Ocala Karate and Fitness

Posts Tagged ‘Dedication’

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.

To Learn REAL Karate Takes PATIENCE ! !

 EVERYONE TESTING SHOULD BE PROUD ! ! !

  I’d just like to start this out by saying I have never been MORE Proud of a group of our members during testing.  You guys, and gals, did GREAT! !

  Okinawan Karate is something that takes SO much dedication that most people don’t realize how much time and focus it takes to learn everything required to advance to the next level.  Everyone had a great test and should wear there new belts with PRIDE. 

  Testing started and 6:00 and last about 45 minutes.  We had around 14 members testing, and once again, everyone did a fantastic job.  Remember, at the early stages of our training only limited knowledge is demonstrated.  So if you mess up a little or step with the wrong foot, it’s a big concern right now.  Later on in your training as you advance to intermediate and advanced levels, it becomes a different story.  At that point in your training the foot work and technique is much more critical and REQUIRED in order to advance.  Www.ocalashinbukan.com

   Afterwards, we had 4 of our members stay and test for their next rank in Ryukyu Kobudo.  For those of you not familiar with this, Kobudo is the use of ancient weapons.  Ryukyu Kobudo is an incredibly difficult art to learn and takes many, many years of hard work and dedication in order to properly utilize these Okinawan weapons with a basic level of proficiency.    However,the rewards and benefits that a regular student of Kobudo learns from this practice are PRICELESS.  

All it takes is a little "Effort"

    Through Kobudo, the student learns more about themselves and their body than anything else.  Once one understands themselves, and how to make their own body generate these incredible levels of power, their Karate is then amplified.  It’s a feeling that only someone practicing this art is capable of understanding.  Before I started studying Kobudo, I had no idea that I could get so in tune with the way my body works “together” to generate power.  Learning to make many muscle groups work together, without exerting too much energy is the key. 

  For more information on Ryukyo Kobudo and the Ocala Tesshinkan, feel free to contact me anytime. 

    Lastly, I just want to say thanks to everyone in our Self Defense Program for really turning this class into what it is becoming.  For those of you that have not seen it yet check out the video.  This Class is AWESOME ! ! www.ocalaselfdefense.com 

Well here we are wrapping up our first year at Ocala Karate & Fitness.  www.ocalakaratefitness.com Jaime and I just want to start out by thanking our members for ALL their continued support and effort that each and every one has put into our programs this year here at Ocala Karate and Fitness.  Nothing makes us happier than to see our members making huge achievements in their programs.

When I say achievements, I am referring not only to losing weight, getting stronger and more toned, or developing better balance, but being able to do things that 4-6 months ago they could not.  These are the HUGE advancements in our programs that really makes us smile.

Even though I tell our members, especially new ones, not to get disappointed if they are having trouble with certain things, I can tell after time it starts to wear on them.  But the truth is, this is each member’s unique learning curve that EVERY one of them has to go through.  Then Suddenly without warning that night comes.  Out of the blue as class starts and that particular member has got it going on!

It's hard to get it right ! !

What I mean by that is this:  Suddenly these people are moving up and down the floor with authority and purpose!  Each step is fluid with proper balance, and strength.  It’s like somebody flips the switch and all the lights come on.  There faces light up with self confidence and pride as they can feel they are doing something a little differently now.

These are the times that make it all worth while.  All the hard work and dedication.  The frustrating moments trying to get your foot in that spot, or to remember to pull the load hand back.  These are the times that make it all worth while.

To understand this feeling is something that you have to experience first hand.  That’s when you realize as a student of Karate you are making one HUGE step closer.

I had one of my 10 year old’s mother call me this morning and told me something that made me write this article tonight.  She said before he started, which was about 4 months ago, he was really quite, shy, and unsure of himself.  But suddenly over the last few months his self confidence and attitude towards things have changed 100%.

She told me that if she had known a year ago the difference and over all impact that this would have on him she would have started him then.  (Of course I wasn’t open a year ago so it must have been fate right?)  But this is just one story of many that I have heard through out the year.  It just really motivated me to write this article tonight on this subject.

So if you or your loved ones really need a self confidence booster, don’t wait around wasting any more time.  Life is much, much to short to be walking through it unhappy or insecure with your self.  And the really great thing about this is that self confidence is only ONE of the many, many things that we as students can learn from Karate.

This is because the most important thing that Okinawan Karate teaches us as individuals is how to TRULY get to know and understand OURSELVES ! !  Once you really understand who YOU are and WHAT you are, life is pretty easy.

So check us out online at www.ocalakaratefitness.com and don’t miss our NEW Self Defense class we are starting January 4th 2010.  www.ocalaselfdefense.com

Thanks again and keep up the hard work.

Robby and Jaime Bray

Hello everyone,

     First off I’d like to say thanks for all the continued support at Ocala Karate and Fitness.  Every one’s dedication to their own training and goal accomplishments have really made the studio soar over the last few months.  I could not be happier with the awesome group of members that are now training on our floor almost every night of the week.  Whether it’s in Okinawan Karate, Kobudo, or Cardio Fitness, the Ocala Shinbukan is quickly becoming “The place to Train.” 

     Many of our members and students ask me questions on a day to day basis.  One of the most asked questions however is this.  “What does Karate really mean?”  Now that’s a tricky question because the translation of the Kanji Characters that make up the word literally mean “Empty Hand.”  But just to say that is what Karate means is really just scrapping the surface.  Let me explain.

     Having trained for the last two decades, I have seen what Karate does and how it changes us individually.  I can remember starting out and feeling like a fish out of water.  Everything is new and exciting.  There is literally so much information to learn and we all just can’t wait to learn it.  We spend hours and hours training on the floor trying to get the techniques down.  Trying to remember how to say them and when to use them.  Then after several months of stretching and sweating, we get a whole new set of things to work on.  Only now, the things we were working on a few months ago that at the time seemed really difficult and confusing suddenly start to make a little sense.  Our balance and physical strength and endurance, both physically and mentally is getting better.  Everything is starting to evolve and take on a new feel.  Our eye hand coordination is getting better.  Our reflexes are getting faster.  We are beginning to move quicker and have greater control over our selves.  And this process continues month after month, year after year.  Every year you will look back and think, man did I used to do it like that, or I can remember when I had the hardest time with this particular thing.  These are the building blocks or basics that we as Karateka are always building upon.  Because this is what Karate means to me.  “Journey”  It’s a road that you follow and travel that really has no end.  You just get on it and go. It twists and turns and takes you in directions that you never could possibly imagine, or for the most part, even know was there. 

     So to me the word “Karate” means Journey.  Because that is exactly what it is.  A life long journey that goes places unless you are on the road you never would have or will ever get to.  It’s a road of tremendous rewards and accomplishments.  And the truly amazing part of it is . . . unlike all other roads, this one has no end.  No finish line.  So always remember it’s not a race.  If you try and travel it too fast, you might miss a few things along the way by taking a short cut.  So just sit back, buckle your seat belt, and enjoy the ride.  It’s the best trip I ever started. 

                                                                            Gambatte

                                                                               Robby Bray