by Will Deutschendorf | Jun 25, 2018 | Uncategorized
Belt testing I was so surprised to realize how little I understood about honesty. Not so much being honest in my speech when it comes to confrontation, more people would appreciate it if I was less honest. It is being honest around my friends and those close to me that is difficult. I was bullied as a kid, it left a lasting impression. It made me not want to say how I really felt, conform to the group. This is a useful skill, but not appropriate when it is something that keeps you up at night. Honesty can set you free. When you are honest with where you are it doesn’t matter what happened a year ago, the tragedy of your life can be a tragedy, but that does not mean you can not accept where you are and move forward. Being able to adjust your mindset to grow has to start with not deceiving yourself. If you don’t believe what you are saying people will sense it. So how does martial arts teach honesty? Well to be honest(my favorite phrase I say when I am about to upset someone) it regularly does not. When you have kids who earn something like a black belt after a few years of training and believe that their training mattered because of attendance I laugh. Your attendance can mean you accumulated skill, but in that situation it usually does not. My oldest daughter asks me after every class how she did, and I always say let’s talk about it later. She is not focused on what she is doing half the time,...
by Will Deutschendorf | Jun 22, 2018 | Uncategorized
How High Intensity Interval Training can Help you Lose Weight! As a father and a martial artist, one of my life long goals is to remain in shape. I stay in shape not only for my career, but for my daughter who relies on me to set an example for her. I want her to know how important it is to take care of one’s body not only for health, but for confidence as well. I have tried multiple workouts throughout the years trying to find the right one for me. Still, if having a kid has taught me anything, and it has taught me a lot, it’s that time is limited. I regularly plan my weekly workouts only to have a sick kid or an unforeseen event make me miss or cancel my classes. It is hard to find the time to fit in an hour long workout when juggling a career and a child, as most people can probably relate to me on this. Fitness experts say just do something, but that “something” is so vague. How do I know that I’m targeting the muscles I want just doing “something?” I kept thinking that there had to be a better system for parents like us. That’s when I came across High Intensity Interval Training. High Intensity Interval Training was just the workout I was looking for to fit my hectic schedule. High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) is a great way to get your metabolism going and to burn more calories in a shorter period of time so you don’t have to miss a workout. HIIT programs can...
by Will Deutschendorf | Jun 21, 2018 | Uncategorized
Accept the Situation Martial arts for kids has grown in the last few decades from a fad to a mandatory youth experience. Children train for a few months like they would any sport, in seasonal fashion. Martial arts and karate, I would argue, are not just seasonal sports. The benefits your kids receive from them can be integral in how your child acts as an adult. Here is a list of the top 5 skills your kids should learn from training. I am going to leave out self-defense for a few reasons I will write about in another article. Mainly because of my Master’s degree in Criminology, I know who is usually the msot dangerous to my daughter. A close family member, boss, spouse. Often times these situation’s cannot be resolved by learning krav maga, and kicking someone in the groin. When your boss blackmails you or husband is not treating you right, karate skills can help, but I would argue not because you know how to knock him unconscious. Now are there places of travel, places you can live, and situations to learn self defense? Of course! I am not against learning how to defend yourself. I also do not believe that a martial art can give you any skills if it is not rooted in actual self defense. Still, when I walk on the mat to teach a class I would much rather be developing the skills people consider values, the martial arts is simply a vehicle. Honesty I would argue it is the most important thing on my list for character development. Without honesty you are...
