Ocala Karate and Fitness

I’d just like to start off by saying that I really hope everyone is enjoying themselves as much as I am.  Ocala Karate & Fitness www.ocalashinbukan.com has turned out to be one of the best experiences in my life.  Rolling into the second half of our second year open, I can’t express with words what the dojo has accomplished and the plans that I have in place for where we are all going.   I am really excited about the fact that starting in September, we will be opening a Intermediate/advanced Adult Karate class.  This is really going to be fun now.  Ocala Karate & Fitness is just now getting its first wave of graduating beginner students into the intermediate level stage of their training.

These classes are going to not only be faster paced, but the difficulty level skill wise is going to jump substantially.  Remember me saying at one time that Ocala Karate & Fitness continues to push its members everyday, every month, and every year.  Well this is where a “BIG” push comes into play.  And all of these graduating members are ready.  Their basic fundamentals, which are the building blocks to “Karate” are all strong.

Also due to the overwhelming number of new members that has allowed us to grow so fast, we will be opening up another children class, and juniors class.  All of this will be happening over the next 60 days so be sure to stay tuned for updates on times and schedule.

Ryukyu Kobudo Tesshinkan "Philosophy of the heart"

Another SPECIAL thanks to our Ryukyu Kobudo members.  You guys are doing AWESOME !  By now most of you will agree that the Kobudo class is probably the most difficult and challenging class of all at Ocala Karate & Fitness.  Having said that, I would like to remind everyone that membership into the Kobudo class (Ocala Tesshinkan) is by invitation only.  In order to qualify for membership the following must now be met prior to invitation.

1. Must hold at least Orange Belt Level and be at least 13 years of age.

2.  Must demonstrate the ability to “REALLY” push yourself and excel.

3.  Must attend at least 6 Ryukyu Kobudo classes per month.

4.  Must demonstrate exceptional control and Attitude.

When an Ocala Karate & Fitness member meets all these prerequisites, membership into the Ocala Tesshinkan will be reviewed.  Acceptance into the organization will lead to a path that most Martial Artists NEVER get to experience.  I truly encourage all of our members to try and make it into the Ocala Tesshinkan.

Have a great weekend and we’ll see everyone next week.

Gambatte

Robby Bray

    Well its all finished!  All the stress and anxiety over last Friday’s testing is over and done with.  And I’d like to say what an excellent job all our members that tested did on Friday Night.  Everyone came out and gave 110 percent in Friday nights testing at Ocala Karate & Fitness.  www.ocalashinbukan.com

 From Ocala Karate & Fitness

We had around 23 members Test on Friday night for ranks ranging from Yellow, Orange and Green Belts in Okinawan Shorin Ryu Karate.  Ocala Karate & Fitness is Ocala’s only Licensed and Certified “Seibukan” school.  We offer Ocala a chance to train in Traditional Okinawan Shorin Ryu Karate.

From Ocala Karate & Fitness

 Okinawan Shorin Ryu was designed to be practiced over an entire lifetime.  The skills and lessons learned from Karate will continue to benefit our members through out the course of their life.  Not only does Okinawan Karate teach us how to defend ourselves from physical confrontations, but it also teaches problem solving and Self Motivation that can be applied to just about all aspects of life. 

    And it NEVER too late to start.  We have members that start at the age of 7, and some that start at the age of 53.  So if Karate is something that you have always wanted to try, but just never got around to it, it’s NEVER too late to start.  Our curriculum is set up to produce the ABSOLUTE BEST ! !  The only thing that is REQUIRED, is 110 Percent EFFORT !  Without constantly pushing yourself to do better- To be better- To be stronger- To be faster, you will never truly blossom into what you “Could” be.  And by teaching our members to do this very thing, it begins to spill over into life itself.  It changes the way we look at our daily lives.  If you don’t get up every morning and be the absolute best you can be, why bother doing anything.  If your not going to do it the best that you can, why do it only half as well as you could.  That’s the way you have to look at your Karate training.  Be the ABSOLUTE BEST you can be, and everything else will fall into place.  Just keep training hard everyone and one day you too will see what I am always talking about. 

 Check back in a few days and we’ll have pictures from testing posted for all to see.  Our Student of the Month Page will come online next month too.  And for those of you that have not registered for the Online curriculum don’t wait any longer.  There is so much useful information and video’s available to our website members to make training here at Ocala Karate & Fitness the absolute BEST martial arts studio in Ocala.  Once again, congratulations to everyone on a great test, and a SPECIAL congrats to our 2 members that tested in Kobudo directly after the Karate test.  You guys did great, and keep up the hard work. 

 Can’t wait to see everyone tomorrow night in class.  Get rested up, cause we have a lot to cover.

     Robby Bray

And we are officially over half way through 2010. Can you believe it? I sure can’t. This year is moving by sooo fast, but we couldn’t be happier with our members here at Ocala Karate & Fitness. www.ocalashinbukan.com We have been able to accomplish all of our goals so far this year and we are looking forward to the second half of 2010. This leads us to our topic of today. And that is ATTITUDE.
Attitude is the one element that really impacts and has serious influence over each of our lives. It has a tremendous effect over how we go through life day after day. It is key to determining how you are going to feel, day after day. Every morning when you get up, having the right attitude can change the whole day before you even get started.   Let me explain how Okinawan Karate can help.

First off.  Okinawan Karate is much more than a system of learning Self Defense.  Okinawan Karate is a way of LIFE.  Having said that, let me take it a step further.

All my members here at Ocala Karate & Fitness hear me say this over and over again in class.  Karate is a way of life.  This is due to the way that the Okinawans’  structured and cultivated this art.  You see, it all starts everyday when you walk through the door and enter the dojo.  “DOJO”  means “Place Of The Path To Enlightenment”  This should be everyone’s mindset upon entering the dojo.  This is where we make a BETTER you.

A Fresh Start

Upon entering the Dojo, and stepping out on the floor, you must focus on making yourself a little better than the last time you were here.  Every night you come in, focus should always be on making yourself a little better than before.  Not better than the person beside you, but better than YOU were.  Whether it be strength, balance, agility, is not important.  Just always, always strive to better yourself in one aspect.  If you continue to do this while training, it will have a positive effect on how you start approaching everything else in life.  You begin to take it from the moment you get up out of bed every morning.  Try to make your life a little better than it was yesterday.

Remember that the beautiful thing about life is that “EVERY” morning when we get up, we control our OWN destinies.  Every second of every day, we make decisions that effect what happens to us.  This is just ONE small example of how Okinawan Karate can change your life forever.  It creates a new “Positive” mindset on the dojo floor, which over time can be carried off the floor with you and into your life 24 hours a day, 7 days per week.  The first of our Dojo kun says what?  “To strive for the Perfection of character”   Think this through carefully, and start putting it to use today.   Stop back by in a few days and I will expand further on this Subject.  Everyone have a safe holiday, and we look forward to seeing everyone next week.  

Gambatte

Robby Bray

So here they come. I just got all the pictures loaded from this weekends training session with Sensei Smith here at Ocala Karate & Fitness. www.ocalashinbukan.com Special thanks again to Sensei Smith for taking the time to come and share with us all that he did. Everyone had a great time and got the chance to learn about Okinawan karate and Seibukan history from an expert. Having been training is Seibukan karate for over 43 years, Sensei Dan Smith is one of the highest ranking men in Seibukan karate holding the rank of 9th dan or 9th degree black belt. Below are a few of the pictures taken during training. I will continue to post more pictured throughout the week. Thanks again to everyone who came and got to experience something truly special.

Training to get it right!

I would also like to add that all those that attended I think have a better understanding now of what Okinawan Karate can mean to an individual.  It is not only practicing self defense, but it is changing your entire out look on life in general.   Through all the drills and training, Okinawan Karate will start to not only change the way others view you, but begin to actually change the way you view yourself.  You see all these drills have a unique way of not only building stronger muscles, toning muscles, building cardio, and flexibility, but it also builds self esteem and confidence.  This is where the big changes begin to happen.  By building mental strength and confidence,  our members begin to carry themselves better.  They begin to change all the little things.  Walk with confidence.  Talk with confidence.  Move with direction and focus. And just as importantly, they begin to take pride in their art.  This is what Seibukan Karate also is about.  Making ourselves stronger from the “INSIDE” out.   I hope everyone is having as much fun in their training as I am.  I’m also excited to to say that here over the next 60 days we will be launching our Intermediate/advanced Karate Classes.

Can’t wait to see everyone on the floor tonight!

It's all about the PUNCH !

Gambatte    

Robby Bray

Seibukan Shorin Ryu Karate

What a Great day we all had training this Saturday with Sensei Dan Smith here at Ocala Karate and Fitness. Www.ocalashinbukan.com. I think all the lucky ones that attended would agree with me on how truly exciting it is to listen and learn from a real Karate Legend.
Our training day started out with a basic introduction to Seibukan karate. Seibukan karate is a lineage of Chotoku Kyan’s Shorin Ryu Karate. A devastating form of Okinawan Karate that can be traced back to over 700 years ago to its roots.
The day started out with some quick basic stretching, and then we jumped in to it. With most the focus being on the Seibukan punch. The punch was something that Kyan Sensei held great value in. He had a saying that the punch should always be gaurded like a treasure. And that was a part of his legacy that is still being taught today in Seibukan Karate.
So having said this, that is what we did for the first hour and a half of training. We punched. We punched, and we punched some more. Smith Sensei was very careful and focused as he walked around and fine tuned everyone on the floor. And by the end of the first phase of training, I witnessed an amazing change in everyone on the floor. Yes, they were all covered in sweat and very fatigued, but I saw something else happening to them. They were all changing. Their punches were now starting to take on a whole new look, and the power in them was noticeably increasing.   By the end of the training session, all the fortunate members that got the chance for Sensei Smith to personally critique and shape, had moved a mile in their Karate Training.

This is why I really push for our members to take the opportunity to attend these workshops so they can take full advantage of all the tools that are available here at Ocala Karate & Fitness.  We are striving to bring Ocala the Absolute BEST in Okinawan Karate and Ryukyu Kobudo.  And it doesn’t get any better than Sensei Dan Smith.  With over 43 years of Direct Training with Zenpo Shimabukuro, Sensei Smith is one of, if not “THE MOST”, knowledgeable men on Okinawan Karate.  To get the chance to train with him directly, is one of those once in a lifetime chances.  And through Ocala Karate & Fitness, our serious members will get to do this several times through out the year.  If you missed out last Saturday, Smith Sensei will be doing another Seminar soon, so stay on the lookout for more information.

We will be posting pictures up here shortly on the event.  Once again, congratulations to all those that attended and really make an effort to start applying all that you learned from the Seminar into your daily class training.

Beginning TODAY !!

Keep up the great work.

Robby Bray

Hello everyone.  I just wanted to post a link to a pretty cool article a friend of mine found.  I think those of you that attend our Karate classes here at Ocala Karate & Fitness. www.ocalashinbukan.com will be able to see that the gentleman who wrote this article, obviously had the same awakening that I had many years ago on my first trip to Okinawa.  I hope you all enjoy it.  We can talk more about it in class.  See you all tonight.

Click here to read the article.

Well we’re closing in on the weekend here at Ocala Karate & Fitness and what a great week we had in class.  I’d like to start out by saying that I am really starting to see “real” progress in all of our classes.  Everyone’s hard work and time on the floor is starting to show.  No one outside of class realizes “Exactly” what it takes to do what we do here at Ocala Karate & Fitness.  www.ocalashinbukan.com

The amount of energy, time, focus, and dedication to really absorb this stuff is tremendous.  I think that has a lot to do with all the overall benefits that practitioners here begin to feel.  After all, the Okinawans’ designed this art to produce healthier people, not only physically, but from a total aspect.

Staying Healthy

You see it was their intention to maintain a “Healthy” society in whole.  Not just to produce some healthy individuals.  By getting everyone involved and on a training regiment that promoted healthy bodies, minds, and attitudes, they would be a great society that would be respected by everyone else in the world.  That is what we train for here at Ocala Karate and Fitness.

Having said that, I would like to invite EVERYONE to attend our first “OFFICIAL” Seibukan Training Day on Saturday, June 26th 2010.  This training event will be hosted by Sensei Dan Smith, 9th Degree Black Belt in Seibukan Shorin Ryu Karate.

Seibukan Shorin Ryu Karate

This is a very special event and everyone should try to attend.  Sensei Smith is only 1 of 2 foreigners to EVER be promoted to the rank of 9th dan on Okinawa Japan.  He has trained with Zenpo Shimabukuro 10th dan and president of the Seibukan, for over 40 years, and actually started his training on Okinawan with Zenpo Sensei’s Father, Zenryo Shimabukuro, Founder of the Seibukan.

All participants will be able to have their passport books signed and stamped after training to document this special event.  This is just the first of many special guests that will become available for Members here at Ocala Karate & Fitness to experience.

Also, the website membership should become available by the end of the weekend, so be on watch for link to the website.  Another HUGE step forward here at the Dojo.  This website will be a very valuable tool to all that are serious in their training.

I would also like to thank everyone in our Ryukyu Kobudo Class for putting in the extra time and effort in our weapons class.  This class is incredibly difficult and takes “Patience”  You guys are doing great.  It makes me smile to see to the class growing.  Slowly, but slow is good.  Especially when the quality stays high.

"Looking For A REAL Challenge?"

Hope everyone had as good a week as I did, and look forward to seeing everyone tonight.

In today’s world with the internet, facts are much easier to come by now than ever before.  Years ago when I was growing up, it was literally impossible to check on a martial arts school’s back ground information.  But those days are over.  I can’t tell you how many stories I have heard over the years of this instructor saying that he is this rank or that rank.  That he has traveled here or there and studied under all these different “Legends” .  Only to be let down after sometimes years of training.  This happens more often than not.  I have to confess, knowing first hand how this feels, it is very important to check into what school you wish to train at, and what martial art you wish to train in.

The truth is that most all martial arts originated from the same roots and are all very, very similar.  After training for many years, the correlations between the different styles become more and more evident.  So here’s what is really important to anyone looking to get involved and possibly begin studying a martial art.

The most important thing when searching for a martial art is the “Teacher”.  A good teacher should be the most important thing ANYONE should be looking at when searching for a good school.  Many people list all these crazy accomplishments and titles and so forth, but the one thing that I have learned over the years is that many things can be bought or purchased for the right price.  Its an unfortunate side to the martial arts world but it is real.  Many organizations and groups have jumped up over the last 20 years and has really cashed in on this.  So don’t pay too much attention to all the titles and awards that people show off and brandish openly today.  You hear about national champions, and world champions and the list of these champions just continue to go on and on.   So what makes a good teacher?  Here are a few things you should look for when searching for a good quality school.  Because today, they are really hard to come by.

Character.  Go and talk one on one with the teacher of the school.   If you get a comfortable feeling after that, then that is a good start.  There is nothing worse than joining a school and then feeling really uncomfortable around the head instructor.  For what ever reason it may be.  If your not comfortable and feel welcome, you won’t enjoy your stay.

Students.  Take a look at the members that are already there and ask them how long they have been training and what their opinion about the school is.  There’s nothing worse than joining a school and finding out the person that you talked to about the school, doesn’t even teach the classes or has someone that you never got to meet teaching the classes for them. These are all problems that could be avoided if you had only spoken to a few current members.

This is the big one in my opinion.  Does the instructor LOVE what he does.  Really?  You can tell real quick if he truly enjoys his martial art.  If he really enjoys teaching people all that he’s learned over his/her lifetime.  Does this person take the time and STILL train.  Do they STILL travel to visit their instructors.

A good teacher NEVER stops training !

A good teacher NEVER takes on the attitude that they already know everything.  My Sensei once told me that the moment the student closes their mind to learning, their journey on the path has stopped.

Now the journey or path being referred to is a LIFE long path.  Okinawan Karate was designed to be practiced a LIFE TIME !  That is why in Okinawa, they have age requirements for rank advancement.  Most don’t realize that to achieve the rank of 7th degree and higher, one must be at least 50 years and older.  This what put into place to assure that the art remained a life long practice.

I hope if you have read this and are really looking to possibly make a change in your life, or just to give yourself a REAL challenge that will not only help you physically, but mentally as well that this has help give you something to think about.  Okinawan Karate has made such a difference in my life, that I can’t even begin to give it all the credit that it deserves.  I only wish that it had been available to me when growing up here in Ocala.  But I was always told that“ if you follow your heart, you will always succeed. “

And I couldn’t be more happier.

Looking forward to seeing everyone on the floor this week.

Robby

To reach the top . . . you have got to climb.

You know I get members asking me all the time how I make all this stuff that we do up here at Ocala Karate and Fitness look so easy. I really think that some believe it just came naturally to me. Well I think tonight that I’m going to spill the beans and let the cat out of the bag.
Okay, so I’m going to tell everyone my secret. Here it is in a nutshell, so read it all very close and try to unlock the secret that I’ve kept hidden for so many years. Here we go.
It all starts and is fueled by this one little element that each one of us is born with and ALL can use if we are capable of reaching it.

But to do so takes a great deal of courage and discipline. It takes pride and the desire to do something positive about not only yourself, but to those around you as well.
To make not a change in just the way you walk or carry yourself. But to make a change in the way you approach things.   The way you look at things, and go about daily life. Most people don’t realize how good positive, and confident people make OTHER people feel.  All these and more can be accomplished through Okinawan Karate.
All the secrets are right there in front of you the entire journey. Waiting for you to discover them one by one. And make no mistake, that there is no greater feeling than to discover one if these little treasures all by yourself. You see, Karate teaches us more about ourselves than anything else. It is the key to all your hidden strengths, ideas, and  talents.
It is also however, the key to all your hidden or unrecognized weaknesses. So how does Karate produce these truly amazing attributes and mental discipline.   It does so in a way that limits the amount people that will ever be able to see and experience these truly amazing things.
So many people come to me, and really want to find the secret. And it really is frustrating for me to have to sit back and watch them slowly fade away. So why is it only 1 in every 5000 will make it to Black Belt?
The secret to it all is called Dorrokyu. This is a Japanese word that does not really translate exactly to English, but the closest meaning we have to it is this.   Effort ! !
That’s the secret ladies and gentleman. If you want to experience a level of understanding that cannot be fully expressed in words,  you simply have to Want It!  To Believe in yourself. You have got to make an effort to reach it. Not just showing up a few times a month. Not just trying to remember a few punches or kicks. Or to count to 10 in Japanese.  Don’t get me wrong.  All that stuff is fun too, but . .
You have to walk out on the floor every night and push yourself a little harder than the night before. Think about why your foot needs to be right there. I promise you it does not need to be there because that’s where Sensei told me to put mine. It’s there for a reason. A purpose. And every time you push yourself to figure out why,  you will suddenly find yourself trying to understand a few more things that you never noticed before.
This is what Okinawan Karate teaches us. Look at what you don’t see, and try to see it. Then try to figure out why you never saw it before. And  Dorrokyu is the key that fits the lock. We all have it with us. We all CAN  utilize what makes us the dominant species on our planet.   But unfortunately, only a small group of people have the spirit to use it. And the ones that do, will hopefully read this one day and smile. Because they too will at that time have found “The Way”. And for those of you that didn’t know this, Dojo means   Place of The Way.
Hope to see everyone in class tomorrow. And for those of you that have not started remember, the hardest step forward is always the first.
Robby Bray

Hello everyone. First off I just want to mention how excited both Jaime and I are about how supportive all of our members are here at Ocala Karate & Fitness.

Real Training, for REAL Self Defense

When Jaime and I decided to open the studio last January, we were really nervous with the economy being what it was, and people cutting back on activities. Well the old saying of always follow your heart and you will always succeed could not have been more true.
Here we are now with one of the fastest growing martial arts studio’s in town. I’ve watched with sadness, so many schools shut down and go out of business over the last year and I just really want to say thanks again for all of our members continued support in our programs.
Last night in our Self Defense, I was really starting to see our members progress. Last nights drills were a ton of FUN to watch, because the drills are now starting to set in. THAT is what our training is all about! Being better than we were last week. And the really cool part is, members are not only losing weight, getting stronger,faster, and well balanced. They are having fun while they are doing it.
THAT is what leads to success. I’d just like to say how proud I am of everyone giving 110% in our programs.
A very wise man once told me “It’s a whole lot easier to find something easier to do.”
Remember that and you guys and gals will always end up on TOP.
Thanks for reading and until next time.
Robby Bray
“Doryoku No Seishin O Yashinau Koto”
(To Foster The Spirit Of Effort)