Archive for the ‘Uncategorized’ Category
Going Old School
Galaxian
Tonight, we expect the first of several fun changes to Community Martial Arts. One of the thing I have always wanted was my very own personal arcade. Some of my most memorable times were spent dropping quarters into my favorite games.
I wanted to share my love of the classic arcade with you. We have acquired our second arcade machine Galaxian, a cocktail style arcade game that you can play against your friends or family.
Here is a video of the game play… the memories 
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Kung Fu Testing
Title: Kung Fu Testing
Location: 325 Main Street Mount Vernon
Link out: Click here
Description: Testing for the students in the Kung Fu Program at Community Martial Arts
Start Time: 9:00
Date: 2009-04-25
End Time: 11:30
Easter Sunday
Title: Easter Sunday
Description: Easter Sunday
Start Time: 0:00
Date: 2009-04-12
End Time: 23:59
Virus Virus Everywhere….
Conficker Virus
Forgiveness as a weapon
Forgiveness Is Powerful
Forgiveness - a simple word that I ask of my children when they get in a fight.
They look at each other timidly and then say ’sorry’ and ‘I forgive you’ and supposedly the world is all the better for it.
I however believe that forgiveness is something that has to be practiced. Forgiveness can really be a weapon you can use. Forgiveness is powerful. Forgiveness takes the power away from those that people who do you wrong. You can use forgiveness as a way to remove the pain that an event or situation has on you.
Forgiveness… wield it.
Series the Code : Honoring Your Word
Honor Your Word
Honor Your Word
This weekend I am honoring my word.
I was hired to teach a self defense seminar in Missouri. The instructor who asked me to come has struggled to put together enough people who have pre-paid and reserved their spot for me to come in. From a seminar stand point this is bad. First you wonder if you will get paid what you are obligated in order to come and drive to the location. Secondly you wonder if there is low attendance is it really worth the trip?
It doesn’t matter.
My job is to take care of my word. I told the instructor I would be there. He planned well enough in advance and just like many others in this ailing economy he has failed to drive enough interest.
Think of it this way, if I decided to bail on this venture who would be hurt? In truth a few. More importantly I would fracture my relationship with this instructor and future endeavors. Honoring your word is important despite the circumstances and gives you character. People will look upon you as dependable.
If you say you are going to do something, do it. If it costs you money or you have to sacrifice something because of it, then you must give it up.
Why?
Other than just saying ‘The Code Compels Us,’ it really comes down to your true nature and core being.
Strip away all the things you are interested in, and all your possessions and what you hold dear and you are left with just your word. When you have nothing and are left naked and poor what defines you is simply your word. It is the only item you have left to bargain with. By not honoring your word then you simply have nothing and thrown away your last bargaining chip in the game of life.
So, the next time you think of breaking your word, think about who is really losing in the end.
Jeff Barnes
Series : The Code Part 1
Let's Be Honest
There is the code to live by.
In today’s society, the code isn’t being passed on to our children. This is something we have to change.
This Saturday morning I got up like normal, drank my first cup of coffee and headed out the Community Martial Arts school in Mount Vernon to greet and welcome students to the school. Saturday’s are my ‘off days’ where I am not required to teach. It allows me to take my kids to the school and be a parent instead of being caught in the rush of running the school.
While this particular Saturday I did not bring the kids to school, I like to attend because it gives me a fresh perspective on the school and allows me to see the school from the eyes of other parents. It also allows me to sit and visit with the parents just like everyone else.
The discussion came up this particular Saturday that sparked my interest and my eventual need to write this particular blog today. The discussion started as I spoke about the problems I have had with one of my rental properties in Evansville. While I won’t go into details about the property, I just mentioned some of the problems I have had with some of the help that I have hired to get the work done for me.
Long story short is that there is a lack of ‘the code.’
There is a lack of honest, forth right men and women who stand up for their values and beliefs. There is a lack of character to both stand up for what is right but also to make things right when you have done wrong. I am not perfect, I am prone to make mistakes but it is my hope that the code is what I use and live by to ensure that I treat everyone right and can rectify the mistakes I may have made.
Code Part 1 : Honesty
Honesty: “ fairness and straightforwardness of conduct or adherence to the facts” from Marriam_Webster’s Dictionary.
Honesty is something that we all should have when we deal with people. You should be honest with your doctor as it helps your doctor diagnose your symptoms and aid you in the healing process. You have to be honest with the Internal Revenue Service or eventually they will find out and come after you. Do you recall that Al Capone did not go to jail for being a murderous, prohibition breaking mobster? Capone went to jail for not reporting his taxes.
Being honest with each other allows people to form relationships that are long lasting. Honesty does not require that your life to be perfect, but it does establish a firm foundation between two people. This leads to healthy relationships with others.
So how do you establish or tell if somebody is being honest with you?
Look at their life and actions.
An honest person is willing to admit to mistakes. They are willing to believe that they too can make mistakes and have opportunity for improvement. It is those kind of people that you can relate with and in turn build relationships with. These people don’t come across as ‘perfect’ and will not fill your head with empty promises.
An honest person is willing to rectify those mistakes and ‘make things right.’ When something goes wrong or not as planned, it is up to you to either make things right if your mistake negatively impacts other individuals. A recent example of this comes to mind when I was approached to put an ad in a local publication. The problem was that I didn’t have enough time to do the layout of the ad and then send it off to the publisher. The timeline came and went.
The issue is that they had reserved the spot specifically for me and gave me a very attractive price. When the deadline for ad submission came and went, the publisher had to scramble to get the ad spot filled and thus discount the price for the ad even further in order to meet their own publication deadline to send off to the printers.
Now, you could say business is business and everything worked out.
At first I did not think anything of it. The publisher was able to get their ad place filled. It was not until a mutual friend came along and mentioned that because I did not place my ad and they could not get the price for the ad they needed, the particular publication barely broke even for that week.
I struggled with this because I had not had a formal written agreement between me and the publisher that I would definitely get the ad placed. I simply specified that I would try to get an ad put together by that time. However, being honest with myself and being prodded by the mutual friend I realized that I needed to rectify the situation. To fix the situation, I wrote a check to the publisher in order to help mend the ties and ensure future business between us.
While officially I was not wrong nor legally bound to pay the publisher, THE CODE compels me to right the wrong.
An Honest Man is honest by his actions not by his words.
Jeff Barnes
P.S. Stayed tuned for our next post about the Code coming each week.
What do you do when somebody has side mount?
Q. Master Barnes, what pressure points can you use when somebody has sidemount on you?
- Inquiring student?
A. That is a good question, when you are in that position you have essentially lost a lot of your available targets to strike. I would shoot for spleen 21 and triple warmer 17 if they become available to you.
Click the link below to see the video
What are your options when trying to prevent a takedown?
Q. Master Barnes, What can I do to prevent a takedown from somebody who has ground fighting experience?
- Worried Student
A. Dear Worried Student, as with any fight going to the ground is a possibility. Many of the new arts that are coming up in popularity are Brazillian Ju Jitsu and Submission Ground Fighting. While having to grabble this topic myself when I was training for my certification in Kyusho wi found that there are some good techniques you can apply to prevent a takedown. I have a video I am providing for your review.
Karate Kid Care
Great news…. Community Martial Arts of Evansville is now offering Day Care!
“HERE’S HOW YOU CAN FIND OUT MORE ABOUT EVANSVILLE’S MOST INNOVATIVE AND NEWEST
CONCEPT IN CHILD DAYCARE…”
KARATE KID CARE CAN INCREASE YOUR CHILD’S
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Karate Kid Care of Evansville is an innovative alternative to traditional day care and after-school elementary school programs. We include Martial Arts and Fitness Program in the price of our daycare. Not only will your kids get the best of care you would come to expect from a day care facility, we also provide top notch age appropriate Martial Arts and Fitness education for your children FOR ONE LOW PRICE!
Most other day care facilities charge what we charge…. But not other can give you the value of FREE Martial Arts Classes at no addtional cost!
Pricing: $120 per week for all ages
( Martial Arts and Fitness classes for age appropriate only)