Happy Independence Day America!!

You may have seen the interview that we did with Grandmaster Remy Presas. While I did not think about it at the time, it is more than appropriate that prominant Philipino martial artist like Remy Presas be highlighted on our U.S. Independence Day.

The big reason is historical in nature. In essence when the Spanish occupied the Philippines they prohibited the Filipino people from possessing swords and other such weapons. That caused the arts of arnis, escrima, and kali to evolve as the people practiced their martial arts in a dance like form and preserved their warrior tactics as a cultural tradition without drawing attention from the Spanish. Of course they were able to employ their fighting skills when called upon to do so and pass those life saving methods on to the next generation. Remy Presas is one who possesses a very rich family history regarding the martial arts that developed out of the Spanish occupation.

So what does that have to do with Independence Day and celebrating the 4th of July? In this country we are blessed to do so many things that we often take for granted. For example, we have the right to bear arms, practice our martial arts freely, attend a church and worship as we believe, have families, move from state to state, attend universities, work in a profession of our choosing, and so many other great blessings that we benefit from as a whole.

For that matter, the world is a better place because of July 4th, 1776, when brave men that we revere as the “Founding Fathers” placed their names on a document known as the Declaration of Independence. Of course what happened on that day and after is history, but the freedoms that we enjoy are on going. I am grateful that we enjoy the freedoms that we do because of this great act of faith that took place so many years ago. I know that I benefit today as do people everywhere from what transpired as a result of their efforts to create a new nation that resulted in greater freedom than any country has ever enjoyed at any time.

Some may wish to criticize patriotism. However, that ability to criticize patriotism or any aspect of our government is the result of Independence day and the drafting of our nation’s U.S. Constitution and the Bill of Rights that followed. Independence Day set us on the path that rewarded us with so many blessings in the form of freedom.

Without Independence Day might not be able to assemble in a school like Karate Quest and share the martial arts and enjoy all of the camaraderie and friendship, fitness and many other benefits that change peoples’ lives for the better.

Happy 4th of July to all people everywhere.

Grandmaster Remy Presas, Jr. at Karate Quest

Professor Remy Presas in a candid interview at Karate Quest talks about his family art of Modern Arnis as the arts Senior Black Belt and system head. The interview took place on June 14th. We hope you enjoy watching it as much as we enjoyed doing it.

Adam’s Templar Video

Adam actually did this in March, but it took me a little while to get it uploaded.

Ferndale Boys and Girls Club Auction

I had the opportunity to attend the Boys and Girls Club Auction in Ferndale last Saturday evening.  It was an excellent event with the purpose of raising funds to support the clubs on going activities as well as to accumulate funds to build a new building.  The building the club had used for many years was the old Ferndale skating rink located at Pioneer Park.

That building had a lot of history.  I actually skated there a time or two when I was a kid growing up in Whatcom County.  Many years later, I ran a small martial arts club out of that building which by then had become the Ferndale Boys and Girls Club.  I was working full time as a Detective for the Whatcom County Sheriff’s Office at the time which allowed for me to dedicate a certain number of hours to the club.

Regrettably, I had to revert to offering only private instruction when I was recruited away for a Federal position.  What is nice is that some of the people that I trained during those early days are still training with me today.   However, the Boys and Girls Club building that we spoke of was struck with a fire that basically destroyed the building.  Thus the auction has an even greater purpose.

That being said, the food was phenomenal and the bidders were generous.  I’m not positive how much money was generated, but It had to be more than a quarter million dollars.  Why do I think this is important?  Because the Boys and Girls Club provides an economical service for those kids who get out of school and have a few hours to go before their parents arrive home.  What a great thing that is to have a positive place and a safe environment. 

I feel very similarly about the opportunity that we provide to youth and families here at Karate Quest.  Of course it comes with the added purpose and benefit of learning the martial arts in a safe and positive environment that fosters leadership, integrity, and goal setting.  The kids have tons of fun and what they learn may just help them to save their own life or the life of another someday, though we hope they learn to recognize and avoid conflict before it happens.

 

Scouting and the Martial Arts

Following yesterdays entry I was considering some of the similarities between scouting and the martial arts as they are presented at Karate Quest.  Consider the following information from Spiritus Temporus.

Scout Oath:  On my honor I will do my best to do my duty to God and my country and to obey the Scout Law; to help other people at all times; to keep myself physically strong, mentally awake, and morally straight.

Scout Law:  A Scout is trustworthy, loyal, helpful, friendly, courteous, kind, obedient, cheerful, thrifty, brave, clean and reverent.

Anyone can claim to teach values such as those outlined in the Boy Scout Oath and Law cited above.  However, I don’t believe that someone who lacks morals in their personal life is prepared to teach morals, values and principles to others.  That is why it is appropriate that a Boy Scout who is also a Karate Quest Instructor led the Cub Scouts on their introduction to the martial arts.  It shows principle centered leadership in action.

Ask yourself this question.  Can someone who lacks integrity or has demonstrated over the years that they lack integrity teach that value to other?  I think we all know the answer as this was a rhetorical question.  Many karate schools claim to teach values and Karate Quest delivers on it.  You can see it in Adam and his commitment to the values of scouting on and off the training floor.  You can see it in the distinguished leadership of the school as you look closer at the instructors’ personal lives.  The values are congruent through and throuh.

Should you come across a school where the values they claim to teach and the people teaching them don’t seem to match up, don’t be afraid to move on.  It is appropriate to know a little about an instructor’s personal life off the mat beyond what is presented in their resume of martial arts training.  If you are investing time and energy for yourself or a family member to be molded into a future leader you should know who is doing the molding.

Bottom line a good martial arts instructor should exhibit values in their daily life like an Eagle Scout.  The world would be a better place if Karate Instructors everywhere adopted the Scout Oath and the Scout Law.

To the naysayers who would think you need to put on a tough guy image to defend yourself or teach self-defense I can say that simply is not true.  Awareness and confidence have a lot more to do with avoiding and managing conflict than acting like a tough guy.

By the way, the motto of the United States Secret Service is “Worthy of Trust and Confidence.”  That agency has some of the bravest and toughest men and women on the planet.  However, they always act with dignity and follow the golden rule of treating others as they would want to be treated.  When it is necessary, they know how to do their job better than anybody, but they don’t where a tough guy attitude on their sleeve. 

By the way there are a lot of Boy Scouts in the U.S. Secret Service because they are “Worthy of Trust and Confidence.”  Maybe oneday we can meet I can be given the opportunity to win your trust and confidence.

Until then strive for Karate Quest Excellence!

CSI: Cub Scout Investigators!

Karate Quest was invited to assist with the Cub Scout Twilight Camp for the second year in a row.  The camp is held each year at Hovander Park in Ferndale, Washington and serves the Bellingham and Whatcom County area.

Adam Jolly, a fellow Boy Scout member, highly accomplished weapons competitor and a very capable Karate Quest Instructor, led the training for the young scouts.  This is a fantastic demonstration of how the leadership taught in the martial arts and scouting go hand in hand.  The 2008 theme was none other than CSI:  Cub Scout Investigators.  Adam learned to dust and lift his first set of prints when he was a Cub Scout.  Probably not a big surprise as he grew up in a law enforcement family.  However, his task was to teach some very basic self-defense to the 100 plus attendees.  That was done smoothly and efficiently and the Cubs had a great time.

The highlight was at the end of the evening when Eli Jolly performed a bo-staff demonstration that he carried out flawlessly with the back-flips, butterfly kicks and many other cool techniques thrown in.  Oh, did I tell you that Eli is a Cub Scout participating in the camp.  What’s more is that Eli recently placed third in the underblet division of the Pacific Jewel Nationals.  This was just another example of Karate Quest Excellence!

Remy Presas: A Big Modern Arnis Hit!

The Seminar started off on Friday 13th, and was a big hit.  There were individuals attending from a variety of backgrounds from curious civilian to seasoned law enforcement officers.  Everyone benefited and was able to take something away from the event and have a greater appreciation for the Modern Arnis that is headed by Grand Master Remy Presas, Jr.

Not only did he prove to be a master of the martial art that he teaches, but he has also mastered the art of being a gentleman.  At the end of the day, it is very cool to meet so many remarkable and yet humble people that make up the world of martial arts be it in Chinese Kenpo Karate, Modern Arnis or any of the many other martial arts.

That said, I have met enough martial artist over the years to know that not all are people that I would like to spend my time around off the training floor.  I have to say that would not be a concern regarding Remy Presas.

While here he bestowed the rank of 6th degree black belt on Pat Armijo who teaches the Modern Arnis at the Karate Quest Studio.  Pat had no idea that he would be promoted.  There were three individuals at the event that were testing for various degrees of black belt and Pat was not one of them.  Pat accepted the honor graciously and is the newest of a select few 6th degree black belts in the Modern Arnis.

If you missed this one do not worry.  I’m certain that Mr. Presas will be returning in the future.

Come by and allow us to introduce you to Karate Quest Excellence!

 

 

Remy Presas is Coming to Karate Quest

This Friday the 13th and Saturday the 14th we will be privileged to have Remy Presas, Junior, the Senior Black Belt and Grandmaster of Modern Arnis at the Karate Quest Training Center in Ferndale, Washington. Mr. Presas is coming at the invitation of my good friend and fellow martial artist Pat Armijo. How cool is that? There will even be several individuals who will test for their Black Belt status in the art with Grandmaster Presas.

If you do not know the name Remy Presas as it applies to the Martial Arts then you should. As a kid in school I followed the career of Remy Presas, Senior, as he traveled about the United States and abroad with such notables as Walley Jay and Ed Parker promoting the art of Modern Arnis. Since the death of Remy Presas, Senior, his son and first Black Belt in the Modern Arnis, Remy Presas, Junior has carried the torch as the official head of the system.

Just as I observed following the death of Mr. Ed Parker there was a lot of people claiming they were anointed to be the new system head following the death of Remy Presas, Senior. So not to sound too much like a line straight out of the Highlander, “There can only be one.” Grandmaster Remy Presas, Junior, is the one when it comes to Modern Arnis.

How do I apply that same attitude regarding Kenpo Karate and the passing of Mr. Parker you ask? Quite simple. Mr. Parker’s 4th Black Belt was Chuck Sullivan. When you strip away the politics Chuck is the Senior Grandmaster and final word when it comes to Kenpo Karate. Another Kenpo great is that of Vic Leroux who has trained with Mr. Sullivan and Mr. Parker since he was just a kid himself.

That said, come train with Grandmaster Remy Presas this weekend. You will learn a ton and truly enjoy the camaraderie that exist at Karate Quest.

Karate Quest’s Adam Jolly 1st in Black Belt Competition at Pacific Jewel Nationals

The Black Belt divisions are tough and the best martial arts athletes in the world show up at Padific Jewel Nationals which is a top NBL (National Black-Belt Legue) event making it one of the most highly credible events there is in the Sport Martial Arts world.  There are a ton of tournements conducted by schools and small associations of schools where they declare their own world championships.  However, the Pacific Jewel Nationals is not one of those.

So, let’s get down to business.  The event spanned over two days, Friday and Saturday, May 9-10, 2008, in which competitors were eliminated from competition.  This was not a small task as there were nine different rings in constant motion up until eight of them had to broke down for the Grand Championship on Saturday night.  By the end of the eliminations Adam Jolly secured 1st Place in Black Belt Weapons.  Of course he used his preferred weapon the Katana to slice through the competion. 
Saturday night he competed against two other highly skilled competitors for the overall tournement Grand Champion position for the weapons. 

New to the stage, Adam Jolly, had a restart with his sword routine but then nailed his second attempt.

  The restart cost him a little bit and he tied for second with a very narrow margin between he and the first place competitor.  Overall this was and outstanding performance as it was Adam’s first time attending the Pacific Jewel Nationals, it was great that he was able to bring home the Gold and perform so well in the Grand Champion runoff.
Eli Jolly competed at the Pacific Jewel Nationals as well and placed third in weapons for his under Black-Belt division.  I don’t think it will be long before he has the opportunity to compete for a Grand Championship Position at a prestigious and credible tournament like this one was.

Congratulations to both Adam and Eli for their Karate Quest Excellence!

McKenna Jolly - Runner Up in Templar: Honor Among Thieves Competion

Lots of people dream big.  So few take action on those dreams.  So, when McKenna heard about a competition from  KickGen to win a chance to participate in the choreographed fight scenes of a motion picture she put something together and submit it by the March 31st deadline.  She had some stiff competition to include some world champion martial artists and her very own brother, Adam Jolly, but took a chance anyway.

The movie’s director would only select two.  One who was under 15 to play the role of a kid and another that was older to play the role of an adult attacker.  When the reviews of the competition demos were completed and selections were made she placed second in the overall younger division.  She did not get the coveted 1st place this time, but she demonstrated someone taking mass action to move toward her goal.  That is one of the great things about the martial arts mindset and how leadership is taught through action at Karate Quest.

You would never know that she only just reached twelve years old when you see her on film or leading a class full of eager karate students and future leaders.

When you see McKenna give her a big Karate Quest Excellence high five!