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!

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?

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

Mom’s-let your kids be Black Belts

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 beltsKids 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.

Know when to sit out

I just read an article with a quote by martial arts legend Dan Inosanto that struck me and is relevant as Sbn Duethorn and I have been discussing this topic.

This is for older martial artists.

“The most difficult part of your training-

at this point in your life and going forward-

will be knowing when to sit out.”

When I had my knee replaced two years ago I showed my Doctor a photo of me stomp kicking through about two feet of concrete.  I told him I would let the young Black Belts do that now.

I no longer push myself to do bear crawls and crab walks.

I have long time martial arts friends who now do Asian archery and sword practice.  I can see why.

I can still kick head high after a good warmup with no pain or distress but I don’t do explosiveness drills like I used to.  I still kick and punch but don’t go crazy.

I do miss all the tournament prep and competition.  But now, I teach, coach, mentor and enjoy the ride.

Stay training, but warm up well and don’t try to keep up with the kid standing next to you.  Just impress them that harder is not always the best way.  You are light years ahead in health, fitness and fighting capabilities than other people our age

Yes, I am 66 and still love martial arts.

MB

Grandmaster Jhoon Rhee

Meeting Grandmaster Rhee was a fantastic experience.
Known as the Father of American Tae kwon do and inventor of safety equipment he made his mark in the martial arts world.

What impressed me the most was the question he asked at the beginning of his seminar.
What is the purpose of life?

”To be happy” he responded.

Grandmaster, I will never forget.

Grandmaster Kim, Song Ki

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.   

Dan Inosanto -The Man

Dan Inosanto

Known to many as one if the greatest martial arts teachers of all time. He was one of Bruce Lee’s original students back in the sixties. He has black belts in dozens if martial arts and is a lifelong learner.  My don James has been training in phillippine martial arts for a few years now and has gotten very skilled.  I have slways been extremely close to him his entire life but this gives us some extra bonding.

While visiting him in California I had the pleasure of traing with his teacher Marie Claire who is a gifted and knowledgable teacher. She is impressive.  We also trained at the legendary Inosanto Academy with the legend himself.  We were in the pres ence of a master tescher. Not only his skills were evident but his knowledge and how he verbalized it was impressive.  I was very excited to take the class and especially to share it with my son.  It helps me realize I have to work harder to be as good a teacher as Guru Dan Inosanto.

Can’t wait until next time!

MB

Superman

.

Not -“The Superman”

Superman, the roller coaster at Six Flags.  A few weeks ago I had the pleasure to ride this world class roller coaster. I like roller coasters, the speed, the excitement, it;s just fun.  This time I wanted to challenge myself to control my excitement and heart rate as if I were in a combat style encounter where my emotions would be challenged.

I had given it some thought.  I would do long slow breathing just like we do at the beginning and end of martial arts classes.  Muk nyum is a meditation state where you can bring your inner calmness into play as a way to feel centered and balanced.

Even though my nephew was screaming in my ear the entire ride I had a lot of success in managing the stress and elevation of emotions. This did not detract from the ride, I still loved it.  I was happy I was able to practice what I could preach.  This was a perfect situation about adrenaline stress management control.

Mike Bogdanski

Bouncer Chonicles- Tony Robbins

Yes that Tony Robbins.

In the 90's I was struck by Tony Robbins positiveness and success oriented psychology.  I read a few of his books and wanted more.  He did a one day seminar in Lowell, Mass. and I had a really great experience there.  During a break, one of the staff recognized me and came up say hello.  He was the student of a Black Belt in the Boston area and had regularly been on Tony's staff when he was in New England.  He asked if I might be interested in working future seminars, knowing my martial arts background and I put the idea in the back of mind.

A year later I did a 4 day seminar with Tony in Worcester.  He is the master motivator.  I believe some of his techniques has rubbed off on me (I hope).  One of my greatest high's was doing the barefoot walk on hot coals!

A year after that I saw he was going to be in NYC for a few days so I packed up my bag and drove down.  I went to the staff meeting and was assigned as Tony Robbins bodyguard (me and one other guy) for the weekend.  A year after that I did personal security for him again at the Hartford civic center where I rubbed elbows with other celebs like Donald Trump, Robin Roberts and Barbara Walters.  I was Barbara Walters escort from green room to stage and back.  It was facinating to see the behind the scene action at the 10,000 person event.
At this point I was trying to kick off my own speaking business and eventually toured the country for a few years doing anti bully presentations and of course teaching karate.

I will cover more of my experiences with Tony in the next blog.

 

Conquering Inner Fears To Achieve Your Dreams

 by Mental Toughness Partners 

We all have inner fears and mental obstacles that limit our own ability to perform at our best. Conquering inner fears is a challenge we all face at one point or another. We all have experienced that inner voice doubting whether we have got what it takes to succeed at the highest level, or it is paying undue attention to the negative opinions of others. We are often our own greatest enemy when it comes to derailing our dreams and preventing them from becoming reality.

However, everyday, people smash those inner fears and achieve their dreams through resolve, determination and a sound plan.  Reproduced below is some useful practical advice on conquering inner fears and controlling your inner voice, first published on the Adidas Plan A project and authoured by contributor Marcus Leach.

Just as there can be no night without day, and no light without darkness, there can be no winning without losing and no success without failure. The two are intrinsically linked, every success we achieve we do so having played a game of calculated risk, knowing that the final outcome could be less than satisfactory.

Take any successful person, be it in sport, business, the entertainment industry or any field for that matter, and what comes to mind? The trophies they have won, the accolades they have collected, the smiles, the laughter, the moments of joy and happiness, the great successes they have achieved? Yet for all of that there are numerous, and often untold, tales of defeat, of lessons learned the hard way. But each and every one of them has achieved success knowing that the failures were a necessary part of the journey.

While failure is at once soul-destroying and demoralising, it is also instructive, empowering and entirely necessary for growth.

We all have desired outcomes, goals that we want to achieve in life, yet when it comes down to the nitty gritty, many of us are not prepared to endure the inevitable setbacks and disappointments that are an integral part of any success story. Nobody has ever reached the top, or near the top, of their game, their profession, their company without first having tasted defeat, often multiple times.

Yet we choose to focus on the end success, forgetting the months, weeks and years of dedication that goes in to moulding life’s champions.

Our fascination with other people’s success stories means that we are quick to forget there is no straight line to the top. When it comes to our own goals we find it all too easy to throw in the towel at the first sign of hardship. However, when we know that there will be failures along the way we can learn to adapt, and indeed the most successful people I have met over the years are all masters at adjusting in the face of defeat. For they know that it is not fatal, and instead they embrace the challenge and work out a way to keep moving towards their goals, they are masters at failing because they learn, develop and grow from every one of life’s experiences, good or bad.

Get back on your bike! Never let a fall or a failure keep you from your dreams.

Too many of us have become scared of failing; as children we cared not what others thought, had no concern for falling at the first hurdle, minds free from ‘what ifs’, just a pure, unadulterated desire to try, learn and ultimately strive to be the best we could at anything we turned our hands to. Slowly that desire has been diluted by other people’s opinions and limiting beliefs in our ability, to the extent where ‘dancing under the lights’ has become a distant dream that exists somewhere in the empty void on the edge of our comfort zone. Instead we choose not to even try in the first place, allowing our dreams and life to pass us by, paralysed by the fear of the outcome instead of learning to focus on the process.

It’s time to get comfortable facing negative results, the disappointments and defeats and take them for what they are, lessons in life that, if learned, can lead us to great success. We will fail, but we will rise once more, stronger, wiser and one step closer to achieving success. After all “he who is not courageous enough to take risks will accomplish nothing in life.” Therefore it’s not so much a question of what do you want to accomplish in life, but are you prepared to take the necessary risks, and their inevitable consequences, required to get there?