Student of the Month - Julian - Dragon Orange

Favorite Color - Blue
Favorite Food - Spaghetti (with butter)
Favorite Subject in school - Math & Reading & Recess

Tell us about your family - I am the only one in my family that does karate. My daddy drives me.

Do you have any pets? My big red stuffed dog “Mudge” and my little stuffed dog “Slushie”.

Besides Kaju, what other activities do you enjoy? Soccer

What do you like most about training at Kaju AZ?  That you get to work hard and have fun.

Patience is MORE than Simply Waiting

When Sibak Nicolas was young and was given a task or assignment he would always ask “And then what?” Every morning he liked hearing the “daily plan” and would check the family calendar several times a day to see what the next activity was. Obviously, some part of him wanted to know the details and the chain of events that were about to occur or perhaps he was impatient with the current situation and wanted to know when the next series of events would unfold.

Many times we can be like that in our training. We often want to know what material is next and worry about mastering that material. Sometimes we are impatient with our progress or our expectations for our progress are not realistic.

It’s more than okay to want to do more and to be better. It’s okay to want to know what’s going to happen so you can make plans to overcome any situation that might arise. However, it’s not okay to put unreasonable expectations on your progress based on your efforts and the time needed to master certain skills.

When you have done everything in your power to plan and set yourself up for success, patience is needed most while going through the motions and executing your plan. Sometimes we see the end result so clearly in our mind that we expect the results to be now, when in reality more work still needs to be done.

Patience doesn’t mean being lazy and waiting for something to happen to or for you. It’s a state of mind that accepts where we are at this moment and allows us to be at peace with the current situation. It allows us to be happy while we strive towards our goals. It means we can be happy today, right now.

As martial artists we can learn a lot by simply being patient and enjoying the journey as it occurs. Take a moment and enjoy your successes! Let’s incorporate patience into our goals for 2014!

                                 -Sigung Kelly

Random Reflections on my Black Belt Journey - by Amy Companik

*Day 1 - OMG they are going to make me do front rolls?!? Boy, did I get my "what-I-thought-was-fit" butt kicked doing CrossPit #5 (which I still believe is harder than #7).
* Pull-ups? Seriously? I'm too old for this!
* It took me forever to consistently do a burpee without bringing my feet back in 1 at a time after the pushup.
* So excited when I was asked to test for my orange belt - skipping yellow.
* SO terrified when I actually had to TEST for my orange belt (you mean I don't just show up and get a belt?). Extreme panic and dry mouth during my ~5 min time on the mat - BY MYSELF?!? - in front of all the black belts.
* As an orange belt - my first experience getting punched (with gloves) in the eye by Sigung during a sparring drill. WOW that hurt! They're serious about throwing "real" punches. I really DO have to keep my guard up!
* Loving Coach Kyle's CrossPit classes. He really pushed me and my kids in a positive way. I remember the day he told me that I was no longer allowed to do knee push-ups - because he knew I was strong enough to do them on my toes (and I was getting complacent).
* My first run in preparation for my purple belt test. 2.5 miles? I thought it was 1.5! I'm not a runner!!! Runners are crazy people!!
* The pride in getting to a fitness level where I could do (in a row): 10 pull-ups, 20 toe pushups, REAL burpees, 100/200/300+ jump ropes, dball slams with the 60 lb ball, etc.
* Prepping for my blue belt test with Sihing. Gasping for air as we sparred for like a minute straight (which felt like forever) while he pounded me in the head. How am I ever going to be able to do this?!?
* My parents' first experience watching me test - for blue. Finding out afterwards how difficult it was for them to watch me in the self-defense circle (they specifically mentioned concerns about the big guys hurting me). They were never able to get themselves comfortable coming back to another test - for me or the kids. Kind of frustrated that I still can't get dad to understand that seeing us being able to defend ourselves is a good thing.
* Months later - leaving my job and getting to spend time with my mom in the final days before her passing.
* Taking time off to find the “right” new job (got it!). Enjoying the opportunity to train 2-3x/day, every day, for 15 months.
* Being asked to teach some classes. Initially very honored, but struggled with feeling I was "good enough" to lead a class. Feeling like everyone was negatively judging me, though t was probably just my own insecurities.
* The onset of injuries - neck, shoulder, vertigo, etc. So frustrating to be derailed when I had such momentum going.
* At least I can still run! I love my friend Cindy who taught me the joy of running!
* The frustration in not being asked to test "on schedule" (in my mind at the time) for my red/black belt. As hard as it was to hear initially, the life lessons were invaluable.
* Dealing with the challenges of getting in my training with my super crazy work/travel/family activity schedule. (“Things will settle down soon.” – NOT)
* Realizing as I "fine tune" my material for my black belt test that there's a LOT I still have to learn!
* The days immediately preceding the final pre-test/test - feeling the increased presence of my mom in everyday tasks. As I said, she absolutely hated watching the kids and me go thru the rigors of testing. Just too much for her to watch those she loved potentially get hurt.
* But, man, was she ever there in spirit that Saturday! I was completely exhausted physically, mentally and emotionally, but I knew I could do it. I will NEVER forget the feeling I had after I got my belt and class stopped to salute me. I was unable to stop the tears that flowed. The feeling of my mom's presence, along with the absolute humility in having a room full of black belts, students, families and friends pay respects to my accomplishment was too much to contain (in fact, the tears flow as I write this :-).

I say it a lot, but it bears repeating - I am TRULY blessed to be a part of this incredible Ohana!

Mahalo to Sigung and Sifu for creating this amazing experience! There is nothing else like it!

(Amy was promoted to Black Belt at our September Tesing/Promotion/Potluck)

Student of the Month - Robyn

Favorite Color - Gray - because I’m blue/green color blind. :)
Favorite Food - Mexican - Can coffee count as a favorite?
Profession - Courier for Iron Mountain

Tell us about your family - My parents are divorced, and I have one brother and step siblings. I have four beautiful nieces, two handsome nephews, one amazing godson and two teenagers that eat EVERYTHING. I have Jessica who loves me unconditionally and puts up with me on a daily basis. My family is crazy and I wouldn’t want it any other way. And I am a huge animal lover.

Besides Kaju, what other activities do you enjoy? I love to listen to music, hang out with my family, road trips, BJJ and football and softball.

What do you like most about training at Kaju AZ? My friends and being pushed to my limit.

What are your goals for the next year? My goal is to go back to school. Tone up and learn as much as I can to better myself on the mat.