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

"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 -2

Being a Black Belt does not make you a bouncer. 
Fighting in tournaments does not make you a bouncer.
Knowing martial arts does not make you a bouncer.

Learning on the job helps make you a bouncer.

Most of the time when people were unruly in the college bar we just had to break up fights, cool people down and then kick them out.  It became a matter of restraint rather than a brawl (although I will go over those episodes too) and we had to keep people safe in spite of themselves.

One night during a busy night there were three very big college football guys drunk at the door.  I had stopped them from entry because they were already drunk.  We began to argue and knowing that the odds were against me I came up with an effective strategy. 

                                      I closed the door and held it shut.

The door knob was small so only one person could grip it to try and open it.  After several minutes of frustration they left.  No fight, no fuss, no muss.  This is what Bruce Lee must have meant when he said "The art of fighting without fighting"

Everything I Know About Martial Arts I learned From The Wizard Of Oz

After having taught martial arts for decades I always try to give the first class a fun, simple and achievable lesson that teaches one punch, one block and one kick.  I believe our program is fundamental in teaching mental and emotional skills too, tying in the mind, body and spirit concepts of moo do (martial way). 

In the movie "The Wizard Of Oz" (original) Dorothy lands in Oz and of course wants to return home.  She gets advice from the munchkins to follow the yellow brick road and find the wizard who has all the answers to her problem.  Soon we find out it is the journey, not the destination that helps her realizes the true answers.

Dorothy, along with her dog Toto meets their first new friend, the scarecrow.  He is in a quandary and can't figure things out because he has no brain.  Dorothy convinces the scarecrow to join her on the trek to see the wizard in hope of getting him a brain. The lacking of a brain in turn teaches us that we need to find a good school and good teacher because we are seeking knowledge.  Some students want to look cool and learn the kicks, some want the muscles and many want the powerful personality and demeanor of a Black belt.

  Like Dorothy, the martial arts student does not always realize yet what they really need or want and look to the wisdom of the teachers in the path we call "do"- the way.   New members truly come in as white belts, the tabula rasa (blank slate).  It is up to us to point out the attributes they gain on the journey because they

Down the yellow brick road she travels and we meet friend number two, the tin man.  He is frozen with rust, totally immobile and barely able to make sound. With a little lubrication he is able to tell us his story.  He was bewitched, rebuilt as a tin man but missing an essential piece, a heart.  He was unable to have any feelings and he needs a heart. In the story he is the most tender and emotional of the trio.  We as teachers and seniors to our junior students must have a tender heart to nurture students along.

 Great teachers communicate emotionally and from the heart and hope to instill a love of martial arts to their students.  It is always a sad day for me when a student tells us they are quitting.  One of my favorite stories of having a good heart is about adoption.  A teacher is talking about the concept of adoption and then has the children explain what they thought it meant.  From one student to another they all had slightly different versions of understanding and had many questions.  Finally, one little girl put it well.

  “Adoption is when a baby goes from the tummy of one Mom, to the heart of another.”  If that one sentence doesn’t hit you directly in the heart, nothing will.

We talk about fighters having heart but I think teachers that have the patience and love to teach any beginner has a special heart to help everyone along with the many failures beginners experience.  How many times do we tell beginners, no - the other foot, no -  the right hand, no -the other right hand!

When I teach introductory classes I like to teach the concept of courage to new students.  Many children, teens and adults come in with courage already.   You need a little courage and humility in starting a karate class.  Many students come in shy, apprehensive and doubtful that the experience will be for them but they show up wondering, what can I learn?  Children especially come in wary to a room where there are dozens of people training with intensity and lots of noise. It is easy to forget what a new member sees when all you see is your ”normal”.

Yong gi is the concept of courage.  Courage is not the absence of fear, it is being afraid and being able to take action anyway.   Although we get students in that are perfectly confident we can all use a little practice in building courage, especially in new situations.  I know I have!   When I teach new students a high block, I test their arm strength and then I tell them it is time for a test, a courage test. I smack a focus paddle to my palm to show them how hard I will be attacking.  The big "thwack" sound makes a few eyes bulge at the impact.  Now the student wonders, what am I doing here?  My question to them, do you want me to attack you like a little tyke (and I gently tap my hand) or a future Black Belt (and I give my hand a big impact with the paddle). Ninety nine percent of the time the student asks for the Black Belt version.  They are choosing a path to test their inner courage and we know this is never easy.

The cowardly lion was the trifecta on the yellow brick road although we can add advice and mentoring from the munchkins, escaping the wicked witch taught indomitable spirit, the end of the yellow brick road to the see the wizard taught perseverance and finally she realizes at the end, there is no place like home.  Martial arts schools all over the country are like second families and second homes to many.  I know many of our Black Belts are as close to me as any family member.  Many I have spent substantial time with and we have a strong bond.

These topics are the perfect summary of things needed to be a Black Belt.  Knowledge (a brain), a heart compassion) and turning cowardice into courage.   Martial philosophy at its best from L. Frank Baum, author.

And by the way, I am still afraid of flying monkeys.

 

Tang Soo Do Hyung Introspective

The forms (hyung) used by Tang Soo Do are believed to be the intermediate forms between Okinawa and Japan. These include Kee Cho Hyung Il Bu, Ee Bu, and Sam Bu. These are similar to Taikyoku Shodan, Nidan and Sandan.

 

 Next are the Pyung Ahn (Okinawan: Pinan; Japanese: Heian) Cho Dan, Ee Dan, Sam Dan, Sa Dan and Oh Dan.

External (Hard Style), influenced by Southern Chinese Schools, These belong to the We Ga Ryu (Chinese: Wai Chia) They are characterized by aggressiveness, dynamic action and spontaneity.

Basai Dae is the Tang Soo Do version of Bassai Dai. Next is Passi So (Passai or Bassai Sho). Following these is jin Do (Chinto or Gankaku). The twelfth form is O Sip Sa Bo (U Sei Shi Ho; Gojushiho), followed by Wang Shu (Wansu; Empi/Embi). Tjin is the Tang Soo Do version of Ji-in.

So Rim Jang Kwon and Dam Toi are unique to Tang Soo Do. Hyung seventeen and eighteen are Kong Sang Koon Dae and Kong Sang Koon So (Kusanku Dai and Sho; Kanku Dai and Sho). Tang Soo Do has three Rohaee (Rohai) hyung: Chodan, Ee dan and Sam dan.

The last two are Eesip Sa (Nijushiho) and Woon Shu (Unsu).

The Ne Ga Ryu (Chinese: Nei Chia) Internal (Soft [Kung] Style) use forms influenced by the northern Chinese Schools. These forms display deliberateness, stability, fluid motion and slow, quiet power.

These forms include Tsan Tjin (Sanchin), Jun Jang, Ssi San, Ssi Boai (Saifa; Saipa), Bae Rin Bba, SsanSsi Bbai, Sei San (Seisan; Hangetsu), Sai Hoo Ah, Goo Reung Hoo Ah (Kururunfa), Jin Toi, Ji-on, Tae Kuk Kwon, and Ne Bboo Jin (Naihanji; Naihanchi; Tekki) Cho Dan, Ee Dan and Sam Dan.

The Choong Ga Ryu

Chil sung Hyung and Yuk Ro Hyung.

 Yuk Ro Chodan - Du Mun (Great Gate)

Yuk Ro Ee Dan - Jung Jol (Cutting the Middle)

Yuk Ro Sam Dan -  Po Wol embrace the moon

Sal Chu - Killing Hammer

Choong Ro - Seize and Capture

Momma’s, Go Ahead, Let Your Babies Grow Up to be Martial Artists

I couldn't have said it better myself, so instead let my friend, martial arts guru Tom Callos say it instead.

Kids who immerse themselves in martial arts practice don’t end up being the victims of bullies in school, they’re left alone, as bullies most usually pick on kids they know aren’t going to stand up for themselves. Kids who study the martial arts also usually end up being adults —who don’t get bullied in the workplace.

Kids who practice the martial arts hang out with teens and adults who practice the martial arts —and those are most often people who value physical exercise, good nutrition, calmness under pressure, and who set goals and methodically —and with no small amount of effort, —set out to achieve them. Not a bad crowd to hang out with at all.

Kids who study the martial arts often hear power words like “respect,” “courtesy,” “focus,” “compassion,” “kindness,” and “perseverance” 10,000 times more than any TV show or any amount of computer time provides in the same amount of time. Kids in the martial arts learn to put these words into action, too, in every practice session —and as a result, they often become the foundation for a lifetime of beliefs and practices.

Kids who practice the martial arts hear adults who practice martial arts saying things like, “If a picture is worth 1000 words, then an action is worth 1000 pictures,” and “If you can’t, then you must —and if you must, then you will,” and ““The ultimate aim of the martial arts lies not in victory nor defeat, but in the perfection of the character of its participants,” and “anger is an acid that does more harm to the vessel it is contained in than anything it is poured over” —and these ideas, kept in the mind and put to use, can, in one’s life, end up being absolute, concrete, worth their weight in gold game-changers.

Kids who practice the martial arts can grow up to be adults who write things like this —and who, nearly every day of the year, teach, coach, mentor, encourage, and motivate young people to not only look for and be their best, physically, mentally, and emotionally, but in how to take what they learn on the mats of their dojo —and put it to work in their lives, in their communities, in the world, to their own benefit and to the benefit of others.

Go ahead momma’s, let your babies grow up to be black belts.

—Tom Callos

Focus Of Power

 Power Control - Him Jo Jeol.   (Him    Joe Juul)

One concept that takes many years to perfect is the concept of focusing power in a technique.





Too many times we have told our students, snap your punch, thrust your kick or lock your stance.  What we really want to see them do is focus their power at the right time in the movement.  Whether it is a static move like a punch in Keecho hyung or a side kick in Basai so we know many of these techniques lack power.

Using the 8 key concept shin chook.  Shin 신 Chook 적 (Expand/Contract or Relax/Tense).  Shin Chook is one of the most used concepts when we examine the development of powerful technique.

Without the speedy relaxation in the movement we cannot sufficiently place power at the end of the movement.  Try being stiff and hard too soon will only impede the energy to be released on impact. 

Message from my 2nd Teacher

I began training in Kyokushin karate in 1969.  These are my first two teachers.  On the left, Joe Deguzman and on the right Armando Carandang.  I was wearing a green uniform for outside summer classes.
These men began training in their homeland the Phillipines.  They were both Navy men who were stationed in New London.
Mr. Carandang was also a Black Belt in Tae Kwon Do and Shorinji Kenpo as well as very experienced in Arnis De Mano (Phillipine stick fighting).  Often times we would meet him at his apartment and venture down to his basement for training.  One day when we arrived he had us dress in his new kendo armor.

This was to protect us from his full power blows during sparring.  He would swing our heavy bag away from himself and as it came towards him, he would fold it in half with his side kick.  

I have stayed in touch with him although he is currently living outside Washington, D.C.

I invited him to my eight dan graduation and I wanted to share a note from him.  Thank you Sir for helping me become the Black Belt and the man I am today.
We walk on the shoulders of our teachers.


From:  Armando Carandang
To:  Mike Bogdanski

Dear Mike

I deeply regret that I'll unable to attend your promotion due to distance and my recuperation.

I am extremely fortunate to have you as a student for more than forty one years.  You are an outstanding Martial Art student, a superb sensei and above all else a good and loyal friend.  Your dedication to the Martial Art are always in the highest caliber. You have met every challenge with distinction and can look back with justifiable pride on Martial Art.

Lita and I wish you and your family every success and happiness for the future.

Sincerely and with warmest regard,

Armando Carandang

Promoted To 8th Dan

You can't imagine the feeling you get at this kind of promotion.
Here I am being presented my certificate to Pahl Dan by Grandmaster Estioko of Sacramento, California.  Grandmaster is the second American to be awarded Dan rank in Tang Soo Do.  I will post again later about his journey.

This was an amazing weekend.  Getting ready to run the Nationals,  Senior Master training with Kwan Jang Nim Estioko.  Promoted to 8th Dan with my long time friend and Tang Soo brother Wesley "Chipper" Jenkins.  An accomplishment of a lifetime!

I want to thank all my teachers.  I believe we stand on the shoulders of all of our teachers.
I will have to post some photos and comments about their teaching and my learning.
I want thank my wife for supporting me in this pursuit.
I especially want to thank my student, business partner and training partner Master Kristin Duethorn for her constant push to be a great Black Belt, which in turn forces me to be a great teacher.  Our workouts over the years have been rigorous and plentiful and together we have sought true Tang Soo Do and Moo Do training.

When I began training in martial arts, somewhere around green belt, a friend asked me how high a Black Belt I hoped to achieve.  After a little thought I said 3rd degree Black.  He asked how I came to that?  I responded, that is how high my teacher is.  One thing I have learned is that we can all do better than we think we can.

Writing this has brought on many more thoughts of things I would like to write about.  I will need to be more consistent with my blogging.

Thanks for the journey and the memories!


MB

정신 소리지르 - Ki Hap

정신 소리지르





Ki Hap: More than just a yell

Kwan Jhang Nim Charles Ferraro



The Korean word Ki Hap means to concentrate or focus the life force. You may have heard Ki Hap referred to as a "spirited shout". The spirit shout is, in fact, an important tool for learning to develop Ki Hap, but like so many aspects of modern day training the outward physical trappings of Ki Hap practice have become confused with the internal function itself by those who don’t have a clue as to what a Ki Hap is. The fact is, Tang Soo Do masters are capable of focusing their spirit through their weapons (hands and feet) without shouting. Some masters are capable of projecting and focusing the life force without even moving, much less shouting.

There is an old Okinawan story about a 19th century marital arts master who was challenged to a duel by another karate adept. They met at dawn in a field outside the village where they lived. Each man expected a fight to the death. As the master approached the field, the other man readied himself and assumed his fighting stance. The master, however, approached the scene standing relaxed with his hands at his sides. As the master came within fighting range, the challenger suddenly felt ill, and his knees nearly buckled. He quickly excused himself for a moment and sat down to regain his composure. After several minutes, the master asked him if he was ready to get on with it. The man decided that he was and got up to take his stance, but as soon as he looked into the master’s calm face and firm gaze, he felt ill again and had to sit to keep from falling. "Sir, I withdraw my challenge and apologize", he said. "I can see I am no match for you, and fighting would surely cost me my life."

This story may sound far fetched but when the Ki Hap is developed to its purest and highest form it is much more than a yell, rather it is a force capable of completely crushing an enemy without throwing as much as a single blow.

I have personally sparred with partners who were technically superior to me, but I could sense that they had inferior Ki Hap development and I was able through my will to dominate them and to render them totally helpless. Early in my martial arts career I have also been on the other side of the stick when I knew I was facing an opponent who had superior Ki Hap development and he was able to dominate me as easily as I did others later on.

In order to develop your Ki Hap you must work on the following attributes:

You must find your heart
You must develop an understanding of your Tangien (area two inches below the navel.
You should develop your "breath power" (control).
You should develop your "spiritual focus".
You should practice your hyung seriously.

Finding your heart means developing a specific mental attitude. In Tang Soo Do we refer to this attitude as "indomitable spirit", and it simply means to refuse to accept defeat. Of course, refusing to back down from a challenge or threat isn’t easy. We are accustomed to going through life avoiding conflicts, and seeking the path of least resistance. Always looking for the easy way. But sometimes you simply just have to fight, either figuratively or literally. Having heart is something we all have within us. We simply have to dig down deep and drag it out. Severe training and extremely hard challenges can serve as tools for developing this quality. But, no tool will work unless the student truly commits to conquering the challenge. He / She must throw their entire spirit into the effort. Survival isn’t enough; he/ she must triumph!

In order to develop a strong sense of Ki Hap, you must find your own heart. Make never giving up a habit. Always attack a challenge; never avoid or simply endure it. This is true whether you are facing a live opponent or a gut wrenching personal challenge.

Understanding your tangien (one point) is an essential ingredient in Ki Hap development. This is a spot that is located approximately 3 inches below your navel. This point is the physical center of our bodies. We tend to associate intuition and strong emotion with our gut. We’ve all felt fear, shock and grief gnawing there. Who hasn’t had a strong gut feeling about something or someone.

By focusing attention on their abdomens, Tang Soo Do practitioners are better able to tune out conscious thought, thereby freeing their minds to recognize the sensations produced by very subtle physical and emotional changes in their opponents. There is nothing mystical about this ability, it is a natural extension of a Tang Soo Doist’s ability to read his opponents. In order to fully develop an understanding of your tangien your must develop the following 3 attributes:

Learn to maintain your one point.
You must learn to relax.
You must learn to sink your awareness (weight) to its lowest point.

Maintaining your one point means putting strength in your lower abdomen and generate power for all your techniques from there. All movement must come from your one point.
It is important to learn how to relax. Learning to relax is harder than it sounds. Stress from everyday activities accumulates in our bodies, eroding our sense of tangien. Relaxation at key points in each technique aides the speed and flexibility that is necessary for generating true power.
Finally learning to sink your weight to the lower part of your body is extremely important in developing your understanding of your tangien. When you can maintain your one point and keep yourself relaxed your will get a sense of your weight sinking to the tangien. You will feel rooted but agile. You will feel powerful, yet calm. Any fluid naturally settles to the lowest point in a container. Your body is mostly water, and when relaxed, the weight of all parts of your body will naturally settle to their underside. In this state, you are very stable and therefore, very rooted and powerful.

Development of "Breath Power" (control) involves using your breathing to coordinate the contraction of your muscles so you can use your physical strength most effectively. Breath control works with understanding of the tangien to provide the Tang Soo Do practitioner with extraordinary strength. To develop breath control, relax and breathe deeply into the abdomen, not the chest.

There are two important rules for breathing in combat:

Never empty your lungs completely. Breath is strength; always maintain a reservoir of it.
Don’t puff or snort. In sparring or combat don’t expose your rhythm to your opponent. Don’t let you opponent get your timing. Keep your breathing silent.


Developing Spiritual Focus is yet another element in Ki Hap cultivation. This is the glue that holds all the other facets together. It is the focus that literally defines the Ki Hap’s "focused life force". It is "spiritual focus" that directs the Tang Soo Do practitioner’s mind during conflict, giving him or her the tactical advantage over a less refined fighter. It is his/ her spiritual focus that fuses the Tang Soo Do practitioner’s will. In order to develop the attribute of spiritual focus one must focus their entire being in achieving their objective. This level of commitment must be physical, as well as, mental. For a Tang Soo Doist that means putting every bit of speed and every ounce of strength possible into each strike.

For the Tang Soo Do practitioner spiritual focus is a critical ingredient of the Ki Hap. It is the focus that concentrates Ki, the energy produced by the life force. Also important in the cultivation of spiritual focus is the "spirit shout" or the actual yell that accompanies the Ki Hap. A pathetic trait in many modern dojangs is the feeble, patronizing grunts that students pass of as spirited shouts.

The spirit shout is one of the most valuable tools for developing spiritual focus and subsequently Ki Hap. A well trained Tang Soo Doist will explode with a deafening roar at the crucial point of focus, the point of impact with his/ her target. The shout will erupt from their abdomen, and it will help them to focus that simultaneous burst from all their muscles, essential for generating the crushing force they desire. The spirit shout is a tool. It is an audible device the Tang Soo Doist uses to coordinate and focus his physical, mental and spiritual energies.

Finally, in order to properly develop strong spiritual focus practitioners must develop their eye focus. Practitioners who understand the use of the Ki Hap will keep their gaze large. They will rest their gaze on the portal of their opponent’s spirit, their eyes. As for the mechanic of vision, you can still see your opponent’s feet while pointing your eyes at his, and with your spirit focused, you can tell a feint from a real attack even before he starts it. So keep your gaze broad. Your face and eyes must be relaxed but firmly committed. If you go into battle truly committed to die for the opportunity to kill your enemy his spirit will read it in your eyes and he will be crushed. This is the essence of spiritual focus and the heart of the Ki Hap.

Serious Hyung Practice is the purest form of Ki Hap training. I am not referring to flashy competition forms. I am talking about good old fashion, traditional and classical hyung training. Proper hyung training provides a vehicle for practicing all the essential elements for developing Ki Hap. It emphasizes the proper stances and correct movements that build proper understanding of the tangien. A qualified instructor will always stress moving from your one point, relaxing at key points and lowering your center of gravity. Breathing in hyung always centers in the tangien. It is properly coordinated with techniques. Therefore, breath control grows with each time your practice. But most importantly, hyungs is absolutely the best exercise for developing focus. It emphasizes coordinating and focusing physical energy in each technique and teaches the student to concentrate his mental energy and focus it into the physical movements. Properly disciplined traditional hyung training even conditions the practitioner to commit and focus his or her spirit through commanding the directions in which he points his eyes.

If you want to develop a strong sense of Ki Hap, if you want to learn to destroy attackers utterly and completely, if you want to defeat an enemy with a single glance, you’ll practice hyung with utmost seriousness. Through many years of arduous hyung practice the seasoned martial artist arrives at the understanding that the Ki Hap is much more than a yell but until you arrive at this point I would suggest you continue to yell as loud and spirited as you can.

Unsu

An amazing demo of the TSD form Unsu by Master Pumarejo

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