Fun Night - Nerf Wars!

Samurai Karate Studio will be hosting a parents night out FUN NIGHT on Friday, December 2nd, from 6pm to 9pm.  Kids of all ages (adults too) are invited.

Parents, this is the perfect opportunity to go out and have a quiet dinner with your spouse or to do some Christmas shopping!

The theme will be NERF Wars, so everyone needs to bring their own Nerf gun, as well as protective goggles.  We will test our Nerf gun skills as well as do battle....

Who will be the "last man standing"?

We will also play a few games and serve pizza and water! (There might even be a few sweets for prizes)

The cost is $20 per person.  If you bring a friend, than the cost is $10 each.  We will also offer a family rate of $25!

Please be sure to sign up on the registration forms at our school, or call 803-462-9425 to register over the phone.

Penn State Tragedy

I am sorry that the wonderful career of a living legend like Joe Paterno has come to an abrupt end. It sure would have been nice to see him leave coaching on his terms.

However, in light of the information coming out of the grand jury investigation, I have to ask myself why this legend did not do more? As a father of 3 boys, I can't understand why Joepa (as he is affectionately called) did not follow up with the authorities or do more to "press" the issue with his superiors?

This whole controversy has been shockingly horrible and one can only imagine what these poor children went through.  If you have not had a chance to read the grand jury report, I have provided a copy of it below for you.

WARNING.....

The details in this report are graphic and highly disturbing, but it will present a better picture of what occurred and help you decide if enough was done.

It is my opinion that the board acted properly by firing Coach Paterno and the president and it is my hope that in time, the university will recover from this terrible tragedy.

Meanwhile, my heart and thoughts are with the innocent children, victims of such terrible abuse!  My prayers are with them and their family's as they try to recover from this horrible ordeal.

Sensei Chris Feldt
Samurai Karate Studio
Columbia, SC 29229
803-462-9425
samuraikaratestudio@gmail.com

Combating bullying through martial arts

One of the missions of my school, is to help every child I can deal with the issue of bullying.  We cover in class, it's part of our school curriculum, I do free workshops for children and adults and I do several presentations in the local schools throughout the year.

I am a BIG believer in how the karate, or the martial arts for that matter, can help most children learn to deal with bullies.  While there is something to learn how to block and strike, more importantly, karate gives children the confidence to stand up, ignore or just plain walk away from bullies.

If you don't believe me, check out the article below; just another successful school that addresses bullying head on and helps kids deal with this important issue.

By Amanda Perez


FRESNO, Calif. (KFSN) -- The kids at Fresno Ultimate Martial Arts may be small, but the lessons they're learning there are having a giant impact.

Seven-year-old Makayla Bea has been enrolled the martial arts studio since kindergarten, when her mother noticed she was being bullied by another child. "I never worried until I saw the effects of someone picking on her and she just melted under the pressure. She crumbled. And it did, it broke my heart to watch her do that," said Jenna Bea.

13-year-old Kyle Hopkins also has a personal story. Just weeks after he started martial arts classes, he was attacked by a kid at school. "I turned around and he punched me in the face and then he kicked me in the stomach and threw me down a hill and then he kicked me in the stomach and my friend came down and tackled him to make him stop," said Hopkins.

Kyle and Makayla are just two children who have built up their confidence through martial arts. Their instructor is another. Rudy Carrillo said his mother enrolled him in martial arts because kids were picking on him. "When I signed up I thought I was learning how to fight but learned it was mostly about self-discipline and being able to control myself and my actions," said Carrillo.

Carrillo said the decision was life changing. Now, he owns his own studio, where he spends his days trying to build up kids and their self-esteem. "I hope when children come to our school we help them build the confidence to believe who they are, not so much what they think other people believe of them - which is key," said Carrillo.

You can read the rest of the article HERE.

If you know a child that is being bullied that needs help, please email me to arrange for a private lesson. If you can't afford the lesson, than I will do it for FREE!

Yes, free!

This is my mission.

My life is my dojo!


Sensei Chris Feldt
Samurai Karate Studio
Columbia, SC 29229
803-462-9425
samuraikaratestudio@gmail.com

Billy Blanks pushes martial arts to help kids with autism

By MARY SHEDDEN
The Tampa Tribune
Published: November 07, 2011
Updated: November 09, 2011

The first time Billy Blanks showed up at karate class, the instructor bet $5 he wouldn't stick it out.

Blanks, then 14, seemed like a lot of kids who showed up at the Martin Luther King Center in Erie, Pa., in 1969. Also, Blanks had spent years in special education classes because of dyslexia that went undiagnosed and untreated.

The boy knew martial arts offered something different. It would pay off, he told himself, as long as he watched the instructor's every move and practiced every afternoon at the gym.

Within six months, the teen's focus improved, at home and at school. In a year, he had earned a black belt.

"It really gave me a chance to see that I could do it, that I could really be successful," said Blanks, who today is known worldwide as the creator of the Tae Bo kick boxing workout.

"I was learning how to bring my body under control. I got my mind under control and it gave me confidence."

Blanks' personal experience has evolved into a new mission: To introduce physical fitness to children with autism and other special needs. He'll do just that this week in St. Pete Beach, when he leads two community workouts as part of the 2011 National Autism Conference.

Social interaction, language and communication are key challenges facing children and adults living with the highly complex autism spectrum disorders. Research shows that regular movement, such as exercise, can help with treatment, especially for children with still-developing brains.

Blanks, who still teaches regular classes, said he's seen first hand how music coupled with the fast-paced punching and kicking in his workouts appeal to children with autism. It helps them gain confidence and connect with others.

You can read the rest of the article HERE.




Sensei Chris Feldt
Samurai Karate Studio
Columbia, SC 29229
803-462-9425
samuraikaratestudio@gmail.com

A History Lesson In A Song

As a teacher, my goal is to develop my students to their absolute fullest potential! While I am serious about helping my children or adults learn how to defend themselves, the reality, I am even more passionate about making them outstanding, successful human beings.

This is REALLY what becoming a black belt is all about!

That's why my curriculum includes Diabetes awareness, environmental self defense, community service, acts of kindness, anger management, verbal judo and healthy eating. While the world feels unsafe at times, the reality is, most of my students will never have to face an assault.

Yet, they are assaulted daily with fast food, poor diets, lack of exercise, disease, anger, apathy, and disengagement.

These are the enemies we must defeat!

The below video represents a teaching moment for my students that I would like to share with them. There is a vivid history lesson as well as a beautiful rendition of a song that most of us our familiar with.

Go forth and show the world who you are!

Be the change!


Sensei Chris Feldt
Samurai Karate Studio
Columbia, SC 29229
803-462-9425
samuraikaratestudio@gmail.com

South Carolina Sheriff: 'You Need to Protect Yourself'

By Joshua Rhett Miller

Published November 01, 2011

FoxNews.com

 

•  Spartanburg County Sheriff Chuck Wright, above, made the suggestion at a news conference on Monday while detailing an attempted rape on Sunday at Milliken Park in Spartanburg.
  
  
  
  

A South Carolina sheriff is making the extraordinary suggestion that local women arm themselves following the attempted rape of a woman at a local park, saying, "you need to protect yourself."

Spartanburg County Sheriff Chuck Wright, the county's top law enforcement officer since 2005, suggested local women apply for a permit to carry a concealed weapon during a news conference Monday about the attack on Sunday at Milliken Park in Spartanburg.

"It just struck me wrong that we keep telling everyone 'trust us, trust us, trust us,' but in reality, you need to protect yourself," Wright told FoxNews.com. "If you are not a convicted felon or someone who causes trouble or don't have any mental issues, buy a weapon to protect yourself and get some good training."

Walter Monroe Lance, 46, of Spartanburg, was charged Monday with kidnapping, first-degree criminal sexual conduct and grand larceny in connection with the attack. Lance was ordered held without bond, Wright said.

Wright suggested that had the unidentified victim been armed, perhaps with a .45-caliber handgun concealed in a fanny pack, she would have stood a better chance fighting off her attacker.

"If she didn't shoot the guy, she could have at least stopped him and made him leave her alone," Wright said. "You can defend yourself."

Wright said he was "tired of looking at victims" of crimes whose perpetrators are arrested multiple times and are later released without significant jail time. Lance, for example, had been arrested more than 20 times, he said, including for offenses like rape, battery and resisting arrest. Wright characterized him as an "animal" during Monday's news conference.

Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/us/2011/11/01/south-carolina-sheriff-need-to-protect-yourself/#ixzz1cwU2YwnU


Sensei Chris Feldt

Samurai Karate Studio
Columbia, SC 29229
803-462-9425
samuraikaratestudio@gmail.com