In every martial art we see some form of action taken to show respect: bowing before entering the training area, a customary way of greeting the instructor, rituals before sparring begins, …the list goes on and on. These actions are symbolic representations of what every practitioner should know and embrace as a true student of the martial arts.
Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, which is known as the “gentle art,” emphasizes the importance of safety of one’s opponent or training partner by respecting “the tap.” When an opponent submits by “tapping out”, the tap should always be respected. This ensures the safety of everyone involved.
MARTIAL-ARTS-BEGINS-AND-ENDS-WITH-RESPECT
Posted: May 08, 2017
Empty Your Cup
There once was a great teacher who had many students. One student in particular who was very talented, however also very impatient. Whenever the teacher would say something to the students in class, the student would start trying to execute the technique before the teacher could even finish his instruction. When the student was offered correction, he would always reply “OK, I got it”.
Respect is not a part of Martial Arts - It's what makes the Martial Arts so unique.
Posted: May 05, 2017
Respect is not a part of Martial Arts – it's what makes the Martial Arts so unique. Here is a great story to illustrate how a New York City business man and fellow martial artist represented the spirit of respect off the mats.
One day, there was a New York businessman who was running late for work. As he rushed to catch the train he noticed a homeless man selling pencils at a table. In his frenzy – he dropped a dollar into the cup and hurriedly stepped aboard the subway train.
Look For The Gold
Posted: April 24, 2017
During the 1920's, one of the wealthiest people in America was a man named Andrew Carnegie. What was even more amazing was, not only was Mr. Carnegie wealthy, but at one time, Mr. Carnegie had several millionaires working for him.
One day he was asked why these people were so valuable to him that he paid them a million dollars to work for him. He said, "When these men came to work for me, they didn't start off worth a million dollars. I built them up to that point."
WHAT’S GROWING IN YOUR GARDEN?
Posted: April 17, 2017
Let’s pretend you are going to grow a garden. If you want an apple tree, what kind of seeds do you need to plant? How about a peach tree? What if you want a tomato plant, what kind of seeds do you need to plant? What if you plant nightshade, want kind of plant will you get?
Your mind is like a garden. If you put in the positive, you grow into a positive person. If you put in the negative, you grow into a negative person. You can’t put negative in and expect to get positive out. Impossible!
Because our minds work like a garden, we have to be careful about what we allow into our minds. If you are unfamiliar with the plant nightshade-both the foliage and the berries of this plant are extremely toxic! We don’t want that in our garden and we certainly don’t want any toxic thoughts taking root in our minds. Be careful to guard yourself against allowing negativity from the outside influences to find a place to call home in your mind. What you allow into your mind ultimately determines what you will become.