Student of the Month - Anthony

Favorite Color - Green

Favorite Food - Sushi

Profession - A/V Contractor

Tell us about your family and pets - Dacia- my wife, Phillip- 3 year old son, Ryder- 2 year old son, 2 Turtles - may be ninjas?

Besides Kaju, what other activities do you enjoy? Indoor Rock Climbing, Training for America Ninja Warrior

What do you like most about training at Kaju AZ? They Train Strong. Great Teachers

What are your goals for the next year, in and out of the dojo? Compete in America Ninja Warrior. Be a better Martial Artist.

Student of the Month - Mason

Favorite Color - Golden

Favorite Food - Corn Dog

Favorite Subject in School - Math

Tell us about your family and pets - Mom, sister, dog Chippie and tortoise Racer.

Besides Kaju, what other activities do you enjoy? Basketball

What do you like most about training at Kaju AZ? Army Crawl

Meeting Marcus Luttrell

“Awards don’t define you. Your actions define you.” - Marcus Luttrell

I attended the Martial Arts Supershow (MAS)in Vegas in July. The MAS  is a gathering of martial arts teachers where you can get new ideas and meet colleagues.  I always become re-energized and recommitted to becoming a better martial arts instructor when I attend.  I love the speakers – not just martial artists – but industry leaders that exemplify success. 

The main speaker this year was Victor Antonio, a well-known sales motivational speaker. I enjoyed his presentation very much and he was tasked with introducing the 2014 recipient of the lifetime achievement award. The intro included a movie clip of recipient's mom, a tough Texas gal who spoke of taking her twin sons to karate and how THAT, along with them both joining the seal teams, helped them become the men they are today.

The recipient was Marcus Luttrell whose amazing story was recounted in the book and movie Lone Survivor. His patrol was found in the mountains while on a mission and a battle ensued.  After sustaining several major life threatening injuries, Mr. Luttrell was taken in by villagers and a successful rescue occurred.  His will to survive and patriotism are heroic.

Mr. Luttrell did not talk about his experience in Afghanistan; instead he talked about his mom and his upbringing. He talked about how his mother valued discipline and signed him up for karate to instill those qualities.  He admitted that there were plenty of days he did not want to go…but she persevered and took them. Sound familiar?

Mr. Luttrell said "Respect is earned through discipline". What a profound statement! It's not that respect is earned through accomplishing some great feat or receiving recognition. It's the day-to-day, repeated actions that make small changes in us that over time help us become something more - hopefully something more capable and more able to handle the things that the world might throw at us.

We often set our sights on goals that are meaningful and lofty. We might not realize that the day-to-day process of moving toward those goals IS affecting changes in our lives that ultimately make us happy and fulfilled. We might even be happier than simply attaining the goal would have made us! This is one reason for enjoying the journey in all things that we do, not just martial arts, but also everything we experience in life!

Mr. Luttrell also said “Awards don't define you. Your actions define you.”  This can apply in so many ways to our lives and to our martial arts training. Mr. Luttrell was an inspiration to me and I am grateful to have had this experience to hear from him.

In martial arts, if we work hard toward earning that belt which might be our short-term or even long-term goal, we become the martial artist that would deserve to wear that belt. This is poignant for me as I think about my family and how we have raised our boys. We desired to teach them to appreciate hard work and enjoy the rewards that come from hard work.  We taught them to be suspicious of short cuts from hard work. I think that is an attitude that we can and should cultivate all of our young students. It is easy to see the ultimate benefits of being a hard worker: life enjoyment, confidence and success in all areas of their lives.  

I am grateful to be involved in each our student’s lives and martial arts journey.  I appreciate your trust and take my responsibility seriously.  I look forward to seeing our hard-working, sweaty and smiling faces each class. I can see the reward of pushing them…maybe not every day but looking ahead, the payoff will be huge!

Train Strong!

-Sigung Kelly

Student of the Month - Noah

Favorite Color - Green

Favorite Food - Bacon!

Favorite Subject in School - Language Arts

Tell us about your family - There are five people including me, mom, dad, Connor and Kirstin. We all enjoy training at Kaju AZ!

Do you have any pets? Yes, 1 dog (Twix) and 2 cats (Snickers and SnoCap)

Besides Kajukenbo, what other activities do you enjoy? Baseball, drawing, playing video games, hiking, backpacking, Boy Scouts.

What do you like most about training at Kaju AZ? Working hard, having fun with friends, helping teach class, SWAT/STORM events, CrossPIT.

Student of the Month - Sarah

Favorite Color - Pink

Favorite Food - Ice Cream

Profession - Queen Creek Olive Mill

Tell us about your family and pets - I am married to a wonderful man, Mr. Josh Martin and we have 2 kids Ian and Victoria. We also have 2 dogs named Dixie and Sydney.

Besides Hula, what other activities do you enjoy? I enjoy camping with my family and friends. I love going to the beach and also love love love spending time with my kids.

What do you like most about training at Kaju AZ?    I love that we are Ohana! Everyone is so supportive and most of all Sigung and Sifu are 2 of the best people that we have ever known, and we are lucky to have them in our lives. Sifu Dolly is great and I love that I get to learn the art of Hula Dancing from her.

What are your goals for the next year? My goals are to be a little more stress free, spend more time with the ones that make me a great person. Also start getting to CrossPITS more often.

Black Belt Reflections - Mr. Connor

My temporal journey to black belt began in the summer of 2009 when I first stepped foot in the Kajukenbo Mesa dojo. It was five years from the age of thirteen to the age of eighteen, ten belts from white to black, eight pretests, and ten belt tests. Over this course of time I learned twelve of nearly every technique: forms, self-defense, and grappling. There are many measurable aspects of my black belt journey. Being a black belt, and a martial artist in general, however, is not about being able to put things together in a list. It is about self-improvement and it relies heavily on the effort you put forth into attaining your goal.

An analogy I have come up with for this is the belt. Not the rank or knowledge associated with a belt level, but the physical band that is often tied around a gi. When I first walked through the doors of Kajukenbo I was presented with a brand new white belt, identical to every other new white belt and waiting to be broken in. As I began training, the belt began to form to my body and became differentiated with sweat and dirt. And when I was ready to move on, I received a brand new yellow belt, again, identical to every other new yellow belt. This is a never-ending process at Kaju AZ, but it represents what I’m trying to say. The black belt journey is less about the belts and more about the journey. A greater portion of time in martial arts is dedicated to training rather than testing. The crisp newness of each belt right after promotion is representative of this, and serves as a reminder that there is always more to learn, always more to the journey. This is how I choose to view my black belt, as both a reflection on the past and a challenge to future opportunities. 

Some of the goals I set earlier on in my training were to improve my confidence and physical endurance, and become a more disciplined leader. While I can say I’ve certainly noticed progress in these areas, I’ve also developed a greater appreciation for the art and for all the time and effort that has gone in to the synthesis of Kajukenbo curriculum under which I train. As a black belt in the system I have come to realize how high the Kajukenbo standard has been set by black belts before me. As a black belt and especially as a Kajukenbo black belt I know there will be more expected from me and I will be challenged to uphold this standard as I share my knowledge with others.

Lastly, in reflecting on my Kajukenbo journey, I must express my gratitude to the Corder family, Sifu Dolly Abad, and other mentors who have pushed me up to this point. I would also like to thank the entire Kajukenbo Ohana for supporting me in countless ways, whether by working directly with me, being an uki at my belt tests, or even allowing me to teach you in a class. And finally I would like to thank my family for training with me and encouraging me in everything I do.

Proud Member of the Mean Moms Club

As much I try to deny it, I am getting old.  I used to only feel old but now the mirror is telling me I look old too. The good news about getting old is I get to look back and appreciate what all the newer moms are going through.  The best part of my job at Kaju AZ is working with each of you and your children.  I have so many memories exactly like yours, the good and the bad.  It’s what bonds us as Ohana.

When I see a proud dad watch and worry over his child’s tournament performance, I can relate.  When I see parents stressed when their child gets injured, I can relate.  When I see a frazzled mom come in with a kid screaming “I hate karate,” I can relate.

We decided that our kids were going to do martial arts early on.  Both of us were intrigued by martial arts and my husband always wanted to train but his family situation did not allow it until he was married and on his own.

Our oldest loved karate right from the beginning. He was always smiling and excited to go to class. Never questioned his instructors and worked hard.  There isn’t one picture of him in his gi that he isn’t smiling.  “Hey Nic, you are going to compete in a tournament” “WOW MOM, I am so excited.”

Second son… not so much and quite the opposite. In fact, there isn’t one picture of him in his gi that he isn’t crying (at least for the first 3 years). “Cam let’s get in the car for karate.” “I can’t like it.”

Bless Grandmaster and Aunty Lim’s hearts…there were literally times I walked Cam into their dojo, handed him off and walked away. Much like a grenade I guess.  They always said not to worry, he was fine and that they wanted him there.

But I knew better because I sat in the car and watched through the window.  He was crying a good portion of the time. The non-crying times he had the grumpiest look on his face.  Almost all the time he was standing right next to Grandmaster while he taught so that he wouldn’t be a disruption.  I am not even sure he did one thing he was asked to do. And if he did, he probably did it with more attitude than acceptable. He never even smiled after class.  His few words usually expressed his strong dislike of me and karate.

It would have been a lot easier then to just throw in the towel and let him, as a 4-5 year old make his own decision.  It did not feel right to do that so we became THOSE parents…the mean ones.

The reasons we “forced” him were simple…he lacked the education and experience necessary to know what was good for him (don’t tell him but in some cases, he still does!).  So my husband and I decided for him.  There was absolutely no way that a short amount of karate was going to be beneficial. We could have enrolled him in a school in which kids earn black belts in a year, but that was the worst thing we could do. There were qualities and skills from martial arts that we wanted – and HE NEEDED – to learn.

Self-Defense.  Physical fitness. Leadership. Goal setting. Camaraderie. Compassion. Self-Control. Loyalty. Courage. Honesty. Integrity. Respect. Confidence.  Time management.  Balance in life. Commitment. Sportsmanship. The thrill of victory. The agony of defeat. And so much more.

It got easier as they were older. When they hinted they were tired of karate we “discussed” it more.  Tried to figure out if they were just trying to be lazy or if there was some other motivation (like girls). I always said “it’s only 2 hours a week, how about we cut out some TV time or computer time and then you can do all of it.” When they wanted to try new activities or sports, I said okay but let’s do karate once a week to maintain your hard-earned material.  I maintained that I could see the future differently than they could and they would thank me. 

Flash forward 15 years and guess what, martial arts are a huge part of our family and my sons lives (more than we ever thought).  I no longer have to force them to go although there are times I know they wrestle with wanting to give up their leisure time.  Funny thing is I hear them say the same things I told them when they were growing up to others “It’s only 2 hours a week” “Don’t give up now.” “We aren’t quitters, let’s finish this.” “You will feel better after class.”  I never told either of my sons that they had to do karate forever…I only said they needed to gain a good amount of skill before I would let them decide to stay or go.

Aunty Jen