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Martial Arts | Ego is Not Your Friend

June 8, 2011 By Sensei Matt Klein

Letting go of ego and letting our students win.

Sometimes we need to let the little ones win so they can taste success and learn.

You Can’t Always Win

I recently purchased John Will’s Alpha Mixed Martial Arts Program, which is excellent. In it Will states that when teaching a new technique, you should never teach its counter move because you want to create confidence in your students. And that means letting them be successful at performing it. This makes a lot of sense to me. Will also states that a good training partner will not always resist, because it is important that the student sees the technique work in action. At the same time he should not make it super easy so you will learn how to apply the proper pressure.

I am disappointed when I see black belt instructors refuse to give their students a chance to be successful. Ego gets in the way of being a great teacher as well as a good martial artist. I always make it a point to show a student a great move for point sparring and then let them score with it. On me. I don’t care if the rest of the class thinks they got a point in on the sensei. I am past the point of trying to impress. When rolling on the mat I will sometimes guide my students into what moves might work next, even letting them tap me out with them. How else will they learn the technique, except by being successful at it?

Let Go of the Ego and Success will Come

When I see someone get really upset because they lost at a martial arts competition I realize they probably care more about the damage to their ego than the lessons learned from the experience. Others never compete because they are so afraid of losing and looking bad. Either way, losing is part of life and handling a blow to your ego is part of growing up.

The ego is a voice inside you that says, “I am special, higher, better, bigger than you”. We can never satisfy it. It is always greedy, it is always grabbing, it is always searching for more and more. It is like a parent that is never happy with our accomplishments. Don’t listen to it. Letting go of the ego and caring less about how we look will give us the same carefree attitude we had as a child. Just have fun, enjoy the process, and learn. Helping your students win means sometimes you have to lose.

Martial Arts | Ego is Not Your Friend is an original post by Sensei Matt Klein.

A Karate Class Challenges Itself

May 13, 2011 By Sensei Matt Klein

Set the bar high for your karate students. They will always rise to the occasion.

The power of a challenge

In karate class this week I said “Today we are going to learn how to throw a combination with 16 hand strikes in it, and we are going to do it with speed and power”. I saw the looks of “no way” and “unbelievable” on their faces, and heard the sighs of disbelief as I explained how this drill could greatly improve their hand speed. I asked them “how many of you can do it?” A few hands came up. I told them all to put up their hands, because “you will all be able to do it, I challenge you to do it”.

First, I showed them four different combinations and we drilled them over and over. Many of the students had trouble with it, but with patience and determination, we were able to get the combinations down pat.

We then strung two combinations together for a total of seven strikes. We had difficulty at first, but overcame it with practice. Again, many of the students were unable to do it, but we forged ahead, adding three more strikes for a total of ten. I could hear the sighs growing louder and the groans of exasperation by now, but we were on a mission.

Set your sights high

As we completed the ten-strike combination, I noticed a funny thing. The students who earlier had trouble with the 7-strike combination were doing it easily, now that it was the first part of the 10-strike combination. The “impossibility” of the 10-strike combination made the 7-strike combination seem easy.

By the time I announced to the class that we were now going to attempt a 16-strike combination, I could swear I was starting to get dirty looks from the parents, who were watching from the side, and the class seemed to all but give up, save for a few determined individuals.

The 16-strike combination concluded with a 6-punch boxing combination we had practiced earlier. It was now just a matter of tacking it on to the ten-strike combo. The students struggled and many were not able to get it, but I could see the determination on their faces. We kept practicing. As we progressed, just about everyone had mastered the 10-strike combination, and most had done pretty well on the 16-strike combination. We finished, pumping with energy, and bowed out with a feeling of great accomplishment–a truly special karate class.

Expect greatness from your students

The moral of the story: set high standards for your students, keep raising the bar, and expect them to be able to do it. They will rise to the occasion. Challenge yourself and challenge your students.

How old were the students, you ask? Get ready for this—6 to 10 year olds.

A Karate Class Challenges Itself is an original article by Sensei Matt Klein

Happy Birthday to Kids Karate Sensei | Who Inspires Me?

May 8, 2011 By Sensei Matt Klein

The kids karate sensei is still a white belt in blogging, but learning a lot.

Happy birthday to us, happy birthday to us, happy birthday……well, you get the picture. Today our blog is one year old. When I wrote the first post on the 8th of May, 2010 entitled Kids Karate Sensei Becomes White Belt Again, I had no idea what I was doing. Still don’t. But I know more about blogging than when I started. That was 52 blog posts ago. Still heaps to learn.

This blog has been a great experience for me. I have learned much about blogging, but more important, have strengthened my background in my speciality, martial arts for children, in a big way. I have become a better writer. Blogging forces you to make your point quickly, or you will lose your audience. As a bonus, I have made many friends all over the world online through my Kids Karate Sensei blog.

Blogging is demanding. Each week for the last 52 weeks I have had to come up with a topic, research it, and write about it–whether I felt like it or not. And believe me, there were days when I did not feel like it. But I made it. I had two secrets—passion and inspiration.

Passion and Inspiration are the Keys

Let’s talk about passion first. Passion is what drives us in our careers and our hobbies. Luckily for me, I chose a profession and blog niche that just happens to be my passion. I get paid for “playing martial arts” as a kids karate sensei. I could literally train in it, talk about it, and write about it all day long. That gives me an unfair advantage. I’ll take it.

Inspiration—it is everywhere. It is what motivates us to be our best. Here are some martial artists that inspire me.

Who Inspires the Kids Karate Sensei?

Muhammad Ali. Ali spoke up for what he believed in. He even went to jail for it. His views were unpopular at the time, but nevertheless, he was brave enough to stand up for them. As the son of a hard-nosed US Marine, I would have gone to battle in Viet Nam had I been a few years older. But Ali made a lot of people question this war. History ended up being on Ali’s side.

Ali talked trash, but not in a devious way. He made it more friendly, and it was obvious he was not serious, just drumming up his fights. He was a master at this. And most of all, he could back it up. When he said, “I am the greatest!”, you laughed, but at the same time believed it. You could feel his confidence.

I was able to meet him years ago. Last September, I wrote The Night I Met Muhammad Ali: Getting What You Want Out of Life.

Georges St-Pierre is inspiring with his sheer athleticism and warrior's attitude.

Georges St-Pierre. His work ethic. His warrior attitude. His respect. His sheer athleticism. What is there not to admire? What I would to to train with him.

UFC President Dana White said, “He’s got a ton of charisma, he is probably the most athletic guy in MMA, every time he fights he gets better and better, and realistically, I’d have him up there at the top of the list with one or two of the best pound-for-pound fighters in the world”.

John Will. I have a pretty high energy level and work rate, but keeping up with this guy is like a weekend jogger trying to match it with Olympic distance runners in the New York Marathon. Check out his blog posts at Brazilian Jujitsu Australasia and you will see what I mean. He writes something (and something very meaningful) almost every day. This from a guy who constantly travels around the world imparting his vast knowledge of Brazilian Jujitsu to his far-ranging students, writing countless books, producing outstanding videos, and running his own very successful school in Geelong, Australia. John is the highest ranking BJJ expert in Australia. John, you make me tired thinking about it, but you inspire me greatly at the same time.

Bruce Lee. Every time I watch a Bruce Lee film I am inspired for days. What he could do with his body was amazing. His speed, strength, flexibility, and timing were legendary. But what really inspired me about Bruce Lee was his passion, willingness to try new things, and incredible thirst for knowledge of martial arts. He lived and breathed martial arts.

How did Bruce Lee find the time and energy to read thousands of books, write his own, act in movies, teach others, and train like he did?

Cristiane Cyborg Santos. Santos is currently the #1-ranked pound-for-pound female MMA fighter in the world. She is a human wrecking ball. Her biggest problem; getting people to fight her. This is a shame. After I watched her in action for the first time, I was hooked. Santos holds a purple belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and is also a member of the Chute Boxe Academy, which is the proving ground for one of Brazil’s largest sports, Vale Tudo.

Cristiane Cyborg Santos is a "human wrecking ball". Her biggest problem is finding opponents that are willing to fight her.

Our Kenpo tribe. Our girls and boys, men and women, who have put themselves on the line in tournaments. Our kids patiently learning new techniques. Our great instructors, who are able to impart their knowledge in a friendly, non-intimidating atmosphere. Our supportive parents, who are there for the children every week. They all inspire me.

And a non-martial artist who has inspired me.

Jessica Watson. For someone to sail around the world solo, it is an amazing feat. But Jessica was sixteen years old when she did it. The achievement speaks for itself. Read about it here on my blog post, entitled Karate Kids and the Jessica Watson Story.

Who inspires you?

Happy Birthday to Kids Karate Sensei | Who Inspires Me? is an original blog post by Sensei Matt Klein.

Martial Arts for Kids: How to Retain Students

March 28, 2011 By Sensei Matt Klein

Martial arts classes for kids should be fun, safe, and interesting. Parents and children should feel welcome.

Retaining your students is one of the most important things you need to do as an owner of a martial arts school. Advertising is not cheap. It is much more expensive to recruit new students than to retain your existing ones. Word of mouth advertising is your most powerful weapon, and your existing students and their parents will tell all their friends about your school. Our schools have done exceptionally well in our retention efforts, keeping some 80-90 percent of our students. How do we do it? I am going to share a few of our secrets here.

Make your students feel welcome.

The TV show Cheers showed how important it is to give people a place to go “where everyone knows your name and everyone is glad you came”. Smile as your students walk in, say hello, and try to remember their names when possible. Ask them how they are doing. Thank their parents for their business and their hard-earned money. Make everyone associated with your business feel valuable, but especially your students.

Create excitement and energy in your martial arts classes.

Make every class as memorable as the first one. The classes should be fun and interesting. Although reviewing our required techniques is essential, each class should include something different from the week before. Do a fun game near the end of class to leave the children pumped when they leave. They won’t be able to wait for the next class.

Be enthusiastic, your students will feed off your energy. Ask questions often during the classes to get your students involved and to keep their interest. Ask for volunteers to “model” techniques before the whole class. This really keeps the kids motivated.

Keep the classes moving. Don’t bore children with long-winded, detailed explanations. Let them learn by doing.

Engage with and listen to your students.

Get to know your students. Watch closely for signs of disinterest or lack of enthusiasm. Talk to them and find out why. It could be that the student is discouraged because they are not getting a technique or kata. Offer them extra help. Or they might not be getting enough of your attention. Try to find something they are doing well and praise them for it. Let them know you think they are important.

Create a non-intimidating atmosphere.

Ensure the classes are friendly and safe. Do not let children spar until they are ready. Make sure proper protective equipment is used and watch the student’s control, especially with the less experienced students.

With new students, be especially supportive. Most are feeling clumsy and awkward, so give them plenty of praise and recognition to get through this stage. They will gain confidence quickly.

Do the right thing.

Put yourself in your student’s place. I initially thought a little girl was putting little effort into her classes, and was about to talk to her about it. But when I observed her playing a game in class it occurred to me she had a physical problem that prevented her from running fast or coordinating her little body. Her mom confirmed she had a severe muscle tone problem. I put myself in the little girl’s place and cut her some slack.

Put yourself in their parent’s place. Treat your students like you as a father or mother would like your own children treated. If you make a mistake, sincerely apologise to the parent and child publicly. People will respect you for it.

If you say you are going to do something, do it. If you tell a student you will grade them Tuesday of next week, be ready with the certificate and belt when the day comes. Failure to do what you say will cause your students to lose respect for you.

Treat all students and parents with courtesy and respect. There is no such thing as a “dumb” question or comment. All questions deserve a prompt, polite answer.

Ask students why they are quitting.

Many students will quit for reasons beyond your control. Students move, they sometimes cannot afford to pay the class fees, the classes clash with school or a school-related activity, or they simply lose interest. When students quit, ask them the reason if possible. This might help you discover problems that you were not aware of. Use this as a learning tool to make your classes better.

Although is article is directed towards martial arts for kids, it will work for any age group. Implementing just a few of these suggestions will see your retention rates skyrocket. Instructors or assistant instructors, do you have any ideas to help retain your students?

Eleven Ways to Build a Great Martial Arts Academy

January 28, 2011 By Sensei Matt Klein

It helps to specialize. Our goal was to be the best martial arts school for kids.

Planning and strategy

Think big! When I started my first martial arts academy back in 1994, I opened not one location, but two. Going back to my prior career or running a business part-time was not an option. My goal was to be a full-time professional martial artist. I read “The Magic of Thinking Big” by David Schwartz at the time and it got me motivated in a big way. My business plan called for ten locations in Sydney, which has now been exceeded. Shoot for the stars and you will succeed. Never be afraid to ask for what you want. Be assertive.

Learn everything you can about business. Finance, marketing, negotiating, etc., is the lifeblood of business. Marketing is key. The more you know about business, the better off you will be.

Don’t be afraid to try new things. We tried teaching self defence classes in high schools, providing classes at birthday parties, and lots of other activities. We learned a lot from our mistakes, and discovered many opportunities at the same time.

Specialize. Niches are easier to dominate and protect. Be the best at something; weapons, forms, grappling, etc. For us, it has been kids karate. My goal in starting the academy was to be a world leader in karate for kids. We have now moved into other areas, such as building a championship tournament team. Focus on one goal at a time. Be the best and word will spread fast to your potential customers.

People power

Treat everyone you meet with respect and dignity. Make people feel welcome in your school. The martial arts academy is no place for racial or any other type of discrimination by instructors or students. When you see it, clamp down hard on it.

Hire people you trust. We do not hire people outside our system; they are all black belts who came up through the ranks in our schools. It definitely restricts our growth, but it is more important to have people who are loyal working in our organization. In addition, they know our methods and share our philosophy. Don’t over-manage them, let them learn from their mistakes, and they will grow into leaders.

Give your customers value for money, and listen to what they have to say. That means you have to strive to not only be a low-cost provider, but also to make sure your customers have a great experience with your company. We have made many improvements in our business through customer suggestions.

Personal tips

Go with the flow. You will not always feel like working. When you are tired, take a rest. When you feel like working, work like a dog! When we are in the zone, it is amazing how much we can get done.

Spend less than you earn. I have a 1995 Toyota truck that runs just fine. When it needs replacement, I’ll pay cash for a another one with the money I’ve saved on this one. I’m a karate instructor, not an investment banker. There is no point in trying to be something we’re not. Being conservative means you will be able to take advantage of financial opportunities when they arise.

The TV is a big time waster. Turn it off. Use that time to learn something new about your business. For me, it was time spent learning other arts outside my system, building my own website, and writing a book on children’s martial arts. I enjoyed every minute of this time, since I am passionate about my business. I do not look at it as a sacrifice.

Stay fit and learn new things. You will not inspire your students by waddling into the training hall because you cannot control your weight. You owe it to your students and to yourself to stay at the top of your game both mentally and physically. Keep learning to provide your instructors and students with new challenges. Be your best and your martial arts academy will be the best!

Eleven Ways to Build a Great Martial Arts Academy is an original article by Sensei Matt Klein.

Just Start Drawing: Kids Karate Sensei Becomes White Belt Again–Part Two

January 7, 2011 By Sensei Matt Klein

My little boy boxing champion

I’ve always been amazed by artists, especially by how easy they make it look. Just love a cool martial arts drawing, like a tiger, dragon, or samurai. I’ve always wanted to do it myself, but never really had the time. Well, if something is important to you, just make the time, as I often tell my students. So I, as the sensei, decided to practice what I preach.

Over the holidays, while working on a kids karate book (please don’t ask me how long I have been working on it) I realised how much easier it would be if I could just draw a few pictures and put them in where needed. Only problem, I don’t know how to draw. Minor details!

I started researching it (I love google!) and found that you can actually teach yourself to draw by tracing. No, it is not cheating, as some might say. It teaches your hands to move like they are supposed to move in creating your illustration. Does this sound familiar, folks? That is exactly how you learn the martial arts. Your body actually “feels” how a movement should be performed, as the sensei guides you. Not only that, you “see” in your mind the proper pencil strokes that create details, such as shading to create depth in a picture, just as you see the sensei’s fist recoil from a proper strike.

I went to Eckersley’s, a great arts store in Sydney, and bought a tracer box. What is that, you say? It’s a box with a light behind a piece of plexiglass, and when you put a photo or drawing on top, the picture, down to the finest detail, is there for you to “copy” (you have to make changes in the final illustration if you are planning to include it in any commercial work, for copyright reasons).

A samurai with castle in background

Well, needless to say, I have become addicted to this, and it is one reason you haven’t seen a post for almost two weeks. I’ve bought heaps of pencils, pens, paper, and a few drawing books. I’m showing you some of my work here, some of which you will see in the book (yes, it is nearly done!). There is more to it than just “having the right tools”, and the vast majority of my work is really laughable, but I am sure having fun. I realise I have a huge amount to learn about art, and will never be Van Gogh, my favourite, but it feels great to be a white belt—again. Just start drawing.

For Kids Karate Sensei Becomes White Belt Again–Part One, please follow this link.

Martial Arts Training: The iPhone as a Teaching Tool

October 2, 2010 By Sensei Matt Klein

The iPhone as a learning tool for martial arts

The iPhone is a handy tool for teaching martial arts

How to Use the iPhone as a Training Tool for Martial Arts

Let’s get something out of the way first. I am not a techie. But I got sick of schlepping my heavy, battery hungry notebook with fiddly dvd’s into martial arts training sessions. Through a bit of trial and error, I have figured out how to use my iPhone as a great learning and teaching tool. If you are teaching something difficult like forms, or are workshopping techniques, like complicated grappling moves, this will come in handy. If I can do this, then you should have no problem with it.

Download the Programs

First, you will need the Firefox browser for Windows or Mac. It is free.

Second, go to http://www.videolan.org/vlc/ and download VLC player (windows or mac). This is a great multi-purpose video player, and the reason we need it—it will play Flash files (or any other format). Adobe Flash is expensive and complicated, but if you are familiar with it, you can skip this step. VLC Player is open source, which means it is free.

Third, go to http://sourceforge.net/projects/handbrake/ and download Handbrake. This excellent program transcodes and converts any video files into mp4 or other formats that can be used on the iPhone. This is also open source, and free.

Fourth, get Download Helper for firefox at http://www.downloadhelper.net/. You will need this to be able to copy and save your downloads. This is also, you guessed it, free.

If you are running mac or windows you will need iTunes, but if you have an iPhone, most likely you already have it.

Play and Convert the Video

Ok, here’s how you do it. Go to YouTube or any other video site, pick a short video, up to about 4-5 minutes, on any technique you want to learn. Start it, and as soon as it’s playing, click the downward pointing arrow next to the little coloured rotating balloons (the Download Helper) and save the file to desktop. It will appear there as a “flv” or flash video file.

If you have Adobe Flash skip the next step.

Right click the file and use the “open with” button but do not pick VLC, use “other”, and then pick VLC from the list. First, make sure you tick the “always open with” and then pick VLC. For some reason, you need to do this to convert it to a VLC file. Unfortunately, you will need to do this every time because it does not seem to do this on a default basis.

Once you see the file in the VLC icon format, open up Handbrake, select the file, open it, hit the “source” button on the top left. Pick mp4 as your format, then hit start. You will see it encoding on the bar at the bottom, it takes no time at all. Once it is converted, Handbrake will inform you by saying “Put down that cocktail…” your Handbrake queue is done! Look on your desktop and you will now see the new mp4 file.

Drop the Video Into iTunes

Open iTunes to the movies section, simply drag the mp4 file there, drop it in, and now you are ready to drag and drop it into your iPhone. This might sound complicated, but trust me, after you’ve done it once or twice, you can do the whole process in less than a minute, not including download time. Small snippets are the best as you don’t want to cycle through a long video to find what you are looking for. If you create a long training video, break it down into small chapters that you can use on the iPhone.

Of course, respect all copyrights, you are only viewing it for personal use. Support the creator of the video by visiting their website. They might have something there that you will find useful, whether it be martial arts training videos, martial arts supplies, or whatever you are interested in. If anyone has any shortcuts or better ways of doing this, please let me know. Have fun and go learn something new!

This is an original article by Sensei Matt Klein.

Kids Karate Sensei Becomes White Belt Again

May 8, 2010 By Sensei Matt Klein

Welcome to the first post in my new blog. Since this is about beginnings, I thought I’d write about what it’s like to be a white belt again. Yes. Me. I am a white belt again—in building websites. The site at which you are now looking was built by yours truly. What does this have to do with kids karate you ask? As it turns out, a lot.

Sensei Matt became a white belt again--in building websites.

A good webmaster could build this site in a few weeks. Me—it took over a year. Why? I now remember the frustrations of being a white belt again. I had to call the web hosting company countless times to have them walk me through something I did not understand. I cringed at their impatience, as I just couldn’t get it. Well, not all of them were impatient—most were quite good. When I called the help line it was potluck. Dozens of times I had to go to the website forums to get answers to questions I didn’t even know how to ask. I waited for replies that sometimes never came. I searched google to ask “Why is my website showing as a blank white page,” or “Why has my website crashed?”

And the language. There was HTML, CSS, Photoshop, W3 Validation, FTP, etc., etc. It might as well have been hieroglyphics. How do you get problems solved when you don’t know the language? Well, I had to learn. There were online tutorials, books, forums, and conversations with experts. It is amazing how many people want to help if you just ask for their advice. I now have great respect for people in this field; they must know so many things.

There were so many times I was tempted to throw in the towel. Hire someone to do it for me. But, like any white belt, I enjoy a challenge. Each time I encountered a problem, I found a way to solve it. It might have taken me a day, or even a week, I didn’t care. There was always a solution. Each time I found a solution my confidence grew. And guess what? I learned a lot.

When I walk through the class as we are practising a kata, I see the looks on the children’s faces. Utter frustration, the “I will never get this” look. I can now better relate to their feelings. I can now see what kind of Sensei they need. They need someone like that kind patient person on the web hosting help line that got me through a tough, frustrating time without making me feel like a complete idiot.

Let’s face it. In the website development world I am a nobody—a big zero. But I’m learning, and part of the joy of learning is exploring the unknown, overcoming the fear of failure, and reveling in our new knowledge. Learning new things is what keeps us young at heart. I will probably never be a black belt in building websites, but I am still learning and I will not give up.

What did I learn from all of this? I learned that everyone should become a white belt again just to feel what it’s like to be someone just starting out on their journey. More than anything, this experience has taught me about patience; with myself, as well as with others. And white belts; never be afraid to ask for help.

Kids Karate Sensei Becomes White Belt Again is an original article from Sensei Matt Klein. For more information check our kids karate classes in Sydney.