Author: Master Dufour

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Outdoor Classes Start Today!

I hope you and your family are in good health and spirits. A BIG thank you to all who helped. These type of events bring out the best and worst in people. We have been blessed to see the best from each of you. Thank you.

The dojang is getting better each day, but we are not there yet. Our roof and drywall people should be finishing up by Wednesday. Fingers crossed.
Until the dojang floor gets completed, we will hold our classes (weather permitting) on the grass between us and the church. You will NOT need to schedule your classes. Just show up. Wear your uniform, shoes and bring water.

Mon & Wed Classes
Tiny Tigers 4:15pm
White & Yellow Belts 5pm
Orange Belts 6pm

Tues & Thurs Classes
Black Belt & Master 4pm
Green Belts Belts 5pm
Red & Blue Belts 6pm

We will set up our camera outside for those of you doing Facebook Live or ZOOM. Again, thank you for your patience. We are looking forward to our outdoor classes this week. If the weather is nasty, please stay home and do a previous virtual lesson. TANG SOO!!!

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Renew

We are a few weeks into our new school year, and I believe all of us could use some renewal of our minds and bodies. The new school semester along with COVID 19 has presented a slew of challenges for all of us. No details needed, right? To help us manage our frustration and road to burnout, let’s adopt some strategies to help us refresh ourselves.

Here are my top 3 tips to recharge your batteries

  1. Get Out in Nature – go for a hike, swim in the river or kayaking are great ways to recharge your batteries. There’s something healing about getting out of the rat race and getting out into nature. Give it a try!
  2. Stop & Breathe – when you find a person that has a very busy mind, you will usually find that person has a busy body too. Constantly moving. Guilty. I’ve found that by taking 15-20 minutes of quiet time helps to renew the mind and body.
  3. Change It Up – when you feel like you are heading toward frustration and burn out, pause and see if you can change up what you are currently doing. A simple change up in your routine can give you that extra spark needed to help renew yourself.

I hope this helps to encourage you to take time each day to renew your spirit. Renewing ourselves is like taking a shower. If we don’t do it often, we will feel stinky. Best wishes in your pursuit of being and giving your best!

Make time to be still and breathe.
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*Important – Mark Your Calendars*

In the upcoming week, Our family will be out of town. From Sept 10-15 there will be no in person or ZOOM classes.

However during our time away, I will be uploading special filmed classes to our Facebook Live Group, PTSDA Karate Virtual Classes (Sept 10, 14, 15).

  • Mon., Sept 7 – Labor Day (closed)
  • Thurs., Sept 10 (closed)
  • Mon., Sept 14 (closed)
  • Tues., Sept 15 (closed)
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Kindness

Our challenge this week for all of us is to spread kindness wherever we go. Start with being kind to ourselves through our self talk and care. Like a pebble dropping in a pond, we will be the ripple effect of kindness in our community and beyond.  

Here are my top 3 tips with kindness
1. Smile – as you go about your day, give a smile to others around. It’s really infectious and rather contagious. Be the sunshine in others life through your beautiful smile.

2. Listen – when others speak, listen to understand not respond. We all want to be heard. Nothing shouts kindness more than listening to others, especially when they have a different outlook on a situation.

3. Help others – nothing feels better than helping others around you. It could be a simple task or big project Just give. Remember, giving is living.

We all know how to be kind. Start with a warm smile, listening and helping others. Be the change that we desire to see in this world. Give kindness a try. It’s free.
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Learning

Who out there loves to learn? Me too. It’s fun to learn new things. Life is filled with learning opportunities. Whether it’s a new form in class or discovering something new about the world we live in.

Obviously, learning isn’t just for our kiddos. As adults, we can continuously grow ourselves through learning too.

Here are my top 3 tips with learning

  1. Rest & Nutrition – having a good night’s rest and a proper diet, we will be bright eyed and bushy tail when approaching learning.
  2. Patience – some areas of learning will come natural to us, while other will not. Learning is a process. Just keep trying.
  3. Be in the Moment – staying focused can be challenging at times. Remember to look, listen, think and do.

Having a goal of learning something new each day is a great way to help us grow. Aren’t you excited to learn new things this week? Ready, Set, Time to learn:)

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Fun

Isn’t it easy to get in the mindset of having fun on just weekends, vacations and holidays? Our goal this week is to smile more often and simply have more fun in general.

Here are my top 3 tips with fun
1. Mindset is key – where our focus goes our energy flows. Find the positive in what you are doing and go with it. With a positive attitude you will have way more fun.

2. Make it a Goal – it’s easy to get too serious and stressed out in life. Make it a priority to have fun wherever you are at. Smile, laugh and enjoy.

3. Understand your Fun – everyone’s fun is different. The important thing to understand is what you enjoy. Make time to do that this week.

Don’t get me wrong, there is plenty of things in this world to be serious about. My encouragement for all of us this week is to take a breath and have more fun. Starting now😀

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Slow Down To Go Faster

I simply love the old saying, Slow Down to Go Faster. At first glance, the statement seems contradictory. By digging deeper and applying it, one can really benefit from this concept.

Here are a few ideas to use this idea in your next practice session.

  1. Basics – slow it way down and analyze your breathing, chambers, posture, execution, stances, balance, etc.
  2. Forms – by letting your foot off the gas pedal, you will begin to work on improving the mechanics of your techniques. More purpose of your movements will begin to reveal themselves.
  3. One-Step Sparring – think about the concept of your techniques. Are you absorbing the punch, evading it? Slowing down will help you connect the dots from ready stance all the way to completing the skills.
  4. Self Defense – work on understanding how you grab and moving your body in the correct direction. Break down the little pieces that will make you effective.
  5. Breaking – break down your break (pun intended). Think about the core skill and refine that skill on a very basic level. Flying side kick – work on your side kick. Take baby steps to help you understand and build confidence.
Slow down to go faster
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Balance

Doesn’t it feel great when you achieve balance? Perhaps, it’s just simply replacing wobbling with stability. Often times, it can be a simple adjustment to get us centered.

Here are my top 3 tips with balance

  1. Focus on one thing – focus your eyes on one point. Push away distractions and think about what you are doing. Focused mind = focused body.
  2. Stay Centered – our head is like a bowling ball. Tip it too far in any direction and falling in that direction is inevitable. Keep your head and spine aligned.
  3. Analyze – if you find yourself off balance on a consistent basis, take some time to think about it. Which direction am I falling? Why am I falling? Video tape yourself doing the skill. If all else fails, ask us for help:)

Balance is important in both Tang Soo Do and life. My encouragement for all of us this week is take steps toward more balance in our daily journey.

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Training Tip – Practice

We all know that practice is essential to growth in Tang Soo Do. The challenge that most people face is getting started and staying on track.

Here are my top 5 tips regarding practice.

  1. Know Your Why – Having purpose to practice is important. What is yours?
  2. Make It a Habit – Not practicing can be a habit too. Start small (twice per week for 5 min) with this new positive habit.
  3. Be Specific – Be sure to be specific with what you want to improve during your practice time.
  4. Make it Fun – Try practicing in the water, beach or the backyard. Listen to some music. Create an atmosphere of focused fun for yourself.
  5. Track Your Progress – Develop a system to help you measure your practice. I personally use a spread sheet to help me keep on track.
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Expectations

Do you ever feel like you are not meeting your expectations? Is it possible to set high expectations without setting ourselves up for failure? With the right plan and mindset, I feel we can.

Here are my top 3 tips with expectations

  1. Be Clear – how can we hit the mark, when expectations are not clear? Be specific with all involved with what you envision to accomplish.
  2. Be Realistic – this is the one that can really knock us off the horse. When setting expectations, we need to be realistic. Be willing to modify expectations if they are not.
  3. Be Reasonable – if you’ve given 100% toward your expectation and didn’t make it, don’t beat yourself up. Analyze the why and realize there’s always tomorrow.

When dealing with expectations, remember to be clear, realistic and reasonable. When looking at our progress from high expectations, realize that you have improved yourself in many ways.