Martial art instructors vary in quality and substance and therefore
so do the Dojos. Qualities necessary in a good instructor are: One who
has a good heart. One who truly respects and cares for his or her students
as individuals. One who teaches the value of respect, discipline, loyalty,
confidence, sportsmanship, commitment, and pride. One who has credentials
from certified, long-standing organizations. One whose school is a place
of honor and commitment rather than spectacle and promotion.
In order to develop a strong body and strong spirit it is necessary
to undergo rigorous training. This is very demanding, because you must
push yourself to what you believe to be your limit and you want to stop,
to give up. When you reach this point you must fight yourself and your
weakness and you must win! To do this you must learn to peresever. But
above all you must be patient.
This is OSU!
Student Essays
BrownBelt Essay
- Kate O’Connell
Arizona Republic
Karate teacher kept up martial art after losing sight
By Linda Helser
Armstrong said some parents who investigate his program are "turned
off" by the idea that he is blind, but most give him the benefit
of the doubt, particularly after they see how articulate and caring
he is with children.
Others don't even seem to notice his disability until told.
"The first day I talked to him I did not even guess he was blind
through the whole conversation because he looked at me while we talked,"
said Claudia Howe, 39, whose 11-year-old daughter Daniela is in one
of Armstrong's Wednesday night classes. "I didn't realize he was
blind until he finally told me." Howe said her daughter has learned
more than just karate from Armstrong. "He's shown these kids that
even if you have a disability, you can work it to your advantage,"
she said.
Tina Lefco, 42, mother of student Tiffany, 10, said she has noticed
other unexpected developments as she watched a recent class. "Those
kids out there aren't in la-la land," she said. "They've really
learned to focus."
Jessica Herriage, 28, said her son Joshua has not only made strides
on the karate mats but in the classroom as well. "He had an attention
problem in school, but he's doing much better now," she said.
Lizeth Barra, an 11-year-old student at Arrowhead Elementary School
in Glendale said Armstrong's blindness has little to do with her initial
goal of protecting herself. "I've learned how to defend myself,
and that's a smart thing to do," she said.
Arizona Parenting Magazine
Martial Arts Moves Keep Kids Safe
By Chris Marek – September, 2004
“You’re not my Dad!” screams a 6-year-old boy during
his marital arts class. His instructor urges the boy to role-play with
him as he grabs the boy’s arm and prods him to scream louder and
louder the words, “You’re not my Dad!”
This effective self-defense technique helps children protect themselves
against an unwanted attack or abduction. Although shouting key phrases
is a tool practiced in many martial arts classes, it isn’t a standard
martial arts technique and didn’t originate from martial arts.
Yet self-defense tools, such as these, are being taught in the matted
grounds of karate schools across the Valley.
Michael Armstrong, owner of the Arizona Personal Protection Academy,
a Kyokushin Karate School in Paradise Valley, says the focus on escape
techniques has increased because instructors realize that realistically
a child would have a difficult time fighting back an adult attacker.
“Our specialized personal protection programs for children, called
Know n’ Go, emphasize escape as your greatest tool,” says
Armstrong. “Children are being instructed to be more aware, escape
and run away, avoid dangerous situations, use intuition and create more
attention to themselves by yelling key words such as ‘stop’
and ‘fire.’ All these self-defense tools have proven to
be effective without a child swinging one karate chop.”
Armstrong incorporates these self-defense tools in his children’s
martial arts classes as a part of their karate lesson for the day. “This
year I found out what a difference these lessons can make in a child’s
life,” says Armstrong. “One of my students, 10-year-old
Susan Dearing*, was approached by a man while riding her bike. Susan
kicked the man enough to get out of his reach and then raced home as
he chased her. Luckily, Susan was not abducted and had the knowledge
to escape.”
