Nobody Can Make Me Anything

Teaching kids about self-defense isn’t just teaching them how to block punches, kicks, and thwart aggressive bullies, it’s instructing them in the importance of proper attitude, perspective, and self-talk.

Tom Callos, team coach for a program called The Ultimate Black Belt Test, promotes the idea that real self-defense is far more about what a child thinks -- than it is about some technique of martial art (obviously, this goes for adults too).

“One of the 10 top self-defense skills I teach my students,” says Callos, “is the idea that nobody can make them anything. Someone else can’t make you angry, make you sad, or even make you happy. It’s not wise to give that power to anyone besides yourself. Of course, this is easy to say and far more difficult to put into practice.”

I have to concur. I do know, however, that big things, giant things, huge accomplishments (like learning to take responsibility for the way you feel), are achieved through small, consistent efforts. One incident where you (or I) don’t blame someone else for how we feel then adds up to two incidents, then three, and from there habits begin to form.

This is much the way martial arts classes work; anyone can be trained as a martial artist through small successive victories. Real self-defense isn’t just physical, it’s mental, emotional, social, and spiritual.

Thinking, “Nobody can make me anything,” is, in my opinion, as good or BETTER a technique of self-defense than anything I have ever learned; OK, except for The Golden Rule (Which is, of course: Do unto others as you would have them do unto you. But then, that's another lesson.).

My Life Is My Dojo

“Dojo” means “school” in Japanese — literally, “the place where you find the Way.” And while every country has its own name for school (it’s a different word in Korean, Chinese, etc.), the important part of this statement is that your life is your school — your LIFE is the place where you find the Way.

Should you ever decide to take martial arts lessons, of any kind, I hope that you would be lucky enough to find a teacher who understands and practices the idea of my life is my dojo.

When a student is on the mat, executing punches or kicks, rolls or break-falls, leg locks or arm bars, and/or blocks and parries, all sorts of things are learned, such as the patience required to polish the maneuvers, the control you have to exercise to do it right, the teamwork it takes to participate with a your partner and classmates, and the understanding of the return one gets on effort and consistency. What a shame it would be if we failed to take those lessons “out of the dojo and into the world.”

The real lessons in our school, the valuable ones, are the ones we practice on the mat, but fully understand that we’re practicing for the purpose of making something in our life work better, smoother, and with more mastery. We practice in our school, what we wish to see in our lives. That’s what we know to be the most valuable aspect of what we do in our school.

By the way, if you’re not a student, but you’d like to see what it’s like to be one, just mention this post, and we will give you an invitation to come in and try classes. Every great journey begins with some small movement in a new direction, yes?

And here’s a secret: I think, “My students are my dojo.”

I learn what I need to learn by helping others to do, well...all of the above.

Contact our instructor via e-mail: greg.d.garcia@gmail.com

Visit our website: Epic Martial Arts

Obvious and Not-So-Obvious Benefits of Taking Martial Arts Lessons

There are some obvious benefits that young and old alike garner from studying the martial arts. The first one is in the exercise involved. Exercise, if it’s tailored for the age and ability of the participant, is good for the body, the mind, and, yes, often good for the spirit too.

A not-so-obvious benefit of studying the martial arts is the often unspoken requirement to “be present” in the practice. “When you’re dealing with kicks, punches, and arm-bars,” says veteran martial arts teacher Tom Callos of Hilo, Hawaii, “you simply have to stay ‘in the moment’ to keep from getting socked in the nose. Awareness of what I call, ‘The here and now,” is something you can instantly take off of the mat and put to work in your everyday life.”

With exercise and mindfulness comes a third component that is not a benefit you’ll find in every martial arts school, but it’s something we are deeply involved with. It’s about food and its connection to fitness and health. The Diet Chronicles is a project where a group of martial arts teachers are starting to document, on video, what they eat and how it’s prepared – in an effort to eat more mindfully.

Some of the video journals are being posted to an on-line community based around the book Savor (www.SavorTheBook.com). Savor is co-written by Harvard nutritionist Dr. Lilian Cheung and Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh.

To see one of the Diet Chronicle videos, click this link.

“What we consume is as important and relevant to self-defense in today’s world,” says Callos, “as any kind of martial arts technique.”

For more information on using the martial arts to improve the body, mind, and diet, contact Greg Garcia of Epic Martial Arts, at greg.d.garcia@gmail.com.

Letting Go: Lightening the Load

My team and I are preparing to host a garage sale fundraiser in a couple of weeks, so I've been looking through my closet.  In preparing to contribute my fair share of items, I'm also working towards one of my own goals: eliminating 80% of my material possessions.

Even though today's project only involved my closet, it's taking longer than expected to go through everything.  I hadn't anticipated the number of things that I'd chosen to keep out of sentimental value: gifts from my father, souvenirs from memorable adventures, and the like.  Now that I'm mindfully considering each one, they're no longer just piles of unused clothes in my closet.  They also carry memories and feelings, some of them rather precious.... but also happen to be piles of unused clothes in my closet.

Maybe I don't need that Janet Jackson concert t-shirt from 1993, or that tie from goodness knows what year (How did I ever find that fashionable???  Ha!)....but it may take some time, though, to understand some of my feelings of attachment to other things, so that I can let many of them go.

Quite an interesting test: battling my own nostalgia.

Reading About Oscar

My girlfriend kindly recommended that I read Dr. David Dosa's Making Rounds With Oscar, a memoir based on the true story of Oscar the cat, a elusive and somewhat temperamental cat who resides in a nursing home, spending most of his time away from the residents.... until one of them is about to die.

Ever the skeptic, Dosa doesn't believe that Oscar's presence is a coincidence; however, over the passage of time, Oscar displays this remarkable behavior with an uncanny accuracy.  His presence relieves family members, brings comfort to those in the twilight hours of their lives, and serves as a signal for caregivers to contact family members.

Ultimately, Dosa decides that it doesn't matter how it works, but what matters is how Oscar brings a sense of reassurance to others.  It's a beautiful story which reminds us about how paying attention and being in the moment can provide us with unique insights on how and when another is in need.

Today Is A Good Day To Die

Quotes from Worf...my Trekkie side has been revealed.

Before you know it, I'll be quoting country songs too.

Someday, I hope you get the chance to live like you were dying.

I lost a family friend recently.  We had known it was coming for a long time.  My heart goes out to his family, friends, and all those who knew him much better than I did, but I'm also glad that he's no longer suffering and can rest.

Our mortality reminds us of the precious gift of our lives.  Although we do not truly live to witness our own death, experiencing it through an outsider's eyes and feeling the ripples of emotion also reminds us that one day, we too will be gone, and we will also be missed.

That's also why we must do what we can today to care for the gift our our lives, and the part of others' lives that they share with you.  Each is precious because it is not only limited, but fragile as well.  Each must be handled with care and lovingkindness, for someday they will be gone.

And yet, you and I have been dying ever since we were born.

That is the perfect excuse to LIVE: to honor the gift of our life.

That is the perfect excuse to eat well:  to nourish the gift of our life.
That is the perfect excuse to train: to maintain the gift of our life.
That is the perfect excuse to learn, to share...
....and to be kind, to forgive, to serve....to bring light into the world.

Why wait?  We are dying right now.  There is no reason to wait for a doctor to bring us news before we begin to be mindful about our lives or share time with the people you care for.  Just because your 100,000 mile powertrain warranty will expire doesn't mean that you stop taking care of the car....and in our case, some parts can't be replaced, so we need to care for it now!

We do these things, right now, because our training reminds us that life is precious and worth protecting... yet, if it's worth protecting, then it's also worth caring for.

Oh, how about me?  I'm saying this all just to remind myself: Today is a good day to DIET.

What that other title's all about, I don't know. 
I do miss my friend though, and wish him a hearty Godspeed.

Less is the New More: My UBBT Goals for 2011

That's no camera flash - I'm that excited to be here!

I am proud to announce my participation in the Ultimate Black Belt Test in 2011, as a member of Team 8.  This will be my second UBBT experience and I am already on the move, as I haven't yet stopped from when I first began!

For me, the UBBT is also my test for 6th degree black belt.  As an independent instructor, I chose to embrace the UBBT as my vehicle for testing because it is HARD.  I'm realistic about the fact that I'm pretty young to be testing for such a high rank, and the world doesn't need another random 30-something martial arts master running around.  The rank isn't what drives me.  I just want to do the best job that I can, helping as many along the way as possible - and then redefine that standard repeatedly.  I have faith that when I have earned the right to be promoted from amongst this group, I will have impacted far more lives than my own.


I will be participating alongside a team of 13 students and staff members from Epic Martial Arts, my program based out of Leadership Public High School in San Jose (and recently grown outward to UC Santa Cruz!).  My work at LPS San Jose as a teacher, advisor, and coach is a large part of the way that I have chosen to contribute to the world, and I believe that if you look at the lives that my students affect, as well as the ones they are building for themselves, you will see the heart of our practice within each of them.  They are impressive young men and women who will represent our school well.  I hope that you take the time to connect with them as they reach out to you with stories of their growth, challenges, and victories during the year.

As a continuing UBBT member, some of my goals have been completed already and others are still in motion; however, after reviewing my progress, it's time for me to renew my goals - infusing new direction on top of unfinished business to outline my plans for my next personal evolution.

As part of my commitment to myself and to my team this year, I have constructed a series of personal milestones which comprise my "test", constructed from a synthesis of the UBBT general curriculum guidelines, my results with Team 7 (click here for my goals from last year - the majority of them have been completed), conversations with Coach Tom Callos and other UBBT members, and my personal lifepath.  These are things which I expect from myself for my test.  Should any of you wish to join me in them, I would be honored to share in the pursuit of any of these goals with you!


*****

In addition to completing the curriculum guidelines of the UBBT and attending the events, my personal milestones for the year are:

1.  I will lose 50 pounds and achieve a weight of 180 or lower by the end of the year.
As of December 31st, I ended 2010 weighing 230 pounds.  I picked up a few pounds over the holidays and I'm worried that I packed on a few extra ringing in the New Year.  For me, this is a second, renewed attempt to complete this goal - I set it last year when I weighed 249 and wanted to be 199.  It's time for me to step up.  To do this, I will be closely monitoring all the R.E.D. stuff (Rest, Exercise, Diet - three major pillars for me to build a strong and healthy lifestyle).

2.  I will improve in the fine art of delegation with my team in order to create and produce at least 200 videos by the end of the year.
Collectively, we will produce and publish 200 films during the year: 100 from myself, and another 100 from my team.  We have the additional support of my brother, who is a professional film editor; however, we will not be counting any of his films towards our team goal.  (We'll share them though!)

3.  I will become a certified Anger Management Educator this year.  
Last year, I was to complete a course from Dr. Tony Fiore, one of the foremost experts in the world on anger management.  I did not do this.  I will remedy this.

4.  I will earn a Certificate of Mastery in Peace Education this year.
I will enroll and complete the program offered by Teachers Without Borders.

5.  I will give away, donate, recycle, sell, or dispose of no less than 80% of my material possessions this year.
Inspired by Mark Savage's blog, Minimalist Journey, I decided last August to begin the process of reducing the clutter of my life in order to free myself to focus on what matters.  Mark gave up all except for about 3% of his possessions, so I should still be reasonably comfortable with only 20% of mine.  After completing The Compact last year and exercising enough willpower to avoid buying, my next step is to clear out what I've already purchased.

6.  I will assist in the redesign and relaunch of the Live Like a Champion Project, or a version of it.
Last year's program welcomed members from the Kahnawake Survival School in Canada, led by Coach Kanentokon Hemlock, as well as members from my program at LPS San Jose.  It was impressive to see how well young students did, even without a great deal of experience!  We're brainstorming and redeveloping the program to serve other educator/martial artists who are in a unique position to affect the lives of many young people.  Professionally trained and already placed in an environment which gives them hours of exposure and influence in the lives of children, an inspired teacher could accomplish a great deal through their students - and what a gift it would be to their lives!

7.  I will test for and earn rank in SGM Rick Alemany's system.
I began cross-training in the Alemany system last year, thanks to UBBT 7 member Kai Li, who kindly linked me up with resources and people to train with.  Much of my kata training for the year will focus on developing a high level of proficiency in his system so that I can test for and earn my 1st Dan under SGM.

8.  I will begin the process towards applying for the level of Master Teacher in my workplace this year.
LPS is piloting an extensive, in-depth portfolio process for career teachers to move up on the payscale by becoming recognized as Master Teachers, in a similar way that other educators may become National Board Certified.  I will not begin this process until after I have completed my other 2 educational goals, so my timeline for completion will extend beyond 2011; however, I am committed to beginning the process this year, most likely by seeking National Board Certification first.

9.  I will complete my second and third 100-mile bike rides this year, beating each previous time by at least 60 minutes.
In July 2010, I rode 101.66 miles over the course of 13.5 hours - an impressive distance, but a poor time.  Part of that time included 3 meal breaks, positioned at approximately 25-mile intervals.  Given that, I have no excuses for not being able to consolidate enough to shave off at least 60 minutes from my next attempt, and 60 more minutes from the following ride.  If I miss my mark, I'll just do it again.  I will accomplish this goal before the end of August of this year.

10.  I will learn conversational Spanish.
A part of me is slightly embarrassed to be a Garcia, work in a school with over 75% Latino/Hispanic students, and not be able to speak more than a handful of phrases in Spanish.  Even though I'm Filipino and there's plenty of Spanish in Tagalog, I never learned how to speak Tagalog either.  I trust that I will be surrounded by plenty of tutors to practice with through my student team. :)

*****

The overarching theme of my 2011 goals is: "less is the new more".  I have filled the majority of my adult life with too many of the wrong things, so my major objective is to free myself of those things.  Less weight, lower time, less clutter, less "one-man-show", less junk, more health, more education, more education, more education, more results. :)

One thing you'll find out about me: I don't quit anything.  Sometimes I have to adjust and/or adapt as I learn from experience, but I will be there with you all year long, my friends.  Let's rock this!