Steve White in MA Success UPDATED

Steve is featured in the January issue of the magazine. It's a cover story! www.masuccess.com

New England Seminar Tour

The weekend of Dec 14-16 I'll be in New Hampshire and Massaschusetts for a series of seminars, the last ones of 2012 for me.
I will be at Holden Martial Arts in Holden, MA on the 14th, Friday. Subjects and times not set yet.
Saturday I will be at Jim Peacock's studio in Mont Vernon, NH in the morning to teach Body Mechanics. That afternoon, I go to Steve White's Manchester Karate Studio for two sessions. One for the families, and another on Advanced Concepts. That evening Steve and I will probably be found somewhere in the North End of Boston at dinner with Lance Soares, who hosts at his school on Sunday.
Two sessions Sunday in New Bedford, MA at Lance's. One on falls and rolls for kids, another on joint locks for the adults.
That's a wrap for the year. Thanks to Steve White for coordinating and the school owners for hosting.

Recent seminars

The first weekend of December I was up in Chicago at Kurt Barnhart's clubs. Nice turnouts there. I even had my first tai chi instructor, Bill Grizzle, in the crowd. The subjects on Friday evening and Saturday morning were the internal aspects and he and Patrick Baio, both long-time practitioners, attended. I'm impressed with Bill's attitude in that he came and worked with us as a student. I managed to pick his brains a bit while he was there as well. Zoran Sevic from the John McSweenet lineage always comes to thump and I'm glad to have him and his open mind, too.

The second Saturday session was on working in the Web of Knowledge as a teaching tactic. I've done this elsewhere and Mr. Barnhart's people were tough to throw off. (This method is the subject of this month's article on my website.)

The following weekend's seminars in Holden, Massachusetts and Manchester, NH were well-attended. I had the opportunity to meet some new people and see my old friends Bill Gaudette and Lance Soares. Brian Walsh from Connecticut made the trip to Holden to take part along with his son, Chris. Brian and I have been communicating by e-mail and this was the first face-to-face. Good to have him there. Mr. White and I also had lunch Friday with a man we much respect, Hanshi Richie Bernard of Shidokan International.  

On Saturday in New Hampshire we had a full house in both sessions. The subject at Holden and Manchester was drills in one session and knife work in the second. The seminars were not duplicates and those who made all four got a special t-shirt.

Mr. White and I surprised the group there at his school by unveiling Ed Parker's gi top. This will be on loan from me and on display there at the Manchester Karate Studio. Since MKS is the largest Parker kenpo school in the US, I thought it was appropriate to make them the stewards of a precious piece of kenpo history.

 

New promotions

I sat on an exam board in Manchester, New Hampshire over the weekend at Steve White's studio. We tested and promoted Bill Gaudette of Worcester, MA (right front) to sixth black and Lee MacDonald of Manchester (left front) to fourth black.  Both did a fine job on the physical portion and their medical implications dissertations were very well done.
   I also conducted two seminars and a surprise class. The seminars were packed. The first was on a variety of drills and the second on using and defending the knife. The surprise class was for the Black Belts and we did some kajukenpo techniques. Fun for all.
  I flew Southwest Airlines. They are still my favorite airline even with the rare delay I've experienced with them. Three out of the four legs were delayed due to weather and mechanical issues but I was delayed about 2 hours total. If it had been Delta, I'm sure I'd still be there.
  Anyway, Congrats to Bill and Lee and thanks to all for their support.

Manchester seminar

Kid's seminar

A few weeks back I was up at Steve White's Manchester Karate Studio in New Hampshire. As always, we had a good turnout and the group was enthusiastic.  

Steve recently had a birthday and his program manager Lee MacDonald just "tied the knot" and is off to Europe for his honeymoon.

I saw some old friends up there including Bill Gaudette from MA and Jeff Hardy from Concord, NH. Hadn't seen Jeff in years and he looks great. His son, Kyle, came along, too. Looks a lot like his dad. My guy from MA, Lance Soares was there, too. Lance is opening a club in New Bedford soon.

The adults did some joint locking techniques in one session and gun defense in another.
The studio has a big anniversary coming soon, I think it's 25 years. Congrats to the team at MKS!

More items uploaded

I just uploaded some podcast interviews with Steve White (link at http://www.leewedlake.com/) and more  original Green belt videos are coming online at http://www.kenpotv.net/.
   I did a four-part interview with with Mr. White in which he talks about abour kenpo in New England, how he grew his school from part-time to one with 400 active students, and more. I encourage anyone with a school or club to listen to him. There's historical info in them about how Parker kenpo took hold in New England and that there's a difference in it and what is called "New England Kenpo". Steve also discusses his philosophy of growing a student from beginner to black.
   On KenpoTV you'll find the majority of the gun and knife techniques coming on view in the next ten days. I just finished shooting the rest of the original Green belt techniques and they'll be coming up soon, too. We'd missed one two man technique and that's been done, as have the rest of the kick defenses and combo punch techniques. More chi kung and instructor materal is coming, too.
 

Congrats to Steve White

I'm off to Manchester, New Hampshire this weekend to participate in the 25th anniversay of Steve White's Manchester Karate Studio. I'm on the seminar staff for the event along with other excellent instructors. I'd met Steve back when his school was new and he was still working his regular job. He made the decision to go full-time back then and his school has been very successful. He is a model for achieving one's goals.
Once again, congratulation to Mr. White, his staff and students on 25 years!

Promotions

I was invited to Steve White's Manchester Karate Studio recently to test Mr. Jim Peacock and Mr. Tim McKenzie for their 6th and 5th degrees, respectively. I have to say that the 2.5 hour exam was one of, if not the best, exam I have seen for those ranks.

Tim McKenzie, shown being kicked up here, is the senior instructor at MKS. Mr. Peacock, below, owns a studio in Mont Vernon, NH and has been with Mr. White for 23 years.

Their exam was a balance of all facets of the system, liberally laced with questions on history, terminology, ritual and etiquette, standards, teaching principles, and medical implications. Both wrote papers breaking down a technique into its components and what the strikes actually did to tissue and bone. The physical portion included demonstrations of the applications of every technique in the higher form in sequence. They also did attack categories with line interruptions and pick-ups, doing all of them spontaneously and using the formulation principle.

Both men did a fine job and I congratulate them. Their instructor, Mr. White, did a great job with them and gets an "atta-boy", too.

New Hampshire weekend

I will be joining my three highest ranking black belts, Gary Ellis, Graham Lelliott, and Steve White in Manchester, NH this weekend for a lineage camp. Steve and his crew do a great job of coordinating the event every year. This year will be the first time all of my 7th degrees will be on the mat with me simultaneously, and that's exciting.
I'n told there are people from all over registered, with over 80 last I checked. This is going to be fun!

New Hampshire, Part 2

Hanshi Richie Bernard came to Steve White's studio as Jack Nilon and I were wrapping up our seminar on the six-step problem solving process which we illustrated through scenarios based on two-man attacks. As we taught how to take a standard technique and apply its parts by splitting them to handle the attack, Hanshi Bernard was patiently waiting in Steve's office.

He came out as we were bowing out the 50+ member class and Mr. White asked them to sit. He introduced his guest as a tenth-degree black belt in traditional Japanese karate and that he had a special recognition for me, one surprised instructor. I should mention at this point what a Hanshi is. The organization he belongs to is the Shidokan International. Shidokan translates as the "House of the Scholar-Warrior who follows the Way". The following description is from his group.

Shidokan International recognizes the growing experience of its members using the traditional teaching titles found in Japan. These titles are earned through dedication to karate and to the dojo, and are recognized around the world:
Shidion
“Assistant Instructor” - One who assists the teacher on a consistent basis. May be attained below Black Belt.
Sempai
“Senior Student” - Typically a Black Belt responsible for teaching a class.
Sensei
“Teacher” - Not only a teaching title, but the most often used term in Japanese to denote teacher.
Renshi
“One who Knows” - An internationally licensed teacher who takes on major responsibility within a dojo. Typically 4th Dan or higher.
Kyoshi
“One who Teaches Teachers” - A teacher who goes beyond his own training and teaching, and helps develop other teachers and other dojos.
“One who Teaches” - Usually 6th or 7th Dan with 20 to 25 years of experience, on the way to becoming a master.
Hanshi
“A Model for the Whole” - Reflects mastery of the physical side of karate, but also the understanding and ability to teach at all levels. This title also recognizes the master's lifelong commitment to living the karate code of conduct in all situations.
Chief Grand Master Instructor-minimum Rank in most cases Kudan (9th Dan)

The recognition was that he appointed me as a Hanshi and performed the traditional ritual that accompanies such an appointment. It is too long to be described here but it was recorded and some of you will be able to see it in the future. What I can tell you is that it came at a significant time in my life and is one of the highlights of my martial arts career. I never aspired to or expected such an honor and it staggers me to be designated as the Shidokan International group is recognized through the Japanese Ministry of Education.

The ceremony was laden with tradition and many points hit home, especially in the light of what has happened with the collapse of the Ft. Myers school here. Hanshi Bernard said that of the five demons that protect a dojo, the biggest, ugliest one is inside overlooking the floor because the biggest threat to a school comes from the inside.

This was a highlight in my martial arts career. Words are not enough.

New Hampshire weekend, Part 1

Jack Nilon and I went up to Manchester last weekend to work with Steve White's group up there. Jack taught a well-received class on Friday night. The subject was non-standard entries to two-man defenses.

As always, our hosts were great. Lee MacDonald took Mr. Nilon to the shooting range with Mr. MacKenzie while Mr. White and I went snowmobiling. It was the first time for me and I had a blast. On Saturday morning before that day's seminars Steve and I went to the Nashua airport to meet Bob Dimeo, a flight instructor Steve had introduced me to a few years ago. Bob has completed building his own airplane, an RV-8, and it's beautiful. The picture here does not do it justice. It looks like a little Mustang. The weather was a bit too cold to go flying and the ramp was covered in ice, but Bob has told me we'll take it up in May when I go back.

The Saturday class was a closed event. It was provided to the teaching team members of three schools by the school owners as an appreciation gift to them. Mr. Bill Gaudette, Mr. Jim Peacock, Mr. Harry Grimm, and Mr. White flew me up to teach at their expense. In my mind, such gestures mean more than money and gifts; experiences usually outlast material things by building character, educating, and broadening people.

Two other black belts of mine showed up, they being Lance Soares of Massachusetts and Tony Velada of Chicago. You can see they enjoyed themselves with Mr. Nilon. That's Lance on the left and Jack on the right.

The seminar was visited by a surprise guest. I'll tell that story next time.

A story about fear

This was sent to me by New Hampshire's Steve White. I don't know if he wrote it but it makes some good points. I take regular check rides for aircraft proficiency and, like most pilots, I get a bit nervous. Now I'm a 3000+ hour pilot and have a lot of experience but I still get nervous. It's normal. When I was to take my first aircraft checkout for the Civil Air Patrol I was told it was very thorough, blah, blah, blah. I started getting apprehensive. Then I realized that the worst that could happen is they'd say I couldn't fly their airplanes. That's it. Then practice up and come do it again. This story and its commentary pinpoint such thinking and how to deal with fear.
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Some years ago, I went to an amusement park with my mother. At first, she was somewhat afraid of the roller coaster, but eventually relented in the name of adventure. As we boarded the roller coaster, I could see the tension in my mother’s body, undoubtedly caused by the adrenaline coursing through her veins with each hearbeat. I was probably feeling the same way, but since this is another one of those situations over which you have no control, it didn’t really bother me that much. Hey, if this was my day to die, then it is my day to die - might as well enjoy the ride before the accident!

As I finished my thought, the roller coaster started moving slowly. I could feel the weight of the metal that was going to hurl me at whirling speeds in a few minutes. My mother’s grip tightened with each passing second. I can only imagine what was going through her head right then. It probably contained some images of her flying through the air diving towards the ground.

Pretty soon, we were at the top. You could see my mother tensed and ready for a battle to the death. I, on the other hand, was as relaxed as I possibly could be, eagerly waiting to see what kind of strange sensations a couple extra gs would bring.

Before long, the roller coaster went over its apex and started accelerating downwards. At that time, I haven’t ridden a roller coaster in a while, so some terrifying sensations was definiately expected, Strangely, it wasn’t nearly as bad as I’d thought. The upwards “pull” feeling on my stomach wasn’t nearly as strong as I’d remembered. Maybe it has something to do with growing up and having a bigger body. Anyway, the random motions still seemed interesting, jerking me back and forth. I sat there, looking around at stuff at weird angles. I could probably have had a sandwich and read a book without it bothering me too much.

Out of the corner of my eyes, I caught a glimpse of my mother. She was completely bent over, with her head in between her arms, in one of the most terrified positions a person can be in. I couldn’t help but notice the irony of the situation. It reminds me of those cartoons where two guys fall off a roof, one guy lands on the floor, while another guy is grasping desperately onto the lowest ledge, only inches from the ground. The first guy taps the on the shoulder of the second guy, kind of saying, “Hey eerr, you know you can let go right?” This is exactly what I tried to do - I leaned over and gently tapped on mom on the back, seeing if she’ll relax. She barely acknowledged me, completely paralyzed by her own fear. Later, as we were getting off, she told me that she sprained her neck on the ride.

I am reminded of this experience every time I see people make a really big deal out of not so bad situations. For example, we hear of college students committing suicide because of the pressure of getting good grades. It’s so tempting to tap them on the shoulder and say, “You know - all that piece of paper says is you don’t know it very well right now - it’s not like you can’t just learn it later!” This is an example of something that could just be ignored, but instead is blown up into ridiculous proportions, just like Jack and Bob in The Key To A Healthy Relationship.

I’ve actually known the college student mentioned above personally. We played chess together at one point in high school and I knew him to be one of the smartest people in the school. Yet, from what I’ve heard, he jumped off a bridge from the pressure of graduate school and because his best friend also did the same.

The Obstacles That Our Fears Create
In both of these situations, the person in question created a seemingly unsurmountable obstacle that exists solely in their imagination. In my mom’s case, she was so sure that she was going to die on the roller coaster that day, that she did everything she could to avoid the experience. As a result, not only did she not enjoy the ride, she had a sprained neck to go along with it. In the case of the student jumping off the bridge, he probably viewed certain accomplishments in graduate school as the ultimate achievement in life. Because he thought that if he didn’t achieve this, his life would have no meaning, he ended his life just to avoid “failing” at this imaginary task.

Looking around, there are numerous instances of fears that keep people from getting what they want every day. A guy standing next to a girl who likes him but he’s afraid of asking out. So he walks away, leaving himself and the girl disappointed. A guy who wants to start a business but sees all the problems before they even manifest. Ultimately, he decides against it because these problems seem so unsurmountable, leaving himself and his potential clients unhappy. Every day, many people are prevented from accomplishing their dreams due to these imaginary obstacles. I am sure that I have had my fair share of these unjustified fears. Here’s a few tips for combatting them:

Recognize Your Fears - First, you need to recognize that this is indeed one of the fears you have. If you already accept this particular fear as the absolute truth, then there is no way to face that particular fear and hence no way to overcome it. For example, say you want to start a business, but you are afraid of taking risks. Every time someone talks to you about starting a business, your immediate response is “Oh, that’s too risky for me”. In this instance, you have so internalized the fear of taking risks that you don’t even recognize it as one of your fears anymore. In your world, it becomes an absolute truth that starting a business = bad. You no longer recall why or how you came to that conclusion, just that it is.

This is an extremely dangerous mode to get into because not only are your fears limiting your progress, you don’t even know that it is! This is the very situation that the graduate student who committed suicide got himself into. He became so obsessed with doing well in school and feared failing so much, that failing = the end of life for him. Once he saw that he couldn’t accomplish what he wanted, he figured he was going to “die anyway”, so he might as well do it earlier.

You should always very carefully examine the reasons why you choose not to do something. As long as something doesn’t kill you or permanently injure you in some way, you can do it! Start by making a list of anything you want to do. If an automatic thought crosses your mind stating some reason you can’t do it now, that is the result of some sort of fear. For example, let’s say you want to start a business but you can’t do it now because you don’t have enough money, that is the result of the fear of going broke, the fear of being hungry, the fear of having no shelter, etc. Or maybe you are not talking to the guy or girl you like because now is not a good time. That is the result of the fear of being rejected, the fear of not belonging, the fear of being inadequate, etc. Write down the reasons you have and the fears associated with those reasons.

Once you have recognized your fears, you can now work towards defeating them. These are the things that are holding you back from exploring more possibilities and limiting your growth as a person.

Understanding The Root Of Your Fears - With your list of fears that are holding you back, you can now try to figure out where these fears come from. For each item on the list, examine whether this fear is the result of some other fears. Your goal is to consolidate your list to as few fears as possible, so that you can better understand where the root of your all your fears are coming from. For example, say one of the items on your list is the fear of being poor. Ask yourself, why am I afraid of being poor? Maybe it’s because being poor limits your freedom. Maybe it makes you insecure about your ability to support yourself. From that one fear, you have actually expanded your list to two fears. Continue this process and ask yourself why you are afraid of having no freedom and why you are afraid of being unable to support yourself.


When you start this exercise, your list will probably grow bigger and bigger as your discover more and more of your fears. However, like finding bugs in software engineering (and then fixing them), you eventually will hit a peak and the number on that list will start to decrease. Try to find as many common base fears as possible, so that you have a smaller number of fears to have to work on. I also find this excerise to really help with knowing yourself better.

When I finished this process, I only had one fear left on the list - the fear of not existing.
Overcoming Your Fears - Fear, as far as I can tell, is the result of uncertainty about a situation. We fear death because we don’t know what happens after it. We fear losing our jobs because we don’t know if there is another way we’ll be able to support ourselves. We fear asking a person out on a date because we don’t know what the other person’s expectations are and whether they would say yes or no. In all of these instances, fear comes from not knowing what we would do should some particular situation happen.

To get rid of the fear, simply figure out what you will do in each of the possible scenarios. For example, for the fear of asking someone out on a date, figure out what you would do if he/she says yes, he/she says no, he/she says yes with a smile, he/she says no with a smile, he/she throws a glass of water at you, etc. Once you know exactly how to handle every single situation, there is simply nothing to be afraid of anymore.

Of course, it’s not always easy to plan out exactly what to do in every situation. How do you even go about doing that? There are infinite number of situations that can come up, so there is no way to “memorize the correct action” for each particular situation. This is where knowing your purpose in life helps tremendously. When you have a definite purpose that encompasses all situations, then you will always have something fall back on if you don’t know exactly what to do.

For me, that purpose is existence. In any situation where I am unsure or confused, I will pick the option that maximizes my existence. Dying? No problem, I will just create as much stuff as possible (could be things or ideas) while I am alive and my existence will become these things. Asking for a date? if yes, we find out more about each other. If no, I go back to my happy single life and possibly try again at a later time. Losing my job? I will try to find some other way to increase my existence. Sure, I may still be afraid from time to time since I haven’t worked every single thing out, but given a bit of time, I will always know which path to take.

Having this purpose is like having a giant compass whenever you are lost. You may not know where you are now, but you will always end up at your destination if you follow the general. Knowing this, what is there to be afraid of? You will get what you want, you are heading the right way, and you do know what to do when you are lost. Since this is an internal thing, this sure seems like a good saying: “For all problems, look inside yourself”.

Figure out your purpose and fear will never control you!

Manchester Karate Studio

Last weekend I was up to teach at Steve White's school in Manchester, New Hampshire.
Steve and I have known each other for over 20 years. Steve did what many dedicated martial artists I know have done; he went to great lengths to get the best education he could in the arts. Steve was told about me by a mutual friend named Don MacKay and they made a trip from NH to Chicago to meet me. The rest is history. Steve has gone the extra mile to learn and not just from me. He regularly works with Jimmy Pedro, the Olympic judo medalist. Steve flies around the country to business seminars. As a result, he has one of, if not the largest schools in Manchester. He does have one of the most successful Parker kenpo schools in the country.
Steve's lineage is strong, his understanding of and proficiency in Kenpo is excellent, and his communication skills are outstanding. It's always a pleasure for me to watch him teach. Even more so it is a pleasure to sit and talk with him. We have had hours of engaging conversation over the years. A visit with Steve is always mentally stimuating.
I've watched him build a school and family, and seen him grow as a person. That rubs off on his people. He's has many long-term students and some of them now have their own schools spread throughout New England under the New England Chinese Karate Federation banner. They are not a "turn and burn" operation like many schools who actually say you won't see the same people on the mat a year or two from when they begin.
Steve and I believe that if you want to build a successful business you copy a sucessful business. And the same for successful martial arts. With that blueprint Manchester Karate Studio has become a strong school that provides way more that just punching and kicking to their students. Steve's staff is well-trained and they're good people.
It's always a pleasure to be invited to go work with the group up there.