AKS Quarterly Newsletter

"The Punchline Editorial"

December 2014

Another year is fast drawing to a close.  Our AKS family around the USA and in Germany prepares to enjoy the season with friends and family.  Though we scurry from store to store trying to find the perfect gift for our loved ones, we must not lose sight of the true reason for the season.  We should all be focused on the remembrance of the birth of our Savior and Lord Jesus Christ.  It is because of his sacrifice for our sins we are each and every one of us saved from our sins.  There has never been a gift of love so great in the history of mankind.  My family and I make sure we never lose sight of this significant time of the year.  It is only eclipsed by the Easter weekend where we observe the crucifixion and resurrection of our Savior.

On the first weekend of this past November, the West Virginia AKS schools led by John Folsom, 8th Dan, and his instructors Jude Gore 6th Dan, Bryan Greynolds, 5th Dan and Sandy Gore 2nd Dan held another successful and fun filled seminar weekend in Clarksburg.  In addition to reviewing AKS techniques and kata, we were treated to some more of Sensei Bill King's excellent martial arts knowledge and skills.  This time we were given an introduction into Iaido, or the quick draw sword.  This is one of the elements of studying Kenjutsu (the samurai sword) that most of us never have the opportunity to learn.  For my perspective it was eye opening and most enjoyable.  Big thanks to Senseis Folsom, Gore (Mr. and Mrs) and Greynolds for being such great hosts.  We are also once again indebted to Sensei King for taking the time out of his busy schedule to share his knowledge with us yet again.  I truly look forward to learning from him in the future.  There are a few photos in our News section below.

The Spring Seminar will be back in Toledo in the April/May time frame of 2015.  I'm looking forward to seeing our AKS Ohio and Detroit area members at the Toledo YMCA then.  I also understand we will be able to once again enjoy the judo/jujitsu expertise of Sensei Tony Zimkowski.  Tony has become a regular instructor and true friend to the AKS over the years.  Anyone who has been on the mat with him knows he's all business and a great teacher.

From the Sullengers to all of you, we wish you each and every one a blessed and Merry Christmas.  May God grant you all the blessings of good health and the love of family in the coming new year.

AKS Self Defense

A cornerstone of the American Karate System has been it's commitment to selfdefense.  This mandate is the result of real life experience, military training, and law enforcement careers by our founders.  Our Black Belts are all too aware of what can happen in the street.  Selfdefense has always been a hallmark of our training.  Mr. Lieb always said, "Anyone wearing an AKS Black Belt knows what to do in the street."

In Mustang Oklahoma, Mr. Roger Wenzel stopped into the new karate class that had just opened in his wife's dance school.  She had asked him to check out this new guy who was teaching karate classes.  Mr. Wenzel was certainly qualified to evaluate the class as he held a 2nd Dan in Tae Kwan Do.

At the school he met Mr. Steve Thurkettle who was teaching this renegade style called American Karate System.  He watched the class go through basics and kata and determined that Mr. Thurkettle was a qualified Black Belt.  It was when Mr. Thurkettle started teaching selfdefense that Mr. Wenzel was impressed to the point he told Steve, "I want to join your class."  He felt his previous training fell short in that part of the discipline.

Mr. Wenzel is now an AKS 6th Dan, and was Steve's coinstructor at the Mustang school.  Together they established a much respected karate school; competing and winning throughout the southwest.  A school that taught all the AKS requirements and prepared their students for the streets.

In 2002, I accompanied Mr. Lieb to Germany.  Along with a number of our Black Belts, we were there to teach AKS techniques at Mr. Andreas Modl's fall karate seminar.  After a session on selfdefense, one of the attending Black Belts came up and said to me:

"You guys do this for real?"

"Yes we do," I replied.

He explained, "Our style is more sport karate; we don't practice much self defense." 

"You've never been to Detroit."

Most of us, hopefully, will never need to use the techniques and holds we practice, with the possible exception of Black Friday shopping.  I have had several corrections officers and police officers in my class.  Their personal safety relies on being prepared.  They face the risk of attacks every hour they are at work.

One of my students, who is a corrections officer told me, "I have learned more self-defense in the last six months than I have in 20 years working for the state."

Mr. Brian Fox is a veteran AKS Black Belt.  Prior to his retirement, he was an emergency room RN.  His hospital often got patients with police escorts who needed medical attention before going to jail.  Many times, he credited his karate training in preventing him from serious injury.

It was apparent that something happened at work, when he would come to class and ask for a self-defense review.  One time, he said a jail inmate picked up a scalpel and tried to stab him.  He said, "High blocks work.  It saved my right eye."

We train to be prepared.  We prepare for the fight that hopefully won't happen.  As instructors, we give our students many tools for prevention, de-escalation, and termination of contentious situations.  The students' reward is having the confidence and ability to manage a street encounter; keeping themselves and their loved ones safe.

Dave Thomas
8th Dan

Member News

Congratulations to Brent and Teresa Chalko on the birth of their daughter, Savannah.  She was born on Nov. 20.   Everyone is doing great.  Dad was only out of class 2 nights.

Also, congratulations to "Grandma(Laura) & Grandpa(Rob) Werner" on the birth of their first grandchild this past August.  Oliver Calip Werner arrived August 27th and weighed 7 pounds and measured 19 1/4 inches long.  Proud parents, Jason (1st Brown AKS) and Marion Werner reside in Vista, California.  Jason is the son of Rob and Laura (AKS Webmaster) Werner.  Fatherhood suits him well!

Do You Have Member News ?

Please send news (weddings, births, graduations, etc.) so that we may share with our members and friends.  Accompanying pictures are most welcome!

We look forward to hearing from you !

PROMOTIONS!!

Congratulations to all students who have been promoted this past quarter, and to those we've missed in prior newsletters.  Best wishes in your continued training!

Are You Getting Older? Getting Better? Or, Both?

At one time or another, most of us hear legendary accounts of aged masters deftly defeating much younger attackers. Old film clips capture for posterity some of the historical movers and shakers that shaped contemporary martial arts; their abilities send the mind reeling!  How do those advancing into the golden years out-perform those in their prime?  While 'wisdom vs. strength' is an adage not easily overlooked, I suspect an enduring, and constantly refining skill set is only one piece of the puzzle.

A glance at our own website reveals a wealth of wisdom represented in the upper echelons of our leadership.  I applaud each for their long years of study, deep commitment, and undying service to the AKS.  Across the ranks of our mentors, years of dedication cumulatively represent a treasure trove of knowledge for the next generation of AKS followers.  Yet, if we're all honest, a look in the mirror reveals we're all facing the ravages of time: hair is thinner and grayer, and if unchecked, the mid-drift drifts further and further!  Eyes get a little dimmer, hearing a bit tougher; ice and pain relievers are constant companions - and WD 40 is a contemplated staple for achy joints!  Silently one wonders: where is the reflection of the young 1st Dan that once gazed into this same looking glass?

I'm not a medical doctor, and before going further, I offer a disclaimer that any and all health advice should be discussed with your health professional; medical, nutrition, and health related matters are best tailored appropriately to you personally, under your physician's care.  Generally speaking though, health information abounds in our culture calling attention to increasing levels of obesity, hyper tension, and the like.  A prominent concern then, facing martial artists of any age is: if you are committed to learning skills that equip you to defeat an opponent (in a tournament ring, in self-defense, etc); are you as intentional about combatting attitudes of apathy when it comes to your individual, physical health?

Simple adjustments to diet and nutrition, water in-take, adequate sleep, regular exercise, intensity level, and the like, all pay big health dividends.  In consultation with your medical professional, a close look at what and how much you consume, are important factors in the out-put goals you expect.  The GIGO principle is a reality ('garbage in; garbage out').  However, a pro-active commitment to healthy living now can redefine that acronym as: 'Good stuff in; Good stuff/result out!'  For example, a diet rich in fiber, low in sodium and sugars is preferred; calcium builds strong bones, as well as contributing positively to muscle health and performance, etc.  Though 'one size fits all' is unsuitable where individual conditioning is concerned, generally improving fitness includes fine tuning what goes in, and measurably evinces in health benefits (lower cholesterol, stable blood pressure, better athletic ability, coping with stress, etc).

Putting this concept to a fresh test, I downloaded a helpful app to track nutrition and exercise.  Now, a year later, I make daily use of MyFitnessPal (myfitnesspal.com).  This particular app comes will short videos on how to use the tool effectively, and you are up and running in just a few minutes!  (Any of many good resources are out there for you to choose from - do some exploring!).  Coupled with a regular exercise regimen (I started a year ago with P90X) the results were incredible!

Think of the "bank account" concept; where you start with a balance of calories you can spend each day.  When those calories are depleted, no more "spending" (work with me here!).  Exercise is a "deposit" increasing your balance.  When pondering intake, be discretionary; it's not just calories, but what kind of calories are consumed.  Further, the right balance is sought between carbs, fats, and proteins; not to leave out recommended daily allowances of specific vitamins, minerals, etc.  Quality, not just quantity, is something worth looking at.

I've expanded on that diet/training premise to supplement martial art training with cardio and strength exercises from a wide-range of training models.  Old-school push-ups and sit-ups still play their part; so too, inclusion of a regular walking/running program, aerobics, resistance bands and/or weights, offer helpful gains.  Stretching feels good, promoting elasticity as a measure against sport injuries, and what a personal joy to still drop down in the splits!  Toning and strengthening muscles improves caloric burn too - muscles effectively use more energy than fat tissue; in short, it's just plain healthy!

Concentration of quality exercise is necessarily varied. Some days, an intense work out is important; other days, lighter demands are more advantageous to the healing of sore muscles.  Some athletes use a concept of muscle group focus, where one set of major muscles (arms, or chest & back, or legs) is targeted, and then varied the next work out.  As with diet, the scope, intensity, and quality of what one does are important.  Alternating cardio one day and strength training the next is a great model too!

With the guidance of your doctor, consider safely getting your heart rate up to proper fat-burn, or cardio levels - alternating the goals in work-outs provides a fun measure of variety!  The increase in activity ideally promotes cardio-vascular health; increased oxygen in-take is said to burn cholesterol (oatmeal and fiber help too!).  Stress relief is huge, and quality of sleep can be improved.  Safely and sensibly applied, quality training coupled with proper rest (intervals, day between work-outs, sleep, etc), sees general fitness improvement as realistic for anyone.  Set your goals, target a realistic plan to achieve those goals, implement the plan, stick with the plan, check-check-recheck your progress, adjust as needed - well, you get the idea!

If, 'a journey of a thousand miles begins with one step,' getting back to basics is a good reminder.  Recall the moment when you first put on a uniform and stepped onto the dojo floor.  Advanced students were kicking and punching like there was no tomorrow, while beginners focused on proper stances, squaring the shoulders, relaxing the arms, etc.  In time, concept that began small and limited, developed you into the skilled practitioner you are today.  In the same way, forget about the competitive angle when developing your personal exercise regimen.  When it comes to your health, you "compete" only with yourself.  You may not be able to crank out 100 push-ups like the person next to you; instead, focus on what you can do, not what you can't do.  If you make progress with 25 reps, start there!  Even ten are fine (it's more than none) - some challenge is needed, but the point is; do what is right for you today and build from there.  Same with diet concerns: if you need to drop a pound or two, start with reasonable adjustments, and working with your nutritionist or doctor, you can achieve realistic goals.  Getting the journey started is important, and once started, the goal becomes: keep going!

ENTER THE NO WHINING ZONE!  Tackle negativity and opt for what you can do.  Slow, methodical movement, as practiced in some camps of Tai Chi or the stretching and balance postures of Yoga, have benefits.  Here's an idea - take one (or all) of the kata you learned and slow things down.  Go through the movements intentionally as though you were in a swimming pool with mild water resistance.  Accent the stances, and attend to full range of motion in the movements.  The discipline to slow down, yet maintain proper posture may strengthen some of those smaller muscle groups and motor skills that are too often neglected in other forms of training.  In short, low impact routines can make positive contributions.  (I have personally discovered some great applications of techniques imbedded in kata this way as well!)

We've all got personal success stories, but I will save those for another time.  Suffice it to say; jokes are rampant about getting out the canes and only thinking about taking a walk (to the refrigerator or mail box, at best).  Instead, I choose to get out my running shoes (just had to buy another pair!).  If you can't run - try walking!  If the weather isn't conducive, train indoors.  Like the fitness app, the treadmills available today give instant feedback on duration, distance, caloric burn, etc.  Collectively, letting those food and exercise numbers work for you advantageously, leads to great outcomes!

At the end of the day, the payoff is not a trophy; there's no new rank to achieve, and no crowd to cheer you on.  In reality, you alone are responsible for your fitness.  At the same time, one of the most satisfying measures comes when you hear your physician give you a good report on your health status.  Translated, that implies: greater potential to live longer, happier lives with your loved ones!

Maybe those ancient tales of elderly fighting heroes are only the dreams of the silver screen.  I suspect though, old footage of those making an impact on modern martial art practices reveals a past generation committed to an active lifestyle and nutritious diet plan.  A conversation last month at the gym made me keenly aware of this as a young student in his 20's saw me stretching at the weight room.  He commented how much he appreciated seeing an older faculty member still working out; it inspired him with a hope to think he will still be exercising intensely 30+ years from now.  He too was a martial artist; sharing more in common, we traded ideas - simply put, being active led not only to good exercise results, but to a new friendship!  Today I realize those old pictures of teachers well advanced in age spur us on to keep training and be physically fit.  In turn, we become the 'living pictures' (of a sort) for those following in our footsteps.

Enough said - you've heard it all before (eat right, get lots of fruit and vegies, include adequate rest, cut back on red meat and fats, increase fiber, dial back the salt and sugar, etc) - but now it's time to act.  The investment in healthy practices you make now, are a down payment toward your future.  Take care of your body, and it is said it will take care of you.  We may get older (age-wise), but we can continue to get better (skills-wise and condition-wise).  Maybe that's part of being wise!

More later; gota run (literally)!