Ocala Karate and Fitness

Posts Tagged ‘Fitness’

  Hello everyone,

   I just wanted to go over some of our many different Programs that are available to everyone here at Ocala Karate & Fitness, along with just a few of the many benefits that are associated with each one.

   First off, with the Hollidays just around the corner everyone is going to have to start paying attention to what we are eating.  Unless your already actively exercising on a routine basis, this is something EVERYONE needs to pay close scrutiny too. 

Holliday Food

We’re soon to be getting bombarded by every diet plan on the market.  With the New Year around the corner, your going to begin hearing, and seeing on TV, radio, internet, or bookshop every diet plan on the planet.

   Now I know that your going to hear about all the success rates that these plans have, but what you have to ask yourself is this.  Do you really want to go on some extreme diet, even though they will all tell you that they are not, and half starve yourself not of only food, but of all the daily nutrients that your body really needs?

Do you really want to have to watch everything to the point that you can’t eat ANY Carbs, or ANY Protein, or ANY fat ! !  I don’t know about you but that sounds like a ton of work, and not very much fun either.

 The truth is this.  Exercising 3x per week for a min of 20 mins per session will provide better results than any of these diets.  Now this does require you to eat sensibly though.  But I when I say sensible, I mean to use common sense.  Try to cut down on your calorie intake.  Try to stay away from fried and fatty foods. 

   Or better yet, if you try to use a diet and combine it with exercise you will see results even quicker.  But the key here is you have to exercise.  Exercise not only burns more calorie’s, but it it makes you stronger.  It makes your heart healthier and will allow you to live longer.  It will help your joints, and range of motion.

You will notice big changes in almost every attribute with your body.  As you get stronger, you will feel better about yourself.  And this is no trick.  This is no fancy diet plan that “Researchers have developed”  This is something that we have always know.  The human body was designed to work.  When it does not, it literally begins to  fall apart.

Staying Healthy

  So we have to make up our minds now.  Do we want to spend our final days confined to a body that seems to be broken and only continues to get worse every year, or do we want to do something about it while we can?   And we’re only talking about 20 mins per day.  The amount of time it takes you to drive across town in traffic.

   Our future as a country and culture depends on us to make this change.  Through technology we have been granted things that our grandparents thought would never be available.  But the flip side to that is how much easier it has made our life style.  Too easy. 

  Our lifestyle has become so easy that it is now having negative effects on us.  So make the choice now ! !  Quit looking at those people that you call or stigmatize as health nuts as being crazy.  They have made the choice to live healthier and longer than all the others. 

Staying Fit

We all know now what smoking does to us.  It Kills ! ! Because of this people have dropped the habit, and it seems less and less people are smoking.  Well guess what.  Eating a horrible diet with no EXERCISE is killing us too ! !  It’s no different.  And do you know what the really crazy thing is?  It is way, way more difficult to stop smoking than it is to get into an exercise routine. 

  If people can quit smoking everyday, then EVERYONE can start exercising.  So make the choice now and live to see your grandchildren. Wait, don’t just plan on seeing your grandchildren.  Plan on enjoying them ! !

                                           More to come on this subject soon.

                                                                          Yours in health

                                                                           Robby & Jaime Bray

   I just wanted to remind everyone of our upcoming events for the rest of the month.  First off, testing is scheduled for Friday, November 20th from 5:00-7:00.  All members that have met all their requirements, including class time, are eligible to test on Friday for their next rank. 

    Class time is a crucial element in training.  Karate is a very intricate and complicated system to learn, and putting in the hours on the dojo floor is a must !  In order to really get the most out of your Karate training, its essential that you put the class time in.  Its the only way that you will truly develop an understanding for the techniques. 

     Have you ever wondered how when watching a black belt move on the floor, they seem to generate so much power?  Or they just have that fluid movement that gives off the aura of total control over their body? 

   These are the foundations or Kihon that Okinawan Karate is built upon.  Proper foot placement leads to proper weight distribution, which in turn leads to proper balance and body control.  It’s a feeling that can only be appreciated by those that have achieved it.

     How is this learned?  Through hours of practice on the dojo floor. 

   Really want a challenge?  Schedule an appointment so we can get you on the floor, and show you all the benefits of learning how to properly control your body weight distribution.  Not only does it build balance and agility, but it gives you a new sense of confidence that can only be described as mastering yourself.  Click here to learn more. www.ocalakaratefitness.com

     Also the Dojo will be closed next week from the 26th through the 27th for Thanksgiving.  There will be no classes open on these two days.  Class schedule will resume on Monday.

     We’re finishing up another week and couldn’t be happier with all that happened.  First off, our New Karate Youth Class ages 11-14 was a smash hit.  This class is so much fun and the students are doing so well that all I can do is smile.  It made such an impact that the Ocala Star banner printed the opening of this class on Thursday November 10. 

     Secondly, the Cardio Kickboxing class is really running strong now too.  Everyone is getting ready for the hollidays by getting involved in our Cardio class BEFORE all the food for the hollidays hits everyone right where it counts.  This class is a total body workout, so if your looking to tone up and stay fit, or lose some of those unwanted pounds this class is for you. 

    With a perfect balance of core, legs, and arm exercises, this class will melt the pounds off.  And what makes it even better is that the class is really fun.  The drills change up so fast that the 50 minutes of scorching calories is over before you realize it.  So stop by and check the class out first hand or watch a video clip on the website. 

For everyone enjoying the class right now, hang on to your hats because tomorrow will by the last class with these drills that we’ve been doing for the last couple of weeks now.  Starting Monday we’ll have 17 brand new exercises hitting the circuit, so get ready.  This is what this class is all about.  Changing up the routine to keep it as exciting and fast paced as possible.  No one wants to do the same old drill over and over again.  That’s why this class is so much fun, and so effective at keeping its members coming back for more.  So call now and reserve a spot and see for yourself the benefits of becoming a member at Ocala Karate & Fitness. 

Kicking Those Calories

     Well tonight was the official start of Ocala Karate & Fitness’s Youth Karate Class.  This class has been designed specifically for young Karate students between the ages of 11 and 14 years of age. 

     I would like to tell everyone JUST HOW WELL THEY ALL DID !  Everyone ramped up and made this class awesome.  Between the more advanced techniques that were covered, and the extra time spent on their stances and body weight transitioning, the guys and gals are really going to be good.

     The primary focus in this new class is: 1.  To continue moving forward with harder more complex drills focusing on their balance.  2.  To ramp up the pace of the class creating much more of  a cardio workout.  This helps them to stay fitter during their teenage years when they are growing.  3.  Introduce them to more Self Defense type drills and applications building their confidence and awareness.  4.  Developing more CORE strength, which is such an important part to everyone, but seems to slip to the way side in most sports today.  5.  And most importantly, to help them all transform into HEALTHY, more AGILE, and FIT adults.

     Also I would like to mention that anyone interested in our morning Cardio Kickboxing/Circuit Fitness class, you really need to call now and reserve a spot.  With 12 people now attending, the available spots are filling up for this AWSOME, fast paced, Calorie Smoking class.  New drills will be coming in on Friday too as we rotate a new set of exercises in, so everyone rest up over the next day and get ready !

      Something I really want to stress to everyone that is involved in any martial art, but especially Okinawan Karate, is the importance of the basics.  The basics, or Kihon, is something that seems to get over looked in almost all western forms of martial arts today.  Whether it be the fast paced life style that we have grown accustomed to in this busy world that we live in, or just that we have really grown impatient as a society.

     With technology advances moving at the rate that they are, we as a society have really grown to be impatient.  When you think about how long it takes any of us at home to find information on line, its really no wonder.  We have access to just about everything  now at any time we want. 

     This is where Traditional Okinwan Karate can really benefit children, teenagers, and even adults.  The reason for this is that there is no fast way or ancient secret to learning Karate.  Only dedicated diligent study of the basics can produce the desired results that so many people come to Ocala Karate & Fitness in search of.  So many times I hear people say: How do yo move like that?  How did you get so fast?  How can you remember all that?  My answer is: It’s easy. 

      They always say Oh yeah, maybe for you.  But they can’t understand that years ago, I was just like them.  All I had to do was practice.  Really practice.  Not just wander in the dojo, put my Gi on and walk through the motions watching the clock and running out the door right when class was over.  No, I had to really practice.  I had to think everything through. I had to wait, and learn all the stuff that some might see as boring, or dull.  But what most don’t realize is that stuff that so many people think to be boring and dull is so very important to training your body and mind to see and come to realize all the key points and fundamentals in  karate.  

Yes these stances make strong legs!

     This is what develops those muscles.  This is what develops the balance and coordination.  It does not happen in a week, a month, even a year.   It’s something that we have to bring into our daily life and embrace it as a life long practice.  Do you notice changes in a month? Of course.  Do you notice huge changes in a year?  Absolutely.  If you don’t believe it, be sure to video yourself in class the first month you start and then after about a year.  You won’t believe the difference.

      This is what we’re about at Ocala Karate & Fitness.  We are about producing life long members.  We want to touch people’s lives and offer them such improvements in overall health and fitness.  Both mentally and physically.  All I have to do is watch my Sensei when they come to Ocala, or when I travel to Okinawa and I see what I hope I will have at 63 or 65 years old.  I hope I can move faster and look stronger than a healthy 35 year old when I’m that age.

Building Balance

Long days of training around the world

    These are only a few items off the long list of benefits that can be achieved by practicing Okinawan Karate.  So when ever anyone asks me what the secret is to learning Karate.  I simply answer this with a direct quote that one of my Sensei once told me.  He said the Secret to Okinawan Karate is in the EFFORT.  “EFFORT IS EVERYTHING.”

     Eight Street Elementary School’s annual Fall Festival is taking place again this Friday Nov 6 on the school grounds.  Ocala Karate & Fitness was honored to donate two light towers to provide adequate lighting to the event after the sun sets so the fun can continue on into the night.  With a large variety of class room booths, there will be plenty of activities and games for all the kids to play.

    Special thanks to all the home room moms that helped put together the class room booths so everyone can have a great time.  The weather should be nice as a cold front moves through tonight and over the weekend so we’re all looking  forward to having a great time.  Personally, this will be my 7th fall festival at Eighth Street Elementary as my second daughter now enters the school. 

     Fall is in the air, so we wish everyone a fun and safe time at the festival and over the weekend.  Ocala Karate & Fitness looks forward to working with Eighth Street Elementary closely in the future to help provide our community with the best services available to our future generations to come.  It is up to us to make our children a stronger, healthier generation, so feel free to contact us here for more information on our many programs that we have to offer.  From Little Dragons(4-6) all the way up to adult Self Defense classes.

     Come see what we can do for you!

    I just wanted to say what a great class tonight was at Ocala Karate & Fitness.  Our Junior level class is a beginners level Karate Class that centers around the age group of 7-12 yrs of age.  Currently the class is about 15 students large and I just really want to commend them all on how far they have ALL come since summer.  Most of these little guys and gals started around June and July, and have come such a long way since day 1.  I think all the parents will agree as to how far this class has come in only 3 months time.  The balance and coordination skills that everyone in the class are starting to demonstrate to me every class now really brings a smile to my face.  I had several parents that enrolled their children in our program for the same reasons.  They either really needed help or work on their coordination, needed to get a little more exercise, or needed to build their self confidence and were just a little shy.  Well after tonight I think everyone is starting to see really big results on the floor.  These kids are bouncing around in sparring gear throwing kicks and punches, performing really complex drills, and following group exercises and routines to the tee.  The way these little guys and girls have grown and evolved over the last few months is absolutely positively great.  I couldn’t be prouder of my Junior class than I am right now.  And the best part of all is that it will only continue to get better and better.  This is because Okinawan Karate is designed to build these skills from the base up.  This means that the longer they train, they continue to build upon what they have already learned making them more and more proficient at what they are doing.  Not only that, it teaches them from this young early age that no matter how hard or difficult something is or seems to be, as long as they practice every day they will get better at it.  Karate teaches us not to be easily discouraged and if we really put our minds to something and practice at it with 100%, there is nothing that we can not accomplish.  I’ll see everyone next week in class. 

                                                                                                                        Gambatte

                                                                                                                                  Robby Bray

        I just wanted to say how great everything here is going at the dojo.  We couldn’t ask for a better group of people that have come in looking to make real changes in themselves and already seeing it happening.  Nothing makes us smile wider, than to see our members progressing through their training the way everyone is right now.  I was looking around in class last night and watching how far everyone has come in such a small amount of time.  This is what being an instructor is all about.  Seeing every one’s hard work and time on the floor training beginning to show itself.  Our classes are very fast paced and filled with energy.  These are the classes that really allows our members to absorb their material and see how it applies to real life situations.  Whether it be self defense, or just basics.  The way everyone is starting to move with speed and direction now shows me that balance, and coordination is being developed within the class.  Combine that with the strength and accuracy our members are demonstrating with their techniques is the perfect combination for true physical, and mental strengthening here at Ocala Karate & Fitness.  I know in the beginning it can really be confusing and overwhelming for most, but this is just a small taste of the many, many rewards that are already being earned. 

     With all the new drills and classes that we are now moving into, I only see brighter days ahead for everyone.  Between the Karate, and Kobudo, (Okinawan Weapons) our members are finishing the year out with their heads held high.  A feeling of accomplishment that can only be understood by those that have gone before, and taken the same path.  It is great to see our new advancements this month: Daniel, Josh, Codie, Luke, and James take their new belts and proudly move forward.  All the sweat and hard work is paying off everyone, so keep it up.  Remember that this is all being done for no one but yourselves.  The hard work that you put in IS and WILL continue to be rewarded with all the skills that you continue to build upon.  So continue to push yourselves, and when given the chance, help your fellow members.  If you see someone looking discouraged or confused, reach out to them and let them know that not too long ago you too were standing right where they are.  Walking the same path, and just as you had, they too have someone to lend a helping hand.  Pat them on the back or shoulder and let them know what a good job they are doing.  One of the most rewarding things in any martial art is to know that you helped someone get better.  Always Remember: It’s not about who gets there first.  Its about who gets there with the most.   Think about that carefully.