JSK Blog

Perseverance is a steady persistence to a course of action, a belief, and a purpose. Perseverance is one of the five tenets of Tae kwon Do. In October of 2007 a second female joined our adult class. She had fibromyalgia which causes wide spread muscle pain. This woman never seizes to amaze me. She has handled the pain so well. Her kicks are fantastic and even did 100 kicks at our kick-a-thon much to her mother’s amazement. In traditional Hapkido there is a lot of rolling and falling involved, having said that this was another obstacle for her path to black belt. Having been in an accident where she rolled over this brought about another fear she had yet to conquer. Now she rolls no complaint. Recently she came to the adult grappling class for the first time, which was new territory. Again she came out a little stiff and sore. Her attitude is amazing and is what the martial arts are all about. She is currently a purple belt and is an outstanding student and supporter of Jaguar Sport Karate.

In class I preach that we do not use the word can’t, we must always try and give it our best effort. This truly is what perseverance is all about. Perseverance is not about excuses it is about effort and the drive to succeed

We recently had a kick-a-thon to benefit Captain Harold Terry of the Lehi Police Department and his family.  Students of Jaguar Sport Karate and Yusahn Martial Arts (Lehi Legacy Center) recently joined together to participate. Over 2,000 kicks were thrown and over $1,000 dollars was raised. We received donations from New York to Washington State.  Perserverance, one of the tenets of Tae Kwon Do, was the key. On August 9th many martial arts practitioners found that out. 100 kicks were not easy but not one student quit.

One student has fibromyalgia another student injured his strong foot and had to kick with his weaker foot. The age ranged from 4 years old to 41 years old. I am so very proud of the students that participated.

In martial arts we learn how to defend ourselves physically, mentally, and emotionally. When a person is suddenly confronted with tragedy, as was Capt. Terry, that is when we must display our true inner courage and strength. By learning martial arts we first focus and commit to bettering ourselves, but that’s only half the true purpose of martial arts. The other half is to expand our focus on giving to our fellow human beings.

Captain Harold Terry is a true hero putting his life on the line to protect others. Heros walk around us every day, some give their life to help protect ours. Sergeant First Class Gordon Ewell put his life on the line in Iraq to protect our freedom and unselfishly sacrificed his body to do so. We cant forget flight nurse James Taylor who died on the fourth of July 2008. He was a true patriot that served in the military and died trying to save people. Two of these stories have a bitter happy ending while we ask why for the other.

Remember giving is better than receiving. To the students who participated, the parents and loved ones who supported their kickers, and to the many citizens who gave Jaguar Sport Karate thanks you.

On July 1st we opened the doors to the new studio. Although there is still a little work to do classes are underway. June was a very busy month and the studio might not have been opened if it weren’t for the following people. My wife, Karen, put a lot of sweat equity into the place. Her thoughts and ideas are invaluable. If it wasn’t for her talent with saws I am not sure where we would be or when we would open. My mother-in-law, Margaret, also helped extensively with decorating ideas and cleaning the studio as well as putting the mats on the floor, which was not an easy task. My brother, Sherman “Gus”, helped with the laminate flooring and much of the installation. I got the laminate flooring from Mark Granillo for such a great cost. He comes highly recommended. To the Motsinger and Watt Family who put a lot of time in the studio helping, they are worth there weight in gold. To Mrs. Davidson (Gage’s Mom) who assisted my wife on a moments notice. The Hadlock family put in their own paint equity as a family affair and man they were quick and efficient. So thank you to all, you are Jaguar Sport Karate.

Now get off your behind’s and get me students.

I had the priviledge of coaching Leah Kurtis at the Utah Summer Games in Cedar City. It makes things much easier when the player listens to the coach. The most important thing to a player entering a competition is to have fun and enjoy the experience and then learn from that experience. The teacher also learns from the student as well. Read the rest of this entry »

For the two weeks leading up to the 38th annual Open Karate Championships the Tae Kwon Do students at the Lehi Legacy Center learned sparring drills and tournament preparation techniques. Read the rest of this entry »

Well another year of school has started and there are the yearly challenges, the one kid at school that feels the need to pick on and intimidate other students. The truth is that bullies do not pick on kids that are as big or as tough as they are. Instead of being scared of them we should really feel sorry for them. Imagine the 5th grader picking on the 2nd grader, wow what a challenge. Here are some tips. Read the rest of this entry »

ADD (Attention Deficit Disorder)- Children with ADD do not entirely lack the ability to pay attention to an activity. In fact they will pay attention to things they find interesting. When they need to pay attention for an extended period of time that is when they drift off, differentiating themselves from other children their age. Read the rest of this entry »

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