Dan Shi Martial Arts Club

Tae Kwon Do is appreciated and studied for many reasons, including improving confidence, self-esteem, mental and physical conditioning, and self-defense. This is an amazing Art that allows a person to utilize the inner qualities of strength and leadership as well as to develop physical abilities so that a better person in every realm may emerge. Schools all over the world have been created to teach, since many centuries ago up through the current age. Tae Kwon Do's history and philosophy is rich with knowledge and power.

So why does it seem so different to find a school that really teaches these qualities? It is not how good a sparer you are, how good of technique you have, how many trophies are in the corner, what level of belt has been obtained, how many boards/bricks you broke, or how tough you are that is important. Some schools think that is all that there is to Tae Kwon Do, but the important things are how much respect do you give, how much integrity do you have, where your loyalty is, and how much self-control do you have? These important components are facets of life, not just in martial arts. It is in martial arts that these can be learned and practiced.

Living in the inner city most of my life has made me aware that there are many children that would love the training, and crave the discipline. Playing with these children, and being one of them, helps me understand the fears of the "outside world" (outside the neighborhood), the strength it takes to do something different, and work it takes to keep doing something when you do not have anybody making you do anything. The absence of discipline makes a person either too disciplined or worthless. My lack of discipline made me overly disciplined, because I have a strong drive, but enjoyed little of life until much older. My friend's lack of discipline made her a mother at age 13 with no parents except a father who abused her constantly and never fed her. The government never found out since she did not have the child conventionally (in the hospital). April could have used another way of life. I could list friend after friend that I had as a little girl that are either dead, drug addicts, prostitutes, or losers in life. One friend made it in the military, and the other had the same drive I did and is a successful teacher. Three out of approximately 25 or so kids are not good odds, and that's just Speedway, Indianapolis in the 1980s.

I wanted these kids to know something different, but I was too busy trying to figure out what it was. Now I can help. Will people take advantage of me? Yes. Do I care? No. If I can help one person find a better way of living, I am extremely happy. Thus the birth of Dan Shi Martial Arts Club.

Focus your mind and body onto Tae Kwon Do; Tae Kwon Do is not to defeat one's opponent, but build the character of each student.

Martial arts direct us to the path to freedom from human limitations. Personal limitations are very subjective though; nobody knows what they are, only you. People will fall short in people's eyes, but what is short? Some people have not been in an environment that counts character for much, so any level character obtained is a huge step; however, others would condemn them for not making a complete change in a short period of time. It is this quote, training session after training session, that made me realize that it is not about how good my technique is, but how much character I had and if I could really stand up for what is right. Easy words to quote seem to be the hardest to live.

Is Tae Kwon Do about a country (Korea)? Is it about a race of people (Asians)? No. It is about training the mind and body, no matter what nationality, race, or religion. The Art is not a respecter of persons. You are what you train to be. Takuan says it best, "One may explain water but the mouth will not become wet." While the instructor can do everything for the student, the student must make the decision of true character in the end.

Cooperative = success, commitment, motivation, innovation
Competitive = high expectations, low commitment, lack of participation

So I ask again- why does it seem so different to find a school that really teaches these qualities? Schools are losing the focus also. I have seen schools dragged through the mud because they did not perform to other schools' standards or philosophy, eventually going out of business or exiled from the "group". The newer school does not struggle based on the set standards or philosophy, but rather the other schools' will not work with them. It's called politics. While compromise is continual, some things must never be compromised, such as integrity. Everything's a competition. I have heard literally squabbling boasts of Grandmasters from how many students they have to how much their rates have been raised to how many square feet their dojang was.

What would happen if schools were cooperative rather than competitive? My dream is to build those cooperative schools. I want my students to be instructors and have their school. Everyone will not go through with the commitment, but just a few will be better than the ones that did not exist, and that is the beginning. Practicing the tenets will build those cooperative schools. If instructors showed true courtesy, respect, and integrity, I do not believe the politics would be as they are today.

The mountain does not laugh at the river because it is lowly; nor does the river speak ill of the mountain because it cannot move.

One instructor excels in certain teaching methods, while others excel in different teaching methods. However, just because an instructor may excel in a teaching method or technique does not mean he laughs at the other instructor who does not excel in the same style, because undoubtedly the other instructor is better in a different style or technique. A secret to a good school is diversity. All students have special learning styles, and a diverse set of instructors can easily address that. It is very important for an instructor to be knowledgeable of many teaching methods, but the one that surpasses in breaking down technique will inevitably shine for teaching forms. Every student has a special gift, and sometimes it takes special gifts to find it.

Benefiting others is truly the foundation of benefiting oneself.
Hung Ying-Ming

Benefiting others is definitely the best learning tool. My understanding and improvement as an instructor has been because of my students. They think that I am teaching them, yet they have no idea how much they are teaching me. They keep me constantly reading and analyzing myself, and I love them for it. My first instructor once told me to always keep certain techniques to myself because they may get better than me…I hope that they do. I want them to leave my expectation in the dust and build on my dream.

Do not seek to follow in the footsteps of the men of old; seek what they sought.
Basho

Ages past have proven man is searching for fellowship and goodwill. Do not copy their methods, but find your own. To do that, you must have faith in what you are doing. A positive attitude will always outweigh the negative, and it will be contagious. The more that an instructor learns and understands, the better quality his teaching become, therefore the better the student becomes, thus starting the endless chain of knowledge. If the schools trains with the tenets, the students will take that to heart and the efforts will multiply for a hundred years to come.