Our Black Belt Hero.

This video may be disturbing and contains violence 

Tom Castonguay and his mom Chris began karate back in the 80's.  Tom was about ten.  His Mom watched in the back intently until one day one of the Black Belts asked if she wanted to join.   They have both achieved the rank of 2nd dan.

Tom, or TC as I call him was a quiet boy who always showed up and dedicated himself to martial arts.  After getting his Black Belt he and his mother, both became instructors in the school.  Once Tom became a young adult and graduated from high school, he decided to follow his passion for the military and joined the army where he excelled.  He aways mentioned how our karate school's demand for excellence and hard training prepared him for life as a military man.  He went on to serve for several years and was involved in the gulf war.

After leaving the military he followed his next dream of becoming a sheriff in Austin, Texas where he married a lovely woman and is the father of two girls.  He is a seasoned police officer and I have stayed in touch with him over the years.  Recently when I was touching base with Tom, I asked how things were going and he said he has a tough year.  I thought he was referencing the pandemic until he sent me this clip.

This video is actual body cam video of him responding to a distress call involving a woman and child.  He was wounded in this shootout so be prepared.  In the future we plan to host him in a seminar on how our martial arts program prepared him for life.  After a long discussion my favorite comment from him was "your martial arts program takes sheep and makes them sheep dogs".   Think about it, this is a powerful statement.  

I plan to do another post dissecting this video and how we can learn from it.  I look forward to the presentation of this Black Belt hero!

Master B
 

Grandmaster Ed Parker

Grandmaster Ed Parker, founder of American Kempo was a legend in the martial arts world.

This is my day with the Grandmaster.

Several years ago I attended a KRANE tournament hosted by Tony Cogliandro up in the Boston area.  Tony had been training with Ed Parker for a few years and hosted him as a special guest.  Parker was to be a judge in my black belt rings that day.  As usual at that time I had a pretty good day and was able to chat with him after the event.  As you might think he was heavily in demand.  We took this photo and we went our separate ways.

Over the course of the year Master Parker traveled all over the world teaching and meeting thousands of new people.  It was again time for Tony’s event and I was looking forward to attending. As soon as I entered the gym I turned to see Master Parker was again in attendance.  He walked over to me, shook my hand and said “Hi Mike, competing again this year?”

I was floored.  With all the people he knows and meets every year he remembers my name!  I was stunned and honored with that moment.  It was then I decided to attend his long running and prestigious event in Long Beach, California.

The internationals had been a who’s who event over the decades even having a famous Bruce Lee demo there a few years before.  The afternoon before I went to sign up with one of his daughters.  In New England a tournament was about 40.00 with extra events being about 10.00 additional per event.  The internationals were 80.00 per event, two events 160.00, wow!  When I mentioned our sliding scale to the Parker daughter she just laughed, she said you are not in Connecticut anymore!

I wanted to pay my respects to Master Parker (in Cali they called him Mr. Parker).  I was escorted into a private back room where he sat on a throne like chair taking audiences.  Very regal indeed.

I did take first place in weapons there and met Professor Toro Tanaka who was standing at the edge of my ring when I was competing.  Only about 3,000 competitors that day.

A memorable day with the Grandmaster.

Neal Hoffler- “Worlds Most Dangerous Man”

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

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

I once quit karate

I once quit karate.

I began karate when I was 16 years old. I was at the rank of yellow belt and trained twice per week and really enjoying the classes. It was a dream come true for me to find my salvation in karate training. I was getting stronger, learning self defenses and slowly building my confidence.  This training was everything I had hoped for.

It was summer, June I think when I was doing some work in my car to install a new 8 track (you remember those don’t you?). I had contorted my body to get under the dashboard when I twisted the wrong way and threw out my back. Pain shot down into my lower back so badly I was now unable to extricate myself from this position. I tried, i squirmed, I pushed and I pulled but this condition was getting worse by the minute.

Just then my Father came walking into the garage. I yelled to him I need some help and he grabbed me by the ankles and pulled me out. With this help I was able to get to a crooked but standing position and limp back into the house.  Racked with pain I was barely able to move. For the time being, karate training was over.

My back recovered but I still had not returned to class.  One day in August, I was walking through the local department store and ran into my teacher, Sensei Joe DeGuzman.  He asked how I was and I told him what happened to my back.  His next question was “when are you coming back to karate?”  I said previously that I had quit karate but that was not true. I only took a short break.

My answer- Tuesday.
Now you know when I see our students that have not been training I always ask the same question.
When are you coming back to karate.  It is a question that changed my life.

Kjn

Do your children have everything they need for back to school #1

Do your children have everything they need for back to school? 

Going back to school means shopping for new clothes, maybe a backpack, school supplies and more.  However, preparing your child for September may take more preparation than a visit to the store.  Here are some of our top “Back to School” suggestions to keep your children healthy and safe. 

Teach your child the importance of exercise.  Getting sufficient exercise enhances mental function.  Moderately intense exercise increases your energy, stimulates a good mood, reduces anxiety and releases a chemical that rewires your brain to make better memory circuits.  It has to be a regular occurrence to maintain healthy brain function. 

Teach your children to get enough sleep.  We tell students about the importance of a restful night of sleep in order to have a strong body and strong mind. Muscles repair themselves when you are sleeping.  Many adults are sleep deprived too.  A good night's sleep will help enhance the learning and retention of the day's activities. 

Teach your children to eat a healthy breakfast.  Sending your child to school with fuel for the day is critical.  What would you feed your prize racehorse before sending them out to win a race?  Children who eat breakfast do better in school than children with an empty stomach.  Kids have different needs than adults when it comes time for cognitive work.  Between the constant stimulus of learning and the brain growing, children need more energy to function. 

Teach your children how to set a goal for excellence.  At Quest Martial Arts we say "We are a Black Belt school" using Black Belt as a metaphor for doing their best.  From the very first day a student enrolls we set the standard for high achievement and we expect to see improvements in class, at home and in school.  Our instructors always teach students that you don't need a Black Belt to have a Black Belt attitude, just try your best (although many children have not yet learned what their best is).  Give them some daily examples of excellence.    

Teach your children how to self-evaluate a performance.  A simple way to for kids to appraise their performance is to ask them to grade their effort on a scale of one to ten. One is stinky, rotten and not too good and level ten is a world class performance.  Which one do they want to be? 

The final lesson to get ready for school- (PPPPP)- perfect planning prevents poor performance. 

Master Mike Bogdanski has a Bachelor's degree in psychology and a Master's degree in school counseling.  He is a co-owner of Quest Martial Arts in Putnam with Master Kristin Duethorn, and are celebrating thirty years in business.   

Hwal = Vitality

Moo Do Creed (Moo Duk Kwan Hun Jang)

The purpose of Moo Do is Hwal -               to cultivate ourselves.

Moo Do does not end in offense or defense.

It is one step further, the purpose is life itself.

Even facing the enemy, our goal is to save them.


The principles of Moo Do are the principles of Nature.

 

Guided by Moo Do we may achieve the goal of Hwal in the principles of Nature

 

To do so we must concentrate, stress the beauty, line and speed, and study scientifically
To provide all this is our creed.
                                                                         - Hwang Kee

Lets not forget the philosophical part of the art!

Master Bogdanski
 

Yuk ro Hyung

The Kwon Bup [fist fighting method] section of the Moo Yei Do Bo Tong Ji describes the most effective techniques for empty hand combat that were known up to the time (aproximately 1790). These were interpreted by Kwan Jang Nim Hwang Kee and he created the six Yuk Ro Hyungs from them.The name Yuk Ro comes from the MooYei Do Bo Tong Ji. Yuk Ro, which means "Six Paths" are meant to strengthen a practitioner's bones and make them very hard for sustaining very little injury in the event of an attack and then inflicting greater injury to an adversary in battle.

The Six-Fold Path is related to the Chil Sung Hyung in its intent of development. Chil Sung Hyung are intended to develop the artist as a person and Yuk Ro Hyung are intended to develop the artist as a warrior.

1- Yuk Ro Cho Dan or Du Mun which means (enter) Top or Great Gate.  As a martial artist, you must open your mind to information. Indeed, the gateway to the mind if often the   most difficult to open, and why it is known as the Great Gate.

2- Yuk Ro Ee Dan or Joong Jul which means Cutting the Middle. As a martial artist, much of the information that passes through the Great Gate will be either useful information that is obscured by fluff and is just pure useful knowledge.

3- Yuk Ro Sam Dan or Po Wol which means Embracing the Moon. When you've cut through the middle and sorted what has passed through the Great Gate, embrace the information you've discovered.

4- Yuk Ro Sa Dan or Yang Pyun which means high whip.  You will come to a point where your martial art skill will be at its highest, and as a warrior, like a lone person, high atop a hill, wielding a whip, and no one will be able to touch you.

5- Yuk Ro O Dan or Sahl Chu which means Killing Mace. With experience, you will have much knowledge and power and be able to kill with one blow, like a heavy hammer against your enemy

6- Yuk Ro Yuk Dan or Choong Ro which means Jumping, Capturing.  You will realize that with all your knowledge, it is not being untouchable or being able to kill with one blow that makes you a skilled martial artist, but being able to capture your enemy WITHOUT causing injury.
 By practicing the Yuk Ro, you walk the path to becoming a great, trusted and noble warrior