We are the products of our habits, whether good or bad. It’s been said that we are what we repeatedly do. Which is why we regularly walk into Starbucks and BOW AT THE DOOR! Every time we enter the karate school, we teach our students to bow in as a sign of respect. The karate school is an oasis, a …
Sorry, I Can’t Teach You
Several years ago, my son Judah decided he had an interest in playing the violin. “Hey Dad, can you teach me how to play? I’d love to learn!” I started playing the violin in the 2nd grade, and have played ever since, so it was only natural that he would ask me. I’ve taken breaks during my life of course, …
What, You Don’t Struggle Getting to the Gym?
Every so often, I hear this from a parent: “Master Alley, he loves it when he’s here, but sometimes it’s a struggle actually GETTING him here? What do I do?” You bring him to class. “But I don’t want to force him.” Bring him to class. Sometimes, we need a push, don’t we? No one is motivated 100% of the …
Burpees in the Boardroom
It’s a new month! I love beginnings. With goal setting, you can always reset or start something new at any time, but it always feels like something magical occurs on the firsts. First of the week, first of the month, first of the year… So it’s the PERFECT time to evaluate where you are with your goals! Are you on …
Give it to the Scariest Student
Scary students. That’s what I want. Mean. Intense. Kind. Compassionate. Monsters. Yes… yes, I do. And the red stripe this week went to… the scariest student! In every class, we finish by recognizing one student with a red stripe on their belt, the “attitude of the day” stripe. We present it to someone that we feel made the most progress …
Teeth Brushing on Vacation
I’ve decided that when I’m on vacation, I’m going to stop brushing my teeth. No toothbrush. No toothpaste. No floss. But it totally makes sense, right? It’s VACATION!! You Don’t do anything on vacation!! When I’m home and working, I always have to brush my teeth. I wake up, I brush. There is never a morning that you want to …
Everything is Difficult in the Beginning!
Remember these 6 words: Everything is difficult in the beginning! It’s always important to remember that as you’re learning a new skill, as you’re learning a new technique, it’s possible you’re always going to be bad at first. Maybe you’re one of those people that are super talented and can pick something up immediately. That’s awesome! I’m not one of those …
The Student we TRIED to Fail
Have you ever heard of anyone earning their black belt in 11 months? Brian Keefer is the very first student that I trained to go from white belt to black belt. Brian is an amazing martial artist who’s very talented. He was about 10, maybe 11 years old when he started training with me. It only took him 11 months …
Turning Failure into Success
This week in our classes… We have been teaching our students an important life skill–“failure.” I love talking about this. I like teaching our students that it’s okay to fail, and as a matter of fact, it’s GOOD to fail. How often does that message get communicated to our kids? How often does that message get communicated to US? It’s …
The Attitude of Giving, Serving, and Encouraging
I love what I see happening in our schools. I not only see instructors encouraging students, but I’m also watching STUDENTS encourage students, parents encouraging parents, older students helping younger ones…it’s a beautiful thing. Let’s keep building relationships. Let’s keep growing those around us. And let’s keep serving one another. As a member of our community, in case you don’t …