Tag: martial arts

karate kid smiling from her success with instructor

Karate Teaches Adults and Kids Success in Life .. Step-by-Step.

Posted on | by Tiger Rock Martial Arts

Success in martial arts is one thing, but success in life is where a black belt truly shines.  Kicking, punching, blocking, etc. are all great for learning self-defense, staying fit, etc., but life lessons are the most important things to be taught.  To any part of life, there is a 6-step process.  Tiger Rock Martial Arts in Lawrenceville trains students constantly about this step-by-step system to achieving success in any arena, whether it be martial arts, academics, business, relationships, or even video games!  Here is what Tiger Rock Martial Arts teaches:

Step 1 — Set a goal.  Be specific about what you are trying to achieve.  Don’t just say, “I want to make a lot of money.”  Define it.  One person could make $250,000/yr, and the other could make $250million/yr.  Both can say that they “make a lot of money,” but their goals are very different.

Step 2 — Start small.  Realize, just like starting off with a white belt in martial arts, you must begin every journey toward your goal at the beginning.  An entry level teacher doesn’t get paid the same as the superintendent, and athletes don’t start off in the NBA, NFL, MLB, etc. when it’s their first time ever playing the sport!

Step 3 — Make a move that counts.  At some point, you have to do something above the ordinary routine if you are going to get noticed and begin making a name for yourself.  In martial arts, this may be testing, or competing, etc.  In life, this may be taking on additional responsibilities, sending someone flowers, or volunteering to lead a company event.

Step 4 — Stop and analyze.  After you make a move that counts, it will give you a result.  Maybe that result is something you wanted, or maybe that result is something that you didn’t want.  Perhaps you impressed your boss, or perhaps your idea disappointed your boss.  Perhaps you did well in competition, or perhaps you were easily defeated.  Regardless of the result, learn from it.  If you don’t stop an analyze, then you won’t know if it is a good idea to repeat what you did, or to go in a different direction.

Step 5 — Don’t get lazy!  Honestly, I think this is where most people fail in their journeys.  Once they analyze and figure out what they need to do, their next thought is often, “And I will get to that later.”  It’s surprising how often people figure out the secret to achievement and accomplishment, and then think to themselves, “Now that I know what to do, I will get around to doing it later.”  People feel a sense of satusfaction when they discover something, or figure something out.  However, this feeling is not to be confused with accomplishment.  If I tell you right now what tomorrow’s lottery numbers will be, you may feel comfortable knowing what they are, but you still have to take action and go buy a lottery ticket if you want to gain from that knowledge.

Step 6 — Go for it!  Once all the other factors are in place, and you have done the other steps successfully, it is time to reach for that goal.  Ask for that raise, apply for that new position, ask the love of your life to marry you!!

This is the basic system for success, and can be applied anywhere.  In addition, the students at Tiger Rock Martial Arts are taught a bonus step to super-success, which will be shared later.

 

About Cliff Mostiler:  Cliff is a sixth-degree black belt and master instructor.  He has a Bachelor of Science in Engineering, and Bachelor of Arts in Mathematics, and a Bachelor of Arts in Communications.  In addition, Cliff has is Juris Doctorate of Law as an attorney, and is also a licensed realtor.  Cliff believes heavily in education, and the options and opportunities that education provides.  He has pursued teaching martial arts as his passion for over 20 years, and continues to serve his community every day.  If asked, Cliff will say, “I am a personal life coach for kids and adults.  I use martial arts as the tool to teach them, but this is far less about blocking, kicking, and punching, and far more about training for a successful life.” 

For more about Tiger Rock Martial Arts, go to www.tigerrockatlanta.com

child in martial arts uniform sitting still and paying attention

Martial Arts Teaches The 3 Steps to Development

Posted on | by Tiger Rock Martial Arts

In any situation, from mathematics to reading, from baseball to checkers, or from video games to martial arts, there are three steps to development:

  • Step 1:  Learn — We have to learn something before we can get better.  Often, people will attempt to dive right into something without first analyzing it and gathering knowledge about it.  And almost 100% of the time, those people fail.  Imagine knowing nothing about car engines whatsoever, but trying to repair one.  Chances of success are almost zero.  First, we have to learn about what we are doing.

 

  • Step 2:  Improve — Once we learn something, our next step is to improve.  Many people think learned = done, but that is far from true.  Success isn’t completed in the learn phase … it requires significant improvement first.  Suppose professional athletes went to one practice in the beginning of their childhood, learned the game, then never practiced again.  Or imagine a medical student attending one class on removing a tumor, then immediately attempting that procedure on a living person.  No one reaches success without improvement, and no one stays at the top without continuously improving their profession.

 

  • Step 3:  Perfect — Ultimately, in any situation, the goal is perfection.  Sometimes, that goal is unattainable, and is simply a fictional target that we need to continue working towards.  For example, imagine an Olympic runner in the 100 meter dash.  Technically, perfection would be to reach run the 100 meters in 0.00 seconds, which is obviously impossible.  However, world records are constantly set and constantly broken.  Runners keep getting faster, striving towards perfection, even though it cannot be reached.  On the other hand, sometimes perfection is achievable, such as taking a test at school.  On a test, you can score a perfect 100, and hence that needs to be your goal.  Always make your goal perfection.  To try to score a 100 on a test, and end up getting a 94 is still a good thing.  But to set a goal to get a 94 on a test means that you have already planned to miss certain answers.  Setting a lower bar isn’t the answer to success.  Set your bar at the top, and then see how close you can come to reaching it.

So ask yourself, “Where would you like to grow and develop in your life?”  Then, follow these steps.

 

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About Cliff Mostiler:  Cliff is a sixth-degree black belt and master instructor.  He has a Bachelor of Science in Engineering, a Bachelor of Arts in Mathematics, and a Bachelor of Arts in Communications.  In addition, Cliff has is Juris Doctorate of Law as an attorney, and is also a licensed realtor.  Cliff believes heavily in education, and the options and opportunities that education provides.  He has pursued teaching martial arts as his passion for over 20 years, and continues to serve his community every day.  If asked, Cliff will say, “I am a personal life coach for kids and adults.  I use martial arts as the tool to teach them, but this is far less about blocking, kicking, and punching, and far more about training for a successful life.  I train champions everyday, but their skills in martial arts are simply a side-note to what they achieve in their lives.”

For more about Tiger Rock Martial Arts, go to www.tigerrockatlanta.com

The Importance of Developing a Child’s Focus

Posted on | by Jason

One of the most common problems that many children have is in focusing on particular tasks for long periods of time. Developing memory, focus, and attention spans when a child is between the ages of three and five is very important. As a parent or a pre-school teacher, one has to constantly monitor and observe a child, to deduce whether he or she is adequately developing these skills. Doing so will ensure that in the future, when a child is required to deal with large tasks and projects, he or she will be able to “apply” the mind for longer periods of time and yield greater results. Structured, enjoyable activities such as pre-school karate help children learn to focus on the task at hand.

Effects of Technology

Some experts have concluded that the reason why many children today have trouble focusing on tasks for long periods is due to a ‘glancing culture’ that has proliferated as technology
has advanced. The ways in which they interact with digital media have by and large reduced their ability to focus on ordinary or repetitive tasks, and to persevere through less stimulating activities like studying. Video games and social media like Facebook and Twitter can be entertaining and educational, but aside from specific applications, they generally do not assist with cognitive development in a child. In the past, children were encouraged to play games that build cognition among other skills, but that trend has diminished across the United States.

The ability to focus on a particular task, project, or lesson has a direct bearing on the amount of information a growing child can retain and later apply. The capacity to filter out irrelevant distraction and tune oneself to a particular project helps develop self-control in a child as well.

(Good and Consistent) Practice Makes Perfect

Developing a child’s focus is like developing any kind of muscle in the body. More than anything, it takes a whole lot of practice! Parents and pre-school teachers are advised to schedule tasks and activities that help develop a child’s mental faculties. In certain cases, this may be as simple as scheduling time slots where children are required to play particular cognition-building games such as puzzles, riddles, brainteasers, and so on. Some experts believe that even a few moments of silent meditation can do wonders for developing a child’s ability to focus.

While it is extremely important to ensure that children are integrating skills that allow them to focus, one should also keep in mind that they may get exhausted from time to time as well. As a parent or a pre-school teacher, one should regularly schedule breaks where children can relax and rejuvenate both body and mind between tasks.

How to Develop Independence in Your Child

Posted on | by Jason

Among the challenges and joys of parenthood are raising, providing for, and taking care of a young child. Parents develop intensely strong bonds doing things for our children especially during the infant and toddler years, though it is important to know where to draw the line. Doing everything for a child could eventually result in his or her inability to develop particular life skills that will be needed later on in life. As a parent, it is important to strike a keen balance between taking care of your child and fostering a sense of independence and self-reliance.

Even from the youngest age, a child will naturally try to gain some form of independence. Independence traits in a child may be exhibited in small ways, such as insisting on choosing their own clothes, pouring their own beverages, or even going to the bathroom unaccompanied. As a parent, it is crucial that you encourage the choices that your child makes (when appropriate) rather than continually questioning or discouraging them.

Different kinds of independence

Developing self-reliant children can occur in a variety of ways. In many households, children are required to perform tasks on their own just as a matter of circumstance or style of living. In these cases, independence becomes quite a natural trait, leading to children becoming intrinsically motivated. Professionally-supervised activities that focus on self-improvement, such as karate training, are proven to give children a sense of independence and individual accomplishment.

In other cases, developing a child’s sense of independence may require parents to provide some kind of incentive or reward, like a trip to the park or arcade, an extra hour of TV time, or similar. Parents need to be careful in choosing the rewards, though: over-rewarding can be as detrimental to his or her developmental processes as neglecting to offer praise and feedback at all.

Balancing love and practicality

Ultimately, developing a sense of independence in your child means striking a keen balance between supporting them 100% and giving them the freedom to win or lose on their own occasionally. These two sides of the parenting coin are not mutually exclusive. Understanding the cognitive development level of your child at each age is also important, especially when it comes to choosing which tasks you would like your child to perform independently and which tasks he or she will still require some assistance with. As a child grows and becomes familiar with performing certain tasks on his or her own, you can then encourage them to get involved with more complex tasks to further build their independence quotient.