Shinka's Martial Art

Many people ask what martial arts we teach at Shinka.  The answer is not so simple to give, actually, as, what we do is different from other schools.

What we do at Shinka is figure out which martial arts combination best suits your body type, your goals, and your mindset.  We run our new students through a fun lesson designed to help us help them figure out exactly which styles compliment them.

Things like bone structure and wrist ratio, eye dominance, and over all natural aptitudes come into play, as do the mental, scholastic and emotional aspects for many, and fitness goals for nearly all.

What do you want to look like, and what do you want to be able to do, and why?

In the majority of cases, no single martial art is ideal, or fits all of the student's criteria, but instead, a synergy is chosen.  Often a trio of styles which fit the student perfectly.  After that, they are ready to join the group classes.

Of course, once they're a Shinka student, they are allowed access to all of the styles we offer, and usually after 3-8 months, a student will experiment with various other aspects of Shinka.

On the off-chance that we don't offer the ideal martial art for the student, we will do our best to recommend the right school/style for them.

Sensei Ono, Shinka Martial Arts

Dealing with Death

The subject of death has come up in the past few days from various sources, and, I thought it might be a good idea to share some of my thoughts on it.

The first of which, is very positively uplifting and re-framing, and, the other, is a funny story.

So first, I was talking to a student of mine, and he mentioned that he had a celebration of life to attend.  And I thought to myself, "wow, that is such a great way of putting it."

Its amazing, the power that words have over us.

Just think in your head "celebration of life" vs "funeral".  Yikes!

I see one as laughing, telling stories, remembering the good days, some tears certainly, but mostly just good, happy stories.  I see the other as drab, everyone wearing black, crying in the rain as a coffin is lowered into the ground and someone breaks down and falls to the ground sobbing.

For me, personally, I'd want the celebration when I pass.

So, that's a frame of reference I thought I'd share.

The second, I was inspired to write after reading this PETA article, "Don't flush the finned ones" in which they talk about helping children deal with death, and, I was reminded of my first fish, Roger.

Now, Roger and I were only together a short time.  A very short time.

See, my crazy not-actually-an-uncle-but-we-called-him-that asked me if I wanted to go catch a fish.
(don't get ahead of me, now)
and I said yeah!  I'd love to CATCH a fish.  As in catch to keep.  Catch to have a pet.  Catch to... I don't know, hold and observe or something!

And, although I was quite young, I distinctly remember thinking how strange it was that the hook wouldn't hurt the fish, and imagining how they must have very strong pallets (although I'm guessing I didn't know the word for pallet) and that it would come out like a clothes hanger catching a keyring.

I was going to name him Roger.  Roger the Salmon.

Anyway, it was fairly traumatic when I caught the fellow, reeled him into the boat, welcomed him to the family, and my uncle proceeded to beat him to death with a hammer on the floor of the boat.

As traumatic as it was, I have to recognize the humor of the situation from all angles.  Where would I be keeping this Salmon?  How would we keep it alive on the row back to the house?  Why would the uncle (who had shot all sorts of things in the time I'd stay there) be any different towards fish?

Questions like these just don't occur to a young child - they fall under the "adults deal with these sorts of things" category.  All I knew was that I was getting a pet fish.

Poor Roger.

Sensei Ono, Shinka Martial Arts
Author of The Key to Awesome

Jake Shields vs GSP Fight Prediction

Jake Shields could win, if GSP attempts to clinch with him; with a flying armbar or a flying triangle choke.

I say this because nobody has attempted this on GSP before and, if he were to clinch with Shields, it might catch him off guard.  While GSP is not huge on Muay Thai clinching, he has done it in the past (briefly).

In my opinion, this is the only way Jake Shields can win.

If GSP maintains distance, Jake has no chance whatsoever.

Jake Shields hits lightly, gases easily, has un-explosive (though fairly effective) takedowns, seems woefully un-athletic, has seemingly very inexperienced and underdeveloped striking, and, from the fights I've seen of him...  he just isn't in the same league as GSP.

(But then who is, other than Anderson Silva?)

I gave Dan Hardy more of a chance, honestly.  Because he had a puncher's chance.  

Anyone with knockout power (ahem: skilled knockout power.  Please nobody mention Josh Koscheck's bar brawler punches) has at least 5 chances to win against GSP before he takes them down and has his way with them for 4.9 minutes.

Someone hoping to win against GSP via submission, on the other hand... has virtually no chance: Unless they utilized a flying technique.

I say this because GSP has quite good takedown defense, quite crisp striking, great footwork and distancing.  Jake Shields is not going to be able to bypass these attributes with his sloppy footwork, inept striking and mushy takedowns.  He just isn't.

No takedowns, no submissions (again, unless he attempts a flying technique)

So:  Watch for the flying armbar attempts.  But my money is still on GSP.

Sensei Ono,

Owner of Shinka Martial Arts

Author of The Key to Awesome

Gratitude

Many people who take martial arts, or dedicate themselves regularly to various types of fitness are doing so for the purposes of self improvement.  

Those of us with that focus are also generally wanting to improve ourselves holistically, that is to say, completely and in every way.  

So what then, would be the key to having an outstanding life?  Well, the whole recipe might be a little long for a single article, but, a key element to that outstanding life would definitely be gratitude.

Take the time every day (especially right before bed) to find things in your lives to be grateful for, and, write them down.  Yes, look for ways to improve yourself, and those around you, and yes, exercise, laugh and smile as often as you can.  But make sure you find the time to express your gratitude, even if its just to a journal.

Unexpressed gratitude is like a gift left unopened.  To let people around you know how grateful you are for how they make your life brighter is an amazing gift which takes a few minutes out of your day, and will likely be the highlight of that person's week.

Sensei's Assignment:  

Be grateful, every day.  And, at least once a week, tell someone how grateful you are for however they've made your life better.  Even if you wrote them a letter and never sent it, I think just focusing on that gratitude would make you treat that person better, and even that, would be a gift you could give.

Sensei Ono, 

Owner of Shinka Martial Arts

Author of The Key to Awesome: The Step by Step Guide to Having an Outstanding Life

Peaceful Warrior Movie Review

There aren't many movies like Peaceful Warrior, honestly.  I've "prescribed" this movie to help a variety of different students tackle a variety of different challenges in their lives.

Whenever we get what we first view as a setback, we must train ourselves to see the gift, the opportunity, the message, and more.

Whenever we become focused on the goal, we must remind ourselves that the journey is the only thing happening.

Like I said, I recommend Peaceful Warrior to a lot of different people at a lot of different times in their lives, and, one thing I've noticed is this:  Whenever I talk about the movie, (or the book) off-handedly, it always seems to strike a chord with someone in the immediate vicinity.

What that puts fourth then, is that if you're reading this... that person who needs to own either this movie or this book, might be you, or, someone close to you.

I promise you one thing:  After you've watched Peaceful Warrior, the first think you'll do is start thinking about who to give the movie to.

A final note:  Even if you didn't need to see the movie now, there will come a time when its message will ring true in your ears, and there is not a movie I have seen to date which I recommend more.

Sensei Ono, Shinka Martial Arts

MMA Child Prodigies - A Martial Artists Review

By now, many of you have seen the "next big thing in MMA"

The Tap-out boys, having trained since 18 months old are truly inspiring, and truly horrifying.

Why would I say this, you might wonder?  How could something be both beautiful and ugly at the same time?


While I enjoy watching UFC - I wouldn't wish the life of a professional fighter on anyone.

"But wait, don't you teach mixed martial arts?"

Yes, absolutely.  I teach martial arts - that is, the art of self defense.

Getting into a cage, on purpose, with another person of whom you are acutely aware is not only well trained at hurting people, but is there for the specific purpose of hurting you...  is the opposite of self defense.

Ultimately, getting paid to get punched in the brain is a tough way to go, for anyone.  And, while I respect the athletes involved with the UFC (and watch the sport avidly) I in no way "support" the concept, nor encourage my students to become fighters.

These boys' skills/age are inspiring, but taking those kinds of shots to their heads on an ongoing basis (especially)while their brains are still developing is... not good.

(I wouldn't want my child talking like Rampage Jackson)

Having said all that, in about 8 years these kids are going to be fantastic to watch and make a lot of money, and, hypocritically, I'll be one of the people watching.

Sensei Ono, Shinka Martial Arts Founder & The Key to Awesome author

It's good to be back!!

I must say, I truly recognize and am grateful for just how lucky I am to absolutely positively love teaching martial arts.  How do I know?

Its the little things.  Being perfectly happy on my 5 day Christmas vacation, but...

Being perfectly happy relaxing, but...

Getting back, waking up early, and running to work with a gleeful expression on my face.

Being ecstatic, seeing the growth in the students who I've been away from "for so long".

Being satisfied with the day, yet a little sad that it was over so quickly, after the first day back.

Having to repress the elated perma-grin upon my face whilst teaching.

All this and more.

Happy holidays everyone.  It is so great to be back!

Sensei Ono, Shinka Martial Arts

Gratitude

I am so grateful for all the great books that have crossed my path, and for the wealth of information I've been able to absorb from them due to the passion for life that I had due to having a positive environment to grow up in which nurtured the passions of which motivated me to improve.

Short version:  Thanks Mom & Dad, for telling me that I could do anything.  Thank you for believing in me.  Thank you for helping me so that I *could* do anything.

To myself, thank you for taking the time to ponder life, and my own purpose.  To Derek, thank you for teaching me what time leveraging was.  To Robert, thank you for teaching me what money leveraging was.  To Arneil, thank you for teaching me what joint leveraging was.

All of these people may not have been the perfect source for the information.  They might not have been the best in their fields, or even in the top 10 in the world.  But, they were who I needed to learn from at the time.

Derek motivated me through greed, which was my motivation at the time.  Robert motivated me through a quest for power, which motivated me at the time.  And Arneil taught me through a rare combination of humor and my own fear (not that he was intimidating, but he helped me come to terms with some of my own fears) to help teach me.

As the student progressed, I learned to learn from love, from passion, from joy, from altruism and other more positive places.

Thank you to Tony, to Robert, to Steve, & Steve, and others for teaching me what I needed to learn, when I needed to learn it, no matter how it made me feel at the time, it made me grow in the end.

I had one of those fantastic conversations today with two students of mine, and, as I passionately dumped life lessons on them by the bucketload, I saw within their eyes what it must have looked like to many of the teachers I'd had.  That wonder of listening to someone and only getting 1% of what they had to say, but realizing the abundance of knowledge that they were simply inspired by.

I've been there, and it was a pleasure to be on the other side.  Go fourth and flourish my students.  Learn what I have learned sooner than I have learned it, and pass it on better than I have in the past.  Like any good "father", I want you guys to be better than I ever was.

Today was a good day for me and two others, as a result of a large collection of people's efforts.

So... thanks :)

Martial Arts is Always Exciting - Quantified Excitement

I was playing with some math this morning (heh, wait, the exciting part is coming) and, while I always felt that Martial Arts (be it Striking or Grappling) was filled with so much variety so as to never get bored and always stay excited, I never really quantified it before.

So, as I said, I was playing with some math this morning to make a point to some of my students, and, if I've done this right (using to the Nth power logic) the numbers are really astounding.

Check it out:
Number of possible permutations (or combos):
Straight Hook Uppercut (6 strikes):  720
With altered altitude (12 potential 'strikes' taken to "high" or "low" extremes for easy math): 479,001,600!!!
With Fakes (24 potential 'strikes') actually breaks the calculator, but I estimated it somewhere around 18 hundred trillion, as its 6 to the 23rd power, and 6 to the 20th power is 3,656,158,440,062,976.  Actually, I'm not entirely sure what comes after trillion, but I think it might be in there.  (Zillion?)

Anyway, its a lot.  No wonder it always feels fresh, new and exciting when we train!  Can you imagine "running out of combos?"

Yeesh, you add in kicks, blocks, evasion, takedowns, ground positions, submissions, trapping... the list goes on into... well, a lot of potential permutations, eh?

So:  I'd better go work on my Jab Punch Hook and Uppercut.  Clearly there are combinations yet to be discovered :-D

Sensei Ono, Shinka Martial Arts

• Best Dojo in Richmond Winner!
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• Self Defense!
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My Mom has a green belt

Y'know, its a weird, fulfilling, awesome thing, teaching your parents things.

When we grow up, they're these omniscient beings, the source of all life's answers (how do they KNOW the stove is hot!?)

Then, at some point, our specialties diverge, and, pretty soon, we become able to help them in our own ways.

A common event is the youth teaching the old the technology of the youth - as was the case with my family and I.

I have two favorite memories of such an event.  One, was when I was teaching my Mom how to "move the line up" in a word processing program; and the abstractness to which the explanation of "deleting empty space" became.  The second, is the elaborate instructions required for my father to "turn on the internet".

But, I would say that one of the more impactual, more recent memories would definitely  be teaching my mom Martial Arts, and guitar hero.

Both, were so drastically outside of her self definition at the time, that it was truly inspiring and fulfilling to be there for her and to help her bridge the gap from impossible, to possible, to plausible, to doing, to struggling, to persevering, to done.

Now, of course, "done" is something nobody ever truly is, in anything.  There is always room for improvement.  But, at the same time, it is important to respect, honor, and celebrate milestones in our lives.  Measurable, quantifiable benchmarks that we set for ourselves.

So, to look at my Mom, and see her achieve a green belt at Shinka is really inspiring.  When I think about this vague memory I have of her being afraid to try martial arts, and think of what she has become... wow, honestly:  Wow.

From sitting behind her, holding guitar hero's guitar for her and getting her to strum while I did the fingering (and gradually getting her to do "just the reds" and so on) to teaching her to keep her hands up and how to redirect the force of larger opponents in martial arts...  in the end, its all learning, its all growing, and its all taken a lot of persevering, practice, and heart.

Thankfully, heart, is one of the things my Mom has a seemingly unlimited amount of.  When others have been beaten down, or have given up, you'll see my Mom not only continuing on, but, doing so with a smile on her face as she embraces life's challenges.

Does she get down?  Oh sure, we all do.  But she's like the friggin' wolverine of cheerful.  It might get wounded momentarily, but that healing factor kicks in, and she's back up and swingin' for the fences again.

Way to go Mum.

I'm proud of you :)

Sensei Ono, Shinka Martial Arts

Making the world a better place

I think that, on a whole, it comes down to people's impact on people, people's impact on large groups of people, people's impact on the planet as a whole, and people's impact upon themselves.

I think that The Key to Awesome focuses primarily upon people's impact upon themselves, and the second book focuses primarily upon people's impact on other people.  The third book focuses primarily upon impacting large groups of people, and I haven't written the fourth book yet - but perhaps piggybacking off of the success of the first three, a book on improving the planet would be more well received.

I think that, currently, people view saving the planet the same way a smoker views quitting their own habit.

We all... WANT to make the world better... but... well, driving to the grocery store and getting some quick food in a Styrofoam container, microwaving it when we get home... it's just so much easier, isn't it?  And, how bad could buying a BLT be, really, for the environment?

Unfortunately, if "God made pigs taste good so we'd eat them"... then God might want us to destroy the planet.

Well, that's a bit of a misleading statement.  Eating bacon won't destroy the planet.  The planet will be just fine.  It's all the living things ON the planet that will get wiped out.

Again:  ALL living things?

Okay, no.

Not ALL living things.  But, let's just say Algae & Bees.  Algae die from global warming, and Bees die from cell phones & wifi.  Seems simple enough.  Who likes algae or bees?  That's the stuff you have to clean off your fish tank and those other buggers'll sting you if you sit on them by accident, right?

The issue is, those two lil' guys are kind of what everything else is riding on.  They seem pretty tiny and inconsequential, but, without bees, we have nearly no trees.  Without trees, we have nearly no atmosphere, nearly no habitable environments, nearly no herbivores (so no Big Macs!), which means nearly no carnivors, or, omnivores (so no people to EAT the Big Macs!).  Granted, this would likely give a large surge of scavenger populations (rats, cockroaches etc... so maybe there would be ingredients for a few more Big Macs) -- In essence, without bees, humans are kinda screwed.

Unless we move into the oceans!  Okay, let's do that.  Oops.  We nuked the algae, didn't we?  Dang nab it!  That's the same basic thing!  Algae feed the fish which feed the fish which feed the fish which feed the fish which feed the fish which feed the fish which... well, you get the idea.

Now, nature evolves, so, I'm going to say that fish would figure out a plan without algae.  I'm not a marine biologist, but, I could see adapting and eating coral or something, right?  Sure, why not.  And, without humans being on the surface world anymore... in fact, without ANYTHING being on the surface world anymore... its conceivable that the oceans might rejuvenate without the constant bombardment of oils, toxins, garbage, sewage and the occasionally discarded bikini top.

Yeah!  We'll just live underwater!

... of course, if there were no bees to pollinate the plants, the world would somewhat run out of plants, and the world would turn to a desert...  But... that would take at least a few years.

(so what's the solution?)

To start asking that question, I'd say.

Kia Master vs MMA

I was watching this video the other day on YouTube, and it got me to thinking.

What is the purpose behind this video?  What is the reason it exists?

Many people see it as a quick proof against any form of offensive chi use.  And, while I have not seen offensive chi used, nor have I felt its effects, I would still defend this particular video as evidence against it.

Again, to re-state, it is not that I necessarily believe or disbelieve in offensive chi - but rather, I am refuting this video as evidence one way or the other.

A few questions come to mind:
1) If you knew your offensive chi was a scam, would you set up a (public) spectacle like this?
2) If you knew you were going to lose, would you bet $5,000 on the outcome of the match?

There are some interesting points in the video which point to genuineness; the MMA fighter's concern for the old man halfway through the match, and then his quick dismantling of him thereafter.  "I'm going to have to win this, so... sorry" is a fairly typical "It's just a job" response that many fighters make reference to when they must fight a friend or ally.

Weather or not that crap actually works to distance their guilt from their physical and mental dismantling of someone they consider a "friend"... well, that's a conversation for another day.

So why would this video be created?

Option 1: The Kia Master believes his art works.  
Why?

Did his students ALL just go along with it so as not to hurt the man's feelings?  Unlikely.

Hypnotic suggestion?  But then he would know that he was hypnotizing the students and ergo that it wouldn't work upon the uninitiated MMA fighter.

Option 2:  The MMA fighter was supposed to be bought off or be an actor and something got messed up
Probable, but doesn't quite fit the body language of the MMA fighter.  His show of concern for the old man would indicate that he wasn't upset with him... unless he was until the first punch landed and, at that moment, he realized what a douchey thing it was to beat up the old fellah.  This would also explain the flurry towards the end.  A kind of "I gave you a chance to back out of this" response.

Option 3:  The MMA fighter is just "too well conditioned".
The standard "you must meditate" or "do a lot of situps" response whenever I have attempted to test any so-called offensive chi master with my own body.  "I can burn you with my chi" really?  Sweet, do it.  Right here.  "Uhh... I can't.  You must meditate or something... too many defenses"  uh huh... okay, burn that guy!  "hey!  what?  no!"

Probably not.  One would assume that any MMA fighter would be well conditioned.  Then again, maybe he never tested it on anyone other than his 17 year old skinny students?  Who knows on that front.

Option 4:  The whole thing is misdirection
This idea intrigues me.  Think about it.  What if the whole thing was a sound stage, with everyone involved being an actor?  What purpose would creating disbelief about the whole thing serve?  Heh, perhaps I've been writing too many plotlines lately that I see this as an option eh?

Anyway, this just came up when I searched for MMA Richmond (which is a keyword I am hoping to optimize for my site) and I thought I'd post a few thoughts on it.

Sensei Ono, Shinka Martial Arts
Winner of:
 Best Dojo in Richmond
 Top 3 New businesses
 Best Martial Arts Instructor

Making the world a better place

Such an abstract concept, isn't it?

I'm going to be writing a few thoughts about it in the next couple of weeks.

Here's something to wet your proverbial whistle.

Chris Parry - Guest Writer on Vancouver Sun

Hey all, I got featured on the Vancouver Sun's blog by Chris Parry :-)

The article he wrote is about Kids and MMA, and he quotes me in regards to health and martial arts.

Keen :)

Richmond MMA

I was talking to a friend of mine, who teaches at Richmond MMA, and, upon doing a quick Google search for them, I noticed that Shinka Martial Arts didn't show up in a search for Mixed Martial Arts (MMA).

As Shinka is in Richmond, and teaches MMA, I found that quite odd, until I realized that one of the things we do is figure out which martial arts combination best suits our students, which is different than simply teaching "MMA".

Still, for those people searching for MMA in Richmond, I would heartily suggest Shinka Martial Arts.

It's a collection of martial arts that are suited to your body type, your goals, and your mindset.  So you still get your Kickboxing, your Muai Thai, your Jiu Jitsu and others - and, it's a process of discovery and development.

It's pretty cool :-)

The Cure for Google-Brains.

The Cure for Google-Brains.

I think we can all agree that thanks to Google, our youth have more access to information in the palms of their hands than their parents had in entire libraries. 

What this technological marvel has made, is a society of young people incredibly skilled at leveraging information, to which there is no limit to what they can accomplish with a click of a button.

Don’t know how to build an origami gyroscope? 

Google will tell you.  (Heck, there’s a how-to video on youtube.)

As with all technologies, there is a trade off. 

With limitless access to ideas and information, and the training we receive from video games, our youth has been trained that answers are easy to come by, that if you’re having to work hard then you’re probably doing something wrong, and that the answers to our challenges will highlight themselves for us if things get too difficult.

Again, this inspires today’s youth to believe that anything is possible, that anything can be learned at the touch of a button and that ideas are what are important rather than the process used to achieve them.

But what our youth is forgetting how to do, is to persevere. 

We are forgetting how to try something, fail, try again, get frustrated… and keep trying.

Edison failed 10,000 times before inventing the light bulb.  Colonel Sanders was rejected 1,009 times before a restaurant accepted his idea of a licensed chicken recipe.

The Google/Video Game/Youtube culture of today is fantastic for providing arenas for creativity, and for leveraging other people’s strengths while simultaneously devastating to the individual’s ability to grow past their own limitations.

Just as the advent of the calculator and spell-checkers has made many of us completely unable to do simple calculations in our heads or write a comprehensive letter, so too has Google has robbed us of our ability to individually grow.

As technology increases, and it will continue to increase, I predict that our children will become quicker, faster, and more faceted thinkers who will seek answers more and more from outside of themselves.

While this breeds a type of entrepreneurial spirit, or leader/director mindset… someone has to build the giant robots or write the program that will analyze the data for you.

Too many chefs spoil the stew, and a kitchen staff without a head chef runs around directionless.

Can we achieve a balance in our society? 

I believe we can, through activities which teach our children how to grow, persevere, and to understand the fundamental concept that how they do anything, is how they do everything.

As the head instructor of Shinka Martial Arts, I’ve had the opportunity to observe a few generations of students.  All the way from the enthusiastic 4 year old students, to the introspective 76 year olds, to the determined 50 year olds to the ambitious 20 year olds - there are mental and cognitive trends that are easily identifiable.

Like the rings of a tree, we can see different methods of communication and thought processes in the various generations.  Some prefer a story format to assimilate information, while others want the bullet points.  Some of us were taught that information takes time to learn and master, and enjoy the process, while others were taught through the reward-system of video games, and focus more upon the levelling up than we do the playing of the game itself.

Neither thought process is inherently wrong, but I would point out that if one focuses upon the joy of the journey one gets hours of enjoyment, while if one focuses on the joy of the destination, one only gets a brief second of success after a few hours wait.

An activity like martial arts helps students of all ages surpass who it is they are.  That is, it helps them grow to meet their challenges, rather than to seek answers from outside of themselves.

While leveraging talents and information is an exceptional life skill, ultimately it means very little if it is all leveraged from an unworthy source. 

Something like martial arts helps people surpass challenges, while still providing the video game like progress bar of the belt system.  It allows us to surpass mini-challenges, but there are no cheat codes, no walk-throughs and, ultimately, it is a single player game.

Learning to push ourselves is a learnable skill.  School teaches us to learn the skill of learning.  The internet teaches us the skill of leveraging.  Martial arts teaches us the skill of growth.

If all we learned was growth, we might become a poorly compensated technician.  If all we learned was leveraging we might become an inept CEO.  If all we learned was learning we might become a teacher or a scholar.

But together, there is a synergy.  Ask yourself what could stop a constantly growing, constantly learning, highly skilled, physically powerful & vibrant individual?

Keith Owen & I

I've gotten a few comments over the last few days, comparing my teaching style to Keith Owen.  To be honest, the name kind of rang a bell, but I wasn't sure from where.

I looked him up, and I really enjoy his teaching... so that probably means we are fairly similar.

One thing about teaching that I've noticed, is that its a lot like driving a car.

Anyone who drives faster than you is a lunatic, and anyone who drives slower than you is a moron.

Meaning, its a very subjective and biased thing.  Like most arts, we all see what we are doing and think "yup, that's the best way to do it".  This is one of the reasons why I do my absolute best to surround myself with people who are excellent at what they do, but different from me.

We can always learn and grow, always develop our styles and our arts.  For me, one of my arts is teaching.  Its something I've been doing for a very long time, through quite a few mediums.

I wrote my book, The Key to Awesome to help leverage my teaching abilities into areas of the world where I may not frequent as often.  (or hopefully "ever" in some cases, as I'm donating a few to some prisons and such) and made Shinka Martial Arts the best dojo in Richmond so that I would have a huge martial arts facility to teach fun fitness and self defense.

I think that this is one of the key points of evolution that we all undertake.  We find something we enjoy and are good at, and we figure out how to help as many people as possible with it.  Leverage.

I see what Keith Owen is doing, and I really respect it.  Teaching to mass audiences and impacting the world through leveraged information.  Good job ol' chum.

Sensei Ono, Shinka Martial Arts

Author Uses His Own Self Help Book to Cope With Stress!

(laughs) its true.  I read my own book, The Key to Awesome: The Step by Step Guide to Having an Outstanding Life to overcome challenges in my own life, and to grow.

I wasn't kidding when I said that every time you read the book you're an improvement since the last time, and you'll get even more out of it.  It's true for the author as well as the readers!

I'm prepping myself and Shinka for our POWD boxing event, which we are hosting.  Our richmond martial arts facility is a really, really huge martial arts space.  And it is going to be awesome.

(heh, although, to be fair, a lot of the students are as excited about the ring girls as they are about the fights themselves)

And, with any huge event, comes a little bit of last-minute touch ups and preparations.  I've found myself reviewing the pages on handling stress, and... oops, wrong link handling stress and it has really helped.  I think we all need a coach - even if that coach is a book one has written, that coach is still there for you and, as its in book form, its still impartial, and doesn't get clouded or stressed out by any of your current situations.

Also, I've noticed a growing internet buzz about The Key to Awesome: The Step by Step Guide to Having an Outstanding Life, which is really cool.  People I don't know are finding out about the book, and I haven't started the marketing campaign yet.  Good sign :)

I think it might even be on Amazon... let me look:  The Key to Awesome... tk2a... nope, not yet.

Soon!

Sensei Ono, Shinka Martial Arts.
Winner of:
Richmond's Best Martial Arts School
Richmond's Biggest Martial Arts School
Richmond's Best Coach
Vancouver & Richmond's Top 3 Businesses

Passionate Reciprocity

One thing I think teachers of all kinds would agree, is that passionate teachers begat passionate students often... but passionate students begat passionate teachers always.

I absolutely, positively love a room full of enthusiastic, happy students all hitting things to the same beat, or just training passionately on their own.

Its so fulfilling to see the joy in their eyes and postures in relation to the lesson.  Very fulfilling, and it really makes me proud to see them grow in such a way.

Today was a good day.  Its the beginning of a long weekend, so, it was entirely possible that attendance would be down.

Quite the opposite!  The noon class and evening classes were packed!

And class was really fun.  Neat combo, with bonus time spent on some sparring.  Great workout, all smiles :)

Sensei Ono, Shinka Martial Arts.

Helping on a a new scale

I'm very excited about publishing the hardcover of the key to awesome.  There's something wonderful about the unlimited possibilities a book can provide.

I can only teach classes so big, and only so much in an hour.  Having the unlimited potential of a book is humbling.  It really makes me take a look at the information inside with great care.

The eBook is good...  but this print version is great.

Beware the ego of helping others

Its an interesting thing, helping people.  Like giving a gift, one could argue that - as it feels great to give, you are, in effect, getting more out of the deal than the person you're helping.

(Personally, I think it doesn't really matter who is "getting more" as long as you're helping people)

When it comes to helping people as a piece of your identity, however, I issue a caution.

I'm constantly growing in my own abilities as a teacher, and, one area I really need to focus on - is stepping back and helping less.

"What?" you might say?  "How is that better?"

Its something I'm coming to terms with myself, actually.

Being a teacher, to me, meant constantly looking to improve those around me, and, as a result, the world on a whole.  In essence, being the change I want to see, but also attempting to coach others into doing the same.

I've found that, in the short run, this works wonderfully.  But, in the long run, it tends to feel more and more like nitpicking, nagging, and judgement.  Also, the more grandiose your mission, the more justification one can easily make.  The classic "would you kill an innocent child to solve world hunger" argument.  If you feel you are on your "holy mission", it is easy to become cold and calculating if people don't "get in line" with your vision.

Its strange, but the phrase "the road to hell is littered with good intentions" finally makes sense to me.  I never really agreed with that before - I figured that there was no such thing as evil power, only evil intent.

But who IS right in that situation?  The innocent child for the end of world hunger is, of course, fairly abstract, but... who IS right?  What if you magnified it completely to "one innocent child for the entire human race"?  At what point do the ends justify the means?

Anyway, coming off as judgmental or nitpicking has never been my intention - my goal has always been to help those around me... but, in many past relationships, and, with some students, I feel that eventually, people begin to see it as an ego trip.

And, after looking at my performance last night, maybe they were right.

My fiancé has mentioned it to me, that she feels that when I say things like "well, what I would do, is" it is very egotistical.

From my perspective, it is more a sharing of life experience, or opinion - but I understand her take on it, as well.  (personally, I like it when instructors teach me in this fashion, as, if I respect them in a particular field, and they told me what THEY would do in that area... naturally I respect the advice more -- if you read TK2A's chapter on finding and evaluating mentors, you'll kinda get what I mean on that one)

This all came to my attention when I realized the grievous error I'd made when negotiating our condo deal.  I wasn't negotiating for the best win/win deal, as I usually do - ... I was negotiating to show off.  To show Renee just what I could do, and teach her in the process.

I wasn't trying to help - though I thought I was at the time - I was trying to shine in the spotlight.

Friggin' ego.  You hide so well under the veils of skills and help.

It made me take a look at my martial arts teaching, as well.

Am I too critical of my students?  Expecting that they succeed?  Are high expectations a bad thing?  Should I take the approach of other martial arts schools and simply McDojo them their black belts regardless of skill?

Or, is there a middle ground?  One where I keep the same high standards, but teach in a different way?

Do people appreciate my help, or resent it?  Do they just want to train and be left alone, or do they wish I added more input?

Do people wish I taught more generally, or, do they appreciate that I take the time to ponder their individual growth?

The power of the Sun

Its interesting, how the Sun can give, and take energy based on the mindset of people who perceive it.

On the one hand, some are energized - yay, its sunny!  Its so warm!  tra la la!  Others, are stooped over, complaining - Oh its so hot, bla bla blah.

Some people get happier when the sun comes out, others get angry and frustrated.

I think that heat's impact is similar to snow, and has a lot to do with stress.  For example, snow is pretty, but not if you are late, and have to drive in it.  Sun is amazing, unless you're late, stuck in rush hour traffic, and you're all sticky.

But see, that's the thing - at some point, you WOULD appreciate the sun, so why not make some day, now-day?

Why not appreciate the sun when you're in rush hour traffic?

Anyhoo.

Future, Present & Past oriented mindset

Check this out.  Very cool.

One thing that stood out in particular was the teaching methods of future oriented people (such as myself) and how they may not affect those with present oriented mindsets.

Hmmm...

The power of reviewing

Often times, on a day that we're more focused on learning new information, we'll do a short meditation after class, to enhance the retention.

There are days where I run out of time, but, whenever we do the meditation, its always very impressive how much the students retain.

Imagine where else in life this could be utilized...

Random Quote

"Adults are always asking children what they want to be when they grow up to look for ideas."
- Four hour work week
(fantastic book)

Pleasing Everybody

As the old saying goes - when you attempt to please everyone, you end up pleasing juuuust abooout no-one.

And, a similar lesson with a different slant, if you see a beautiful masterpiece with a fingerprint on it, what's more important?  The beauty and skill... or the imperfection?

What do we focus on in life?  The majority of positive feedback, or the minority of negative?

My goodness, is it difficult to focus on the majority of positive, isn't it?

I mean, we've got everyone under the sun telling us we're awesome... and then bam.  One person says you suck and nobody likes you -- and there you go, back to that dark, insecure place inside yourself who never really believed you were all that great to begin with.

Teaching in a martial arts school has been a beautiful microcosm for seeing how people deal with the world.

Do we take a tiny piece of negative and blow it out of proportion?  Or, do we instead take the lesson, and do our best to learn from it?  How long do we stay on the angry/negative slant before snapping ourselves out of it?

I had a student provide some feedback today, that said my classes felt "too planned."  And, immediately, I began questioning myself.  "Are all the students unhappy?  Do people hate the classes?" a million questions go through my head in an instant.  I take a deep breath, and let myself calm down.  (I'm getting better at this sort of thing, but I still have a path or two to walk)

Take it as a lesson, and evaluate it.

My mind flashes back to the past weeks which have been filled with praise at the amount of time and effort I put into designing my classes - how I must spend hours thinking about what the students need/want and the best, most fun ways to provide it to them.  (I do, actually.  I love it)

I think about the smiles everyone wears at the end of class and then return to the feedback and look at it in a much calmer way.

Okay... so, why would the student say that?  What would the down side be of a well planned class?

I ponder that for a bit, and come up with a few weak answers, and then...  Perhaps they feel that they aren't getting enough personal attention?  That the classes are some form of cookie cutter and not custom fit to the students within the proverbial dough?

Plausible.  Familiarity is one of the quickest things to staunch our perceptions of outstanding events and people.  Its entirely possible that the student simply takes for granted some form of the classes, and their presentation.  Grass is greener, and all that.

I think back farther, and come up with a few contradictory memories about when the same student once praised me for that which they were now scorning.  I probe deeper and do my best to stay positive and inquisitive.

How could I improve as a result of this feedback?  Be less predictable?  More variety of class-type?  More student input?  More insight into how the classes are tailor fit to the students?

Hm...  how to "show your work" in regards to that?  Do they KNOW that the past classes they felt were too basic were, in fact, targeted towards them in an effort to help them progress?  Likely not.  Likely they believe they're ready to advance to a new belt altogether.  How best to impart that lesson?

Better still, how best to prevent this situation from happening again, both with them, and others?  Is there a way to maybe... I don't know...  let a student know before class that this one in particular is meant for them, or, a the very least, for what they need to be working on?

I begin brainstorming and search for answers.

Problems suck, but finding solutions is fun.  Its all in the focus.

(Like I said, I'm getting better at this stuff - it takes practice.)

One thing I will say is:
Creativity is best harnessed for solutions.  If you sick it on the negative, my goodness will you get angry and defensive quickly.

Nip it in the bud, focus on the lesson and the solution.

___
I intended Shinka to be an amazing place for my student's evolution.  Who knew that it held so many lessons for its teacher, as well?

Sensei Ono, Shinka Martial Arts

What's Wrong With The Pursuit of Happiness

The definition of "pursuit" is "to chase with malicious intent"

Do we angrily chase our own happiness?

Interesting concept, to create a place for happiness to grow, verses chasing after it, don't you think?



Also, "if the only tool you have is a hammer, everything starts looking like a nail" - great quote.  (Maslow)

Sensei Ono, Shinka Martial Arts

Clarity

LIFE CLARITY
The importance of clarity in your life - that is, which direction you are most hoping for, is not only important; I believe it is essential.

When you are truly clear of what it is that you want, the universe seems to do its absolute best to get you there.  When you are really sure about a lot of different things - I think maybe it gets confused.

Perhaps what the world must practice is focusing on one desired outcome, and allowing all that happens along the way to be recognized as a stepping stone towards it.

YEAR CLARITY
While life clarity is great - I think year clarity is something that many of us attempt to do, but very poorly.  New years resolutions are great and all, but often lack quantification, benchmarks or any forms of checks & balances. Essentially, they are vague statements with no recourse in either direction, and no inherent methodology intended to sustain any sort of momentum towards their outcome.

New years resolutions are great - but I would say to take a new years resolution and, at the very minimum, divide it into 12 quantifiable mini-goals/benchmarks.  Ideally, more.  (52 is a nice number)

MONTH CLARITY
"Just to get through it" isn't enough.  That's the life of someone who wanted to get to something but never got around to it.

If planning this month is too much work - then use this month to plan next month and get started that way.  Having outcomes for the month can be extremely helpful in focusing your efforts.

What's really important in your life?  What deserves your focus & attention the most?  (and how is it important in comparison to the year/life goals?)

WEEK CLARITY
Often times our lives, and our huge goals can seem somewhat overwhelming, or, at the very least, abstract despite our quantification efforts.

Weeks, on the other hand, if planned out, can be thousands of percent more efficient and more fun.  Take the time to plan out your week - everything doesn't have to go exactly to plan, but, you'll know exactly how much time to spend where, and how (and perhaps most importantly... why)

DAY CLARITY
This is a simple one.  Just ask yourself in the morning a few great questions.  What am I most excited about today?  What are my top 3 desired outcomes for the day?

If you want to write them down you can - although sometimes this simple reminder tool can help focus us on our longer term visions.

Go forth and do great things my students.  And define what they are, and how to get there :)

Sensei Ono, Shinka Martial Arts

Facets

There are so many facets to the benefits of martial arts.  And a plethora of ways to choose a martial arts school.

That's one of the reasons why its very important for me to find out which specific ones people are coming to Shinka Martial Arts FOR, as well as teach them how to choose a martial arts school.

Ultimately, the more information I have on my student's individual needs and motivations, the better teacher I can be for them, and the better I can help them reach their goals.

I mean, for some, having room to spar in our huge dojo is great.  Others care more about the fact that we've won all those awards (Richmond's Best Dojo, Best Martial Arts Instructor, Most Innovative Curriculum, Richmond's Biggest Martial Arts Facility and a few others)

I would say that most of our students might hear about us through the awards, but ultimately, they come for martial arts fitness in Richmond.

Sure, they still get the empowerment through martial arts, and hey, martial arts at Shinka is fun!  But yeah, they definitely want their six packs and awesome cardio etc.

Interestingly enough, many people are pleasantly surprised by the brain enhancing techniques we use, as their grades increase through their Shinka training.

Ultimately, sweaty, smiling, smarter is comprised of so many facets, that when people ask "should I take martial arts" I kind of chuckle.  I cannot fathom a reason NOT to!

Sure, if you were blind or in a wheelchair, you would need special martial arts classes - but EVERYONE should take martial arts of some kind.

Everyone.

The amount of benefit it gives your life is truly outstanding, and without comparison.

While there are excellent methods of self improvement, such as The Key to Awesome, I would say that ultimately, martial arts is superior in every way.

Sensei Ono, Shinka Martial Arts

Empowering Youth Financially

I've really been thinking about what an entrepreneurial fellow was saying about parenting.  The part that really stuck with me, was the abolishment of allowance, and, instead, the encouragement of finding things that need doing, ascertaining a value, negotiating a price, and sealing the deal.

It got me thinking about how I could foster that type of environment at Shinka, my martial arts school in Richmond.

The first step was, I posted this video on my Shinka Facebook page, in hopes that the kids would watch.

The next step was, getting together those who wanted to take it to the next level, but didn't know how (so I ended the video with "interested in the next step?  Ask me!"

Its the third, and ongoing step, that I want to get going, now.

While it would be a good learning tool for them to compete on price, there are other ways to go (adding value, differentiation, convenience etc) and I'd like to encourage those, as well.

Imagine, if you will, a typical Saturday morning, where, after teaching my young kids martial arts class (we call it "cubs") I am bombarded by business proposals from enterprising youth.

"I'll wash your walls!"
"I'll clean your mats!" etc.

On top of that, imagine the negotiation process.
"But my cleaners are organic!"
"but mine are cheaper!"
"but I have a team of people!"

Then, the next phase... they start sub-contracting out the work to each other...

A tiny microcosm of business.  Think of the learning...

Empowering Youth

I was watching this awesome video, and it really drives home a point that I've been making with the Shinka kids. One of our goals at Shinka, is to have a student be financially free before they graduate high school. Its a cool goal to have, and, to actualize it, we need to empower our kids. Only then, will we unlock their hidden abilities. One person's comment, in particular (on the youtube video) really stood out to me.

 It said "we should focus on raising our kids to be good people, first".

And that's it.  That is exactly... it!  

The people learning the financial skills in this world are dis-proportionally evil.  The cigarette companies etc.  

What we do at Shinka, is we create empowered youth, financially educated youth, and self actualized, self aware, self controlled, self improving amazing kids.

In essence, we help our kids get awesome in every possible way... AND, we teach them the tools to get rich.

(awesome, right?)

Can you imagine what a world that could create in 15 years?  When you have millionaire 14 year olds with ethics growing into making the world a better place?

Man.  That's going to be cool.

Sensei Ono, Shinka Martial Arts.

Martial Arts Birthdays

I must say, I love doing a martial arts birthday party at Shinka.

Its just so much martial arts fun packed into a few hours!

I mean, last time we had about 50 kids running around all at the same time.  It was awesome!  (This was definitely a time where having such a huge martial arts school came in handy!!)

One thing that I've noticed, is that there tends to be the same basic personality types at all the parties, which really... REALLY drives home the importance of kids taking martial arts in the first place.

There's the "class clown" type, which is about 1-3 kids -- there's the "hard to pay attention" kids, which are about 5%, and then there's the really awesome, super intelligent kids which are about 2%, and the rest, which generally do what the majority is doing.

Invariably, of that top 2% which stand out so strongly as leaders, most of the time, they've either taken martial arts before, or are in something similar, like fencing or kendo.

I think that's why I love the really big martial arts parties the best.  They have the same number of "class clowns" but there's a huge majority of kids who are there to have fun, eat cake, learn some self defense tips and play some games.

Happy birthday Shinka kids!  We'll see you next year :-)

Sensei Ono, Shinka Martial Arts.

Kicking in the pants

As an instructor, when do we "kick 'em in the pants" to get them moving?

A question I'd often asked myself... until my fiancé did it to me yesterday with miraculous results.

I'd had a string of negative momentum, and she helped turn me around back to positivity, and, as a result, some really great things happened.

The power of positive momentum is huge - and, if we let it, so too is the power of negative momentum.

I would say that the "kick 'em in the pants" training method should be a last resort, and only used to "reset" someone's momentum.

(speaking from experience, maybe we all need it from time to time in some areas ;)

Sensei Ono,
Shinka Martial Arts

Some great quotes to live by

FAMOUS QUOTES “If what you’re doing is not your passion, you have nothing to lose.”	SENSEI'S THOUGHTS Couldn't agree more. Go for it! People live in unquantified fear - take stock of your worst fears and really quantify them. How bad, and how likely, are they, really?
“The trouble with not having a goal is that you can spend your life running up and down the field and never score.” – Bill Copeland	Imagine God answering your prayers and having no clue what they are. Be specific!
“The person who says something is impossible should not interrupt the person who is doing it.”	The amount of time people spend on idle prattle because they are uncomfortable with the accomplishments of others, or simply the absence of noise is astounding. Breathe, and think. Truly, this is advice that should not have to be given, but, breathe, and think.
“It is never too late to be what you might have been.” – George Eliot	I think that my prescription for a life well lived is to define & quantify what that means to you, and to take regular, daily action towards that end.
“Great minds discuss ideas. Average minds discuss events. Small minds discuss people.” ~ Eleanor Roosevelt	Great minds understand the power of ideas - even when discussing people, they are often discussing the ideas which they represent. Subtle difference.
“If opportunity doesn’t knock, build a door.” -Milton Berle	Opportunity DOES knock, once you start working on the door. (heh, and it often knocks before the door is 100% complete)
“Don’t say you don’t have enough time. You have exactly the same number of hours per day that were given to Helen Keller, Pasteur, Michaelangelo, Mother Teresea, Leonardo da Vinci, Thomas Jefferson, and Albert Einstein.” – Life’s Little Instruction Book, compiled by H. Jackson Brown, Jr.	Ugh! Yeah, and, don't say "you have too much time" to someone who does something better than you. (pet peeve)
“When you can’t change the direction of the wind — adjust your sails.” ~ H. Jackson Brown	Thinking on your feet is the ONLY attribute that matters in the long run. While strategy is great, NONE are flawless, and NONE do not require strategic, on-the-fly adjustments.
“Confidence comes not from always being right but not fearing to be wrong”	If you have what you desire in front of you, and it is aligned with your ethics - how CAN you make mistakes, truly? You are making STEPS.

Sensei Ono, Shinka Martial Arts

Life's Lessons

I found this list on Yee Shun-Jian's blog, and found it inspiring:


1. The more you chase, the more they run. Work on attracting (pulling) people to you instead of chasing after them.
So true.  In business, romance, and life.  However, if you're super passionate about something long enough, it becomes a reality that people do flock to - so its a contradiction.

2. Love is not about “finding your other half”. We’ve been misled to think that love is like addition… 1/2 + 1/2 = 1. No, no, no… Love is more like multiplication… so 1/2 * 1/2 = only 1/4. We need to work on ourselves, so we become whole on our own (do not need or rely on someone else to complete us)… when we do that, we begin to attract other individuals that are whole as well… Realize that 1 * 1 = 1
I disagree.  Love is synergy.  1+1=4


3. If you never ask, the answer is always no.

4. Money is just a means to an end. Sure, it’ll be great to have a lot of money but what we really want isn’t the money in and of itself… what we want is what that money can do for us… what it brings us.


5. There’s no use trying to logically convince someone.  Use emotions.

6. Besides “I love you”, the next best thing you can say to someone is “Thank you”. People love to feel appreciated. Why deny them such a wonderful feeling, by withholding two words that don’t cost you anything?
I once heard a nice quote that goes along with this:  Unexpressed gratitude is like a gift left unopened.


9. (I edited this one) Don't relive drama.  It hurt once - why replay that hurt again and again?


10. Nobody likes doormats. Nobody respects doormats. Stop agreeing with everything I say. Have an opinion. It’s attractive.


11. Stop looking outwards for external things, people and events to fill up your inner void. You’re looking in the wrong place. The answer you seek is INSIDE.

12. The iphone is great… it can help you do a lot of things. But it can’t give you a hug when you’re feeling down. So stop fiddling with your iphone when you’re out with your friends… unless you’re coding the “hug me when everyone’s gone” application.


13. Spend time with your family. Take your parents out for meals and movies. It doesn’t cost a lot… but it makes them really happy.

14. When you stay EMO, you’re telling the right guy/girl who comes along: “I’m not ready for your love because I’m still upset about what the wrong guy/girl did… run along now… I’ll catch up with you in 20 years tops!”


15. Nobody owes you anything. I repeat… nobody owes you anything!

16. In 5 years, you’ll look back and laugh at the biggest problem you’re having now.


17. If you aren’t happy single, you won’t be happy in a relationship. Another person only magnifies your problems. You’ll project all your unhappiness on the poor guy/girl and he/she is going to leave you and you’ll reaffirm to yourself that you suck. Happiness doesn’t start with someone else… it starts with you.
Addition/edit: Another person only magnifies your STATE.  (not just your problems, but your good stuff too)

18. Love yourself first. How can you hate yourself and expect someone else to love you?


19. Stop reading about other people’s success stories and idolizing them and start doing what it is you are supposed to do to create your own success story so others can read about and idolize you.

20. Figure out what you want… otherwise others will just string you along to accomplish what THEY want.


21. Once in a while, do the opposite of what that little voice inside is telling you. See what happens.
Albert Einstein had an interesting take on that.  He said that if at first an idea isn't ridiculous, that it has no future.

22. The media is full of propaganda. Don’t believe everything you come across in the newspapers and on tv.


23. There is no magic pill.

24. Nobody’s zooming in on all your perceived flaws and judging you because of that except yourself. Seriously, most people won’t notice your beer belly until you tell them about it.


25. Don’t always try to be the hero. You can’t help someone who’s not willing to help themselves.

26. Most people equate attention to love… that’s why we’re always doing silly things to get attention.


27. Don’t be so afraid of death that you stop living and going after your dreams

28. We are so used to taking things for granted. Stop, just for a second, to admire the beauty that surrounds you.


29. At the end of the day, no matter what you do, you’ll have critics. Just do what you love and what makes you happy, and be thankful there are people who care enough to talk about you.

Licorice cures obesity - the licorice & strawberries diet

So, not only is this treatment good for anti carcenogenic lifestyle, but it turns out, this'll help you with obesity too.

(watch towards the end of the vid for obesity specific)

New study discovers obesity is contagious!

We've heard that laughter is contagious.  That sadness is contagious.  Heck, that YAWNS are as contagious as income, hobbies and god knows what else.

The human being is a herd animal.  We love to follow, we're excellent at adapting to our environments and our surroundings.

I believe that, just as "average" people aren't smart, or rich, or healthy, that our perception of this makes us want to be average.  Sticking out is dangerous.  You get excluded from the social group.

Of course there are different theories on this.  Do we attract that which we are, or do we adapt to that which surrounds us?


All the more reason to go to an awesome environment filled with awesome people with awesome goals.

What's the average awesomeness in your life?

Sensei Ono, Shinka Martial Arts