2 – People will want to tell you about their 8 year old that “finished” martial arts last year cause he got his black belt and when will you get yours?

3 – Peer Pressure sucks. Being surrounded by a group of people that are or are working towards being athletic and perfecting a skill… They’ll try and drag you into it too. You might feel pressured to quit smoking, eat healthier, and other things you might not have wanted to do if left alone.

4 – You might start thinking about martial arts in other places. New strategies, visualizing techniques, and other intrusive thoughts.

5 – You might get hooked, anything they let you try for free is usually dangerously addictive. Next thing you know you’ll be reaching for mastery of the art and putting together your own strategies and building your internal technique library.

6 – It takes way too long to learn… Seriously, you’re looking at a lifetime, even then there will be stuff left. After a couple years you’ll have barely scratched the surface. Best take up something you can master quickly and be done with.

7 – You might start watching MMA competition for the techniques, not just hoping for a slug fest, blood and quick KO’s, things that might rob you of getting to see a solid technical and strategic bout. Worse… you might find yourself watching grappling matches as well where there are no strikes and it’s almost all on the ground.

8 – It is unpleasant. People will sweat on you, twist your arms, maybe even hit you eventually. You’ll get thrown on the floor and have to learn how to fall without hurting yourself. You are also going to sweat lots, and get other peoples sweat on you.

9 – You will get bruises for a while. Sure your body will get used to it and they’ll decrease in frequency greatly. But you’re gonna get some bruises every now and then. Minor injuries are a by-product of physical training. Pushing your body to make it stronger will occasionally cause a sprain or strain as well. And the worst part… you’ll stop being bothered by them and half the time not even know how they happened. Best avoid physical activity and avoid the short term problems, long term health is long term and not a immediate concern.

10 – It doesn’t matter what style you do, everyone that you know that doesn’t train will think you do karate and make Bruce Lee noises while doing backflips and spinning nunchuks. Or that you are doing “UFC” and training is just like a professional fight every class. Either way, someone will think you are crazy for doing something you don’t actually do.

Physical

Physical traits must be developed before potential can even be touched in the Martial Arts.  This means strength, explosiveness, balance, co-ordination, agility, reflexes and other physical traits.

The first step in becoming a skilled martial artist is to develop those traits to a level that ensures you can safely spar, be thrown and move against resistance while minimizing injury.  Safety is extremely important in training, and being physically fit and in good control of your own body is neccessary.  As the training advances, so does the level of fitness required to do it safely.

While anyone can begin training at any fitness level, proper training will ensure everyone ends up at a high level of fitness as they also gain skill.

Technical

The first real piece of training outside of physical attributes is to learn the basic movements and techniques of the art.  Similar to learning to skate, pass, shot and handle the puck in hockey, without the fundamental skills it is impossible to begin to “play” the game.

These motions need to learnt and repeated in isolation without resistance many times so that they become second nature and percise.

Awareness

Once the basic motions are learnt it is important to begin working isolation exercises to find the errors in those techniques so that they can be repaired and get used to recognising opportunities to use them.  It also allows you to learn the timing and control needed to make the techniques work against a live opponent.

You also learn to feel what your opponent is attempting, to retain balance and control as they attempt to disrupt it. To disrupt there balance and control the situation, and maintain posture under stress.

Strategic

Once you have a reasonable level of physical conditioning, a adequate collection of techniques and a good awareness of what is going on the real fun begins.
Strategy dictates everything, what techniques to learn, what drills to focus on, what physical skills to furhter develop.  Strategy is what turns the martial arts from a purely physical activity into a strategic and mental game.

In the end it is strategy and the ability to act on it that decides how successful a martial artist will be in progressing through the ranks.

“Heart”

The final piece is what is often called “heart” or determination.  This is the trait that seperates successful competitors from those that are highly skilled, but who’s competitive success falls short of their skill in the gym.

This is your ability to keep going under heavy stress and pressure.  Your ability to get hit, hurt, tired and remain a threat.  Non-competitors don’t need to develop this as far to enjoy training, and for many this aspect is not at all enjoyable.  But for those wanting to succeed in competition at higher levels, it is necessary.

Being in better shape makes you more productive, less stressed, able to get more done and better able to reach a state of relaxation. There is a reason so many workplaces offer incentives like gym memberships and on-site fitness equipment.

Those workplaces realize an important fact. Which is that investing money and resources in fitness and health pays them back many fold with increased productivity, decreased sick days and generally happier employees.

Being in better shape gives you more energy, which lets you get more done in less time. It decreases stress which leads to less time wasted and more time enjoyed. It decreases your chances of getting sick and improves the speed at which you heal.

The truth is making time to exercise will return that investment back to you. Time spent exercising is an investment, and one that is well backed by research to return well on that investment.

This is called “DOMS”, or “Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness.”  It’s also a breaking point for many who want to get back into shape.  All the good intentions in the world, undone by 2-3 days of soreness, then months later the good intentions resurface and the cycle repeats.

The real secret to beating this, is to keep going.  It’s a temporary issue, and once your body gets used to training again it will practically disappear.

In the mean time you can help reduce it.  What you want to do is increase circulation to the effected muscles.  This can be done with light stretching, heat packs, massage, hot baths or, perhaps counter-intuitively, more exercise.

In fact, exercise is probably the best way to remedy sore-muscles.  It gets the blood flowing which helps loosen things up, and the exercise itself increases your pain thresholds and tolerance.  You don’t want to overdue it on already damaged, but go for a light jog or do some light cardio work and you will feel better.

At the end of the day though just remember, if you want to get results you have to push yourself and your body past its current comfort zone.  The first few times you do that, it’s not going to like it.  But once you have weathered that early storm you are well on your way to getting those results.

You can think of it almost like withdrawal symptoms from not exercising.  They will peak early, and occasionally you’ll get the odd resurfacing.  But if you make it through them you’ll feel far better once they pass.

Unfortunately back-to-school means back-to-bullying for far more children than any of us like to admit.  Bullying is a very real problem but, fortunately there is a solution.

Bullies target those that are easiest to bully, and the easiest target is the child lacks confidence and is least likely to stand up for themselves.  Unfortunately this is a hard thing to do for most kids, or even adults for that matter.

So the key is confidence; a person that is confident is far less likely to be targeted by a bully.  A child that can verbally, and if necessary, physically stand up for themselves is going to be more trouble for a bully who is looking to boast their own confidence at the expense of others.

So how do you help your child become bully proof?

1. Praise everything.  Children hear far more negative statements then positive.  “Don’t do this”, “Don’t touch that”, “keep quiet”, etc. The general rule coaches learn is 3 positive statements for every negative one.  This is a good rule to carry out of the gym or off the field as well.  If your child is constantly being told they are good, and doing amazing they will become what they are told and gain the confidence of it.  To strengthen this effect, surround your child with other people and put them in activities where they will hear those same things from other sources.  The more different places they are hearing positive statements the stronger the effect.However the goal is not to simply praise for the sake of praising, it needs to be specific towards what you are trying to encourage.  Praise effort, attentiveness, focus and other traits you want to develop.
2. Teach them “Verbal Judo”.   Must bullying can be stopped through words, saying the right thing at the right time.  Calling the bully on his statements and actions, making them hold responsibility for their actions.  Simply having the confidence to ask the bully to stop, or asking them why they are doing what they are doing.Speaking confidently and saying the right thing can make all the difference, both with bullies and in life.
3. Teach them to help others.   Little things add up, and realizing that they have the ability to help others is a big part of being a confident person.  Teach them to open doors, help with the yard work, and volunteer in the community with you.  Lead by example and remember to thank them for what they do, even if it is small.Another great way to do this is have them working with younger kids in some regard.  The act of “teaching” others not only improves their knowledge of what they are teaching, but also builds their confidence in themselves.
4. Give them the physical skills.  With bullies the ultimate threat is being beat up.  Bullies use the threat of violence as a way to keep power over others.  If that threat doesn’t frighten your child because they understand how to defend themselves. If they know, without question, through direct and repeated experience, that they are capable of protecting themselves. That they can control a bigger, stronger and older opponent because they do so every week against bigger, stronger and older (but less experienced) kids in a martial arts class, they will have the confidence in how they respond verbally because that fear won’t be there.

Martial Arts is only part of the answer though.  It can teach them to be physically stronger and confident in their ability to defend themselves.  It can teach them to stand in front of a class and perform.  But the real secret lies in the way the child is taught, not just in a martial arts gym, but everywhere they interact with leaders.

It’s also never too early to start, don’t wait until your child is a victim to teach them how not to be one.  A confident child is not only bully proof, but primed for being unstoppable in whatever they do.

Andrew Green is head coach at Innovative Martial Arts and can be reached at 794-5993, or through http://innovativema.ca

1. Change of Rate

First and foremost, our rates will be changing in the fall. If you want to take advantage of the current rates be sure to get signed up quick. Once your signed up your rates are locked, so this won’t effect current members or anyone that gets in before the change.

2. New 3-4 year old program

Do you have or know anyone who has a 3 or 4 year old that could benefit from getting a jump start on basic motor skills, listening skills and working in a class / group setting?

We are launching a brand new 3-4 year old program, and regrouping our current kids classes from 4-6 and 7-13 to 5-7 and 8-13.  All existing members will remain in the same class they are currently in.

This class will work as a prep course to our 5-7 year old program teaching them listening skills, co-ordination, balance and to be confident in a group environment.

This class has very limited space available due to needing a high instructor to student ratio, so act quick to ensure your child’s spot.

The new schedule will take effect August 29th, with the 3-4 year old classes launching after Labour Day weekend.

3. New Black Belt Club for Kids

The Saturday 30 min weapons class for kids is going to be expanded into 3 times per week. In addition to weapons we will also work on other special skills not done in the regular class and work on leadership training.

* This class is invitation only, for those that show commitment, effort and good self-discipline.

4. New Class Break Down For Adults

Adult classes will now be broken down into different levels, as well as competition prep classes. Level 1 will basically be the same as what the kickboxing class is now, with a little more self-defence stuff involved. Level 2 will get into the ground work and sparring.

The competition prep classes will change focus depending on what is coming up in the near future (Grappling, MMA, Kickboxing, etc)

This will allow us to have a little more clearly defined curriculum that is more appropriate for those in attendance, whether they are beginners or advanced.

The new schedule will take effect August 29th.

If you have any questions just ask!

The Fall Schedule can be seen here: http://innovativema.ca/Schedule%20-%20Fall%202011.pdf

By now just about everyone has realized that no matter what the program, product or diet is, it usually fails. From gimmicky exercise routines that are fun for a month to diets that might work in the short term, but are terribly unhealthy in the long term making them unsustainable and leading to weight gain instead of lose the industry is one big mess.

The real secret is quite simple, eat reasonably well and find a sustainable exercise routine that will not just challenge you for a month, but challenge you for life.

Eating right is simple in theory, but there are a lot of misleading claims out there. “Diet” drinks and other artificially sweetened products are one example, sure they have 0 calories, but they trick your body into thinking it is getting carbs when it is not, the brain ends up compensating by lowering your metabolism to conserve what it does have and the end result is often gaining weight. You want foods that are in as close to their natural state as you can get them. Processed and “artificial” ingredients are almost always bad for you.

Exercise programs need to be challenging, going to the gym and doing 30 mins of light cardio will get very little results. The real goal with exercise when it comes to weight loss is increasing metabolism, not burning calories only while you do it. In order to get a metabolic boast you NEED to challenge your muscles and leave them in a state where they have to repair themselves after. Light weights and low intensity cardio will do very little for you.

And perhaps most importantly for both diet and exercise you need a program that is sustainable, meaning a diet you can continue following and a exercise program that remains fun, challenging and with enough variety to keep your interest in the long run.

It’s not easy, soft drinks are the assumed beverage just about everywhere, even in restaurants that market themselves as “healthy” and any exercise program that will help is going to be hard, and will leave you stiff and sore for a while as your body adjusts to its new level of activity. But if it was easy everyone would be in great shape.

The good news is everyone CAN be in good shape, it just takes commitment and will power, if you have those two things, you can get there, and the benefits of feeling healthier and having more energy throughout the day are well worth the effort.

One of the concepts that tends to go most against peoples instincts is power generation. The power has to come from the legs first, and arms last.

Most people tend to start off wanting to throw a punch from the shoulder, even leaning forward into it, but doing so will never generate a great deal of power. The punch ends up turning over, then going out, with the elbow flaring out to the side. It looks kinda like a one arm bench press with the person leaning forward.

What you need to generate force on a punch is similar to what you need to generate force on a push. If you are trying to move something heavy, such as pushing a car, what do you do? You bend your knees, get your elbows in front of you, dig your toes in and drive from the legs. If you tried to push with your elbows out it doesn’t matter what your legs and core do, you can’t get more force then what your arms alone can generate do to the angle. If you bring your elbows in arm strength is no longer the weakest link in the chain as your skeletal structure can support more weight and let your legs and core drive first and add the arms on top of that.

The power on the punch, or push, comes from the back leg. In the same way you wouldn’t generate much force standing on only your lead foot and pushing something, you can’t generate a great deal of force doing the same thing while punching, the power behind the motion needs to start from the ground up, through the leg, core and into the arm.

So what should happen straight right is the punch goes out with the elbow in, only turning over at the end of the punch so that the elbow never flares out to the side. You should “sit” down into the punch and drive from the back leg, the lower you are, the more you can use the ground and your leg for power. If you are too upright you can’t get that support from your lower body.

Good punching takes time, and it takes patience. Whenever you change a technique from what you are doing you often lose power and it feels awkward for a little while, but better technique means a higher plateau in the end. It also means slowing down and correcting the form as a regular part of development, as oppose to always trying to throw for power.

1. Hoping
In order to defend take-downs you have to be able to hop, especially in younger kids this skill is going to need some development. Once they can hop simple games like tag or dodge-ball played on one foot can really develop balance and endurance.

2. Chicken Fights
Two players step into the ring and grab their own foot, they use their free hand to push and pull on their opponent. The player who’s foot touches the ground first loses. As a safety tip watch that they are not putting their hands in each others faces or grabbing clothing. With older children this game can also be played with the hands behind the back, using the chest, shoulders and head to push.

3. Leg fighting
Two players grab each others arms at the elbow facing each other and lift a leg. They can use their arms to push, pull and twist without releasing their grip, and they can use their up leg to hook and sweep at their opponents up leg. The first player to fall or put their foot down loses.

4. Partnered Hoping
Partnered up athletes grab each others foot. So each person grabs his partners right foot with his/her right hand. They must hop as a team in a race across the floor. Once the skill is in place playing tag or other floor games in this way can really build endurance and the ability to change directions while retaining balance.

5. Shield Fighting
Equipment: Large Kick Shields
Facing off with the shields held in front of them they must use the shields to push their opponent out of the ring or make them fall. The can push, as well as pivot out of the way as their opponent pushes. A more advanced version of this drill can also be done when wearing jackets (gi) by grabbing each others sleeves. Players cannot use their legs or release their grip on the shield or the sleeves.

6. Wrestling Hand Shake
Players stand facing each other placing their right feet side by side. They then grab their right hands together. Using only the right hand grip they must push and pull in an attempt to make their opponent lose balance and move their right foot. The left foot is free to move.

7. Protect the ball
Using a exercise ball one player goes belly down on top of the ball. Their goal is to remain on top of the ball while the other player attempts to push or pull them off and take the ball from them. Basic techniques like the half nelson, cross face and hip tilts can be taught. The game can also be played with 3 players, however safety concerns increase when adding more players.

8. Tip the Table / Flip the Turtle
One player starts in a turtle position (referees position), the other starts with hands on the back. The goal is for the top player to turn the bottom player over.

9. Log Riding
Participants partner up and line up on one end of the mat. One player lies down on their back, the other in a mounted position. They then race to the other end of the mat, the bottom player doing a barrel roll sideways, or shrimping head first. The top player must remain mounted.

10. Rescue Mission
Using kick-shields, or other small mats players must cross the mat and rescue one or more medicine balls or exercise balls and return to the start position. They need to stay on the mats, and cannot slide them, but must pick them up and place them as they go. The number of mats they have should force them to group tight and work together to avoid falling.

Any technique can be broken down into basically 3 distinct pieces:

1. The Setup
2. The Technique
3. The End Game

In the context of a submission this means securing the setup, locking in the submission, and being able to maintain control and pressure so that you can force a tap.

Now each of those steps has a number of things that can happen to throw you off your path to completing the submission. There are ways your opponent can block what you are doing, their are attacks that the opponent can be performing, and their are ways your opponent can reverse or escape based on what you are doing.

For each of the 3 stages you need to ask yourself some questions:

- Given what I am trying to do, what attacks are most available to my opponent?
- How can I shut them down?
- What ways can my opponent block my attack?
- How can I work around it?
- What can my opponent do to reverse / counter / escape what I am attempting?
- How can I prevent or counter those?

Each of those questions is likely to have at least 2-3 answers each, for each of the 3 stages of the technique. Which means to know a technique, you are looking at a lot of separate pieces of information. But when you can answer them all (and act on them all) your technique will be something to worry about for your opponent.

If you know 20 different attacks from guard, but can’t answer most of those questions for any of them, chances are you aren’t going to tap many people out with them. But if you only know one attack, and can answer all of those and act on them you will see much more success.

So here is a exercise:

Pick your favorite techniques, from each of the major positions and consider the above questions. Then, while rolling, work out the following for that technique:

Position: ________________________ Technique: ________________________

Setup

What are the most common blocks / counters / escapes or other problems I currently encounter when doing this technique:

1. _________________________________
- What do I need to correct to prevent this:




2. _________________________________
- What do I need to correct to prevent this:




Execution

What are the most common blocks / counters / escapes or other problems I currently encounter when doing this technique:

1. _________________________________
- What do I need to correct to prevent this:




2. _________________________________
- What do I need to correct to prevent this:




End Game

What are the most common blocks / counters / escapes or other problems I currently encounter when doing this technique:

1. _________________________________
- What do I need to correct to prevent this:




2. _________________________________
- What do I need to correct to prevent this:

For some there might be one, for others two, don’t try to go more then that yet though, just pick the one or two problems that occur for you the most.

Now you have a list of things to fix, and instructions on how to fix them, it might take some time to work out all the details on the sheet and don’t be afraid to ask for help with pieces if you aren’t sure what to do or what’s going wrong.

Once you feel you have corrected enough things that the list is no longer accurate, start fresh. Look at what the current problems are, write out how to fix them and repeat. Your favorite techniques may change, your setups may change. But any technique that is part of your main arsenal, as well as you back up arsenal, should be subject to this process. Do it mentally, write it out, whatever works for you, but these are the questions you should be asking about your technique to take them to the next level.