Happy Fall to all of you. It’s hard to believe we are here already…back to our usual routines and establishing / re-establishing our schedules. It is also time for me to tell you about some very exciting programs we are anxious to implement ?

We are motivated to motivate you!!! We are committed to your martial arts commitment!!! WHY? Because we believe our training is a vital part of our lives and the more we are vested in that training….the more benefits we will see. SO ? ? ?

NEW STUFF FOR YOU ?
As you know we are all about positive reinforcement, as demonstrated by our Journey to the Temple and Quest For Excellence programs ? ? ? ? giving students well-deserved recognition for perfect attendance. Well…how about being recognized/rewarded EVERY TIME YOU COME TO CLASS-----That’s right ? Starting September 11th, students will receive a stripe on their belt every time they come to class. This will be a really neat addition to our consistent emphasis on the importance and rewards of attendance and will provide an ongoing sense of positive reinforcement for all students. This will also serve as a kind of mobile attendance card, demonstrating class points and rank right on your belt! So, instead of getting your stripe/bar once every 5 weeks, you will get one every time you come to class. These stripes will also take the place of the Brown/Black belt red bars usually given on week 5. This system will not change the ranking system or time frames between belts. The number of stripes on your belt will match the normal number of rotations between the belts. Students with those awesome Quest belts worn on week five--- just bring in your regular belt and we will stripe it for you. Check out the color sequence of this new system. Copies are on front desks.

So, on the next week 5 (September 11 – 16), we will put the appropriate number of stripes on student’s belts. It will be a cool – fun – and very rewarding week. So ? YOU NEED TO BE HERE!

On the horizon….Bodyworks Merit Badge System. This is a great way for students to want to practice and perfect various karate moves. This is how it works…say your favorite kick is a round house kick and you want to make it absolutely outstanding. Just sign up for the merit badge evaluation for that kick. Take home a calendar (or create your own) and practice that kick 1000 times. Bring it back (signed by parent if applicable) and demonstrate your new skill level for instructors. If in fact, your kicking ability is outstanding, you will be awarded a merit badge and you will love it. Wear it on you Gi sleeve, and add to it with more badges in the many categories that will be offered (including: blocking skills, stances, flexibility, form/kata, movements of the snake, self defense and more. You are going to really like this so STAY TUNED!

Students doing MPDP’s…we need to know of your plans to do this at least five weeks prior to testing. On week 5 we will have a sign-up sheet for students wanting to MPDP for the FOLLOWING test. YOU MUST SIGN UP ///YOU NEED TO PRACTICE 3 X PER WEEK (10 min per session) ///TURN IN A CALANDER ON MONDAY OF WEEK 5/// YOU NEED TO RECORD THE SPECIFIC TECHNIQUES YOU PRACTICED DURING EVERY PRACTICE SESSION. THIS IS NOT A GUARENTEE TO TEST – YOUR MATERIAL MUST BE EXCELLENT!!!! You must have perfect attendance throughout the process of qualifying.

We are wicked rockin with our newly designed self defense emphasis. This direction has been and will continue to be the focus of our efforts. Well done to students and instructors who have made such significant gains in this area. …and it’s a blast to watch~

I know all of you value our ongoing efforts to improve the overall program here. With new programs come additional costs. In order to meet those costs, tuition will rise by $10 per month. I have always been sensitive about the comfort level of families with regards to tuition amounts and this small increase is consistent with that level of conservatism. I am confident these most recent programs will be of great benefit to students in their martial arts journey.

How about an ongoing teen Jiu Jitsu program??? The summer program was a real success as Scott Lewis awarded Yellow belts to the graduates just a few weeks ago. We are thinking of an after-school (4:00) program. Please let us know what you think.

Ice Cream party…Thursday, September 11 ? 5:30 til 7:00 /////4:00 class and Grasshopper classes are still on, but no 6:00 DW or Storm class. Instructor Meeting at 7:00 Way to go MOA students!

Remember: MOA promotions will happen throughout the entire Fall on week 5. So be patient….those who fulfilled the attendance requirements will be promoted.

We especially depend on all of you for referring Bodyworks Karate School to others, and we especially appreciate that. THANKS

Jeffrey N. Hardy