Thursday 31 December 2015

Take Small Steps To Success In 2016

Another year rolls by and here we are in 2016. Look out for Easter Eggs in your local supermarket in the next few days...

We'll soon be bombarded with tips for making New Years Resolutions, setting goals and "making 2016 your best year yet". Making resolutions and setting goals can be challenging, and despite how clichéd it can come across at this time of the year, personally I don't think there is any harm in utilising the New Year to initiate change or refocus ourselves. However, when a goal seems too vast or too difficult to comprehend, we can often fail before we start because we never seriously get started. If we successfully make a change, sticking to it can be even harder.

The key is to take small steps. This is the same as martial arts students having a vision of achieving Black Belt (a minimum 3 1/2  year goal in Choi Kwang-Do), but working on the various Coloured Belts as the 'building blocks' to achieve that goal. Each martial arts class provides the environment and support for the student to work towards those building blocks by learning the martial arts syllabus to take gradings. Upon successful promotion following a grading the student is awarded the new belt rank. The result? A small step towards their goal and increased motivation.

Here's a quick and simple process that you can use to help you take small steps towards your own goals in 2016:

1. On a piece of paper write down today's date followed by a personal goal, but keep it really simple. Think more "eat a piece of fruit every day", rather than "go to the moon in July". Ideally you'll want to write a SMART goal. For a description of this take a few minutes to read Benefit #9 - Goal Setting from The Top 10 Benefits of Choi Kwang Do.

2. Give yourself 1 minute - and 1 minute only - to write down any actions, thoughts or ideas related to achieving that goal. Many will be obvious while others will require you to think a little harder. Either way, keep writing going for the full 60 seconds, even if the idea initially seems ridiculous or impractical. You can criticise later. For now you just want to get the ideas flowing.

3. When the minute is up go back through the list and select 2 or 3 actions and set a date for them to be completed by. Many will jump out at you to be done immediately. Avoid the temptation to take on too much at this stage.

4. Take ACTION. This is critical. As soon as possible do one of your selected actions from the list. It is vital to keep the momentum going whilst you're in a creative mood and are motivated. Once you have completed the actions, return to the list, cross through what you have done, then select 2 or 3 more actions giving them completion dates too.

5. At the end of the month, spend a few minutes reviewing your progress. I like to use the following questions as they focus your mind on what you can learn or improve, rather than what you failed at:

  • What went well?
  • What was challenging?
  • What would you do differently?

If the goal is complete, fantastic! Reward yourself (with a chocolate egg?) If not, select 2 or 3 items from the list, assign dates and take action again. Then review your progress at the end of the next month.

Does this sound simple to you? Great...it's supposed to be!

Of course, for bigger, more complex or very important goals you would need to spend more time planning and organising actions, but for simple goals this process might be effective for you. It's designed to assist in regularly taking small but regular steps with minimal analysis.

2016 is here so if you try this or already use a different process that works well for you, feel free to share your ideas.

__________
Jason Wright is a 6th Degree Black Belt and Master Instructor in the martial art Choi Kwang-Do. For further information on Choi Kwang-Do classes in Ealing, West London visit www.TheMartialArtForLife.com

Wednesday 30 December 2015

Tuesday 24 November 2015

Black Belt Grading - December 2015

Sunday 29th November. The big one...the coming together of students and instructors across London and beyond for the Regional Black Belt Grading:

Wembley CKD
Barham Primary School
Danethorpe Road
Wembley
Middx. HA0 4RQ

Click here for a map of Wembley CKD

Leadership & Black Belt Training - 27/11/2015

This Friday 27th November we hold our quarterly training session which includes the Black Belt Tag Grading. Please remember the change of times for this month only:

7.00 - 8.00pm: 2nd Degrees only
8.00 - 9.00pm: Everyone else (1st Degrees, advanced level students and AIs)

Coloured Belt Grading - November 2015

Our last Coloured Belt Grading for 2015 takes place on Wednesday 25th November within usual class times. Please refer to the grading list (sent by email) for the confirmed students.

Click here to pay grading fees online

Tuesday 3 November 2015

Leadership & Black Belt Training - 06/11/2015

Leadership & Black Belt Training takes place this Friday 6th November.

7.00 - 7.30pm Leadership Training (Junior Leadership Team, AIs and HIs)
7.30 - 9.00pm Black Belt Training (All Black Belts. Advanced level students upon invitation)

The next class for 2015 will be on Friday 27th November.

Friday 16 October 2015

Class Update

Two date changes for your diaries:

Leadership & Black Belt Training (incorporating the tag grading) in December has been rescheduled to Friday 27th November.

The Black Belt Grading has been rescheduled to Sunday 29th November.

Reminders will be sent closer to the time.

Sunday 4 October 2015

Coloured Belt Grading - October 2015

Taking place on Wednesday 7th October, this is actually the revised date for the September grading. This grading is for children only and will take place at the regular children's class times of 6.00pm and 7.00pm. The grading list is to follow by email.

Click here to pay grading fees online

Thursday 1 October 2015

Leadership & Black Belt Training - 02/10/2015

Our October session will be held on Friday 2nd. Remember the new times for these classes are as follows:

7.00 - 7.30pm Leadership Training (Junior Leadership Team, AIs and HIs)
7.30 - 9.00pm Black Belt Training (All Black Belts. Advanced level students upon invitation)

We'll also complete Black Belt grading presentations, for those who have not received their results and tags yet.

Thursday 17 September 2015

Leadership & Black Belt Training - 18/09/2015

The September session incorporates our quarterly Black Belt Tag Grading. Please note the change of times from now onwards:

7.00 - 7.30pm Leadership Training (Junior Leadership Team, AIs and HIs)
7.30 - 9.00pm Black Belt Tag Grading

Click here to pay Grading Fees online

Thursday 6 August 2015

Leadership & Black Belt Training - 07/08/2015

Following last months 'Back to Basics' workshop, our August class on Friday 7th will return to core syllabus; a chance to review belt level material before the next tag grading in September (now rescheduled to Friday 18th September).

6.30 - 7.00pm Leadership Training (Junior Leadership Team, AIs, HIs & CIs)
7.00 - 8.30pm Black Belt Training

Sunday 2 August 2015

Ealing CKD Summer Schedule 2015

Summer is here which also means a some adjustments to our regular class schedule. From Monday 3rd August until Wednesday 19th August classes continue but the children's classes will be merged due to the lower attendance levels.

Class times:


7.00pm – 7.50pm Children’s Class (the 6.00 and 7.00pm classes will be merged as attendance is typically lower at this time of the year)

8.00pm – 9.00pm Teens & Adults

The dates for these classes will be:


Monday 3rd Wednesday 5th August 

Monday 10th & Wednesday 12th August
Monday 17th & Wednesday 19th August

Classes then close for the summer holidays, resuming on Monday 7th September at the regular times of 6.00, 7.00 and 8.00pm.

Wednesday 1 July 2015

Leadership & Black Belt Training - 03/07/2015

Leadership & Black Belt Training will be held this Friday 3rd July at Holy Family School:

6.30 - 7.00pm Leadership Training (Junior Leadership Team, AIs, HIs & CIs)
7.00 - 8.30pm Black Belt Training


Please note: this month will be technical class so no need to worry about hard training in the heat, but t-shirts, water and a towel still recommended.

Monday 8 June 2015

Black Belt Grading - June 2015

With dan gradings now taking place twice a year, this is set to be big event. Schools from across London come together for the Regional Black Belt Grading on Sunday 14th June at Wembley CKD:

Wembley CKD
Barham Primary School
Danethorpe Road
Wembley
Middx. HA0 4RQ

Click here for a map of Wembley CKD




Wednesday 3 June 2015

Leadership & Black Belt Training - 05/06/2015

This Friday 5th we hold our monthly session for June:

6.30 - 7.00pm Leadership Training (Junior Leadership Team, AIs, HIs & CIs)
7.00 - 8.30pm Black Belt Training/Tag Grading 

The grading list for black belts tags will be sent by email. Those testing for dan ranks at the Regional Black Belt Grading on 14th June are expected to attend as part of their preparation. 

Click here to pay Grading Fees online

Thursday 30 April 2015

Leadership & Black Belt Training - 01/05/2015

We kick off the month of May with Leadership & Black Belt Training. To be held on Friday 1st May.

6.30 - 7.00pm Leadership Training (Junior Leadership Team, AIs & HIs)
7.00 - 8.30pm Black Belt Training (All Black Belts. Advanced level students upon invitation)

For those grading for 1st degree black belt in June, this is one of the last opportunities to prepare.

No Classes on Bank Holiday Monday 4th & 25th May 2015

A reminder that there will not be a class on the bank holiday Monday 4th May. Classes continue as normal on Wednesday 6th. The same applies for the second bank holiday later this month - no class on Monday 25th May.

For those that train only on Monday's only please remember that you can attend both classes the preceding or following weeks, if possible.

Wednesday 8 April 2015

Leadership & Black Belt Training - 10/04/2015

Our session for April will be held on Friday 10th at the usual times:

6.30 - 7.00pm Leadership Training (Junior Leadership Team, AIs, HIs & CIs)
7.00 - 8.30pm Black Belt Training (All Black Belts. Advanced level students upon invitation)

This month we'll being pretesting for the Black Belt Grading in June.

See dates for Leadership & Black Belt Training during 2015.

Sunday 5 April 2015

Ealing CKD Easter 2015

A reminder that there will not be a Choi Kwang-Do class on Monday 6th April as it's a bank holiday. Enjoy the break!

Classes continue on Wednesday 8th. Leadership & Black Belt Training will be held on Friday 10th April. Both classes will be held at the usual times and in the usual location, Holy Family School.

Sunday 22 March 2015

Coloured Belt Grading - March 2015

Our next Coloured Belt Grading takes place this Wednesday 25th March. These gradings take place within normal class time and the grading list of eligible students will be sent by email in due course.

Click here to pay Grading Fees online

Remember that the months in which Coloured Belt Gradings are held have changed. See this post for proposed dates during for 2015.

Sunday 8 February 2015

Coloured Belt Gradings 2015

Please see below dates for Coloured Belt Gradings during 2015, all to be held in class at Ealing CKD:

Wednesday 28th January (Adults)
Wednesday 11th February (Children)
Wednesday 25th March
Wednesday 20th May
Wednesday 15th July
Wednesday 23rd September
Wednesday 25th November

Leadership & Black Belt Training 2015

Please see below dates for Leadership & Black Belt Training during 2015, all to be held at Holy Family School.

Friday 9th January
Friday 6th February
Friday 6th March – Black Belt Tag Grading
Friday 10th April
Friday 1st May
Friday 5th June – Black Belt Tag Grading
Friday 3rd July
Friday 7th August
Friday 11th September – Black Belt Tag Grading
Friday 18th September – Black Belt Tag Grading (revised date)
Friday 2nd October
Friday 6th November
Friday 4th December – Black Belt Tag Grading
Friday 27th November – Black Belt Tag Grading (revised date)


Black Belt Gradings & Regional Training 2015

Please see below dates for Black Belt Choi Kwang-Do Gradings and Regional Training during 2015. Regional Training will form part of the pretesting requirements for those testing 3 months later.

Sunday 8th March – Regional Black Belt Training/Pre Test
Sunday 14th June - Regional Black Belt Grading
Sunday 20th September – Regional Training/Pre Test
Sunday 6th December - Regional Black Belt Grading
Sunday 29th November - Regional Black Belt Grading (revised date)

Wednesday 4 February 2015

Leadership & Black Belt Training - 06/02/2015


February's Leadership & Black Belt Training will be held on Friday 6th February:

6.30 - 7.00pm Leadership Training (Junior Leadership Team, AIs, HIs & CIs)
7.00 - 8.30pm Black Belt Training (All Black Belts. Advanced level students upon invitation)

Wednesday 7 January 2015

Leadership & Black Belt Training - 09/01/2015

Our first Leadership & Black Belt Training session for 2015 takes place this Friday 9th January at the usual times at Holy Family School:

6.30 - 7.00pm Leadership Training (Junior Leadership Team, AIs, HIs & CIs)
7.00 - 8.30pm Black Belt Training (All Black Belts. Advanced level students upon invitation)

Please also see the last issue of Excellence (November/December 2014) for proposed dates of these classes during 2015.

Thursday 1 January 2015

10 Minutes A Day Challenge























You'll hear me 'drone on' about practise many times in the class - particularly, although not exclusively, in children’s classes. I use the word drone, only because I’m sure for some students that it comes across as somewhat repetitive. A typical end of class comment might be:

Me: "Today in class we were working on your belt level patterns. Make sure you continue
practising them at home before your next class, OK?"
Class: "Yes, Sir!"

Now, does everyone go home and continue with their lives. Or do they go home and spend an hour a day
practising? As Instructors we're always curious as to who does...and to be honest in most cases, this is obvious.

Do you?
Does your son or daughter?

What we do know is that the following is true for the majority of students:

If all of your martial arts practise takes place in class time alone, whether that be one or two classes per week, you’re not practising enough.

If you have a good memory or technically gifted then you might just be able to 'get away with it'. For example, you may be one of those students who after being shown your pattern might pick it up and remember it quite easily. Some students just seem to 'get it'.

For students who need a little more help or sustained effort (myself included) it might take longer to grasp the format of the pattern.

Both types of student (and all the other types in between) will require further practise to refine the techniques, further practise again to make the continued recall of the techniques effortless, further practise for the performance of the sequence to be fluid and further practise yet again to retain all of rewards of practise already attained!

So, slightly swerving the "what are your New Years resolutions?" article, this is a simple challenge to start a new daily habit. Nothing radical here; just a collective commitment to make time to practise 10 minutes a day. Your choice if you include or exclude days that you actually attend class.

DISCLAIMER: 10 minutes a day is no where near enough to make you an expert at Choi Kwang-Do. However, for any student who doesn't practise regularly this will make a significant positive impact on progress.

What constitutes practise? Anything that will help you to improve your Choi Kwang-Do training in any way.

  • Spend 5 minutes in the morning kicking and 5 minutes in the evening on your speed drill – that counts.
  • Spend 10 minutes reading your syllabus sheet and trying to memorise the belt level requirement – that counts.
  • Spend 10 minutes stretching while watching TV – that counts.

10 minutes a day too time consuming? Start with 5 and add 1 additional minute per day. Better than nothing and it still counts. In fact, everything counts as it all contributes in some way to your overall experience. Just ensure you're practising the right thing in the right way, and that's exactly the reason why class attendance and practise with the benefit of an instructor is so important.

__________
Jason Wright is a 6th Degree Black Belt and Master Instructor in the martial art Choi Kwang-Do. For further information on Choi Kwang-Do classes in Ealing, West London visit 
www.TheMartialArtForLife.com