April 2013 Newsletter

Wise Words from Sifu Rick!

Humor to life is like shock absorbers are to automobiles!

AASD ANNOUNCEMENTS

• Friday 4/12/13   6:30 pm,  Belt Test (Little & Junior Dragons)
• Adult Belt Saturday 4/13/13 11:00am in Class.
• LEADERSHIP CLASS Saturday 4/6/13  8:00am.
• Saturday 5/4/13 Kenpo tournament St. John’s Lutheran School, Oxnard

Black Belt Pride

April 2013 Student of the Month

Luke Yered

Luke Yered is the student of the month for April 2013. Luke joined our Black Belt school in Mach of 2013. Luke enjoys classes to the upmost, always giving 100%  and then some. He has benefited much from training, like, better concentration, grades in school, memory skills,  to just mention a few.

As a Orange belt Luke is well on his way to Purple, the next one, and soon to be a member of the Black Belt Club.Sifu Rick is amazed at his dedication and attendance in class, we could all learn from Luke’s fine example.

We would also like to salute Luke’s parents Paul and Connie, for not only their support of Luke, but of our Black belt school as well.

March Promotions

Building Emotional Intelligence through Choices

By Melody Shuman

You make choices everyday that reveal your character. The choices that you make should be the best decisions possible. The choices you make determine just how successful or unsuccessful you are. When you choose to exercise, you are choosing to be healthy. You must also make healthy choices about your emotions, such as anger, happiness, sadness, etc.

Your emotional choices are your reactions to your emotions. If your little brother spills water on your schoolbook, then you may become angry. Anger is your emotion. If you yell at your brother, then yelling is your reaction or behavior to your emotion of anger.

When you are emotionally intelligent, you choose not to yell at your brother. You choose not to behave badly, even though you are experiencing a bad emotion. This is a lesson that Black Belts understand and practice every day.

Answer the following questions to test your emotional intelligence:

1. If someone spreads a nasty rumor about you that hurts your feelings,
would you:
a. Attack him or her physically?
b. Spread equally nasty rumors about that person?
c. Ignore the rumor and solve the problem with that person in a positive way?

2.  If someone called you bad names that offended you, would you:
a. Hit that person?
b. Call that person names in retaliation?
c. Remain emotionally calm and react or behave negatively?

3.  If someone told you that he or she did not like you because of how you dress, would you:
a. Confront that person with a bad reaction?
b. Buy new clothes, so that person would like you?
c. Ignore the person because you like the clothes you wear?

If you answered “c” to all of the above, then you are an emotionally intelligent person. You understand how to choose the right reactions to emotional situations.

Making good choices is a skill you must learn. You must practice making good choices. Sometimes you will make bad choices, but you can learn from your mistakes and be more emotionally intelligent. You may not control many things in life, but you can control your reactions to emotions. When you learn how, you will live a more successful and positive life!

Act With Boldness

Everyone admires the bold, courageous and daring: no one honors the fainthearted, shy and timid. Make a personal decision to do what it will take to succeed. You must study. You must practice. You must be tested. You must boldly welcome the challenge of exceeding other’s expectations of what they think you can do.

Bill FitzPatrick is a 5th-degree Black Belt, holds a Master’s Degree in Education and runs the non-profit American Success Institute at: www.mastersuccess.com.

Martial Arts Success Stories

Personal Profile

The Dojo Is Where I Go For Fun!
By Kiara Alberigo, Age 7

My parents always tell me that I started my martial arts career before I was born!  My mom was already an experienced martial artist, when she was pregnant with me. They tell me that the sound of a Kiai or yell during her training at the school would make me start moving in her belly. They say I was doing Kata!

I became a regular student in the 3-5 year old class at my dad’s school when I was 20 months old. I have been in the martial arts for more than five years. I am a Blue Belt on my way to Purple Belt, and just two belt ranks from Junior Black Belt. I love to do Sai, Bo, gymnastic-like moves, grappling and padded-weapon fighting. When I’m a little older, about nine, I want to help my daddy teach. My favorite part is making new friends and having fun with my classmates. The dojo is a place where I go for fun!

Kiara Alberigo is a Blue Belt student training at Renshi Allie Alberigo’s Long Island Ninjutsu Centers in Long Island, New York.

Healthkick

Another Stress Effect
By Jennifer G. Galea MS RD

There have been many recent news reports about “food-borne illness.” These reports serve as reminders to keep food safe. Buy foods that are safe and handle foods safely in your kitchen.

First, be careful when buying foods. Buy fresh-cut produce, such as cut, whole fruits or bagged salad greens, but only if they are refrigerated or completely surrounded by ice. Drink only pasteurized milk, juice or cider. Recent recommendations have urged consumers to avoid eating any raw sprouts.

Second, store purchased foods safely. Keep any perishable or cut or peeled produce in a clean refrigerator at 40 degrees F (4 degrees C) or colder. Food can be contaminated, if you don’t keep your refrigerator clean, and remove spoiled and old foods. Refrigerate cooked leftovers within two hours of removing them from the heat. Store at a shallow depth of only two inches to speed cooling and keep for a maximum of four days.

Third, safe food-preparation techniques are necessary to keep food safe until it’s eaten. Wash your hands for 20 seconds with warm water and soap before and after food preparation. Wash fresh fruits and vegetables under running water, before preparing them. Scrub any produce with a skin tough enough to withstand the scrubbing. Remove any outer leaves of leafy vegetables. Cook all foods until they reach an internal temperature of 160 degrees F (71 degrees C).

These safe food-handling techniques are very important for today’s athletes, including martial artists. You should include more fresh produce in your diet to increase both vitamin and fiber consumption. You should also probably decrease your total daily caloric intake. A food-borne illness could result in a sub-par performance or a setback in your training, so follow these guidelines to keep your food safe.