PTSDA Karate

Learning new things can be both exciting and frustrating. With the right approach, we can really enjoy the process of learning and growing ourselves in the martial arts and in other areas of our life. As you know, the martial arts is a skill. It takes quite awhile to understand and apply the knowledge gained. We’ve all heard the 10,000 hour idea. It takes 10,000 hrs to achieve a level of mastery with a skill.When most people hear 10,000 hrs, they get overwhelmed. How about we shift our focus from a long term goal (10,000 hrs) to a more doable  [ Read More ]

Don’t you just love the month of November? The fall weather is slowly making it’s way to the Gulf Coast. We don’t experience the changing of leaves like the northern states, but we gladly welcome the reprieve from the hot summer months. Of all the great things this month has to offer, I believe Thanksgiving is at the top of the list.   Family and friends gathering together. The tempting aromas saturating the house throughout the day. Throwing the football in the backyard, and watching the Lions lose again (sorry Dad). Of course, eating way too much food. The laughter,  [ Read More ]

The last test for 2020 is almost here! Once you and/or your child pass Pre-Test, you will be eligible to register on Wednesday, November 3 via PTSDA Karate Facebook page. Below are the dates and times for the examinations. Nov 4Tiny Tiger Belt TestingTigers that have earned all 5 stripes on their belt will be eligible to test on this day during their class time. Students that did not earn all their stripes are encouraged to stay home. Nov 6Children’s Prgm Belt TestingWhite – Yellow Belts (2:45pm)Orange – Green Belts (3:30pm)Red – Black Belts (4:30pm) Nov 7Traditional Prgm Belt TestingWhite  [ Read More ]

Master Gordon’s event is back with new location and all!! This has been an interesting year for all of us! This tournament will do double duty. First, it will serve to closeout 2019-2020 season. Points from Sept 19, and Feb 20 will count towards this tournament to award 2019-2020 winners. This year they are awarding swords! They will also use this tournament to launch their 2020-2021 tournament season. Meaning points count twice!!Sparring has never been mandated and still isn’t. They will offer their normal divisions of musical, weapons, forms, self defense, and sparring. For more information, please visit https://gcmac.info/

With testing right around the corner, I thought it would be a great idea to discuss testing and ways we can make it more enjoyable.   Prepare for Success – by consistently practicing and attending class, you are setting yourself up for an enjoyable testing experience. Things like suitable rest, hygiene, exercise and nutrition are also important contributing factors to your success.   Visualize Success – this is a very powerful tool. Highly successful people use it all the time. Picture yourself doing well on each aspect of your exam. We tend to gravitate toward where we focus. So why  [ Read More ]

As Tropical Storm Zeta approaches the Gulf Coast, we wanted to give everyone an update for today, Wed. Oct 28. Our Children’s Program will be operating as normal for pick up and drop off. Since they will be dismissed early today, we will be picking them up at that time. With the storm intensifying around 6pm, we are requesting parents pick up their children as soon as possible this afternoon. All afternoon classes (Tiny Tigers, White, Yellow and Orange Belts) are cancelled. We will conduct their stripe evaluations and Pre-Testing on Mon. Nov 2. Please stay safe and stay tuned  [ Read More ]

Can you think of an area of your life that you would like more confidence? We all have something that we would like to be more sure about. There’s no shame in it. In fact, it makes us human.   Here are my top 3 tips for building more confidence.   1. Get a Mentor Find the expert in the area that you want to improve, and get guidance. We all need direction in life. We don’t have to reinvent the wheel. Seek help and begin to improve.   There’s no mystery in gaining confidence. You just have to work  [ Read More ]

As many of you know, the Gulf Coast was recently devastated by Hurricane Sally. Our community experienced a great deal of damage from the high winds, flooding and trees falling on houses and power lines. Unfortunately, our dojang did not go unscathed from this massive storm. We experienced water damage and a variety of other challenges. In the midst of all this struggle, we have been deeply encouraged by the outpouring of love and support from our local family and friends as well as our International Tang Soo Do Federation Family. Choong Jae Nim C. S. Kim and Master Y.  [ Read More ]

Without a doubt, Hurricane Sally wreaked havoc on the Gulf Coast. Power outages, flooding and trees down were among the challenges we have faced. Many of us are fortunate enough to have recovered from the storm, while others are still putting back the pieces. As a result of the damages sustained at the dojang, we have made many improvements. It’s been a huge reset button for us. It would be easy to fall into the rut of a poor me attitude, but all I see is improvement. In life, it’s easy to get stuck in our routines and become complacent.  [ Read More ]

So what does compassion have to do with the martial arts? More than you might think. Having the ability to look outside ourselves to solve a confrontation takes quite a bit of strength. As we continue to dig deeper, a great question to ask is how do we develop this type of inner strength to practice compassion in daily life? Let’s face it, it’s rather easy to focus on our position in an uncomfortable situation. Here are my top 4 tips to be more compassionate in our daily life. Morning Practice – it’s all about choosing kindness. Make time each  [ Read More ]