Monday, November 30, 2020

Hop

Neal "Hop" Hoffler is one of the toughest men I have ever met.
 

Here we are competing at the Vermont nationals in Rutland.  Master Hoffler is my senior in TSD and always was there to help "train" us when were were hot on the tournament circuit and striving to become champions.

Master Hoffler grew up on the streets of Waterbury, Connecticut and learned how to fight way before coming in to learn martial arts.  His reputation in town was unparalleled.  

While Steve Best, Doug Peoples and Karen Harvey and I were blazing the tournament circuit and sponsoring our own tournament we thought it would be a great idea to bring a group out for a senior team match.  Master Jeff Goldberg, Master Hoffler, Clarence von Wilder and Tony Molina brought it that day in Meriden.  It was great to see them (our teachers) banging it out on the gym floor.

It was the start of a small resurgence.  In a few months Jeff and we sparred in New Haven against New England Patriot Andre Tippett.  Master Hoffler sparred in Maine and after sweeping an opponent to the ground football kicked his head.  It was a scary moment.  Master Hoffler carried a lot of street fight in his point sparring.

Master Hoffler used to get us ready before our matches.  We would stand against a wall, all geared up to go, and Master Hoffler would just beat on us for a few minutes while we absorbed the punishment.  He then told us "No one can fight you any harder than I just did, now get out there and win".

Thank you to Tang Soo Do pioneer Neal "Hop" Hoffler for showing us how to be tough and humble at the same time.  We needed strong mentors and I will always grateful.

Mike Bogdanski

Monday, October 05, 2020

A Tribute



 Tribute- a definition.

An act, statement, or gift that is intended to show gratitude, respect, or admiration.

The dedication in this book reads;

To Kwan Jang Nim Mike Bogdanski and SBN Kristin Duethorn who show that true leadership has no gender.

To Master Bogdanski, with appreciation for all I have learned and gained from you.

Gary Powell, author.

Description:

An exciting new book exploring why we have not seen the enduring changes that were once optimistically anticipated. Each chapter tackles an important question around gender and leadership, such as 'Why do leader stereotypes emphasize masculinity?', 'Why are there so few women in top management positions?' and 'Why do (some) men in top management feel free to sexually harass women?'.  

Leading international scholar in the field, Gary N. Powell explores cutting-edge topics including; the appropriate role of masculinity in leadership,  the ever-so-small numbers of female CEOs,  and sexual harassment by men in power such as Harvey Weinstein and the resulting #MeToo movement. 

With suggestions of practical steps that would work toward achieving a workplace in which all employees can reach their leadership potential regardless of their gender, Gender and Leadership is an important read for students and faculty members alike across the social sciences and humanities.

Thank you to our student Gary Powell for the kind words and extraordinary honor to be mentioned in this regard.  I am deeply touched by this recognition and always hope we as modern martial artists live up to this great ideal.

KJN Bogdanski

Monday, May 25, 2020

De- Stress



De-stress your kids 


(and yourself)



If you haven’t felt any stress during this pandemic then you must be superhuman.  This time in our lives will be recorded as one of the most emotionally draining ever.  The shift of our culture, the change in our daily routines, and social isolation all contribute to the stress families are feeling.  We may not be able to totally remove stress but surely can take steps to reduce it.  Here are a few suggestions.


Step 1 - Healthy eating.  Your body is your temple.  You have all heard this mantra about food.  Imagine you owned a million-dollar racehorse.  You probably wouldn't feed it candy and cookies all day.  Fruit and vegetables are definitely the prescriptions for fueling the body for energy and clarity.  Prime your body for good health and immunity from disease by eating fresh fruits and veggies.

Step 2 - Exercise.  Your kids don’t need the Marine Corp workout but they need to move.  Climbing trees, throwing a ball, walking through the woods are all great spring activities.  Since we are closed at our martial arts school we have been doing classes on zoom.  Parents are quite happy their kids have this regular routine of exercise and healthy interaction.  

Step 3 - Reduce electronics.  Being social creatures we have turned more to Facebook and Instagram to get our social fix and see what is going on in the world.  It's natural to keep up with your friends and relatives but please don’t overdo it.  If you or your kids spend too much time on Facebook there is a tool built into the app that can help you l imit your time.   Go to the settings page on either app and select either “Your Time on Facebook” or “Your Activity on Instagram.”  At the top is a dashboard showing average time spent on the app you are using.  Underneath is the option to set up a daily reminder that will send an alert when you have reached the time limit you have allowed yourself.

Step 4 - Talk about it.  In these circumstances, kids can easily pick up on the climate of fear through the media or conversations in your household.  Information is knowledge and it is best to talk about the pandemic in age-appropriate language to reassure your children they are staying safe.  In our martial arts program, we teach students how to deal with stress in a self-defense confrontation.  The first step is to address fear.  We use the acronym F.E.A.R. - false expectations appearing real.  Kids need to realize that their life is mostly not at risk.

Step 5 - Take a breath.  When we get anxious we change the way we breathe.  Quest martial arts classes begin and end with an exercise that teaches us to focus, maintain inner calm and develop mental clarity by taking slow deep breaths.  The breathing is done by breathing slowly in through our nose and out through our mouth. Breathing techniques and methods are directly related to reducing or increasing stress.

Step 6 - Sleep. A tired child is easily frustrated by simple, daily tasks. Here is a basic rule of thumb: 6- to 12-year-olds need 9 to 12 hours/day and 13- to 18-year-olds need 8 to 10 hours/day.  Dear parents, you know how irritable you can be if you are sleep deprived.  Adults that are sleep deprived exhibit the same symptoms as people that have had several alcoholic drinks.

Step 7- Sharpen the saw.  This is a concept from the book, “Seven Habits of Highly Effective People” by Stephen Covey.  Two people are chopping wood.  One worker takes a break every hour while the other works furiously at the task.  At the end of the day, the person who took the break had a substantially greater pile.  The worker who had less wood asked his friend, “How in the world did you end up with more wood cut than me?” he asked curiously.  His friend responded, ``You didn’t notice that every time I stopped to rest I sharpened my saw.”  Take a break and just do something that makes you happy!

 Master Bogdanski

Saturday, April 18, 2020

My Day with the Grandmaster- Robert E. Beaudoin


Grandmaster Robert E. Beaudoin,

I first met Master Beaudoin in the mid seventies. We attended his tournament in Waterbury, Connecticut. We had a sort of “rival” Tsd school that competed there and we always matched up against his guys.  Grandmaster Hwang Kee was in attendance and even awarded me my first place trophy When I won in Black Belt breaking competition.

Many years were to pass until we met again.  We attended the 50th anniversary of that tournament and reminisced.

A year later I was at the airport to fly to D.C. to attend the 50th anniversary of Grandmaster Jenkins tenure in Tang Soo Do.  Grandmaster B was in the waiting area preparing to board and would be attending the event (he was Kjn Jenkins original teacher).  We chatted and made some small talk and soon departed for the short flight.

Upon arrival in Reagan airport my wife and I saw him standing by the luggage area by himself.  He was arranging transportation. We then asked if he wanted to accompany me and and my wife on a day touring the city, and with a resounding , yes, we were to have him to ourselves all day. (We visited the newseum)

He was fun, kind, gentle, thoughtful and a true gentleman as you would expect.   My wife loved him and we had one of the very best days ever.  Thank you for the gift of your time and wisdom Grandmaster Beaudoin. It was a great day in my personal Tang Doo Do history moments.

MB

#tangsoodo
#worldtangsoodo

Friday, January 10, 2020

The 8th Wonder of the World

Kevin Thompson
Has been called the 8th wonder of the world.

Devoting his whole life to martial arts Kevin changed the world, just ask anyone that spent time with him.

When I was competing heavily in the 80’s Kevin and I competed in the black belt weapons category many times in the A rated national tournaments.  Even though I was hoping to win I mostly was in awe of his performances in weapons, forms and sparring.

He was known as a triple threat and often won first place in forms weapons and sparring and grand championships with his performances.  One of the greatest matches ever was Kevin versus Steve “nasty’ Anderson.  Nasty was twice as big, equally powerful and fast (the days heavyweight winner) versus Kevin, the lightweight winner.  For sure it was a David and Goliath day.  Kevin took it to Nasty, and with no fear and no reservation beat Nasty to win the Grand championship that day.

I loved his intensity but I more admired what a gentleman he was. Ever polite and respectful I can hear his voice;

‘Honorable Masters and Grandmasters of the martial arts”, my name is Kevin Thompson.
Initially he lived in the shadow of his teacher and was called Little KA but soon surpassed his teacher in every way.

Gone but not forgotten.  He was one of the best modern martial artists ever and deserved the title.
The 8th wonder of the world!

Sunday, January 05, 2020

The Babe!

Not Babe Ruth but Babe Didrikson Zaharias.

Born in Texas in poverty.
Decided she was going to be great in sports
She had the kind of will that makes a champion.

She asked a coach about throwing a javelin.  He showed her the basic technique.  She beat the American record on her first throw.

She was all American in tennis, golf, swimming  softball and basketball.she was national champion and an Olympian winning two medals
She went on to break records in golf.

At the peak of her career she was diagnosed with cancer and told by her Doctor she would probably not survive the operation.

She survived and a year and a half later win the national golf championship.

Develop your mental toughness through martial arts training!

"Get" a Black Belt or "Be" A Black Belt?

Getting a black belt and being a black belt are definitely two different things.

Like driving to the prom and staying in the car
Like getting a driver license and never driving.
Like cooking dinner and not eating

The first day you get your belt it doesn’t even feel right.  It takes time to feel like it is really yours and you deserve it.
I awarded a black belt to a student once whe never even came back to one class to wear it.’’

Did they get a black belt or become a black belt?

Bouncer chronicles- How to hire a bouncer

When I was running my nightclub in the 70s and 80s we often started our after work play around 3am.  My shift started at 6pm where we preppe...