5 Core Beliefs (from the Dream 100 website)

Over the next several weeks I will share great lessons from Kyoshi Dave Kovar's Instructor Boot Camp manual on the Mount Laurel martial artist's Dream 100 resource site. Familiarize yourself with the concepts and principles and do your best to incorporate them in your life, not just on the training floor but every where you go. These are concepts for life. If you want to find out more about Kyoshi Dave, go here.

Share, if not teach, these concepts to everyone you know.

Let's get started...yes?

THE FIVE CORE BELIEFS

There are 5 core beliefs that you must embrace if you aspire to be the best black belt, master, teacher (person) you can possibly be. They are:

1. You are the friendliest person in town...and where you are (the dojang, your job, or school, every where!) it is the friendliest place in town! Everyone should feel welcome. You say hello to everyone, greet everyone, if appropriate, shake their hands. What if every where you went there was someone there that would be responsible for insuring that you have a great experience? Wouldn't that be great? Well, guess what? You are it! You are that black belt training for mastery! So....every where you go lives must be transformed because YOU are there! No small task. That's why it takes a "master", yes?
2. You are the healthiest person (and cleanest) in town...and every where you live and work is the cleanest place in town. Think about it. Going to shop or business that is not clean does not instill confidence that you (or your children) will not have the healthiest experience or the BEST service in town! My goodness, it's dirty and with germs, simply because they did not see you as important enought enough to sanitize and clean.
3. You only train in and teach "great" classes, never just "good"...and all the classes you train in and teach / assist are GREAT classes...because YOU are there! Have it your purpose to train hard and to teach / assist the best classes you will ever teach / assist!
4. You are excellent at communication. The ability to communicate to students, parents, other instructors (and even to yourself!) MUST be an on-going endeavor. Master the art of communication.
5. Every day you spend quality time sharing your martial arts experience with someone new AND inviting them to find out more about martial arts. With all the GREAT things that are happening in your life because of your martial arts training --and there should be GREAT things happening!-- you must spend quality time "sharing/telling your story". You can do it in face-to-face in person, or through emails, letters, postcards, or blogging, Facebook, Twitter, video's, pictures, etc -- any and every way possible...get creative! I truly beleive that you (we) are a light in someone's world. There is a saying that says, "would you light a candle just to cover it?" As black belts striving for mastery, we become a light for many who are challenged just like we are with personal growth and development. Martial arts has become the environment the we have developed and continue to hone skills that bring us growth and significance. If we can be a light, even hope, to just one person, should we not let it shine?

This blog is part of the Ultimate Black Belt Test Program (www.UltimateBlackBeltTest.com), which is an undertaking of The 100. (www.The100.us), and a part of Peter Liciaga's Dream 100 Project.

Building Our Communities One Family At A Time

First MMA class a fun success!

We just had our first mma class and everyone was so excited about it. After some chit-chat about safety and equipment we got to work doing a quick warmup and stretch, then to some introductions to stances, striking, movement, kicking, break falls and ground positions. Everyone enjoyed the sweat, striking the focus mitts and the ground grappling. I look forward to next week, which by the way, starts our first full week of mma classes.

You can also visit our MMA Basic Module One for an outline of some of the things we covered in our first class.

If you are interested in trying a free class, just go HERE or call us at 856-235-0414.

See you the mat!

Peter Liciaga

The Bully Cycle: Who is Responsible for Keeping Us All Safe?

In order for harassment to take place, you need more than just a bully and a victim. This is a complex event; my good friend and Verbal Judo Master Trainer, Gary T. Klugiewicz, breaks down the situation in an effort to promote greater understanding of these types of events.

****  Read Below **** 

Your Mount Laurel martial artist,
Peter Liciaga

The Bully Cycle: Who is Responsible for Keeping Us All Safe?

by Gary Klugiewicz

Bullying is a complex event.  Since my undergraduate work was in sociology, I usually look at systems when dealing with problem-solving.  So it was only natural that my examination of the bullying problem focuses on system failures rather than the action of the individual bully.  It is important for us all to understand that if we have a bullying problem in our school, social group, or workplace, we have a bigger problem than just one person, the bully, acting badly.

A bully doesn’t operate in a vacuum. The problem encompasses the entire group whether that is a school, a social group, or a workplace.

The Bullying Cycle is made up of:
1. the person who bullies,
2. the victim who gets bullied, and
3. the larger group that allows the bullying to continue.  This larger group is made up of both peer group members and persons in authority who allow bullying to occur and continue.

A key point is that bullying continues in any setting only when the group permits it through a sick sort of co-dependency.

In order to disrupt the Bullying Cycle all three of the following components need to be addressed and mobilized.

• The bullied person needs to be empowered to stand up to the bully and to solicit support from both his/her peer group and appropriate authority figures.

• The peer group needs to be empowered to stand up to the bully, resist him/her with their peer group pressure, and solicit support from person in authority figures.  The authority figures who witness or are notified of bullying activities must then take appropriate action to keep everyone safe.

• Even the bully is part of the equation – s/he needs to be reached out to in order to try to stop that behavior.  The bully must be placed on notice that the behavior needs to cease or appropriate action will be taken. Bullying occurs because we -- the bully, the bullied, the peer group and persons in authority - - allow it.  We need to practice the same type of Ethical Intervention that Dr. George Thompson of the Verbal Judo Institute (www.VerbalJudo.com) trains police officers to use when a member of their group acts badly.  Who is responsible for keeping members of our school, group, or workplace safe from bullying?  We all are.  We need to establish a “Caring Watch” of each other to keep us all safe from inappropriate, intimidating, and possibly physically threatening behavior.

• Persons who act like bullies need to be taught that they don’t need to bully, that they can change, and that their bullying will not be tolerated.

• The person being bullied needs to learn that bullying is not okay and that they have the right not to be bullied.  This victim should be taught ways to interrupt the bullying cycle and how to seek out support from his/her peer group and authority figures.  Bullying targets must feel that they are able to reach out to their peer group and authority figures for support.  This person should expect that their peer group will support them and, if needed, that authority figures will protect them.

• Peer group members need to be trained to understand how to appropriately intervene or, if necessary, notify authority figures to help them manage the bullying.  Finally, authority figures need to be trained to recognize bullying behaviors and how to respond appropriately to manage the bullying and that ignoring the problem is harmful to persons under their supervision and harmful to themselves  due to liability concerns that rise out of a “failure to protect” someone in their “care and custody."

Remember bullying doesn’t occur in a vacuum.  It occurs within a system and therefore a systematic approach is needed to manage the problem.  We all need to do our part to keep everyone safe from this kind of misbehavior.  Most people who become abusers were themselves abused.  Let’s stop the Bullying Cycle now by managing bullying one incident at a time.

Gary Klugiewicz is employed by PoliceOne as a law enforcement consultant. He is nationally known as law enforcement defensive tactics trainer. Gary works with Dr. George Thompson from the Verbal Judo Institute. He can be contacted at gtklugiewicz@cs.com. This article originally appeared at the Better Kids Institute. Used with permission.

Parents Night Out

Hello everyone! Hope your Memorial Day was as great as mine! Parents Night Out is going to be on Saturday, June 11th from 5 to 8PM. Space is extremely limited so see Mrs. Dinoto right away to reserve your spot. The cost is as follows: Basic Members $20; BBC $10; LP/CIT $5; Friends and Family $10. Feel free to email me with any questions.

Toolbox for Better Parenting Seminar in Mount Laurel

Mount Laurel martial artist and education activist, Peter Liciaga, will be conducting the first Toolbox for Better Parenting Seminar at Dinoto Karate Center in Mount Laurel on Saturday, June 4th, 2011 at 2pm.

The objective of the Toolbox for Better Parenting Seminar is to get parents more involved. This is a perfect opportunity for parents to see some of the tools that your Mount Laurel martial arts school use that are instrumental to the success of your child.

All parents with children that are 4-years old and older are invited. There is no cost for this seminar. When parents come in, we give a little workout, so they can experience what their children experience in a martial arts class. This gives the parent a lot of appreciation and respect for what their child will do in a karate class.

Then we will go over great tools for parenting from the book, "A Dad's Toolbox for Better Parenting" by Dave Kovar. These tools are applicable to anyone who are interested in the development children -- parents, grandparents, guardians and educators.

The first seven families that sign up will recieve a free copy of Dave Kovar's book, "A Dad's Toolbox for Better Parenting."

You must register for this event. To register go here.

Women in the Martial Arts - What men need to learn...

Here is a great article written by my self-defense coach and mentor, Bill Kipp

Women in the Martial Arts

The martial Arts world has evolved a great deal over the years, particularly in the past decade or so. The “old school” mentality has been primarily overtaken by the new wave of successful martial arts schools where both children and women are taking a much more involved role. Children now comprise the largest MA student populace and are the bread and butter of most successful martial arts schools.

In addition, the role of women as instructors and as students has also become quite significant. In the old days women had a very rough time dealing with the “good ole’ boy” mentality prevalent in the martial arts community. Some of these women persevered, with huge credit due to them for doing so. Others left those schools to start their own where they wouldn’t have to deal with such unnecessary abuse. And sadly, many of these early female students left due to not finding the very safety that led them to the martial arts in the first place. Over the years many of us men have per force become more sensitive to the unique issues that arise for women. Women not only have every right to be martial arts school owners and instructors, they have proven to be valuable resources as instructors of male owned schools and very adept school owners themselves.

In my travels teaching adrenal stress response training at schools across America and abroad, I have the opportunity to meet many of these inspirational women and to hear first hand what they have and in some cases still must go through in this highly competitive industry. Although most of the good ole boy mentality is gone, there still exist complicated dynamics between the genders in the martial arts world even in best-case scenario.

The following is a situation that personally occurred to me that illustrates the unique challenges that many male school owners and female students face in a traditional Martial Arts environment. The experience taught me a great deal, though it came at a cost. It is my hope that the story can help others prevent such occurrences from happening in your school.

“It started pretty much as a typical Wednesday open sparring night. The standard 8-10 regulars were there as well as a couple of guys from another local school who often showed up to play. Most of the participants were men, but there were a couple of women as well. One woman was Terri, an established Black Belt and the other was Kathy, a Blue Belt who was outwardly pretty tense but showed a lot of heart. I always sensed there was something going on inside her that she was trying to cover up, but felt it wasn’t my place to dig where I didn’t belong. Heck, I was a martial artist, not a therapist, and none of my previous instructors had ever asked how I was “feeling”. You either show up for sparring or you don’t.”

“The group started pairing off and followed the standard rules of agreement on the level of intensity before squaring off with each other. I was absorbed in working with a young guy who was preparing for an upcoming test when I detected a change in the group energy. I turned to see Kathy, the Blue Belt woman, quickly bow off the floor. A quick scan of the room showed she had been paired up with Jim, one of those guys who by nature goes harder than he likes to admit. You know the type. He stood there with shoulders hunched in a confused gesture and voiced that he had accidentally popped Kathy “lightly” and she “just ran off”. Throwing him an irritated “We’ve discussed this problem before” kind of glance, I left the floor to check on Kathy. Terri, the Black Belt woman was already there consoling her. It looked like Kathy might be crying but she refused to show me any tears. Putting up a stiff upper lip she mentioned she was “fine” and that everything was okay. Terri assured me that she had the situation under control so I returned to the floor. After re-administering my standard warning to all about control and following the rules of agreement, sparring continued. A short time later I saw Kathy leaving the school and went over to ask how she was doing. Again she assured me that everything was okay as she walked out the door. Terri returned to sparring and we finished the session without further incident.”

“A couple of weeks went by and I saw no sign of Kathy. When I inquired to Terri about what was up, her reply caught me off guard. Taking me aside, she explained that Kathy was in an abusive relationship and had received several beatings from her alcoholic husband over the years, one of them quite recently. This was the very reason she had originally signed up for the martial arts. My expression conveyed the amazement common among men who simply can’t comprehend why anyone would ever stay in such a relationship. Terri said it was a difficult situation and that we should give Kathy space to determine if and when she wanted to resume class. She also mentioned that being a woman in martial arts was far different than it was for men. At the time I had no real idea of what she meant, nor did I have any plausible solutions.”

“Sadly, Kathy never returned for another class. Even worse, I later learned that she had actually tried to fight off her husband using the techniques I had taught her and that her self-defense attempts had only enraged her drunken husband into beating her worse. Needless to say the incident hit me pretty hard, and I felt pretty helpless about it all.”

This incident occurred approximately eighteen years ago. I had just returned from 2 years of living and studying Martial Arts in Asia after a four-year hitch in a Marine Recon Unit. Teaching the Martial Arts was my joy and helped provide extra income. Like most male martial arts instructors, I was a nice guy who genuinely cared about people and their ability to defend themselves. But I was way out of touch with the issues that can come up when working with women in this male dominated environment. Now, after fifteen years of co-teaching women’s self defense seminars with various female experts on violence against women, and having worked with literally hundreds of abuse survivors, the picture is much clearer.

As I see it, there are 3 very important issues that are not being addressed in most martial arts schools:

1. As men, it is very difficult to understand the level of intimidation and fear that many women feel in everyday situations that guys take for granted. This dynamic is definitely alive in the martial arts world. Fortunately a lot of the “good ole boy” attitude has been left behind, though certainly not all of it. But even in progressive schools the environment can still be very challenging for women. Whether female students have any history of abuse or not, activities like sparring or grappling with the nicest of guys can trigger emotional issues. More women students leave the Martial Arts for these reasons than most of us realize.
2. Teaching women the standard self-defense moves that were handed down to us by our instructors are often not only insufficient for dealing with the ways that women are attacked, they can actually set up women to be greater victims. This does not mean that the martial arts are wrong or bad, but that traditional MA training lacks components that are critical for women to effectively deal with violent confrontations. If these standard self-defense methods have gotten many a Black Belt man beaten by a good street-fighter (and they have!), imagine how many women martial artists have been hurt over the years in violent altercations.
3. The majority of attacks on women are perpetrated by someone that they know. It’s one thing to fight back in a dark alley where it’s is clearly an assault, and another matter completely to fight back against abusive friends, co-workers, boyfriends, or husbands where the boundaries are already vague and the socio-conditioning screams at them to not fight back, don’t make a scene, and just put up with the behavior. Date rape and battered women syndrome are very real problems with very real psychological issues that require solutions far beyond the scope of physical defense techniques.

The Martial Arts are technique-based paradigms. Each student makes a long-term journey to learn and master the various physical techniques required of their respective style. The success of the new evolution of self-defense programs (EZ Defense, FAST, RMCAT, and others) has shown that real life self-defense requires more than just physical techniques.

Awareness and education of the following dynamics of assault and the mistakes people make under duress is crucial for self defense to be effective:

• The socio conditioning that can keep someone from fighting back at all
• The often debilitating effects of the adrenaline fear response
• The mindset and intention of attackers
• The verbal skills to de-escalate or ward off a hostile person
• The proper mindset to act when needed. If a person is unable or unwilling to fight back with absolute commitment, no technique in the world is going to help them.

We are not therapists but we do owe our students the very best instruction and help we can provide. If you know of a woman who has been in or is currently in an abusive relationship, there are resources available in most communities to help deal with this problem. You will help by being supportive and pointing her in the right direction to get help from professionals who have experience with these issues. Your local Rape Crisis Center, Battered Women’s Shelter, and Victims Assistance (usually attached to the District Attorney’s Office), can all point you in the right direction if they can’t help you directly. They can also provide you with a reading list or personal training on how to better address violence against women.

Simply being aware of these complicated issues goes a long way in being more sensitive to the unique needs of female students and providing a safe environment for them to train. The communication age is about breaking barriers and improving our lives faster and better than ever before. It is time to further break out of the box of the good ole boy Karate Gym and provide the highest quality service we can to all of our students. They deserve nothing less and we all benefit from the effort!

~ Bill Kipp

FAST Defense Website

Dinoto Karate Center's self-defense for women call 856-235-0414 or email Master Erika Dinoto at dinotokarate@gmail.com

Wisdom Beyond Their Years! Essays from our Children.

Dinoto Karate black belts serving our community

This would make a great poster.  Yes?

DKC students "live" the leadership team oath!

This short-short video shows you Dinoto Karate's most outstanding students --living and breathing Leadership Program superstars. What I think about when I see this video is that 10 or 20 more kids like the ones Dinoto Karate is cultivating in their leadership program – is a very, VERY unique way to serve our families and community in a very, VERY powerful way!

And note: You CAN'T cultivate the kind of success we are talking about in a “kicks & punches only” karate school; nor can you find a book/report that shows you exactly how to find and cultivate kids like the ones in the video --who will go out and make "stuff" happen, remarkably—from great, GREAT grades to powerful & positive choices to fund-raising!

I CAN tell you that Dinoto Karate is doing their part (and all that goes on behind the scenes), to cultivate and develop real BLACK BELT LEADERS (in today's world), because actions speak louder than words.

What I like about the work that these kids are doing is that there's no "formula" behind it. It's REAL stuff. I like it because I think about what it means to these kids --what they'll remember, what they'll take from it, and what it means to the other kids around them ("home-grown" heroes...something I've/we've been talking about for awhile now.)

It's so clean and pure and perfect. Its kids doing something cool. Something they care about and something that's good for EVERYONE involved. I Love that.

Remember folks: We are here to KEEP IT REAL --working with kids (and their families) --for the right reasons. Show them how the confidence they're practicing on the mat can be applied to, well...ANYTHING they care about. Show them how to organize, how to lead, how to write, how to film …how to tell their story. We use our leadership skills and experience to connect them to the right tools, the right people, and to encourage the heck out of them.

We talk to our children about what their efforts MEAN. What it means to their life, to the lives of people around them, to what it means to their community, and what it means to the world.

We work really, REALLY hard to teach our students to bring GREAT small projects to fruition; to smile and enjoy the process …and show them that what they are doing is really, REALLY good work.

Help us to pave the way for the new / next generation of real black belt leaders who cultivate "out of the dojo and into the world" kind of work --and all of us will play a significant part in a better, smarter, powerful, purposeful and more evidence-based-black-belt-leadership kind of education for our world.

With these kinds of stories and kids around the academy, we are simply no longer a martial arts school teaching life-skills --we're a life-skills school that uses martial arts to teach. This IS what brings the most value to our family, community, and the world …yes?

Peter Liciaga
Education Activist and Master Martial Arts Teacher

PS...visit us at http://www.dinotokarate.com/ and see what our students are doing in our community!

Communities and Charities Benefit from Martial Arts!

Congratulations! to Karissa (a beginner student!) and her whole family for raising over $15,000 for American Cancer Society - Relay for Life and Alexandra (10 year old black belt) for helping design the Stop Bullying Now Project and speaking to over 1000 kids about bullying! http://www.ourbullyproject.com/



Dinoto Karate Center is more than just kicking and punching, it is about building a healthy person AND making a difference in our community.

While other martial arts schools may talk and teach kicks and punches Dinoto Karate student are actually making a difference in their communities in a very purposeful and powerful way.

Civic engagement and community activism is the heart of Dinoto Karate's leadership program. In this way the students learn first hand the value and importance of their role in the community and beyond. This it not to say we tell the students what organization to volunteer for or help, actually they choose the cause, working together (sometimes with their whole family!) to help those organizations/causes. The students are given the tools, the guidance and the power. They choose. They make the difference.

I am very proud of all the students that have stepped up to help their communities and charities. The students constantly amaze me with their generosity, spirit and leadership. Keep up the amazing work!

Thank you to all DKC students that have shown compassion, leadership and the true spirit of a black belt leader!
 
SOO BAHK!!!

Peter Liciaga

DINOTO KARATE CENTER — We're Here To Make A Difference.

Is your child making a difference in their community? I want to know. Email me at masterliciaga@dinotokarate.com and recieve One Month of training for your child in our Leadership Program as my guest for free!

For more info about what we are doing in our communities, go HERE

Parents excited about fun events for Kids in Mount Laurel NJ

Are you looking for some exciting children's entertainment?

Try Mount Laurel's Dinoto Karate Center!

Dinoto Karate Center is creating a buzz among Mount Laurel parents for having the best events and birthday parties in town.

Dinoto Karate's last event was a 3-hour Parent's night out (see video below!) where the kids had fun with ultimate obstacle courses, relay races, pizza, snacks, board break challenges, music and learning about courage, confidence, fitness and fun!

Here is a short video of their "We are the Champions" dance-off!

Dinoto Karate's next event is this Friday, February 25.

They will have a their annual Glow in the Dark Light Saber event! If your child is into Star Wars! and loves waving a light saber, this is the event for him! Dinoto Karate is located in the Shop Rite Shopping Center in Mount Laurel at 127 Ark Road (behind Friendly's and McDonalds.) For directions or more information call Mrs. Dinoto at 856.235.0414 or go HERE

Watch last years Glow in the Dark event below...

Who is REALLY in Charge?

An idea by Jim Rohn which I found interesting and thought-provoking. Very appropriate for Presidents' Day.

"While presidents may have a general effect on your circumstances, they do not have a specific effect on your circumcstances. ...understand...no single person - other than yourself - will have an effect on what your individual life outcome is."

Martial Arts if You're Over 30? Well, Yes (or Maybe)!

If you're over the age of 30, should you consider studying the martial arts?

Well, yes --and no.

You should consider a regular, daily, exercise program, for sure. A sensible one; one that starts slow and lets your fitness sneak up on you (rather than hitting you over the head with it).

A martial arts program certainly has the potential to be a wonderfully complete training program, as it includes stretching, strength training, aerobic exercise, and requires a kind of mental focus akin to deep meditation. That is, if the instructor you choose is old enough to have the right kind of experience. Instructors that are under the age of 30 are often spectacular athletes, but they don’t know what it’s like to be out of shape, to be 30-plus, and they tend to lean towards competition and acrobatics --and trust me, at 30 the last thing you need is acrobatics.

But Oh, find a great teacher and the martial arts can become your best friend. The training can keep you supple, sharp, and clear thinking. A martial arts school, directed by a conscientious teacher, can be a centering, inspiring, refreshing place that you love going to --and leave thinking about your next session.

As a teacher at 49 and getting ready to turn 50, I'm so much more careful, more balanced, more patient. After training for over 40 years and teaching for almost 20, I'm finally starting to get good at it.


Chronicles of Doneghy - Session 11 from Peter Liciaga on Vimeo.
74 year old training in martial arts for fitness and self-defense! Outstanding!

Yes, look to the martial arts for some new perspective on your life, after the age of 30. It’s not too late, even at 40, 50, or 60. To choose a school take their trial course (which should be free or close to it). All the best schools offer new students an opportunity to test drive “the car” before buying. I think you should try my school, of course, but I might be a tad bit prejudice.

If you’re thinking about taking classes, allow me to be the first to invite you in. Mention that you’re over 30 and I will offer you a free private lesson and a couple of group lessons to try us out (no strings attached). Warning: It’s fun, affordable, and invigorating. It’s never too late to start working out. The most difficult aspect of exercise is taking that first step.

Reach me here: masterliciaga@dinotokarate.com or call 856.235.0414 and ask for Peter Liciaga!

2 Simple Self Defense Tips

Here are two simple self-defense tips, a one-minute-read, that could save your life --and/or the life of someone you love.

Ready?

1. Eat MINDFULLY. Eating without paying attention causes you to eat the wrong things and/or too much food. Doing either (or both) could, as they say, “take the shine off your shoes.” Heart disease, diabetes, and all sorts of ailments await the person who doesn’t practice mindful eating. Look to the video, below, for for some mindful eating basics (it’s Harvard Professor, Dr. Lilian Cheung, co-author of Savor, Mindful Eating, Mindful Life): The video is here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Emd9q6_o6Z0
2. The self-defense expert Sanford Strong, author of Strong on Defense, sets forth four survival rules that everyone should know if faced with a dangerous situation or attack:

• React immediately
• Resist,
• Avoid crime scene #2
• Never give up.

Want more? (We want you to want more!)

We are actively recruiting women (mothers and daughters) in our community for an upcoming 2 hour “What I Need to Know About Self-Defense” workshop. If you would like to be on our “Self-Defense Tips” mailing list and/or hear more about our workshops, please contact us here: masterliciaga@dinotokarate.com or call me Peter Liciaga directly at 856-235-0414.

Self-Defense is Found in the Simple Things

We teach self-defense --and self-defense is found in the simplest of things. Kindness, for example; kindness is a beautiful form of self-defense. Good food --and the appreciation of it; there’s great kind of self-defense!

Oh, and how about love of community? Participation in --and love for --one’s community is a kind of self-defense that’s impossible to put a value on.

And my favorite kind of self-defense is found in a simple rule, The Golden Rule:

Treat others as you would want them to treat you.

Simply perfect.

I like Tom Callos’ (www.tomcallos.com) description of self-defense too:

“Self-defense isn’t only about personal protection, it’s about taking care of the people around you and the place you live as well.”

And of course, self-defense training is all you already imagined it to be, but with this particular attitude about it, self-defense becomes about living a good life. What a great idea.

For information about our school and our self-defense lessons for today’s world, contact us HERE.

Master Dinoto Teaches Your Child The Importance of Appreciation

Yesterday in our childrens' martial arts class, Master Instructor Michael Dinoto discussed the importance of learning to appreciate what we have- not to take anything for granted- not your parents, friends, or the opportunities and things we get to enjoy in life.

The word “appreciation” means really seeing something for what it is - an awareness of how special, how lucky, how unique, how blessed, how big, wonderful or awesome something is. Appreciation is a recognition not based on comparison, but based on the intrinsic value, character or immensity of a thing or state itself.

In a money-centered world, it may feel difficult to teach children the act of being grateful. While merely teaching thank you is a wonderful start, here are some tips that carry on the sentiment of thanks long after the words have been spoken.

Tips for Teaching Gratitude to Kids

• Having children go through their belongings periodically gathering unused items to give for charity donations is another way to teach the importance of helping others.
• A homemade, anonymous gift package is a wonderful way for your child to show gratitude. Baskets may include toys or stuffed animals that your child no longer plays with given to another child with a handmade/drawn note/card of thanks.
• The simple act of leaving spare change on a public bathroom counter with a gift note may help teach the importance of giving.
• Print-out coloring pages with themes of appreciation make excellent gifts of gratitude.
• Have your child pay for a friend's lunch in school one day.
• Children learn to help others when given the chance to read to, play games with, or teach math to a younger friend.
• Many communities offer the opportunity to help those less fortunate during the holidays by adopting a family that cannot afford their own gift exchange or holiday feast.
• Teach your child to find & clip coupons to use towards the purchase of food items intended for food bank donations.
• Earn money for charity by running a lemonade or cookie stand.
• Offer to help a neighbor do simple yard work or other chore.
• On family outings, spend an hour at the beach or park picking up trash.
• Many children will enjoy baking and delivering fresh, homemade goodies to a neighbor or friend.

*Create an Appreciation Book
As a special honor, an appreciation book for gift giving that includes a personal photograph or drawing on the cover page is an excellent way to show thanks, especially to grandparents and our elderly. Assign an admirable trait to each page and decorate these pages with photographs, stickers, and crayons

If you have any other ideas to add to this list, please add it below in comments. If your child is already demonstrating acts of appreciation, please let us know.

While teaching children actions such as holding the door for others, and saying please and thank you are a daily reminder of gratitude, thankfulness can be further ingrained through fun and playful gestures towards others. As children witness those around them showing appreciation, it will become clear that setting a good example is one of the most effective ways to teach gratitude.

Article contributor: Peter Liciaga is an education activist and a project-based leadership program mentor. To find out more about Peter and Project Based Leadership Training, call 856-235-0414.

Martial Arts Is About Perfecting Character

"The ultimate aim of karate lies not in victory or defeat, but in the perfection of the character of its participants."

~ Master Gichin Funakoshi

A couple of parents (and students) have asked about the leadership training and what it's about. In a nutshell, our leadership program is about character development in a "new way".

The "old way" VS the "new way"

The "Old Way" of teaching leadership education, character development, and motivating and inspiring children, youth, and teens was through speakers or books about someone else's journey toward leadership.

The "New Way" is to make these students become the ACTION hero of their own journey. Give them challenges to take action in their communities and take real action on their goals and achievements. Teaching them to build confidence and leadership skills through creating their own success stories and recording it along the way.

What's more powerful, giving a student a book or an inspiring lecture about their ability to succeed... or ...helping them become a part of a team that logs hundreds of community projects effectively teaching something very real about confidence, discipline, initiative, courage, action, awareness, and above all leadership?

Our leadership team oath is 

I Promise to do My best to be a Black Belt Leader

Not just here at the academy

But at home, at work, and at school too.

I Promise to improve my mind and my body every day.

As an education activist and a martial arts master teacher, my goal is to teach something very real about leadership in our leadership program with the hope that all our students will look to their martial arts teacher for direction in becoming a leader.

Making the Right Choices
On our path through life, we are constantly making choices. Every choice that we make will have a positive result or a negative result. The decisions that our children make now will shape the rest of their life forever. When you make the choice for your child to learn REAL leadership by taking action in thier community, there can only be one type of results - REMARKABLY POSITIVE RESULTS!

Leadership is Learned

We have all heard that leaders are not born, they are created... created through experiences, opportunities, and overcoming adversity. Whether your child already exhibits leadership qualities, or you feel like your child has no leadership traits at all, they CAN become a leader.  Their journey towards leadership starts with a community project and their project portfolio.

Learning Skills For The Rest Of Their LifeCompleting community action leadership projects at any age is impressive, especially when your child is influencing others around them to help. The leadership skills they will learn will help them through Grade School, Middle School, High School, College, their Career/Profession and beyond.

For more information about our leadership program, call us at 856-235-0414 or email me at masterliciaga@dinotokarate.com

5 Free Tips for a Healthier New Year!

(No charge - but we'd love it if you stopped by for a FREE class!)
(Here are some tried and true tips to stay on track in 2011. You've probably heard most of these before, but it's always good to review them every once in a while because we KNOW we don't always follow them!)

1. Don't grocery shop when you're hungry. Just don't do it!
2. If you don't buy those snacks, you won't eat them. Do NOT keep snacks in the house!
3. Eat your fruit first, vegetables second - and everything else third. "Everything else" should consist of healthy choices - and hopefully all those fruits and veggies will keep you from being a little piggy with the "everything else"!
4. Regular, daily exercise. No, you don't have to come to our gym every day, but you HAVE TO HAVE TO HAVE TO stay active. Use those stairs, park farther away - you know the drill. (And you can come to a fitness class every other day or so!)
5. Don't load up that giant plate. Use a smaller plate. If you must have more, take your time with it. Give your food a chance to tell your brain that you're really not hungry anymore! And keep the serving dishes in the kitchen so you'll at least get a little exercise having to get up and go get your seconds and thirds...

Health means diet AND exercise. Losing fat AND gaining muscle are the keys to a healthier body.

• Losing fat is about 2/3 diet and 1/3 exercise.
• Gaining muscle is about 2/3 exercise and 1/3 diet.

We can help. We can make it more fun! 

NEW MORNING & EVENING ZUMBA FITNESS CLASSES NOW AVAILABLE AT DINOTO KARATE CENTER!

Give us a call today. 856-235-0414

Parent's Night Out - We Will Rock YOU!

Almost 50 kids enjoy 3-hours of obstacle courses, re-breakable board challenges, music, karate, dancing, pizza and high-energy fun & excitement at Dinoto Karate Center's 3rd annual Parent's Night Out while parents enjoyed a night out on the town!

Led by education activist Peter Liciaga and the DKC event staff, the kids were treated to an evening of non-stop high-energy fun!

The theme of the event was "Operatation Domination - We Will Rock You!" Teaching the kids that they have the power to make a difference in their families and communities. Whatever they have a passion for or care about, they can be a voice that can be heard. Whether it is girls self-esteem, a positive male self-image, anti-bullying, environmental awareness, diet & health, fitness, animal rights, whatever they feel passionate about, they can be the voice that makes the difference!

We are looking for youth that want to make a difference in their communities. Find out about our Project Based Leadership Program and join the "Operatation Domination - We Will Rock You!" campaign.

Call Peter Liciaga at 856-235-0414 to find out more, or email him at pliciaga@gmail.com