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Lunch Box is Back! Wednesdays and Fridays in Feb. 12:15 - 12:45 

MADLEAPS: Busting Out Party: Sunday March 7, 2010.

Infant Developmental Movement Education Classes - from birth to walking: Thursdays 10:30 - 11:45am, Jan. 28 - March 25th (no class Feb. 18)

Toddlers (12 - 30 months) Play Group: Fridays 2-3:00pm Feb. 12 - March 26 (no class Feb. 19)

 

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The Society for Martial Arts Instruction is raising money to purchase the Philips HeartStart Onsite AED, automated external defibrillator. The Philips HeartStart defibrillator is the latest in essential safety equipment. Please help us by donating any amount that you can afford. Osu!

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The Revelatory Experience E-mail

At the senior student meeting on Sunday we discussed ways to get more adult students into the dojo. Since the children’s program ends at the end of the school year, our dojo space is under utilized in the summer months. What a great opportunity to spread the benefit of Martial arts training among adults.

Many people have some martial arts experience at some point in their fitness lives.  The typical approach to martial arts training- the ‘copy me’ approach where the instructor demonstrates and the students copy ‘best you can’ is an exercise in frustration for many people who are not natural movers. After a few weeks of exhaustion, strain and injury the new white belt limps away. This approach has a long tradition and is designed to find the naturally talented students and weed out the rest.

SFMAI is a movement school with real movement experts capable of getting a beginner past the early challenges. With real expertise in anatomy, and movement sciences our instructors help students to identify and fire muscles that are essential to the successful execution of technique that many adults have never accessed.  After many years of established movement preferences many adults have a narrow movement repertoire and many muscle groups go unrecognized.

The revelatory experience.

Adult students leave a SFMAI class or seminar with a profound new appreciation of a movement capability that they did not know they had simply because the instructor has sufficient knowledge, experience and willingness to help the student make the discovery of the existence of a set of muscles and how to fire them.  Often these revelations are life altering experiences and are much more likely to bring the adult student back, than a ‘best you can’ class where the student is more likely to leave with a new strain or bruise.

If you are talking about your martial arts training and experience with other adults be sure to point out this critical difference between the SFMAI approach and traditional training.

 

The physical revelation may be even more important for more advanced adult students.  Many adult students get in a year maybe two of training and reach a plateau that they cannot get past. That leads to frustration and injury and ultimately another student lost.  The student has become stronger but cannot execute technique properly so is more prone to injury, slower and just doesn’t look right in the mirror.

 

Almost every physically active adult falls into one of these categories.  Not only are they very good candidates for training at our dojo but if you can get them in, you might be responsible for helping them achieve a life altering experience.

 

Please talk up you own revelatory experiences with your friends and acquaintances. Everybody wants one, many have tried and failed to achieve one. Many are shy of and uncertain of their own movement capabilities. Our school is the best place for these folks to train.  

 
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Instructor Highlight

Sang  Kim   
Sang Kim sensei, Yondan - US Batto Do Federation/Zen Nihon Toyama Ryu Iaido Renmei Nidan - Sei Zan KaiYondan studied with Bob Elder sensei (6th dan kyoshi) and Hataya Mitsuo sensei (9th dan Kaicho of the Zen Nihon Batto Do renmei). He was first introduced to sword at age 12 through kendo. He's been practicing Toyama Ryu and Battodo since 2000.
 

Articles

Brain Breaks for the Classroom: Quick and Easy Breathing and Movement Activities That Help Students Reenergize, Refocus, and Boost Brain Power. Brain Breaks for the Classroom will be available at the Teachers Store on September 1st.