Getting Started With Virtual Training

Is virtual martial arts training an exact replacement for 'face to face' classes? Of course not...but they have grown in popularity given the current pandemic, and with an understanding of the limitations - physical interaction and impact training being the most obvious - virtual training can provide a convenient and productive alternative.

Whether attending a live, online class led by an instructor, training with pre-recorded videos, or submitting videos for feedback from your instructor, consider virtual training as an innovative way to develop new skills and maintain a health routine from your home...or anywhere you have an internet connection!


How Does It Work?

If you've been wondering how virtual martial arts training works, the following shortlist of tips and advice may prove helpful:

• You do not need a large training space. Most activities can be conducted in a 1m x 2m space, or modified that they can be performed in a smaller space if that is all you have available.

• Our online martial arts classes are delivered via the Zoom video conferencing application. If using a desktop or laptop you can use Zoom via your web browser without installing any software or creating an account. If using a tablet or mobile phone you will need to install the app from your devices app store and an account is required.

• Aim to connect to an online class a few minutes before the scheduled start time. This will ensure you have time to resolve any technical issues that may arise when connecting. You can also join the class directly from the Online Classes page in our members area.

• Microphones are kept muted during classes aside from (1) right at the beginning so students can be greeted and recite the promise, principles and pledge, and (2) at the end so students can close the class together, say goodbyes and the instructor can answer any final questions. 

• Live instruction, demonstrations and feedback are provided during the class to ensure students are training correctly (just like a 'normal' class, just through your device!) However, as microphones are muted, if you have a question it's best to wave to indicate this and your microphone can be unmuted and any queries addressed.

• We ask that a parent of any children attending the online class remain close by to help children stay focused and fully participate. Alternatively, they can always join in with them!

• Online gradings create motivation by defining learning objectives along with target dates for assessment. For example, our students recently submitted videos for written feedback on their progress in advance of an upcoming grading.

• If training with pre-recorded videos, obviously live feedback is not possible but does offer more flexibility in that you are not tied to a specific class time. Just watch the video and train! These can be found in the Video Training section of our members area and a new 30 minute video class is currently released each week.

Lastly, don't forget: technology can enhance our lives greatly, but just like 'face-to-face' classes, there's no escaping the fact that online martial arts training still requires a commitment to regular practise. So however you are currently training...keep practising!

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Jason Wright is a 6th Degree Black Belt and Master Instructor at Ealing Choi Kwang-Do. Classes are temporarily suspended and virtual training is available instead. For more information please visit www.TheMartialArtForLife.com/virtual-training

Do You Know The Rules?

All new students are sent a copy of the school rules and guidelines upon joining, and naturally this takes time to digest as they engage in learning how the school operates, alongside the various martial art techniques and drills.

A simple example is bowing – a polite greeting and sign of mutual respect between students and instructors. Or the use of the word Pil-Seung – the Choi Kwang-Do motto translating as Certain Victory. This has the multiple purpose of creating a positive mental attitude in our students, a positive atmosphere in our classes, and as a general salutation. How and when to use these is explained and practised in class, but will be completely new to the average student.

When we are unsure of how to act, we often look towards our peers or those we identify as our reference group to see how we should be acting, and conform accordingly. This is often referred to as social proof, and for a new student, the reference group will be other students and instructors.

The reference group’s behaviour is driven by positive beliefs and values (the Children's Promise, Adult Pledge and Principles of Choi Kwang-Do), and with time and nurturing we hope that new students adopt similar positive beliefs and values. In fact, studies in social influence show in many cases, people eventually acknowledge the reference group's beliefs and values as their own.

Why does this happen?

Whether the modification takes place consciously or unconsciously, people adjust their thoughts, beliefs and behaviour under such conditions because their conformity fulfils psychological needs such as belonging and esteem generating feelings of approval from the reference group.

Parents and students: to refresh yourselves, I suggest taking a few minutes to view the excellent video on the Rules for the Dojang by Miss Kirsty Dickson (Reflect CKD) here

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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

Make Your Choi Kwang-Do Practise More Mindful

Grandmaster Choi recently gave a simple piece of advice to School Owners and instructors:

"Remember, it is important to practise slowly, regularly in a relaxed manner and with mindfulness".

Becoming more aware of what you are doing and how you are doing it can assist in creating a more engaging and enriching training experience – even aside the physical benefits. The problem is, this can be challenging for instructors and black belts due to experience; having performed so many blocks, punches, strikes and kicks over the years you can now perform the techniques and sequences automatically, without conscious thought.

Ironically, it takes another conscious action to break that automatic process – to pause and take note of what you are doing and how you are doing it. In the context of a physical activity, we could stop and reflect. This is an important exercise in its own right, eg. asking yourself questions such as, "what do I enjoy most about training CKD?" or "what aspect of my training do I want to focus on improving?" However, in our recent monthly Black Belt Training session at Ealing Choi KwangDo we sought to raise awareness during the activity.


3 Simple Steps

Firstly, before doing anything we agreed to reduce the speed and intensity of all drills throughout the class. Not drastically - just enough to ensure students can work at a consistent and moderately comfortable pace, while enabling them to think about what they were doing, while they are doing it.

Then we enhanced focus on the movements using the Three Ts:

1. Tool – which part of the body should be used for the techniques. Have you prepared this? Eg. For a punch, have you formed the fist correctly? Is your fist and/or arm in the correct position? 

2. Type of movement – consider how the body should prepare for the movement and the trajectory of the arm or leg. Eg. For an Inward Punch, have you extended the arm with the fist and elbow level and the knuckles horizontal? 

3. Target – where is the technique aimed towards or designed to make contact with? Eg. For a punch aimed at the head/face, which surface are you aiming for? 

Exhaling with each technique can also assist with deliberate performance.

I made up the Three Ts in the hope that it would provide students with something concise and catchy while capturing the overall theme in a simple way: to make the experience of Choi Kwang-Do practise more purposeful and keep our minds in the present moment. If you try them, let us know how you get on!

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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/free-trial

The Middle of the Road

We have a small group of students preparing to take black belt gradings this weekend. This made me think about an article I read recently over at Cartersville Martial Arts on character development and a martial arts student’s journey. 

The piece covers some personal perspectives from School Owner and Master Instructor Michael Wilson too. You can read the full article here

I particularly liked the section titled The Middle of the Road. Master Wilson uses this analogy to describe that point when a student is somewhere after the beginner stages of training, but before the advanced stage or having achieved black belt. 

Unsurprisingly, my instinctive thoughts were of the Choi Kwang-Do intermediate syllabus (orange belt to blue belt senior). It’s here where students generally understand the basics concepts of the techniques, drills and become ‘comfortable’ with the syllabus. Broadly speaking, things are ‘familiar’ (although some may misinterpret this as ‘easy’). It may even feel like there is not much happening, and that achieving black belt seems far away in the distance.

For some students there may have been an occasion when they didn’t feel like going to class, or that classes were boring…

(For this reason, it’s also here were instructors may invite students to be ‘stretched in a different dimension’ through leadership training or undertaking roles of responsibility within the school).

If this is you, it sounds like you’re in the middle of the road!

Try looking at it this way:

• That feeling of things being ‘easy’ is actually your growth in competence
• That feeling of things being ‘boring’ is actually your growth in confidence

With the above in mind, rather than thinking about what you do know, what do you not know (yet!) Look at what you do know. Who, what or how can you improve this? What can you do to move yourself to the next level of expertise?

Martial art training is a journey, and yes, at times maintaining your motivation can still be a challenge for some, but hopefully a simple reframing of the situation might help. Being in the middle of the road is great opportunity to work on your perseverance and unbreakable spirit. 

Read the full article here

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Jason Wright is a 6th Degree Black Belt and Master Instructor in the martial art Choi Kwang-Do. Why not start your martial arts journey with a free trial? Visit www.TheMartialArtForLife.com/free-trial

Maintaining Your Martial Arts Motivation - Part 2

We have a number of students preparing for the Regional Black Belt Grading coming up on 25th November. There's nothing like an immovable deadline to inspire your motivation levels!

Yet, to get to this stage of putting together final preparations for black belt doesn't happen overnight. It will have been the result of years of regular class attendance, training and commitment. All black belts were once white belts and over this duration of time it's natural that motivation levels will fluctuate.

Regardless which belt you currently are, here are some tips for staying motivated along your martial arts journey:


If You're Active, You More Likely To Feel More Focused & Energised

The simple act of being active can boost our focus and energy levels. If you're a prospective student, getting started is the hardest part, but each class you attend should hopefully make attending classes easier as time goes on.

Instinctively, we like to progress. So as you start to experience the physical and mental benefits, you will be inspired to continue training and challenging yourself.


Martial Arts Can Help You Set Goals 

...work towards them and ideally exceed them. We all know that if a goal seems a long way off or seems like too much effort, some of us simply don't bother. Understand that once you've started, martial arts classes (particularly ones like Choi Kwang-Do which follow an organised belt rank system) provide many minor goals along the way such as learning objectives assigned to certain ranks and gradings.

Belt promotions can also be hugely rewarding!


Martial Arts Training Offers Support From Fellow Students

It is much easier to stay motivated when you have other people around you persuading and encouraging you along the way. Consider the co-operative, non-competitive nature of a Choi Kwang-Do class; you will find that other junior and senior students and instructors alike will always be keen to support you.

Friends, family and loved ones who are aware of your pursuits and goals can also play a big part here.

Read Maintaining Your Martial Arts Motivation (Part 1)

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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

Combat The Real Dangers In Life With Martial Arts

If you’ve been thinking about taking up Choi Kwang-Do (or one of the many different martial arts that exist) you may be initially drawn to developing self-defence skills. After all, personal safety is important. Ironically, most martial artists have no desire to use their combat skills in real life. It can be reassuring to know that if the need arises you have some sort of strategy to fall back on, but how often will that occur for the average person?

As Grandmaster Kwang Jo Choi (the founder of Choi Kwang-Do) says, “You may go through your entire life without ever having to use your self-defence skills, but good health is important to everyone, all the time”.

The thing is, there are other dangers that we face in life and it is important that we give ourselves the best chance of warding off these dangers. Consider these conditions and illnesses:

• Stress
• Heart disease
• Depression
• Asthma
• Bone and joint conditions
• Obesity

These are all serious conditions that can negatively impact on a person and their families. So, finding ways to combat these conditions is crucial in leading a happy, healthy and productive life, in the best way that we can. This is why adding a martial arts class to your weekly schedule makes sense because it doesn’t just provide you with self-defence skills; it will provide you with health benefits and positive social setting that will go a long way to boosting your overall physical and mental health.


Feel Fit & Focused 

With martial arts, you will receive a total body experience with every muscle group in your body being used. This can help to improve your stamina levels, co-ordination and muscle tone while improving your flexibility. You should also find that your energy levels are positively impacted, helping you to feel more energised and focused.

This in turn can enhance your self-esteem. If you want to feel more confident or comfortable with yourself, a martial arts class can provide the fitness and psychological benefits you may need.


Beat That Stress!

If you are the sort of person that constantly feels under stress and pressure, always in a rush with no time, then it’s important to find an outlet for these emotions, plus some time for you. Allowing stress to build up is dangerous and you need to find a safe place to release these tensions. This is why martial arts can have a great impact on your life because it provides you the opportunity to punch, kick and shout your way through class drill, yet in a structured and controlled environment.

Add in the fact that martial arts students maintain a sense of fellowship – particularly so with a non-competitive style like Choi Kwang-Do, and you should find that your troubles and stress will feel less important. They will still be there...you’ll just be better equipped to handle them!

Whether you want to lose weight, be more active, meet new people in a shared social environment or just feel more confident in life, martial arts classes can help. Focusing on the self-defence and combat element of the discipline can be a great motivation to start for some, but over time, the wider benefits of studying martial arts can help you to develop and grow in many areas of life.

Do you want to find out more about our Choi Kwang-Do martial art classes in Ealing? Interested in taking a free trial but not sure where to start? Contact us via our website so we can explain the process and put your mind at ease. 

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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 for children, teens and adults in Ealing, West London visit www.TheMartialArtForLife.com

6 Tips For Achieving Your Goals In 2018

The end (or start) of the year is an excellent time to stop, look back, and review what you’ve accomplished before looking ahead and considering what you are planning to achieve in the next 12 months.

Given that martial arts training is a long-term activity, it's a really worthwhile and productive exercise and we’ve discussed a simple, practical approach in the past, but if you haven’t yet decided to start thinking about your goals for 2018 and beyond, here are a few quick tips:


1. Know Your Goal 

Obviously, the first priority is have a very clear idea of what you want to achieve. Know and define your end goal. While an expected answer for a Choi Kwang-Do student goal might be “become black belt”, it could also be “achieve yellow belt senior within 6 months” or “find out what’s required to become an assistant instructor by the end of the year”.


2. Create An Action Plan 

This doesn’t need to be complicated:

• Regular class attendance (where you can be supported by instructors) 
• Regular practise at home (where you can refer to your syllabus guide) 

Your actions will logically be guided by your overall goal and if the above 2 steps are on your action plan there is a high chance you are moving in the right direction. Your goal will also help to rationalise your actions too. If you’re aiming to achieve yellow belt senior in 6 months, and you are questioning yourself on whether you should allocate 10 minutes a day to practising your pattern and speed drill, the best answer is "yes".

Remember: action creates results! 

3. Set Realistic, Short-Term Goals 

One of my tasks over the Christmas break is to prepare and publish the schedule of dates of coloured and black belt gradings for the coming year. From this, students should be able to schedule realistic, short-term goals complete with the dates by which they can work to achieve them. For reference:

- Coloured belt gradings are roughly every 2 months for students taking 2 classes per week, and every 4 months for students taking 1 class per week.

- Black belt tag gradings are every 3 months for 1st degrees, and every 6 months for 2nd degrees.

- Black belt dan gradings are every 6 months.

As you will know, a sustainable way to achieve long-term goals is by breaking them up into smaller, more achievable, short-term goals. Thereby creating numerous successes and helping yourself stay motivated.

4. Keep Track Of Your Progress 

Write down your short-term goals and their dates. A simple wall calendar can be useful for this and will inspire you in a number of ways. Firstly, the physical act of writing them in some way brings the goal 'alive', and using a calendar will provide a visual reminder. You'll see the dates approaching and be inspired to work harder towards achieving them. In addition, not only does ticking them off feel good, you can also look back to see your previous achievements and acknowledge how far you have come. 

5. Reward Yourself 

Like many other martial arts, Choi Kwang-Do is fortunate to have reward system in place: belts. These serve as an indication to both you and your fellow students your level of expertise and/or duration of time training. They are also great for motivation as they prove to you what you can do with a little planning, execution and focus.  

Once you have achieved one of your short-term goals (and definitely when you achieve a long-term goal), reward yourself! This is will mean different things to different people - a new purchase perhaps (book, music, clothing), a meal with friends, etc.

Marking your achievements with something else you enjoy will give you something to look forward to and help you stay consistent.  

6. Re-evaluate Your Progress 

Every month or so, re-evaluate your short-term goals to make sure that you are still on track. How are you getting on? Great, or not so good? Was your goal realistic? Do you need to invest more time? Is your action plan working but not as you had hoped? Take time to assess what you need to do differently and adjust your plan or expectations. Feedback from an instructor can prove useful here. 

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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 for children, teens and adults in Ealing, West London visit www.TheMartialArtForLife.com 

Learning Through Teaching

Have you every offered to help someone out?

It’s good to help others, and that’s a key goal of every Choi Kwang-Do instructor. Whether that's helping students learn self defence, helping them engage in enjoyable exercise or helping them to realise more of their potential.


Why It's Good To Help Others

When we help others three things tend to happen:

Firstly, we feel good, and most of us like to feel good...don’t we?! In saying that, I mean we like to think that we have done something that we can feel good about. If that something helps someone else...even better. We have done a good deed, if you like.

Provided the intentions of helping others are sincere and genuine, and not merely in order to gain something in return, this can do wonders for a our self-esteem.

Secondly, we will have imparted some of our knowledge to someone else. For some people, one of the most gratifying aspects of learning something is having the opportunity to later share that knowledge with others. Now, this could be viewed as conceited (nobody likes a show off, do they?) but again, if it helps someone else and is done with humility – a core principle of Choi Kwang-Do, surely this is a good thing?

Thirdly, we can better ourselves. In order to teach someone else, you first have to be clear on the details of the information yourself. In the context of teaching Choi Kwang-Do, if you were teaching a punching technique, you would need be clear in your own mind how the body moves during the punch, what part of the fist is used to make contact on the striking pad, the wrist and arm position etc. etc. You would also need to be able to demonstrate the technique which is likely to involve practise too.

Teaching Benefits The Student & The Teacher

This need for clarity causes you to think more deeply about the information that you wish to give out, maybe even question the information - both with others (interpersonal dialogue with fellow students and instructors) and ourselves (intrapersonal dialogue), thus furthering our understanding.

Couple this with the simple act of fellowship experienced in class as students bond through physical training, you can understand why many Choi Kwang-Do students offer to help out at their classes, and possibly even go on to certify as an instructor.

Another side effect of teaching someone else is that you become more confident with presenting and conveying the information. Your communication skills begin to improve and your techniques - both physical execution and understanding - also develop. Not to mention the leadership and social skills you are exposed to.

So by helping others you are also helping yourself; a classic win-win scenario.

Having said all of this, personally, I think one of the best parts of learning through teaching is this:

As you become familiar with the information that you are teaching, you simultaneously appreciate that you have more to learn.

I feel very confident in saying that martial arts instructors around the world, irrespective of rank, style or number of years training...would agree that they are all still learning. So take a moment to think about learning through teaching, and if you think you know it all...think again.

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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 for children, teens and adults in Ealing, West London visit www.TheMartialArtForLife.com

Maintaining Your Martial Arts Motivation - Part 1

We've recently completed belt presentations following the first coloured belt grading of 2017. Here are a few tips to keep you motivated as you start learning your new syllabus.


Keep The Habit

We are naturally creatures of habit. Therefore, the habit of your practise is one that we should strive to continue. There will always be occasions when we have to miss classes, but aim to plan them into your week and avoid missing your scheduled classes. If you train one class per week and have to miss a class, plan in advance to attend an alternative class. By maintaining class attendance as a habit (and don't forget practise at home too) in time it will become second nature.


Keep Mentally Focused

Avoid comparing yourself with others. Instead, keep your focus on your own journey and your own development in Choi Kwang-Do. Being mentally motivated is a big part, maybe even a bigger part, than just being physically ready. If helpful, make a note of the scheduled dates for coloured belt gradings and black belt gradings. These dates can help you to chart your projected progress and achievements, and assist with your mental focus and motivation.


Keep Inspired

Instead of just focusing on finding motivation, consider also finding inspiration. Motivation often comes from someone telling us we have to do something, while inspiration is an internal desire to do something. Consider what inspired you to learn martial arts or visit our school in Ealing in the first place?

Think about a student or instructor, or another individual that inspires you (Grandmaster Kwang Jo Choi, the founder of Choi Kwang-Do is an obvious choice here. In fact, here's one of my personal favourite inspirational videos of Grandmaster Choi). Maybe there's a piece of music, a book or a film that gets you really inspired? Whatever works for you.


Keep The Faith

If you're a new student it can seem like there is a lot to learn. It can even be overwhelming. Have faith; by following points above, I can promise you that while Choi Kwang-Do will still be challenging, understand that it will get easier.

Read Maintaining You Martial Arts Motivation (Part 2)

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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

Build A Better You With Martial Arts

There are many great reasons for adults to start learning martial arts, but it does take some time to develop the discipline of sticking to the schedule, regular practise and putting in the effort that is required to hone your skills and get the most from the training.

If you’re an adult who has already taken the first step of booking and attending your first martial arts lesson, congratulations! You’ve already achieved something that many others are still thinking about.

Give yourself a pat on the back and attend your next lesson as soon as possible.

Why is this important?


Don’t Let Fear Stop You Before You Start

While there are many reasons to start martial arts, but reasons can also arise that cause adults to stop before they really get started (we’re excluding all of the legitimate reasons such as work/home schedule, health, moving away, finances etc.)

One reason may be given, but the real reason may also be plain old fear:

• Can I do this?
• Will I be any good?
• Will I look silly?

(For the record, children generally do not analyse their participation in martial arts in this way).

When you take steps to better yourself and gain new skills in a new environment you naturally run some risk of the points above, and these are situations that most adults would rather avoid. So your best option here is not to hesitate; if you enjoyed your first martial arts lesson, ride the wave of enthusiasm and schedule your next lesson right away.

Embrace The Challenge

The thing about martial arts is that they can actually help you overcome these fears and issues. There is often a focus on the physical benefits and the self-defence attributes, but there are many positive psychological benefits too. For example, Choi Kwang-Do martial arts classes are an excellent way for adults to feel fitter, stronger and more confident.

• You can engage in exciting martial art workouts that will stimulate your brain through co-ordinated movements, and challenge your body to improve your mental and physical fitness.

• You can set short, medium and long term training goals and feel a sense of achievement when you accomplish them.

• You will learn scientifically designed techniques that are gentle on your joints but will enable you to produce explosive striking power for self-defence.

• You can train and socialise with a group of like-minded people to provide you with a feeling of purpose.

• You can develop new self-defence skills in a structured, non-competitive environment to build your confidence and self-esteem.

Let Us Support You

We’re fully aware that the martial arts class environment can be strange if it’s completely new to you – odd phrases and chants, oriental customs etc. So our friendly team of Choi Kwang-Do instructors will help you feel welcome and support you in each class as you learn valuable new skills. In addition, Choi Kwang-Do’s non-competitive training philosophy means that everyone – students and instructors -  are supportive of each other’s development in class.

The only way that people grow and develop is by taking on challenges and aiming to get better in life. Yes, there will be days when the thought of attending class or practising at home after a stressful day at work isn’t very appealing, but the discipline involved with martial arts can help you realise that you have to put effort in, in order to get the benefits out and begin building a better you. Similarly, there will always be reasons to stop or hesitate doing something that challenges you, but when you succeed at something that challenges you, you can find many more motivating reasons to keep going…and it all starts with taking that first step.


Take the first step to building a better you with a 3 month trial membership for only £99

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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

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.

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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

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.

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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

The 3 Stages Of Choi Kwang-Do

You will probably know that the Choi Kwang-Do curriculum is spilt into 3 stages or levels.

1. White to Gold Senior: Beginner Level

White Belt. This is where everyone starts their training.

The 3 basic blocks, Outward, Inward and Low are taught as well as Inward Punches and Front Kicks. Basic stances, movement, dodging are also covered along with terminology.

It’s here where the learning curve is at it’s steepest; not only are you learning the basic techniques of Choi Kwang-Do, you are also learning and absorbing the class protocol, procedures and overall philosophy of the martial art.

It's worthwhile noting that much of what is learnt at the beginner stage, eg. sequential motion, body weight transfer, follow through and recoil, forms the foundation for your future training in Choi Kwang-Do.

2. Orange to Blue Senior: Intermediate Level

It’s here whereby you should be reasonably familiar with the basics from the Beginner Level as this represents your second year of training, assuming you were grading every 2 months. A significant development is the Orange Belt Defence Drill: Level 6 hands down, single attack, block and counter. As a result the Defence Drills stays the same until Purple Belt.

You’ll also now be familiar with format of the curriculum: patterns – single and four direction, the speed drills, and learning a new hand and foot technique per belt.

3. Purple to Brown Senior: Advanced Level 

As with the previous stages, there are new nechniques to learn and a new Defence Drill at Purple Belt (Stopping Kicks) but now in your 3rd year of training you will have acquired a certain level of technical competence. You will have a stronger, more positive mindset to approach new challenges such as the spinning kicks at Brown and Brown Senior or your pending Black Belt grading. You may even look back and wonder why you struggled with some of the earlier techniques you have now mastered!

At the Advanced Stage I strongly recommend that students practise all patterns (4 directions) and speed drills when training rather than just your belt level. This is essential for Black Belt preparation.

In this stage peforming a set of coloured belt patterns should be ‘easy’; meaning that your recall of the sequences should be effortless allowing you to concentrate on your execution of the techniques and combination of techniques – how you flow from one to another. This is made easier given the fact that by Orange Belt Senior you will have learnt all of the techniques that occur in all of the patterns from White to Brown Senior:

• Front, Side, Swing and Reverse Swing Kicks
• Inward, Round, Upward Diagonal and Upward Punches
• Sidefist, Backfist and Knifehand Strikes

A set of Coloured Belt patterns should take less than 10 minutes to perform. Do also remember that Instructors’ expectations of you during the 3 stages will increase progressively, as should your expectations of your own personal standards and abilities. You may notice this if you review your grading feedback forms over a period of time.

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Jason Wright is a 5th 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

Putting In 100%

 
If you’re a fan of the TV series The Apprentice you’ll be very familiar with a certain, popular phrase. No, not "you're fired!". The other one:

“I need everyone to put in 150% on this task”.

(Normally said by the project manager to inspire their team members before a task. This is ensure victory and avoid one of the team being later told by Alan Sugar, "you're fired!").

While I understand the sentiment, essentially "I want everyone to work really hard", the phrase always makes me smile; surely, if you put in 100% effort, commitment or concentration to a given task, you’ve already put in all you have. 100% is everything, or so I always thought. So where are you going find an additional 50% of yourself?

To put in 100% simply isn’t enough anymore. In fact, nowadays it seems that if you were to say that you were “putting in 150%”, your level of commitment may well be questioned. Why are you not putting in 200%?

Which is why I’m often intrigued when I notice students in class giving what appears to be far less than 100%.

Time is priceless.

We all know that if we were not at class, there are at least 10 other things that we could be doing, eg.

Homework or assignments
Watching TV
Still at work
Working at home
Playing games or other sports and hobbies
Chatting on the phone
Spending time with family/friends/partners/children etc.
Cooking dinner
Clearing up the house

The list is endless and you get the idea: if you’ve made the decision to come to class, then why not try and make it worthwhile and put in the effort?

Yes...you’ll have to force yourself, but that’s the basis for developing self discipline: to force yourself to do things whether you want to or not.

Yes...we all have those days in class when our minds are distracted by a variety of things (see list above for starters), but sometimes the class creates a positive distraction to help take your mind away from the items in the list for an hour. Adult students often say that the class gives them a chance to ‘focus on themselves’, which I completely understand.

Similarly, yes...you can only get out what you put in. If you’re putting in 100% only then can you begin to really gain and appreciate the host of benefits that Choi Kwang-Do martial art training provides. You might even perspire - your own evidence of hard work!

For the record, I’m happy if you’re striving to give ‘just’ 100% effort, commitment or concentration in each and every class, as the majority of you do. Moveover, your efforts help to motivate others to do the same by making high levels of effort the class norm. If you haven't already, make the decision now to become a member of the '100 club' - martial arts students who strive to give 100% each and every class. Or maybe the '150 club' if you're applying for next series of The Apprentice...

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Jason Wright is a 5th 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

What Are You Trying To Achieve?

It's said that discussing subjects such as religion and politics will always result in an argument. You could probably add martial arts to that list too. Martial arts training is a personal experience that practitioners take very seriously - possibly too seriously sometimes. In the past I have seen people react to a comment about their style/system/founder with the kind of anger you'd expect to see if a member of their family had just been publicly insulted.

Comparing style with style is somewhat pointless (unless you’re talking about the genre of classic kung fu films: my snake fist versus your tiger style etc. etc.) I say this because I think it depends heavily upon:

1. What you personally are trying to achieve through your training, and
2. What's most important to you as an individual

If you're training to be able to defend against anything, you're going to need to know everything, right? Therefore, if you're training to be a well rounded fighter, your selected style would need to encompass punches, blocks, kicks, grappling, throws, chokes, joint locks etc. A single martial art style may not be enough to cover each of these disciplines sufficiently, hence we have the booming mixed martial arts scene.

So what are you trying to achieve?

Do you want to be a fighter?
Do you want to be healthier?
Do you want to be stronger?
Do you want to socialise?
Do you want to be able to defend yourself?
Do you want to have fun?

More importantly, is your training helping you to achieve the things that you want?

Some martial arts serve a niche, while others strive to be all things to all people. I believe Choi Kwang-Do's niche is health, both physical and mental: utilising martial arts training to enable practitioners to lead a more happy, healthy and more productive life. This philosophy is encapsulated in one of Grandmaster Choi’s sayings:

"You may go through life without ever having to use your martial arts skills for self defence, yet good health is important to everyone".

(Similarly, but on a personal note, I enjoy teaching and working towards the personal mastery of performance and the self discipline that requires. I take self defence as a 'by-product' of all the components of the system).

Yes, the biomechanically correct techniques in Choi Kwang-Do have power and practical application. Yes, the Defence Drills and Close Range Drills create scenarios to develop self defence skills. However, the focus on health means that when placed alongside some martial arts, Choi Kwang-Do doesn’t really compare on equal terms.



Choi Kwang-Do may not cover the wide array of combat skills as some martial arts, but it's fluid Patterns and Speed Drills will help to improve your aerobic capacity enabling you to run for the bus without passing out from exhaustion should you actually reach the bus stop in time. Choi Kwang-Do may not teach you how to disarm a knife-welding attacker, but Shield Drills will help to tone your muscles enabling you to do some gardening at the weekend without having to take the rest of the week off from work.

This focus on health is important to note as it underpins a lot of what takes place - or doesn't take place - in a Choi Kwang-Do class, and also the on-going development of the martial art as a whole.

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Jason Wright is a 5th 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

Do You Like Being Watched?

As a martial art Choi Kwang-Do is very traditional in that the curriculum is taught to students defined by belt level. Students progress through the curriculum by learning the various components of the martial art then presenting their skills at gradings. If they successfully demonstrate the required standard and ability for the belt level they are promoted to the next advanced belt rank.

However, I personally think that gradings are important, but not solely for the challenge of rank advancement. Imagine you were to enlist the services of a personal fitness trainer. As part of your exercise regime they may ask you to keep a food diary for an agreed period of time, say one week. From your food diary they can analyse your eating patterns, look closer at the content of your diet and then provide nutritional advice to help you eat healthier as a way of complimenting your physical training programme.

Now, you don’t want to have someone else look at what you eat in a normal week and say, “my word, you do eat lots of biscuits, don’t you? You need to cut down!”

So, knowing that you’re diet is going to be analysed, in that particular week you suddenly find a liking for carrot sticks…

Okay, maybe carrot sticks aren’t your snack of choice, but I’m sure you get the point here: the mere fact of knowing that your actions are to be analysed means that, whether consciously or unconsciously, when being watched you change your actions.

This is why gradings are so important.




The majority of students and instructors will become slightly nervous, stressed or anxious on the lead up to and even during gradings (and yes, that does include me). This is a natural part of the process, and the test is really how well we manage those feelings, which does become easier with time. Training from White Belt to Black Belt, a duration that could range from 3½ - 5 years or more, allows a fair amount of time to develop these stress management skills.

So firstly, gradings provide a moderately stressful environment whereby you can learn to manage stress while aiming to perform at your best.

The Hawthorne Effect refers to the change in behaviour in response to participation and attention received. Studies conducted between 1927 and 1932 at the Hawthorne Plant of the Western Electric Company, Illinois looked at the relationship between productivity and worker environment. The original study looked at levels of lighting, and went on to include factors such as quantity and duration of break times and temperature.

However, the findings were that regardless of which and how the factors were changed, the productivity of the workers involved in the study improved. The reason being the workers knew they were participating in an experiment and that the researchers were watching and taking interest in them. I would argue that it is much the same for students taking gradings.

Secondly, when taking a grading, the aspect of being observed and assessed helps you to simultaneously perform at and experience an increased level of efficiency and proficiency.

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Jason Wright is a 5th 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

Kickstart Your Black Belt Attitude

In the martial arts, Black Belt is a metaphor for excellence.

A Black Belt in any martial arts will have mastered a repertoire of physically impressive skills. In addition, a Black Belt will have also spent time cultivating and demonstrating positive attributes in terms of thought and behaviour, ie. the Black Belt Attitude. Put simply, having a Black Belt Attitude means striving for personal excellence in all areas of life, not just martial arts.

In Choi Kwang-Do, this is promoted within a framework defined by the Children's Promise, the Adult Pledge and the 6 Principles of Choi Kwang-Do, recently revised to:

Humility
Integrity
Gentleness
Perseverance
Self Control
Unbreakable Spirit

Now, we all know that every skill requires practice and review - whether it be a Side Kick or looking for the silver lining in a seemingly negative situation. So, in Choi Kwang-Do we observe the following two checkpoints to kick (pun intended!) the Black Belt Attitude into action every class:-

Checkpoint 1: Tying Your Belt

If you were walking down your local high street and saw a person wearing a blue leotard, red pants (over the leotard) and a red cape, the instinctive curiosity of human beings would make many stop and stare. In some ways, wearing your Choi Kwang-Do uniform is much the same; we may not be able to run faster than a speeding train, or leap tall buildings in a single jump, but we do have other ‘special powers’.

The ‘special powers’ of a Choi Kwang-Do student range from the perfect execution of a pattern right through the physical and mental spectrum to displaying self-confidence and respect by a firm handshake and eye contact when meeting people. These attributes (plus many, many more) are all components of the Black Belt Attitude.

Tying your belt is the last stage of putting on your uniform. Use it as a reminder of the new persona you now acquire - regardless what colour your belt actually is.



Checkpoint 2: Entering the Dojang

The dojahng (training hall; direct translation is House of Discipline) is the primary location where we learn and practise Choi Kwang-Do. An optimum learning environment requires one to the relaxed, yet alert. It requires students to be disciplined.

To set this frame of mind, students say, “Pil-Seung, Sir! Pil-Seung, Ma’am!” and then bow as they enter and leave the dojahng. This serves as a polite greeting to those already inside the dojahng (who should respond by saying “Pil-Seung!”) Further to this, consider the statement a public declaration, triggering your transition into an incredible Choi Kwang-Do student who strives for personal excellence. After all, you will already have your superhero outfit on!

Naturally, our pursuit of personal excellence should extend to all areas of our lives whether or not you are wearing your uniform or in the dojahng. These two checkpoints are easy to do - the key is to make a conscious effort to create the habit by remembering to do them each time you attend your classes.

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Jason Wright is a 5th 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

Where To Find What

In class I often direct students to certain websites where you can get various pieces of information to support your training at Ealing Choi Kwang-Do. I also have students and parents say that they are not always sure which website to go for which information.

So here's a short guide on where to go to find what you might be looking for.

1. Ealing CKD School Website

TheMartialArtForLife.com
This is the website for prospective students. It provides general information about our classes for people wanting to start Choi Kwang-Do and enables them to book an Introductory Lesson. Once you have joined the school it is unlikely you will visit this site very often.

2. Student Services Website

EalingCKD.co.uk
This website is designed to support existing students and families who attend Ealing Choi Kwang-Do. This is the website you will probably find the most helpful and visit the most often once you have joined the school.

Visit this site to:

- Learn how to tie your belt.
- View or download the Welcome Pack and Student Guide.
- Check important dates throughout the year (there's a Calendar at the bottom of each page).
- Check Black Belt Grading times.
- View or download issues of our bi-monthly class newsletter, Excellence.

3. Student Shop

TheMartialArtForLifeShop.com
At this website you can pay for Grading Fees plus purchase any required training equipment for use in class. Delivery is made to students in class.

Go to this website to:

- Pay Grading Fees online via credit/debit card or PayPal.
- Purchase Safety Equipment.
- Buy Choi Kwang-Do uniforms and T-Shirts.

4. The Official CKD Website

ChoiKwangDo.com
This is the official website for Choi Kwang-Do Martial Art International.

Visit this site to:

- Read up on news directly from Choi Kwang-Do HQ.
- View a list of all Choi Kwang-Do school across the world. You can search by country and postcode.
- Login to the member's area via the Student Login link. This is where you can access your Syllabus Sheet which contains everything you need to know for your current belt level plus all preceding belt levels.

You will need your Student ID and PIN to login which will have been sent in your welcome email when you first joined. If you have misplaced (or even deleted) it please contact me and I can resend it.

In addition to these 4 websites you can also connect with Ealing Choi Kwang-Do through social media:

Like us at facebook.com/EalingCKD
Follow us at twitter.com/EalingCKD
Watch on youtube.com/EalingCKD

...and lastly our mobile web app. To view updates from our Student Services Website (see website number 2 above) plus Facebook, Twitter and YouTube all in one place and conveniently on your mobile phone simply go to ealingckd.mobi on your mobile phone's web browser only - it will not work on a desktop browser. Or if you use a Nokia mobile phone you can install the app directly via the Nokia Store

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Jason Wright is a 5th 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

Throw Yourself Into It!

Roughly a year ago I had our adult students working on sliding kicks.

The technical aspect of what these are isn't really that important but just to provide some context, as the name implies sliding kicks involves performing a kick whilst sliding forwards towards the target. It's a way of covering distance dynamically to reach an out of range target while simultaneously attacking. It's faster than taking a separate step forward towards the target and then kicking. Plus, it can also result in a more powerful kick as the whole body weight is being thrust forwards with the kick.

Officially, sliding kicks occur in the Choi Kwang-Do curriculum at 2nd Degree Black Belt but this wasn't a Black Belt Class. In fact, there were only three black belts in the entire class of 16 that evening...one of them being me!

So why was I getting the students to do this?

The first reason was that it was a fun challenge for many, without straying too far outside of what they would normally be working on, eg. basic kicks with the target in a comfortable range whereby a slide is not required. However, the main lesson behind the lesson (if you see what I mean) was that to perform a sliding kick you have to throw yourself into it.

Physically speaking, you really do have you launch your body weight towards the target but in a controlled manner. If you don't, you simply won't cover the distance and reach the target. If you do, your balance (and subsequent power) will be negatively affected. This is quite a radical change for most students because they would have been initially taught to kick from a stationary position without sliding.

Emotionally speaking there can be even more to learn. Once you have practised and realised the need to launch your body weight towards the target, you're less likely to hesitate when approaching similar techniques in the future.
You will have already demonstrated to yourself that to complete particular tasks, you sometimes have to overcome self-induced obstacles.

Of course, among the more junior students there was lots of hesitation at first. Perfectly natural given the circumstances, but that was that whole point; to enable the students to recognise when this is happening, when they may be deliberating over a task that has little or no damaging outcomes.

Make a decision.
Affirm commitment.
Throw yourself into it!

There are many areas of life whereby unless we make a commitment and throw ourselves into something, before starting we've already limited the experience we could potentially receive. A valuable and useful lesson for me, the students...and maybe for you too?

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Jason Wright is a 5th 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

Knowing & Understanding

A few months back I recall working on kicking techniques with our children’s class. While reviewing the Rear Leg Front Kick we were breaking the kick down into two stages; shifting the body weight forwards first, then firing the kick off the back and stepping the foot down in front. Until this time, we’d simply practised the kick as a single movement.

Mid way through a very brief 'step by step' demonstration before we continued as a group, a student asked, "Why are we doing it like that? Why don’t we just kick?!"

Now, as an Instructor you never want to come across as too flippant or dismissive, but at the same time you want to keep the class momentum going. If you don’t you can open up the floor for all manner of questions ranging from favourite television programmes to how close a student is until their next birthday...in this case I managed to get away with, "We're working on making your kick even better!"

It was immediately apparent that the student in question felt that they already knew how to do the kick, ie. they knew how to perform a striking action using the foot. However, they didn't (yet) have a deeper understanding of all the finer parts of the movement that collectively make up that particular kick:

- Pushing of the rear leg to shift the body weight forwards
- Tucking the kicking leg by bending the knee
- Driving the kicking leg forwards to striking the target with the ball of the foot
- Following through the target
- Stepping down in front

To now break the technique down after practising the kick 'in full' wasn't furthering understanding - it was taking a step backwards! Therein possibly lies the difference between knowing a technique and understanding a technique...

Typically when I'm teaching a technique I'll usually follow one of two methods. I simply call them Bottom Up and Top Down. (Yes, I’m sure there are probably more eloquent names, but they do the job).

Bottom Up: Breaking the technique down into 2, 3, or 4 stages and teaching each components of the movement sequentially, building up to the full technique.

Top Down: Show the technique, explain a few defining points of the technique, show it again, then get students to copy it. On successive repetitions additional points and corrections are added or made as required.



Which method I use will depend on a number of factors such as:

- The age and abilities of the students
- The size of the group
- Teaching objective, ie. are we learning a technique for the first time, or reviewing a technique for improvement?
- Teaching time available

For example, Top Down is generally faster but assumes the student can interpret what they are seeing into movement. Whereas Bottom Up gives more detail and promotes better understanding of the technique, but takes longer to deliver.

What's your view on the difference between knowing and understanding?

(Tips on what has helped you to improve a technique are welcome too!)

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Jason Wright is a 5th 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