The 2nd Annual World Taekwondo Culture Expo is set for July 4-11, 2008 in Jeollabuk-do South Korea, the "city of taste and style".

This Expo is an international festival to publicize the Muju Taekwondo Park which touts itself as the center of Taekwondo. The Expo creators have a goal to strengthen the reputation of Taekwondo internationally and foster a world family of taekwondoists. This trip is sponsored by the Ministry of Culture, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade, the WTF and Kukkiwon and the Korean National Tourism Organization (KTO).

The World Taekwondo Culture Expo will be an exciting and stimulating festival of brethren from around the world who share a passion for martial arts and specifically the Korean martial art of tae kwon do.

I am looking forward to my first trip to Asia with many friends and teachers. While I'm away, I plan to blog from abroad and post photos to share my travels with my family and those families of my friends so they can all keep up with us.
Feel free to enjoy South Korea vicariously as well through this blog, July 4th - 11th.

Hope to see you in Korea.

We worry about a lot of things as parents, and when our children start school, we have a whole host of new things to think about. I’m not too concerned with how well my daughter will do, because by all accounts she’s a bright girl. I do worry about her falling under the influence of the wrong people, and I do worry about school bullying. I think we all have at least seen this in action, and many of us have had to deal with it at least once before we left high school.

I had to put up with some school bullying because I moved around a lot. We rarely stayed in one place for any longer than a year, and that meant I was always changing schools. Being the new kid is hard when you have to do it once. Can you imagine what it is like to start a new school each year, and sometimes even having to start in a new place twice in one school year? It was never easy, and being the new kid in class sometimes made me the target of school bullying.

Luckily for me, it never went too far. I was a quiet student, but I also had a strong sense of self. There were moments when I felt horrible about myself, but I never let someone at school make me feel that way. I learned to ignore those who liked to pick on the new kid, and I was a happier kid for it. I do know that once I was no longer the new kid, the school bullying seemed to stop and those kids would then focus on the newer person. It was horrible to watch, but I was always glad when they were done with me.

As I got older, I faced school bullying right from the get go and as a result, it never went anywhere. There was just something about me that made people stop once I confronted them. Perhaps I had to be tough because I moved around so much, but I may never know what it was. I do know my daughter is very outgoing, and I hope that if she ever encounters school bullying that she can handle it like I did. I do know that I will try to guarantee that she never has to change schools. At least that is one source of school bullying I can help her avoid.

 

It's about that time. Time for every man, woman and child to be more concerned with their health. How you live and what you consume can definitely come back to haunt you, and probably sooner than you expect. Take a hint from the athletes that fine-tune their bodies with the right foods and supplements in order to perform optimally and live long lives. It's no secret that nutrition sports nutrition goes hand in hand. If you want to perform at your peak, you have to maintain an ideal diet plan. One that consists of low-fat foods, numerous fruits and vegetables, lean meats, tons of water and vitamin supplements.

The process has been simplified. It's not a big challenge to get all of your vitamins and minerals these days. If you're interested in general nutrition sports nutrition, but have no clue where to begin, let me offer a word of advice. Seeing a licensed nutritionist is a wonderful idea. He/she can get you started on a healthy eating schedule. But I can tell you right now if you consume a great deal of fast food, it's going to have to end. This drive-thru cuisine offers little to no health benefits. It may fill your tummy, but at the same time it's clogging your arteries. The way I see it, we should be thankful for the knowledge we now possess regarding nutrition sports nutrition. It's crystal clear that our bodies require healthy foods so that they can perform at their peak. On the contrary, if you load yourself down with fat, salt and sugar, the opposite will occur. Your body will want to lounge about and will lack the ability to take on physical tasks. Ask any athlete. He/she will tell you what's up.

Back in the day, weight lifters used to eat it all in order to gain weight/mass. They weren't that hip to the importance of nutrition sports nutrition. Tons of fat and sugar didn't benefit them whatsoever. Now we know that a bulky physique requires a strict diet high in protein and vitamins. Fortunately there are plenty of protein supplements that offer these benefits. Athletes around the world take advantage of these scientific facts everyday. Find infinite nutrition sports nutrition supplements in your local health food stores and get started living right.

Life can be rough. The day to day bouts with work, family and routines can really start to wear you down. Something known as stress tends to build in different areas of our body. This can in-turn make us grouchy, irritable, tired and even sore. You've probably suffered with a few muscles aches and headaches from stress in the past. We all do. Whether we'd like to believe it or not, it happens to the best of us. The trick is in the stress relieving. Are you relieving or dealing with your stress? If you're not, it's only going to get worse.

Last night my upper back, just between my shoulder blade and spine was throbbing. Now this could be due to and injury or pulled muscle, but I know it's not. It's definitely nothing new for me. I have had that same soreness on and off for years. It is where stress builds. You may encounter something similar. This is a common area to acquire pains if you're hacking away on a keyboard all day long. Those upper-back and shoulder areas are very vulnerable. Now, what do I do as far as stress relieving goes? After all, I can't just deal with the pains for a good week until they're gone. I'm sick of that. This is why I take a different route and choose to go to a massage therapist. She knows all about muscle aches and stress relieving. Her gentle hands knead those knots right out of my back muscles. This then speeds along the healing process. In not time, I'm back to my old self again. If you've never tried a massage for stress relieving, I highly recommend it.

What about acupuncture? This is another great route to stress relief. One thing I will encourage is that you go to a reputable place for this therapy. It's never prudent to try acupuncture on yourself if you don't know what you're doing. This therapy consists of needles penetrating your flesh. Therefore it's to be left to the professionals. I personally have heard wonderful things about acupuncture and its benefits concerning stress relieving and allergies. And finally, don't forget good old-fashioned R&R. We all need plenty of rest and downtime if we expect to avoid the stress monster.

And of course exercise should be top of your list.  I like martial arts for my daily kick.  You can use weight lifting, running, or any thing that gets you up and moving.  Stress can lead to a sort of depression so it's up to us to relieve it as best as we can.  Meditation methods also can be a great aid to reducing your stress.  Just do something about it or it gets worse not better.

Let’s face it, we live in a stress filled world, and even if we’re not feeling stressed ourselves, it’s all around us. At some time or another, we will succumb to it, and before it gets the best of us, we need to learn how to handle it. Stress can have many negative effects on the body, leaving us susceptible to all kinds of ailments and chronic disease, some deadly. Take panic or anxiety disorder for instance. One of the contributors to this common condition is excessive amounts of the hormone cortisol, produced by the body during a “fight or flight” mode, when you react strongly to a situation, either physically or emotionally.

Read the whole article here at Relaxation Techniques.

Do you ever have concerns about your neighborhood? Hey, you should! Anyone in their right mind has to worry some about the safety of their neighborhood, regardless of what community they're in. Now I'm not going to give you the whole diatribe about how things are worse now days. I am willing to bet that most of the same horrors took place 50 years ago. There was just no Internet around back then. I laugh because so many people claim how bad things are now. If you go back and watch some of the older movies, cops were saying the same things in the 70s and 80s as well. So basically it's been around forever. Remember Ted Bundy and Charles Manson? They weren't committing crimes in the 90s or after the millennium. Anyway, the point is that criminal activity has been around as long as man. It was bad 20 years ago and it's bad today. The trick is to get involved in preventing it. Try helping out with a neighborhood watch program in your area. The community needs to pitch in a little.

Have you ever given any thought to a neighborhood watch program? I'll bet they have one near you. It's easy enough to find out. Get on your personal computer and punch the words "neighborhood watch" into a Google or Yahoo search engine. Find out what folks like yourself are doing in your state, town, or neighborhood. You may be surprised when you find out that a neighborhood watch program exists near you. It took me a little while to get serious about personal, home, and community safety. It wasn't really until after my first daughter was born. Once she entered this world, the rules changed. It's amazing how kids can have that effect on you. Suddenly I was living more for someone else than I was for myself. I don't know if it's supposed to work this way, but it did for me. She is definitely worth the extra effort.

If you are interested in getting involved with a local neighborhood watch program, then procrastinate no further. Hop online now and see what's taking place near you. Get involved with your neighborhood and community. With your help, the neighborhood is that much safer. It's all about joining together and becoming a strong unit against crime.

Are all martial arts the same?  Many beginners who have not done any research can make this mistake. All they see is someone in a funny uniform kicking and punching.  Then they generalize and think all the martial arts are the same.  While all martial arts stem from the same roots, they are not the same any more. They are all some form of fighting art; just as the name implies. But, like any art, the martial arts have evolved and changed over time with each practitioner. Just as no two painters would paint a picture the same way, no two martial artists perform their art in the same way. It is for this reason that we have so many different styles (kung fu, karate, aikido, judo, etc) of martial arts.

 

Martial arts started as exercises for Chinese monks living in the Shaolin temples. The monks would sit in meditation for long periods of time, so their bodies were out of shape. They were taught exercises so that their bodies would become as strong as their minds. This tradition of training the body and mind has continued through all types of martial arts. Another similarity is that the basic motions for most of the martial arts that exist today are similar, if not the same. It is the expansion of these movements into more complicated techniques that began to separate one style from another. Some practitioners began emphasizing different parts of the art; such as focusing more on kicks or punches. Some focused on powerful strikes instead of flowing movements. There are many different styles today, and more are still being created. That is why it is an art; there is room to be creative.

 

All types of martial arts are not the same; but they all started in the same place. They will all teach you a way to fight and train your mind, but that is not to say that one is better than another. Each style has its own strengths, and its own weaknesses. Some styles are hard, some are soft. Some emphasize striking, while others emphasize the redirection of your opponents force. The differences between the styles can be vast, but they all come from the martial tradition.  So no all martial arts aren’t the same but they share the same history and traditions.

Do you have a preschool-aged (or older) child who has ADHD or ADD?  Many times, parents are encouraged to medicate their children to help alleviate the symptoms that can be causing them to have problems both at school and at home.  If this is something you’ve been dealing with for a while, you may be at your wits end and willing to try just about anything to help your child handle his or her symptoms and to relieve stress from their lives.

 

One of the most prescribed drugs is Ritalin.  Doctors are even now prescribing it for preschoolers even though it has not been approved for children under the age of six.  Studies have shown that the side effects of Ritalin are sometimes so great that parents stop treating their children with the drug.  These symptoms include a slowing of growth and weight gain as well as insomnia. 

 

The thing is, without the drug, many parents are at a loss as to what to do to help their children.  There are alternatives however.  Some of the most common are changing the child’s diet to eliminate additives such as artificial colors, flavors and sweeteners.  Another alternative is to go through behavior training to give the parents and children tips and tools to help them all function better together.

 

A third option is to enroll your child in martial arts.  Many people overlook this option because they automatically think that the last thing they want to teach a child with ADHD is “fighting skills” but that is a myth about martial arts training.

 

Children who suffer from ADHD often exhibit symptoms of inattention, hyperactivity and impulsivity.  Martial arts training actually focuses more on respect, concentration and focus and control through mastering the movements than on fighting.  When children train a martial art, they learn that they need to have high levels of physical control which come from a lot of practice and a lot of self-discipline – achieved through mind and body control.  Once children are able to control their body during training, they’ll soon figure out how to control their impulses.  Additionally, the concentration used during training will eventually carry over to the rest of their lives to alleviate the inattention symptoms of ADHD as well. 

It’s true, stress can make you fat.  It’s because of a hormone called cortisol.  This hormone is always present in your body, but your body secretes it at higher levels when it’s under stress.  Cortisol has positive effects on when it’s secreted in small amounts – it gives you bursts of energy, increases memory function and lowers pain sensitivity.  However, when secreted I larger amounts, Cortisol can have negative effects on your body and your health.  It is necessary for us to reduce our stress level to keep cortisol levels under control.  The thing is, we live in such a high-stress culture that some people’s secretion of cortisol doesn’t slow down and they live in a state of what is called chronic stress.

 

Chronic stress sufferers end up having many negative effects because of the high levels of cortisol in their systems.  The effects include blood sugar imbalances, high blood pressure and increased abdominal fat.  This is caused partially by the fact the people who secrete high levels of cortisol tend to eat more in general, and more specifically carbohydrates, than their counterparts who secrete less cortisol during stressful situations. This excess abdominal fat alone can be detrimental to your health because it increases your risks of heart attacks, strokes, and bad cholesterol.

The best way to combat the negative effects of high levels of cortisol is to give yourself opportunities to reduce your stress and “kick-in” your body’s relaxation mechanisms.  Most people do know that physical exercise is a great stress reliever. But what they don’t know is that most traditional forms of exercise such as running, walking and jogging and aerobics classes only serve to help reduce the body’s physical effects of stress.  To get the full benefits of physical and mental stress reduction, people need to find activities that work their bodies and minds. 

Training martial arts does this.  It’s impossible to train martial arts without fully concentrating on what you are doing. This concentration helps your mind relieve its stress as well.  Activities like martial arts that require you to concentrate on your movements and core strength give you a well-rounded stress relief; not just on your body, but on your mind as well.

At the Academy of Kempo Martial Arts we use Shoalin breathing methods effectively accomplishing this goal of combating everyday stress. These kung fu breathing methods (which have been refined over 1500 years) include physical movements which relieve the physical symptoms of stress, and breathing patterns which clear the mind and relieve mental stress. Training these methods will help to bring down your levels of cortisol, which can help relieve another stressor in your life…needing to lose those few extra pounds.

 

So if your diet isn’t working it might be your stress.  Combat your stress and get in better shape by training the mind and the body with martial arts, tai chi, or yoga.  Combined with a healthy diet and a positive life style you cant beat it!

To your health,

Robert Jones
Master Instructor
The Academy of Kempo Martial Arts
Bellevue, WA.
800-508-6141

There are four things you should consider before you add supplementary weight training into your workout schedule:

 

·                     Speed

·                     Flexibility

·                     Endurance

·                     Strength

 

Martial arts training will naturally help you improve in all of these areas, but many people wonder if they need to add supplementary weight training to increase these areas.  The answer is maybe.

 

The first determination of whether or not you should do separate weight training is how it will affect your martial arts training.  If weight training will take the place of your martial arts training, then I don’t recommend it (especially for beginners).  Advanced martial arts students can make the determination depending on their personal goals.

 

When you’re making the decision, consider this:

 

·                     You can add weights if you have your martial arts training regime down cold – you don’t want your martial arts training to suffer so that you can weight train on the side.

·                     If you do choose to weight train, educate yourself or get a trainer so that you get the most out of your training.

·                     Make a plan before you begin anything.

 

To make a plan, you need to figure out where you want to improve.  You need a balanced body to be a good martial artist, so if you do decide to add supplemental training, it should be to improve this balance.  Is there a part of your body that is not up to par with the rest of your body?  Do you have plenty of endurance but lack speed? 

 

Here’s an example of what I mean.  I had a student that had perfect form.  She was worried that her technique wouldn’t work in a real situation.  She practiced slow and accurate movements, so the answer for her was to start training for power or speed to make her movements more real-world applicable.

 

In the “old days” martial artists were not purists if they did strength training along with it.  The thing is, even in the Shaolin temples, the Kung Fu practitioners had exercises like moving granite balls and doing hundreds of movements with iron rings on their arms – it sounds like a form of weight training to me.

 

If anyone tells you that weight training will harm your martial arts training, they are only right if you stop or reduce your martial arts training to weight train.  If you break your training down into sections and focus on the parts of your body or goals that you need to balance your body, then you can train accordingly without affecting your martial arts training.  If you’re still not sure whether or not you’re weight training affectively, just make sure you do an hour and a half of martial arts training for every hour of weight training you do.