Teen Dating Violence Awareness Month

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 a fine, fine 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.

We 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, the town you live in, and allowing that care to radiate out in ever-widening circles.” 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 way to look at it! For information about our school and self-defense lessons for today’s world, contact us at 

Samurai Karate Studio

803-462-9425

samuraikarate@bellsouth.net

Columbia, SC 29229

In Defense of a Tree!

As part of my reading goals this year, I tried to be more mindful in my selection. For two years, Coach Callos has been talking about the work of Julia Butterfly Hill and while I vaguely remember hearing about this "crazy" person sitting in a tree for more than two years, I really didn't know much about her.




Well, I just finished reading her book, "The Legacy of Luna" and I can tell you this woman is anything BUT crazy!





"Everything we do ripples out and affects other people's lives." JBH

For those of you that might be thinking, pretty boring topic, I can tell you her book read more like a suspense novel! Between the winter storms, the cold, the rain, the wind, the constant threat of the lumber company taking the tree down (with her still sitting in it); it was an all out battle to protect the life of this tree and the trees around it.



I had no idea of the sacrifice she made to protect this tree. Her supplies were typically limited, she was cold and wet a good majority of the time and there were many days were she was very isolated. She gave up most comforts we take for granted, like a bathroom, a hot shower and lots of contact with the outside world. Luna, the name of the tree, became a source of peace and inspiration for Julia and despite all of the hardships and all of the threats, she stayed steadfast in her goal of saving this tree. Throughout this whole ordeal, she treated everyone, even her adversaries, with respect, as love and compassion were her main weapons whenever dealing with confrontation.



During the course of the two years, she became a national celebrity (by accident) and while she never relished the role, being a fairly private person; she realized the significance of movement and studied and read and became an expert in forestry, lumbering practices and conservation, because she understood she was now the face of the movement.



She finally ended her tree sit when she successfully negotiated the guaranteed safety of Luna with the creation of a buffer zone around her.



This is an amazing story and and extraordinary woman!

“Hope is important because it can make the present moment less difficult to bear. If we believe that tomorrow will be better, we can bear a hardship today.” Thicht Nhat Hahn





Chris Feldt


Samurai Karate Studio



803-462-9425



samuraikarate@bellsouth.net

Martial Arts Lessons: It’s Not About Violence

Just the other day a parent asked me if she thought my classes promoted violent behavior in young boys. She was inquiring about lessons for her son and was concerned that he and his friends might take what they’re learning and use it inappropriately. I thought it was a fine question.  

Yes, there have been a few cases (very few) of students “playing martial arts” with friends, the same way they play as their favorite superheroes, but I’ve never heard of the play being malicious or hurtful. I do, however, hear many stories of my young students using the kind of restraint we talk about in almost every class. I hear many stories of the young people in my program --and other martial arts schools --avoiding violence, avoiding conflict, and staying out of trouble as a result of their training. A good martial arts teacher adds instructions and advice about how NOT to use martial arts, as often as he or she teaches the technical aspects of the arts. 

“The ‘cake’ that is what a martial arts teacher offers his or her students,” says Tom Callos (www.tomcallos.com), the National Director of The One Hundred (www.flavors.me/masterteachers), an association made up of martial arts instructors who embrace education over the more media-prevalent aspects of martial arts instruction, “is made up of blocks, punches, kicks, and other maneuvers, But the real “flour” of the recipe is in the restraint, the self-control, and the attitude of self-discipline that makes up the best-of-the-best the martial arts has to offer.”  

And by way of an offer, any reader of this piece that would like to “taste” the cake we produce at our school, need only call me at 803-462-9425 and refer to this article and you will receive a 1 week free trial (no strings attached, no sales pitches, nothing but a genuine “try us”). And no, it is not about violence or aggression or hurting people. The martial arts are about grown-up adults mentoring young people in the ways of non-violence, self-control, and contribution.