. Thanks.
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