Kovar's Satori Academy of Martial Arts - Folsom

“Keeping Your Emotions in Balance”.

As the saying goes, “Lose control of your emotions in a fight and your opponent has an ally!”

Every emotion has an appropriate time and place. There is a time to be stern and a time to be compassionate. If we become overly emotional, or if we become emotional when it doesn’t serve us, we lose our ability to think clearly and act appropriately.

If, however, we are able to respond with the appropriate emotion, at the appropriate time, with the appropriate intensity, then our emotions work for us rather than against us.

An important thing to remember is that you are responsible for your actions. You may not be able to control your thoughts, but you certainly should be able to control what you do.

The most important thing you can you do if you feel yourself starting to lose control of your emotions is to be aware that it’s happening. Once you are aware, if possible, you can try to defer the encounter until you are more calm. If that’s not possible, take a moment to breathe deeply, visualize a peaceful place and remember that the situation is seldom as bad as it seems when emotions are high.

“Comparing yourself, not to others, but to your own potential”.

Everyone has different strengths, aptitudes, and potential. The problem with comparing yourself to others is that
you usually end up feeling overconfident.

It’s absolutely okay to aspire to develop the same qualities in yourself that you see in others. You can certainly emulate them using their positive attributes in developing your goals for yourself, but you need to avoid the trap of comparing yourself to them.

A question that lots of people ask is “How do I know what my own potential is?” Generally speaking, you have to listen to your instincts. Your gut instincts are seldom wrong. If you believe that you can accomplish something, no matter how
far out it may seem, chances are you can accomplish it.

Comparing yourself to your potential helps you set realistic goals and not to expect too much or demand too little from yourself in martial arts and in life.

It's time to talk about successful ways to set and achieve our goals for the upcoming school year!

Here is a quick glance at the steps to help you achieve successful Goal Setting.

✅ Write down your goals and post them where they are visible
✅ Break large goals into smaller steps
✅ Tell someone about your goal to help support you
✅ Plan ahead for obstacles

Remember, it’s never to late to set a goal, you can always take the steps in the right direction to achieve anything. Visualize how good it will feel when you reach your goal.

“Goals you set are goals you get!" It's a recipe for the BEST YEAR EVER!

It's time to have the best school year ever!

What are your goals for the new school year? Any exciting plans for the family? Let us know how summer vacation went and what the new school year brings in the comments below!

The "magic words" of good manners are:

✅ Please
✅ Thank You
✅ May I
✅ Excuse Me

Having good manners isn’t just about using the right words. It is about saying them in the right way. More important than what you say is how you say it.

When a parent calls their child's name, one can tell if that parent is mad or not.

✅ If they call the child's name using a happy voice, they are typically in a good mood.
❌ If they call the child's name using an angry voice, they are typically in a bad mood.

What makes it sound different is what we call “tonality.” It has to do with how we use our voice to change the meaning of a word. Similarly, when we say the words: Please, Thank You, May I, and Excuse Me, in these different tones, it can make a big difference on how we are perceived. If you say the word 'Please' in a mad tone of voice it's not going to sound polite and friendly.

Think about how you want to be perceived by others, how would you like someone to talk to you? Remember to always use the right tonality when saying the "magic words" so that you are perceived as being polite and friendly.

☀️ How do you beat that summer time heat? Here are some ideas to keep cool for this summer...

1. Play tag, but with water balloons!
2. Make some fresh, fruit juice popsicles in the freezer.
3. Have a picnic, but indoors!
4. Have a themed movie marathon inside with popcorn and snacks.
5. Do a car wash to raise money for a local charity.

😎And remember, if you do spend time outside in the sun--Don’t forget to protect yourself too! ☀️

✅ Put on sunscreen
✅ Wear a hat
✅ Stay cool in the shade
✅ Drink plenty of water and stay hydrated

On the playground are you a leader or a follower? Are you a good person or a mean person?

It takes someone who is strong on the inside to share or let others go first. It is a good leader who gives praise for a good effort, or who only says nice things about others. It is a mean person who talks bad, puts others down, or teases others when they mess up.

Having good manners when on the playground might be hard at first, but in the long run it brings you more friends and fun.

How do you want your friends to remember you, as someone who was selfish and mean, or as a strong on the inside leader?

What does it means to show respect?

Here's a story... Once there was a famous Martial Arts Grandmaster who noticed that one of his black belt students wasn’t showing respect to his teachers or classmates. So he asked the student why he wasn’t showing respect.

The student said, “But I do have a lot of respect for my teachers and fellow students, only it’s on the inside of me, therefore I shouldn’t have to show it on the outside.” Then the Grandmaster told the student to close his eyes and hold his arms out to the side, and he replaced the student’s black belt with a white belt - and told him to open his eyes. When the student looked down to the white belt on his waist he was shocked and almost started to cry.

Then he said, “Grandmaster, I have worked so hard for the black belt and now you put a white belt on me - why?” The Grandmaster asked the student, “Are you still a black belt on the inside?” The student said, “Yes.” Then the Grandmaster said, “Then it shouldn’t matter what is on the outside” and walked away.

In Martial Arts, we believe that it is not enough to have respect for people, we need to SHOW respect. Showing respect to people is a way of demonstrating good manners. Respecting our self is also important. Next, we should show respect to our families, one way we can do this is by obeying cheerfully. This means do what they ask you to do with a smile on your face the first time you’re asked. This isn't always an easy task, but we should try to do it anyway.

Here are some examples of showing respect to parents:

1. When asked by your parent to do a chore, respond, “Yes, I’ll be glad to.” Then do it!
2. If your parent asks you to help with the lawn, respond, “Okay, I’ll get right on it.” Then do it!

Some other people we should show respect to are teachers, grandparents, friends, and siblings. The ending to the story is the Grandmaster gave the student his black belt back after class, but he never forgot that valuable lesson.

Let's talk about the value of a polite greeting.

It was once said, “You never get a second chance to make a great first impression.”

Often, the first impression is made when we are being introduced or are introducing ourselves to someone.

Therefore, it is very important to deliberately go out of our way to make our greeting polite not only because it shows good manners, but when you look someone in the eye, give them a firm hand shake, and confidently say your name, your behavior says “I’m a nice, honest, trustworthy and confident person, that won't be bullied.”

Happy Fourth of July from Kovar's Satori Academy! 🇺🇸

We hope everyone has a wonderful day! Our academy will be closed July 4th to 6th for regular classes

When someone demonstrates good manners, everybody wins because being polite is not only the right thing to do, it is an important ingredient to success and happiness.

Having good manners means being polite, courteous, and respectful. When we demonstrate good manners, we make great first impressions and politeness is reciprocated.

Some examples of good manners are using the "magic words:” Please, Thank You, Excuse Me, May I, as well as covering our mouth when we sneeze or cough.

This week we can learn a special phrase that we can repeat to ourselves to remind us to use good manners. Repeat this with your families at home, "WINNERS HAVE GOOD MANNERS." By memorizing this phrase we can bring it to mind when we're in a situation that requires good manners wherever we may be.

Over the the past few weeks we have been discussing with our students what we call the ABC’s of Conflict Avoidance. This series of mat-chats are words to live by and can benefit everyone. We thought we would share them with you too!

Breaking it down, there are some simple steps that can help us stay safe!

“A” stands for “Avoid Potentially Dangerous Situations.”
“B” stands for “Be Calm/Breathe.”
“C” stands for “Communicate With Confidence. “
“D” stands for “Don’t Make the Situation Worse by Arguing or Fighting.”

With summer time here, adventure awaits around each corner. Try something new and create memories with each step you take.

"Don’t Make the Situation Worse by Arguing or Fighting."

Most of us have been in an argument. Usually what happens is one person raises their voice, then the other person raises their voice too. Pretty soon both people are yelling at each other. They almost always end up saying something that they will regret later. Once you say something mean, you can’t un-say it.

Imagine that saying something mean is like pounding a nail into a wall. You can take the nail out (apologize), but you still leave a hole in the wall.

Here are some things you can do to keep from arguing:

1.Take 10 deep breaths.
2. Walk away.
3. Try to understand their viewpoint.
4. Ask to talk to them later, after you’ve both cooled down.

The next time an argument starts, see if you can remember one of these methods before it gets bad.

❓ Did you know ❓

Staying physically healthy while learning challenging moves in Martial Arts helps to improve listening skills, mental toughness, and determination.

Kovar's Satori Academy of Martial Arts students believe in themselves and love giving their best.

It’s a slogan worth remembering… “Consistent practice, with effort, over time.”

That’s it. Whatever you want to be good at, just remember, practice, practice, and PRACTICE!

Focus Your Goals.

Don’t make it too complicated. Simplify your goals and give yourself small measurable steps leading up to those big goals!

If we break the goal down into steps, all of a sudden it doesn’t seem so overwhelming. It becomes reasonable and realistic.

Why is it important to be resilient?

Resilience is the ability to take a failure on the chin and bounce right back. It means to learn from the experience but not to be destroyed by it. If we can’t roll with the punches that life throws our way, then we can’t persevere.

Remember failure should be our teacher, not our enemy. You NEVER really fail as long as you keep trying. You’ve probably heard the saying before: “Fall 7 times, rise up 8.”

As long as you keep getting up, you’ll eventually achieve your goal.

Honor, Reflect, and Remember. In honor of Memorial Day all academies will be closed for regular classes from Saturday May 25th - Monday May 28th.

➡️ A goal is something you want to achieve or attain. It is important to set goals because you can’t hit a goal you didn’t set.

✏️ Good goal setting requires writing your goal down, making an action plan, taking action, and reviewing it daily!

There is an importance of breaking down long-term goals into smaller, short-term goals.

Becoming your very best and living a life of Black Belt Excellence does not happen overnight. It takes years of practice, patience, and, of course... You guessed it, perseverance!

In Martial Arts, the Black Belt is a long-term goal, the belt ranks represent mid-term goals, and the tips are short-term goals. If we break the goal of becoming a Black Belt Leader down into belts and tips, all of a sudden it doesn’t seem so overwhelming. It becomes reasonable and realistic.

➡️ Dealing with Obstacles⬅️

No matter what you are trying to accomplish, there will almost always be obstacles that get in your way of accomplishing your goals. It’s important to understand this before you begin. Just knowing this helps you prepare to overcome obstacles before you encounter them.

The next step is to anticipate what kind of obstacles you are likely to encounter and prepare to address them before you encounter them. If you know how to overcome an obstacle before you encounter it, you are much more likely to successfully overcome that obstacle.

Here are the keys to dealing with obstacles:

✅ Understand that you will encounter obstacles
✅ Anticipate what they are most likely to be
✅ Prepare in advance to deal with them