Thursday, January 21, 2010
Tuesday, January 19, 2010
Thursday, January 14, 2010
First Annual Bragging Rights Karate Challenge
Here's a message from my instructor....
My name is Marcus Relliford, also known as Reverend Wind. I am a 6th degree black belt in Kang Rhee Karate, Assistant Pastor of Spiritual Union Abide In Christ Ministry. I’m a husband, father and a graduate of East High School. I’m also President of Rev. Wind Martial Arts Program and a vendor with Memphis City Schools. Currently, we have afterschool programs at Grahamwood Elementary School, Richland Elementary School, Willow Oaks Elementary School, White Station Elementary School, Snowden Elementary School, and Sea Isle Elementary School. We meet from 2:30pm until 3:30pm at one school per day each week. We have been in operation for nine years.
Martial arts is the expression of the human body which helps one train the entire being for Total Fitness. Our mission is to provide quality martial arts to influence the whole person – Mind, Body, and Spirit. For a complete person is a more productive person. And a more productive person is beneficial to everyone. Our motto is “we promote black belts and people; thus building character through martial arts training.”
This year, we will host our First Annual Bragging Rights Karate Challenge. We hope to have at least one hundred participants. There will be plenty of family and friends with these competitors. We are looking for partners and/or sponsorship to help us in our mission. To offset some of the costs of event, we will have a souvenir booklet as a fundraiser. This is an opportunity for good and positive advertising, promoting, and marketing. Prices for souvenir booklet ads are as follows:
Sponsorship $425.00 includes name and logo on trophy, full page ad and souvenir book.
Whole page $100.00
Half page $50.00
¼ page $25.00
1/8 page $12.50
Patrons $5.00
Souvenir book $12.00
This is the first of big things to come to help better our community and encourage our young people to be the best they can be. And we hope to have you with us. Please call Rev. Wind at 901-949-0372 or email at rellifordm@bellsouth.net with any response.
My name is Marcus Relliford, also known as Reverend Wind. I am a 6th degree black belt in Kang Rhee Karate, Assistant Pastor of Spiritual Union Abide In Christ Ministry. I’m a husband, father and a graduate of East High School. I’m also President of Rev. Wind Martial Arts Program and a vendor with Memphis City Schools. Currently, we have afterschool programs at Grahamwood Elementary School, Richland Elementary School, Willow Oaks Elementary School, White Station Elementary School, Snowden Elementary School, and Sea Isle Elementary School. We meet from 2:30pm until 3:30pm at one school per day each week. We have been in operation for nine years.
Martial arts is the expression of the human body which helps one train the entire being for Total Fitness. Our mission is to provide quality martial arts to influence the whole person – Mind, Body, and Spirit. For a complete person is a more productive person. And a more productive person is beneficial to everyone. Our motto is “we promote black belts and people; thus building character through martial arts training.”
This year, we will host our First Annual Bragging Rights Karate Challenge. We hope to have at least one hundred participants. There will be plenty of family and friends with these competitors. We are looking for partners and/or sponsorship to help us in our mission. To offset some of the costs of event, we will have a souvenir booklet as a fundraiser. This is an opportunity for good and positive advertising, promoting, and marketing. Prices for souvenir booklet ads are as follows:
Sponsorship $425.00 includes name and logo on trophy, full page ad and souvenir book.
Whole page $100.00
Half page $50.00
¼ page $25.00
1/8 page $12.50
Patrons $5.00
Souvenir book $12.00
This is the first of big things to come to help better our community and encourage our young people to be the best they can be. And we hope to have you with us. Please call Rev. Wind at 901-949-0372 or email at rellifordm@bellsouth.net with any response.
Wednesday, December 30, 2009
Warrior from Heaven
I would like to take a minute to publicly recognize and congratulate my friend, my instructor, and brother in Christ, Marcus Relliford (better known as "Rev. Wind") for his recent promotion to 6th dan.
I've known Rev. Wind for years since we were both brown belts, and in addition to my own life, he's left a lasting impression on countless lives of students and parents that have had the pleasure of working with him over the years.
I'd also like to recognize all of my PaSaRyu brethren that were promoted along with Rev. Wind. Hopefully once things slow down at work, I will be seeing many of you more often.
I've known Rev. Wind for years since we were both brown belts, and in addition to my own life, he's left a lasting impression on countless lives of students and parents that have had the pleasure of working with him over the years.
I'd also like to recognize all of my PaSaRyu brethren that were promoted along with Rev. Wind. Hopefully once things slow down at work, I will be seeing many of you more often.
Monday, December 28, 2009
Well.....
Tell me if this sounds familiar...
You're learning a new technique from your instructor, maybe a particular sequence in a new kata. There's a couple of moves that you're unclear about the meaning of, or what exactly you're doing when you perform that particular technique. You ask your instructor and he/she tells you something like,
"It's there for show." (Then why in the hell am I doing it then? And more importantly why are you teaching it to other people???)
"It has no purpose." (Oh really?)
"It enhances the beauty of the kata." (Yes, I've competed in tournaments and katas are judged aesthetically, but I REALLY don't think that was the creator's original intent)
"Horse stance? Oh it's for strengthening your legs." (Uh huh...so in other words, doing squats with 350 lbs. on my back at the gym isn't doing enough in that category.)
"You're looking at the heavens." (Believe it or not, I have literally been told that before. Any karate practitioner that's done the opening sequence of Kanku Dai/Kushanku/Kong San Kuhn in which you form a triangle with your hands knows what I'm talking about.)
After hearing your instructor's answer, you stand there confused and either ask them to elaborate (based on some of the responses above, that's probably a bad idea or would be a rather amusing one depending on their next response) or you just take it at face value and keep going.
Instead of making up some B.S., or simply tell you what their instructors passed down to them, whatever happened to the instructor simply saying:
"I don't know..."
I guess sometimes as instructors run into the problem of thinking they have to know everything that is asked of them to save face (we're not the only ones...school teachers, sales people, managers...the list goes on and on), when the better thing to do would to be honest in admitting they don't know, but can do some research, or they could challenge the student to do some research themselves.
Just a thought...
You're learning a new technique from your instructor, maybe a particular sequence in a new kata. There's a couple of moves that you're unclear about the meaning of, or what exactly you're doing when you perform that particular technique. You ask your instructor and he/she tells you something like,
"It's there for show." (Then why in the hell am I doing it then? And more importantly why are you teaching it to other people???)
"It has no purpose." (Oh really?)
"It enhances the beauty of the kata." (Yes, I've competed in tournaments and katas are judged aesthetically, but I REALLY don't think that was the creator's original intent)
"Horse stance? Oh it's for strengthening your legs." (Uh huh...so in other words, doing squats with 350 lbs. on my back at the gym isn't doing enough in that category.)
"You're looking at the heavens." (Believe it or not, I have literally been told that before. Any karate practitioner that's done the opening sequence of Kanku Dai/Kushanku/Kong San Kuhn in which you form a triangle with your hands knows what I'm talking about.)
After hearing your instructor's answer, you stand there confused and either ask them to elaborate (based on some of the responses above, that's probably a bad idea or would be a rather amusing one depending on their next response) or you just take it at face value and keep going.
Instead of making up some B.S., or simply tell you what their instructors passed down to them, whatever happened to the instructor simply saying:
"I don't know..."
I guess sometimes as instructors run into the problem of thinking they have to know everything that is asked of them to save face (we're not the only ones...school teachers, sales people, managers...the list goes on and on), when the better thing to do would to be honest in admitting they don't know, but can do some research, or they could challenge the student to do some research themselves.
Just a thought...
Friday, December 25, 2009
Merry Christmas
Here's wishing everyone a safe and happy holiday.
Cherish those around you, and don't forget about those who don't have anyone around to cherish.
Cherish those around you, and don't forget about those who don't have anyone around to cherish.
Wednesday, December 23, 2009
A Black Belt Is For Life
One of my fellow bloggers Michele posted a while back "Once A Black Belt...Always A Black Belt?"
In a nutshell, she asks if one attains the level of black belt and then stops training for whatever reason, are they still a black belt, or if the rank stops if the training stops. The title of this blog was taken from a sign that hangs in the dojo at the PaSaRyu headquarters in Cordova, TN (right outside of Memphis, and I suppose kind of supports my answer to Michele's question.
To make this a bit easier, I'd like to compare this to a personal story of mine. After all the years going through grade school, junior high, and finally high school, I decided to go to college and earn a degree in music. After four years of study, various assignments, tests, projects, etc., I received my Bachelor's degree in Music. In the years since, I haven't attended a single music class, studied anything from Bach to Beyonce, nor (outside of maybe a combined 2-year stretch of piano playing at church) have I done anything else musically inclined (and at this stage, probably never will), but for whatever reason, I'm still a college graduate with a Bachelor's degree in Music (I even have the piece of paper given to me by the President of the college to prove it!).
Referencing back to that sign I mentioned earlier, Master Kang Rhee says that a black belt is for life, and once gained, no one can take that away from you, just like that college degree. Once you've paid your dues and earned that rank, it's yours...for life.
In a nutshell, she asks if one attains the level of black belt and then stops training for whatever reason, are they still a black belt, or if the rank stops if the training stops. The title of this blog was taken from a sign that hangs in the dojo at the PaSaRyu headquarters in Cordova, TN (right outside of Memphis, and I suppose kind of supports my answer to Michele's question.
To make this a bit easier, I'd like to compare this to a personal story of mine. After all the years going through grade school, junior high, and finally high school, I decided to go to college and earn a degree in music. After four years of study, various assignments, tests, projects, etc., I received my Bachelor's degree in Music. In the years since, I haven't attended a single music class, studied anything from Bach to Beyonce, nor (outside of maybe a combined 2-year stretch of piano playing at church) have I done anything else musically inclined (and at this stage, probably never will), but for whatever reason, I'm still a college graduate with a Bachelor's degree in Music (I even have the piece of paper given to me by the President of the college to prove it!).
Referencing back to that sign I mentioned earlier, Master Kang Rhee says that a black belt is for life, and once gained, no one can take that away from you, just like that college degree. Once you've paid your dues and earned that rank, it's yours...for life.
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