tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25764861740169899842024-03-19T12:15:15.476-07:00Bushintai-Do ProgramsMartial-Arts-Based Movement Activities for the ClassroomBushintai-Do Programshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10751796475258610134noreply@blogger.comBlogger20125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2576486174016989984.post-66168710346130964752015-02-23T05:43:00.001-08:002015-02-24T05:33:04.633-08:00A Garden of Trees<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.295; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPwCp1cRmKJlCqHFwfe2Wda-1vYdJWb1jh_mT7nQzNGw7sVch_TbreZV9yJHCSXro2P2fO4aHGz5P3g3H4re9aEdmp9NE1jb_4SmtWBB5G7i5YpNjlHlRwQS7RByzphkV9jY2v0sao8FY/s1600/Sam's%2BTree.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPwCp1cRmKJlCqHFwfe2Wda-1vYdJWb1jh_mT7nQzNGw7sVch_TbreZV9yJHCSXro2P2fO4aHGz5P3g3H4re9aEdmp9NE1jb_4SmtWBB5G7i5YpNjlHlRwQS7RByzphkV9jY2v0sao8FY/s1600/Sam's%2BTree.jpg" height="400" width="225" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.2; white-space: pre-wrap;">If it’s possible to be both a logger and a tree-hugger, I am a little of both. I look at trees and I see board feet, cordwood, and BTUs. I walk among them and feel peace, awe, and a sense of connection to the earth. I sit by my fireplace in the wintertime, and explain to my children that the trees have stored the sun’s energy, and when we burn them, we bring a little bit of last summer’s sunshine into an otherwise cold, dark house.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.2; white-space: pre-wrap;">In truth, I’m a poor excuse for a logger, and nor do I actually hug the trees. But my small woodlot has a management plan that I need to adhere to, or face a higher property tax rate. I could pay a professional to do the work, but I’ve chosen to do it myself – with the help of a good friend who has done some logging. We spend long, cold hours doing hard, dangerous work, and we couldn’t enjoy it more.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.2; white-space: pre-wrap;">Forestry is long-term gardening. We are currently harvesting a crop that took 50 + years to grow –planted long ago by another gardener. The firewood thinning that I do annually is called “crop-tree release”, and is in a sense, weeding. The short-term result is the firewood I burn, but the long-term results will be a healthier stand of Sugar Maple, Red Oak, and Yellow Birch. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.2; white-space: pre-wrap;">We’ve owned the property for 15 years, and I’m not sure when it occurred to me, but I will not live to harvest much of that crop. Nor will I likely walk among the mature stand of towering, majestic trees that I envision, and am working so hard to grow.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixjBVaKh1kFqHiyLYIXK8R9Ov182LgBDKUAud6VjjeCaBD0cZfwFHf95UiuFbo9p4AQWFLZVIcU25DlZsovAM8jzgw37_v4P3Hb_rFFAS9nb8s4Oerw8ZRhZg4_eMSZ7z13O3Aq1yCYyc/s1600/Martial+Way+Class+3.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixjBVaKh1kFqHiyLYIXK8R9Ov182LgBDKUAud6VjjeCaBD0cZfwFHf95UiuFbo9p4AQWFLZVIcU25DlZsovAM8jzgw37_v4P3Hb_rFFAS9nb8s4Oerw8ZRhZg4_eMSZ7z13O3Aq1yCYyc/s1600/Martial+Way+Class+3.png" height="213" width="320" /></a><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.2; white-space: pre-wrap;">When I began teaching martial arts for a living, I often said that I was doing so to avoid having to get a “real job”. The typical martial arts student of that era was an 18 to 24-year-old male, and it was a tough, macho, ego-driven environment. If I could have looked ahead and seen myself today – surrounded by young children, telling stories, tying belts, running a business – I might have had second thoughts. It has turned into a very real job, but one that I will love to do, for as long as I can.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.2; white-space: pre-wrap;">As teachers, we plant seeds and foster growth. Whether our growing season is an academic quarter or a number of years, we have a limited time to accomplish our goals, and help our students reach theirs. If we see it as merely a job, we miss the simple joys of gardening. When we remember that our influence may be life-long, we can overlook the temporary setbacks and struggles of our workday.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.2; white-space: pre-wrap;">My wife and I are blessed with two children, ages 16 and 8 at the time of this writing. The final phrase of that sentence almost takes my breath away – it jolts me with a reminder of the fleeting and transitory nature of parenthood. They won’t be 16 and 8 for long. This gardening is long-term as well, but seems to speed past faster than a Vermont growing season. We do our best, make our mistakes, hold on to the moments, and plan for the future.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.295; white-space: pre-wrap;">We do most of the things we do either for love or by necessity. When we are truly blessed, the two converge. Sometimes when we are doing our best work, we work with a vision of a future we may never see. But that vision gives us strength, perspective, and hope. Further, it helps us appreciate the sacred nature of the present, fleeting moment, as well as the towering majesty of human potential.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.295; white-space: pre-wrap;">David Quinlan, Owner and Lead Instructor</span></div>
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<span id="docs-internal-guid-639c7115-9713-51f1-9176-c90e23600810"><br /></span>Bushintai-Do Programshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10751796475258610134noreply@blogger.com0Vermont, USA44.5588028 -72.57784149999997741.6285143 -77.741415499999974 47.489091300000005 -67.41426749999998tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2576486174016989984.post-72134700153001182562015-01-24T06:41:00.000-08:002015-01-25T11:36:58.703-08:00Physical Activity for All Children: Growing Up as a Decathlete<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.1500000000000001; margin-bottom: 10pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-weight: bold; line-height: 1.15; white-space: pre-wrap;">Growing Up as a Decathlete</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">It was a different era. In the 1960’s and 1970’s, every child I knew trained as an elite athlete. We ran, swam, jumped, skipped rope, climbed, and biked constantly. We played sports for hours with no substitutions. Since we rarely had enough players to complete two teams, every player played offense and defense without a break. I pushed and rode a bicycle loaded down with two baskets of newspapers up a long hill every Sunday. We walked or biked miles to get where we needed to go. It was how we played, travelled, worked and lived.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I am not a retro-phile. I’m a big believer in bike helmets, seat belts, and other ‘modern’ safety developments. My children are encouraged to participate in a variety of organized activities – nearly all of which are run by adults, and involve being driven to and from. I think that children should have structure and adult supervision. But I think that we have done a dis-service to our children by not letting them “go out and play” often enough. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The fitness industry, the professional sports establishment, and our conventional wisdom, have come to recognize the importance of “functional” training methods. Fitness is no longer measured by how much a man can bench press, how many miles a woman runs in a week, or what our BMI might be. There is a growing understanding of the need for exercises that prepare us for specific athletic challenges, whether they are sports-related, or merely the necessary physical demands of everyday living. </span><a href="http://www.acefitness.org/acefit/healthy-living-article/60/1452/what-is-functional-strength-training/" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The Functional Training Model</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> has replaced the old “size, tone, and cardio” goals.</span></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnFymcJlcX2uDbH0mE5zp1wZ8Vkc6bJ2R0JVj0cUVxlgKq4KIK1CphfQMBp7QPeKZ3MkpQlPPr-iSZYbPiGDGgfMEBL4lvGoOfjx-SkCbkxTq61l-wmQdkX4ga828U23UagWIbWKR1gIM/s1600/B-Do+for+the+Classroom.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnFymcJlcX2uDbH0mE5zp1wZ8Vkc6bJ2R0JVj0cUVxlgKq4KIK1CphfQMBp7QPeKZ3MkpQlPPr-iSZYbPiGDGgfMEBL4lvGoOfjx-SkCbkxTq61l-wmQdkX4ga828U23UagWIbWKR1gIM/s1600/B-Do+for+the+Classroom.png" height="213" width="320" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;"><b>Classroom-based Brain Breaks from Bushintai-Do Programs.</b></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">In recent years, physical activity has been shown to facilitate brain development and improve brain function in children and adults. The positive effects of exercise on the brain are thought to be even more significant and long-lasting in </span><a href="http://www.raisesmartkid.com/3-to-6-years-old/4-articles/35-the-benefits-of-exercise-on-your-kids-brain" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">children</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">.</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> In addition, exercise has been shown to be a more effective treatment of depression than medication is.</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The physical demands of my happy childhood constituted a complete functional training and brain development regimen. We had no idea of the mind-body-spirit significance of what we were doing, and neither did our parents. But current and emerging research tells us that is was good for our functional strength, cognitive development, and emotional state. Say what you will about the intelligence, fitness level, and mental health of the baby boomers, but apparently, it could have been worse.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Today’s middle-class and affluent children have more opportunities for learning new skills, participating in various activities, and developing new interests than ever before. But they are far more sedentary than previous generations, and have far more non-physical distractions available. Participation in </span><a href="http://www.wsj.com/articles/SB10001424052702303519404579350892629229918" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">youth sports</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> is declining and, if you add in time sitting in the car on the way to practice, waiting for a turn, and taking instruction, the activity level is often low to moderate.</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> A pickup basketball game or a sidewalk hopscotch session probably provides much more exercise than many organized sports practices - even more so if participants walk or bike to the playground or sidewalk.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">A </span><a href="http://s3.nikecdn.com/dtm/live/en_US/DesignedToMove_FullReport.pdf" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">recent study</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> indicated that children born in today’s sedentary Western society have a life expectancy that is five years shorter than that of the previous generation – due in large part to their lack of moderate to vigorous physical activity.</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> To many, this is a startling call to action. There are some positive initiatives – Michelle Obama’s anti-obesity effort, the CDC’s recommendation for 60 minutes of exercise per day, and the NFL and Dairy Council-sponsored “Fuel up to Play 60” program – but there is one area of potential leadership and direction that is being largely under-utilized – the public school system.</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Our education leaders have recognized that not only do our schools have an obligation to promote wellness, but also that it has a direct impact on a child’s ability to learn. We provide students with breakfast and lunch, not only for their overall nutritional health, but also because it supports their brain function. With everything we now know about the value of exercise, our schools should also provide daily moderate to vigorous physical activity for all school children. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Many will question whether this is practical – educators are already under pressure to improve student test scores, and are likely to balk at giving up classroom time in favor of any non-academic activity. But research has shown that test scores will improve with regular physical activity – even if it results in less classroom time.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Some have already adopted measures to address this. The Vermont Department of Education’s </span><a href="http://education.vermont.gov/documents/EDU-FinalEQS_AsAdopted.pdf" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Education Quality Standards</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> (2014) requires that every student in grades K-12 have access to at least 30 minutes of moderate to vigorous physical activity every day – in addition to PE classes.</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> This is a start, but we need to change the lifestyles of our children. We can’t – and shouldn’t – go back to a time without computers, two-income households, or fast food. But we can go forward as a society that understands the value of physical activity, and takes steps to promote it. </span></span><br />
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<span style="color: black; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 1.15; text-align: right; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">David Quinlan</span><span style="color: black; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 1.15; text-align: right; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, Founder and Lead Instructor</span><br />
<span style="background-color: #eeeeee; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 1.15; text-align: right; white-space: pre-wrap;">Bushintai-Do Programs and Martial Way Self-Defense Center</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 1.15; text-align: right; white-space: pre-wrap;">Milton, Vermont</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdyYeYsbyYFrF9IPzR3Yk_MELeATipuJPpAG_cyXwYNDvw_Ynm-mrD_NcGW4SigWHdOTyHUQYQ4KgjxDWtF_gtd8B46lphtYBLOP2dMZ1cUVUnUxavnTnQphyphenhyphen4ekOJ0Mr-hPxtJS0p-58/s1600/Gratitude.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdyYeYsbyYFrF9IPzR3Yk_MELeATipuJPpAG_cyXwYNDvw_Ynm-mrD_NcGW4SigWHdOTyHUQYQ4KgjxDWtF_gtd8B46lphtYBLOP2dMZ1cUVUnUxavnTnQphyphenhyphen4ekOJ0Mr-hPxtJS0p-58/s1600/Gratitude.png" height="320" style="cursor: move;" width="244" /></a></div>
<span style="background-color: #eeeeee; color: black; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">When my son, Liam, was 3, I noticed that he was relatively strong for his weight. He “played” on the Chuck Norris Total Gym, pulling his own weight at the maximum setting. As he got older, and wasn’t captivated by team sports (he didn’t like the aggression of soccer), we enrolled him in a gymnastics program. He enjoyed it and stuck with it for about seven years. I remember so many of his milestones –from the first time he did a successful cartwheel up to his first “giant” (big 360-degree spin around the high bar). He became a successful competitor and would have continued with gymnastics if he hadn’t started playing football (so much for disliking aggression).</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: #eeeeee; color: black; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">In addition, Liam was, and is, an exceptional martial arts student. I was so happy to have him in my classes, that it never occurred to me to want him to be good at it – that was a bonus. He has also become a skilled teacher, and helps me run the summer camps, as well as running his own class at the town recreation department summer camp. He’s a sophomore in high school, and if I’m lucky, I’ll have his help for a few more summers.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: #eeeeee; color: black; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">As gratifying as it has been to have Liam a part of the dojo, there was something different about watching him at gymnastics. Instead of working, I could sit and watch, and learn a little bit about something new. I got to know some of the other students and their parents. We went to watch a collegiate championship meet. Gymnastics was, and always will be, a part of my son’s childhood and our memories of it. I am grateful for those memories.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: #eeeeee; color: black; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">My daughter, Evi, is 8, and has been involved with gymnastics, dance, skiing, baseball, skating, and martial arts. I relish the opportunities to watch her play, practice, and perform. As she gets older, she’ll have to make choices as well. I hope she will stay (voluntarily) involved with martial arts, as I know how beneficial it can be, and she is a joy to have in my classes. But as for the other activities, I don’t care which she chooses. Whatever it is, I will be there watching, cheering, and enjoying the moments, before they become just memories.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: #eeeeee; color: black; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">This Thanksgiving, I am grateful for the opportunities I’ve had to share and support my children’s interests. I am also grateful for the opportunity to work with your children. As a martial arts instructor, I have an opportunity to connect with a student for his or her entire childhood, and possibly into adulthood as well. I teach ages five and up (I have black belt instructors who are braver than I am, who handle the three and four-year-olds). I enjoy everything about teaching at every level. I am privileged to have a have an opportunity to have a positive impact on the lives of so many people. I am grateful for every student, in every class that I teach. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: #eeeeee; color: black; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I get to spend every work day in an environment I love, with people of all ages who share a common passion for this activity. I don’t know how long I will be able to continue to train with my younger, stronger, more resilient students, but I am grateful for every success and every defeat, the exhilaration of feeling fit and capable, and the pain and frustration of injuries and failure. I am grateful for my critics and my supporters, and for the martial arts, and all of the triumphs and challenges they have provided me.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;">I hope your experience with martial arts, as a parent, student, teacher, or all of the above, is rewarding and memorable. I hope parents find time to watch their children's classes. I hope the children will choose martial arts as their main focus as they get older. If they move on to other activities, I hope they will take the lessons learned at the "dojo" and apply them throughout their lives. I hope we all can have the vision and the presence to recognize that what we have here is temporary, and that it should be enjoyed to the fullest while it is here.</span></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: #eeeeee;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;">David Quinlan, Founder and Lead Instructor</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: #eeeeee;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;">Bushintai-Do Programs and Martial Way Self-Defense Center</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: #eeeeee;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;">Milton, Vermont</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span></span>Bushintai-Do Programshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10751796475258610134noreply@blogger.com0Vermont, USA44.5588028 -72.57784149999997741.6285143 -77.741415499999974 47.489091300000005 -67.41426749999998tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2576486174016989984.post-32268941983973048512014-10-31T00:56:00.000-07:002015-01-24T17:46:22.671-08:00Honey, I Pumped the Kids Up!<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1; margin-bottom: 10pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Child-Centered Physical Activity, Part 2</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The importance of physical activity for children is well-documented. The question is, what kind of activity is recommended? In a previous </span><a href="http://bushintaidoprograms.blogspot.com/2014/09/dont-take-your-kids-jogging-or-to.html" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">artic</span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">le</span></span></a>,<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #4f81bd; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">we discussed the unsuitability of jogging, or other aerobic exercises, for pre-pubescent children. In this article, we’ll discuss another staple of the fitness industry – weight training – and whether or not kids should participate.</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">For many, the image of kids pumping iron might seem alarming. In fact, it’s not just an image, but a perception and a conventional wisdom, that pre-pubescent children should not lift weights. There have been reports that heavy lifting could damage the growth plates in young bones. There are still some who think kids can’t benefit from weight training because they typically don’t experience muscle growth as a result. And there is the danger of weightlifting-related injuries.</span><span style="line-height: 1;"> </span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAi1CBPXjmTf3zmAE-c6zW_LGUumqjatbof0X6yVC5vM5kU-KjqTUaV9YMl-lnztHn0uZbDW-U1eAAaIuFcEyUJwtD31algGpNyF_fXahlYYkxLwtOXtVljhc2VpsXk-FeKDibL-Xool4/s1600/Pushups.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Pushups" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAi1CBPXjmTf3zmAE-c6zW_LGUumqjatbof0X6yVC5vM5kU-KjqTUaV9YMl-lnztHn0uZbDW-U1eAAaIuFcEyUJwtD31algGpNyF_fXahlYYkxLwtOXtVljhc2VpsXk-FeKDibL-Xool4/s1600/Pushups.JPG" height="240" title="Body-Weight Exercise" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><b>Pushups are an effective form of strength-building.</b></span></td></tr>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">It should be mentioned that we can substitute the term “resistance training” for “weightlifting”. Weights are only one way to improve neuro-muscular strength. Many body-weight exercises, such as pushups or squats, can be effective for strength-building, without the use of weights or resistance machines. Exercise bands, and suspension trainers (straps, rings, or pull-up bars) are other means to create resistance to movement.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The idea of bone growth-plate damage, and “stunted growth” caused by weightlifting, has been proven, in several studies, to be a misconception. It was largely based on one study of concentration camp survivors, and another of child-labor performers, who had been forced to perform hard labor. They had excessive workloads and inadequate sleep, and poor nutrition, and may have suffered bone damage as a result. Current <a href="http://www.shapefit.com/children-weight-training.html." target="_blank">research</a> shows that children who regularly practice resistance training are likely to have healthier, stronger bones. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">It is true that pre-pubescent children lack the hormones that will enable muscle growth in response to resistance exercises. However, they can make significant gains in strength, through neurological adaptation. With regular resistance training sessions, the child’s neuro-motor system will get more efficient in the practiced movements, thus functional strength will increase. <a href="http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/11/24/phys-ed-the-benefits-of-weight-training-for-kids/?_php=true&_type=blogs&_r=0" target="_blank">Studies</a> have shown that this improved neuro-motor function will stay with a child into puberty and adulthood.</span></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisG16qmndTqjB2sDPAVthgLwllr1jekaBQqHrwripdfYX1EFxcgwYrroi7kRcHg27o5mZB8ficlYFN_IQG1cKTIgZF7nABL-WnnK81pfDygaFnyTGDDaJGLIfDmLHuMICxgzZ6FazAi1E/s1600/Partner+Planks.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisG16qmndTqjB2sDPAVthgLwllr1jekaBQqHrwripdfYX1EFxcgwYrroi7kRcHg27o5mZB8ficlYFN_IQG1cKTIgZF7nABL-WnnK81pfDygaFnyTGDDaJGLIfDmLHuMICxgzZ6FazAi1E/s1600/Partner+Planks.jpg" height="179" title="Partner Planks" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><b>Body-weight exercises build strength.</b></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">As for the fear that children will injure themselves using weights, this is a potential danger. However, if this is seen as a reason to keep kids from lifting weights, it would also follow that they shouldn’t ride bicycles, play team sports, go swimming, or ride in an automobile. The key is appropriate training and supervision. On the contrary, <a href="http://www.nationwidechildrens.org/strength-training-for-children" target="_blank">children who regularly practice resistance training</a> may be less likely to injure themselves participating in other sports, as strength is considered a preventive factor for children’s sports injuries.</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Resistance training, whether using weights, bands, tubing, suspension, body-weight, or other reasonable means, is likely to build healthier, stronger children, and ultimately healthier, stronger adults. Start pumping those kids up!</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">David Quinlan, Founder and Lead Instructor</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Bushintai-Do Programs and Martial Way Self-Defense Center</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Milton, Vermont</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #555555; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">American Academy of Pediatrics Policy Statement. Strength, Weight and Power Lifting, and Body Building by Children and Adolescents. Pediatrics. 1990; 5: 801-803.</span></div>
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<li dir="ltr" style="background-color: transparent; color: #555555; font-size: 12px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; list-style-type: decimal; margin-left: -18px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #555555; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Fleck, S.J., Kraemer, W. J. Strength Training for Young Athletes. Champaign, IL: Human Kinetics, 1993.</span></div>
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<li dir="ltr" style="background-color: transparent; color: #555555; font-size: 12px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; list-style-type: decimal; margin-left: -18px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #555555; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Faigenbaum, A.D. Strength training for children and adolescents. Clinical Sports Medicine. 2000; 4: 593-619.</span></div>
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<li dir="ltr" style="background-color: transparent; color: #555555; font-size: 12px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; list-style-type: decimal; margin-left: -18px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #555555; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Guy, J.A., Micheli, L.J. Strength training for children and adolescents. Journal of the American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons. 2000; 1: 29-36.</span></div>
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<li dir="ltr" style="background-color: transparent; color: #555555; font-size: 12px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; list-style-type: decimal; margin-left: -18px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #555555; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Heinonen, A., Sievanen, H., Kannus, P., Oja, P., Pasanen, M., Vuori, I. High-impact exercise and bones of growing girls: a 9-month controlled trial. Osteoporosis International. 2000; 12: 1010-1017.</span></div>
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<li dir="ltr" style="background-color: transparent; color: #555555; font-size: 12px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; list-style-type: decimal; margin-left: -18px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #555555; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Payne, V.G., Morrow, J.R., Johnson, L., and Dalton, S.N. Resistance training in children and youth: a meta-analysis. Research Quarterly for Exercise and Sport. 1997; 1: 80-88.</span></div>
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<li dir="ltr" style="background-color: transparent; color: #555555; font-size: 12px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; list-style-type: decimal; margin-left: -18px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #555555; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Tsuzuku, S., Ikegami, Y., and Yabe, K. Effects of high-intensity resistance training on bone mineral density in young male powerlifters. Calcified Tissue International. 1998; 4: 283-286.</span></div>
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<li dir="ltr" style="background-color: transparent; color: #555555; font-size: 12px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; list-style-type: decimal; margin-left: -18px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #555555; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Witzke, K.A., Snow, C.M. Effects of plyometric jump training on bone mass in adolescent girls. Medical Science and Sports Exercise. 2000; 6: 1051-1057.</span></div>
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Bushintai-Do Programshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10751796475258610134noreply@blogger.com0Vermont, USA44.5588028 -72.57784149999997741.6285143 -77.741415499999974 47.489091300000005 -67.41426749999998tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2576486174016989984.post-15685526964776600922014-09-30T17:48:00.000-07:002015-01-24T17:48:26.281-08:00Don't Take Your Kids Jogging (or to Classical Symphony Concerts)<div dir="ltr" style="margin-bottom: 10pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 17.25px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>Child-Centered Physical Activity, Part 1</b></span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I learned an important lesson about children’s fitness at a performance of classical music. It was during the annual Lake Champlain Mozart Festival, and my wife and I and another couple were attending a concert at Memorial Auditorium. This was during the parenting phase in which we still had only one young child, and hadn’t given up completely on grown-up recreation. My son was six, and our friends’ daughter was five, and we brought them along. </span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Naturally, the kids quickly became restless, and I, sharing their appreciation for the intricacies of Mozart, volunteered to take them for a walk. It was a pleasant evening and we went outside. The front entrance has a lot of stairs, and a big marble ramp with a handrail. It was a perfect playground, and other erstwhile concert-going children were already taking advantage of it. They ran up the stairs, slid down the ramp, ran up the ramp and down the stairs, and occasionally hung or swung from the handrail. It was an excellent functional training circuit, and I watched in appreciation. I considered the ways in which the adult athletes I worked might benefit from this workout.</span></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjp_8J0Ic1ZcNURZx-w1v83VMcCGPWQ0kmvBLBbdm7z8PwbvYO1uQL_-8cQGR1TKZmOH5-ltJQlZGEOAkA3ANcSRGnRsOZ12k83HdEK7UaUEiLS-osFJEytr4QCqLxYuapRrx0CoD25Drs/s1600/20140530_083557.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjp_8J0Ic1ZcNURZx-w1v83VMcCGPWQ0kmvBLBbdm7z8PwbvYO1uQL_-8cQGR1TKZmOH5-ltJQlZGEOAkA3ANcSRGnRsOZ12k83HdEK7UaUEiLS-osFJEytr4QCqLxYuapRrx0CoD25Drs/s1600/20140530_083557.jpg" height="320" title="Physical Activity for All Ages--for All Classrooms" width="180" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><b>Bushintai-Do was designed for <br />children and young teens.</b></span></td></tr>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">As time passed, I noticed a pattern of exertion that did not fit the concept of this as a circuit for my adult clientele, primarily combat sport athletes. The kids put in some vigorous activity, but did not sustain it for more than a few minutes at a time. They would charge through the circuit, laughing and talking, and then flop down for a rest. Then it was back to the circuit for a few more frenzied minutes, and back down for a rest.</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Since I also work with child athletes, I made a mental note to structure their workouts more along the lines of this “run and stop” pattern. I thought it would be more enjoyable for them. What I later found out was that it is not only more fun, but more natural and beneficial for them.</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">As parents, coaches, and mentors, we try to help children benefit from our knowledge and experience. We want them to learn, as we did, the value of hard work, determination, and the ability to delay short-term gratification in the interest of long-term success. As athletes (I include recreational athletes and other fitness enthusiasts), we know that if we persist through hard workouts on a regular basis, our bodies will adapt to the stresses we put on them, and we will become stronger and have better endurance . </span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Not so with prepubescent children. Research has shown that, given an exercise program that would yield significant improvements in aerobic capacity in adults, children will not make similar gains. Their transition from anaerobic to aerobic energy production is not as efficient as it is in adults. They can be forced to run for 20 minutes three times per week, but will most likely only develop a distaste for running, and exercise in general. It will be all pain and no gain.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">According to </span><span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Paul R. Stricker, MD, FAAP, in Aerobic Capacity and Training Ability from </span><a href="http://www.healthychildren.org/" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: white; color: blue; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">www.HealthyChildren.org</span></a><span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, </span><span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-size: 15px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">“</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 15px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Hopefully this is clear. Read my lips—there is no need for elaborate, excessive, and exhaustive training programs for children and pre-pubertal athletes. This does not suit their needs or interests.”</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;">The benefits of exercise for children, and the national crisis in juvenile fitness, are well-documented. If we want to serve this population, it is vital that we consider their specific physiological needs. We need to learn how to teach the lessons of determination, persistence, and hard work, in child-appropriate ways.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;">David Quinlan, Founder and Lead Instructor</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;">Bushintai-Do Programs and Martial Way Self-Defense Center</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;">Milton, Vermont</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span>Bushintai-Do Programshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10751796475258610134noreply@blogger.com0Vermont, USA44.5588028 -72.57784149999997741.6285143 -77.741415499999974 47.489091300000005 -67.41426749999998tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2576486174016989984.post-13530702225929462882014-06-21T06:30:00.000-07:002014-06-21T06:30:53.098-07:00The Exercise Crisis<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The Case for 60 Minutes of School-Based Moderate to Vigorous Physical Activity</span></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoGsTlGjBWlallLbx4w-1eITxHxv135KC3n9fURRqoHApY1fBVb69OsG3IjIDT4NoPLluaScxdbi892sesCGxVzi4cDK41margor8clfxtjKjaRBAb9gQZuIwXsD6_nNeynnbqcHvf7z4/s1600/Joint+Wellness+Activity+-+Bushintai-Do+(2).jpg&container=blogger&gadget=a&rewriteMime=image%2F*" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Bushintai-Do Programs" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoGsTlGjBWlallLbx4w-1eITxHxv135KC3n9fURRqoHApY1fBVb69OsG3IjIDT4NoPLluaScxdbi892sesCGxVzi4cDK41margor8clfxtjKjaRBAb9gQZuIwXsD6_nNeynnbqcHvf7z4/s1600/Joint+Wellness+Activity+-+Bushintai-Do+(2).jpg" height="320" title="Moderate to Vigorous Physical Activity for the Classroom" width="179" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;"><b>School-based Bushintai-Do for all ages</b>.</span></td></tr>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">We begin our lives on a dramatic upward trajectory of physical development and activity. As infants, we wiggle, kick, and grasp. We progress to lifting our heads, and later, turning over unassisted. Eventually we crawl, then stand, stand, then walk--huge leaps in neuro-motor accomplishment. Our increased mobility as toddlers not only allows us to meet the physical demands of daily living, but also creates a platform for even geater neuro-motor accomplishments – running, riding a bike, swimming, jumping rope, throwing, climbing. Most of us master these skills as a normal part of childhood. At this point, a normal healthy child in an affluent peaceful society, has extensive opportunities for specialized motor skill development and moderate to vigorous physical activity. The greatest challenge they face is whether to choose team sports, dance, figure skating, gymnastics, snowboarding, martial arts, tennis, skiing, mountain biking, skateboarding, swimming, track and field, or any of the exciting possibilities that </span><span style="clear: left; color: black; display: inline !important; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-decoration: none; white-space: pre-wrap;">compete for the active child’s attention.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">In previous generations, exercise was part of a child’s daily routine. The primary after school activity was “going out to play”. This included biking, hiking, running, swimming, tree climbing, hopscotch, jumping rope, capture the flag and other active games and pick-up team sports. It was unstructured, could be done nearly every day, and did not require being driven to practice. Today we know that this kind of active play develops the whole child. In 2010, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> <a href="http://www.cdc.gov/healthyyouth/health_and_academics/pdf/pa-pe_paper.pdf" target="_blank">reported</a> that cognitive skills and motor skills develop through this dynamic interaction. Moderate to vigorous physical exercise affects the brain’s physiology and these physiological changes improve cognition, help prevent obesity, help treat depression, prevent many diseases, and lead to greater success – socially, emotionally, cognitively, and physically.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-Tz8Voupqem0Uf-UnO9QdqEihIeClVmjiPWnI5IG098yJanwRaB2uGbJSeJVc0LAoAsi4rpgFO7e1hs4Qdk_ftgRVZAOuaerSpYVfS-dJqHcfRI4rvzg55xKW4ebOZoj0idQu7MWp8KY/s1600/IMG_3095.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Integrate circuit training with a Bushintai-Do Belt Program." border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-Tz8Voupqem0Uf-UnO9QdqEihIeClVmjiPWnI5IG098yJanwRaB2uGbJSeJVc0LAoAsi4rpgFO7e1hs4Qdk_ftgRVZAOuaerSpYVfS-dJqHcfRI4rvzg55xKW4ebOZoj0idQu7MWp8KY/s1600/IMG_3095.JPG" height="320" title="Moderate to Vigorous Physical Activity for the Classroom" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;"><b>Classroom-based exercise stations.</b></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">In spite of what may seem like many opportunities for physical activity and despite the well-documented benefits of exercise, according to The President’s council on Fitness, Sports and Nutrition, only one-third of American children are active on a daily basis. And of those who play team sports, only 25% of them get enough daily exercise. More concerning is that our children’s overall level of physical activity has <a href="http://www.designedtomove.org/" target="_blank">decreased by 32% over the past 40 years</a>, with the majority in need of more exercise.</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> After school activities, PE classes, active transportation to and from school, and in-class physical activity are all needed to adequately meet the recommended 60 minutes of moderate to vigorous physical activity for our students. However, the<a href="http://www.iom.edu/Reports/2013/Educating-the-Student-Body-Taking-Physical-Activity-and-Physical-Education-to-School.aspx" target="_blank"> Institute of Medicine reports</a> that </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">48-69% of children and adolescents in the United States do not attend physical education classes in an average week.</span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> O</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">ne potential high-impact solution is for schools to mandate a movement period during every school day. Second only to mandatory PE classes, in-class physical activity delivers the greatest amount and most consistent form of </span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.15; white-space: pre-wrap;">movement in a child’s day. <a href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23332325" target="_blank">Studies estimate</a> that classroom-based activity will routinely add at least 20 minutes of the recommended 60 minutes of daily physical activity to a child’s day.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">This would not be the first time American schools have taken the lead in confronting a serious health problem. Schools have been vaccinating children against illness for decades. School lunches, and more recently, breakfast programs, have helped fight malnutrition and food security issues among our children. The next big (and avoidable) health problem for our children is their lack of moderate to vigorous physical activity. As a result of this inactivity, children born today now have a life expectancy that is <a href="http://www.designedtomove.org/" target="_blank">five years less</a> than the previous generation</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">. Schools need to take advantage of the opportunity they have, and make daily exercise mandatory for every student.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiS_FJ2odka7tYUPu1VHCATWnVxu-5Wxopo7YGnu7HmAL9JnUXv3hrOXRsY-IIpVEGigdjPJ8RQeCg0twOZBP1SrgwDi9TOr5K7sYP-57YcIZsL4oYQBcvSpBq6BB1e9fGs079ELhJLGBw/s1600/School-Based+Physical+Activity_Hula+Hoop.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Integrate outdoor exercise options with Bushintai-Do Programs." border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiS_FJ2odka7tYUPu1VHCATWnVxu-5Wxopo7YGnu7HmAL9JnUXv3hrOXRsY-IIpVEGigdjPJ8RQeCg0twOZBP1SrgwDi9TOr5K7sYP-57YcIZsL4oYQBcvSpBq6BB1e9fGs079ELhJLGBw/s1600/School-Based+Physical+Activity_Hula+Hoop.jpg" height="320" title="Moderate to Vigorous Physical Activity for Outdoor Recess" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">There will be opposition from those who say that valuable classroom time will be sacrificed. However, studies have shown that regular exercise--even if it means less classroom time--leads to <a href="http://www.iom.edu/Reports/2013/Educating-the-Student-Body-Taking-Physical-Activity-and-Physical-Education-to-School.aspx" target="_blank">academic gains</a></span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">. This is an opportunity to dramatically improve the lives of children and to prevent the eventual societal costs of the current exercise crisis. Our school system needs to once again take the lead in helping our children reach their physical, emotional, academic, and social potential.</span></div>
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<span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">David Quinlan, Founder and Lead Instructor</span></span></div>
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<span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Nancy Keller, Education Coordinator</span></span></div>
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<span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Bushintai-Do Programs</span></span></div>
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<span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><a href="http://www.bushintai-do.com/">www.bushintai-do.com</a></span></span></div>
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<span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Milton, Vermont</span></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Happy Father's Day</span></b></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgKabb_2XHq7NdJjpa7qK7Oy7vO97YGp0AlMev6dLeROQuiZEMfiEcACZn6Sfij2odOginZUmjBWS2avSeozeM4kVk6L93poKnvsw6z1SMawxIe8vGfMpR3HSLtbfu06d2B4gYaL-FmVU/s1600/P_0047_127.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgKabb_2XHq7NdJjpa7qK7Oy7vO97YGp0AlMev6dLeROQuiZEMfiEcACZn6Sfij2odOginZUmjBWS2avSeozeM4kVk6L93poKnvsw6z1SMawxIe8vGfMpR3HSLtbfu06d2B4gYaL-FmVU/s1600/P_0047_127.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img alt="David Quinlan, Founder and Lead Instructor" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgKabb_2XHq7NdJjpa7qK7Oy7vO97YGp0AlMev6dLeROQuiZEMfiEcACZn6Sfij2odOginZUmjBWS2avSeozeM4kVk6L93poKnvsw6z1SMawxIe8vGfMpR3HSLtbfu06d2B4gYaL-FmVU/s1600/P_0047_127.jpg" height="200" title="Bushintai-Do: A Classroom-Based Movement Program" width="132" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;"><b>David Quinlan </b></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Starting when I was four years old, my brothers and I played baseball from the time the snow started to melt until it fell again. We played little league for six weeks each spring, but we also played whiffle ball, "backyard ball" (our own invention – a game in which the object was to hit three consecutive line drive outs), and hardball at the diamond we had set up in a hayfield. We strung chicken wire across some small saplings for a backstop, used seat cushions we found at the dump for bases, and eventually wore base-paths and an infield into the high grass, by the foot traffic of our endless games. The outfield remained in high grass, which slowed down some drives into the gap, but sometimes gave runners an extra base as outfielders dug for the ball.<br /><br />My dad was our little league baseball coach for a few years. But long before that and long after those short summers, he supported my brothers' and my interest in the sport. He pitched to us, played catch with us, and never got mad about the windows we broke. We had a nine-panel window in our basement door, which happened to be dangerously close to home plate when we played in the backyard. I remember him calmly taking the door off the hinges and installing new panels, probably knowing they’d soon be knocked out by other foul tips, but he never complained.<br /><br />As I watch my own son and daughter blazing like comets across the sky of my adult life, I marvel at their growth, I mourn the passing of their childhood, and I cling to its last moments. I watch in wonder as they become individuals – not just extensions of their mother and me – but unique individuals, on their way forward into their own separate lives. I celebrate their milestones – birthdays, accomplishments, personal bests- but I know that I could do without these moments. I'd be happy to stay where we are. I think I could stay calmly in the background, fixing the windows, for as long as they’d like to keep breaking them.<br /><br />To my dad, and my children, Happy Fathers' Day!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">David Quinlan, Founder and Lead Instructor</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Bushintai-Do Programs</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Milton, Vermont</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: #eeeeee; color: black; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">"Exercise enhances cognition, academic outcomes, and graduation rates, and it reduces behavioral problems.”</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: #eeeeee;"><span style="color: black; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 13px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Eric Jensen, Author, </span><a href="http://www.hoodriver.k12.or.us/cms/lib06/OR01000849/Centricity/Domain/856/Poverty_in_classroom.pdf" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: black; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 13px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Teaching with Poverty in Mind</span></a><span style="color: black; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 13px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> (2009)</span></span></div>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 40.5pt; margin-right: 36pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: #eeeeee; color: black; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">“Just 15 minutes of moderate to vigorous physical activity during frequent regular classroom breaks has been shown to decrease body mass index (BMI) in students over a period of 2 years.” </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: #eeeeee;"><span style="color: black; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 13px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Institute of Medicine, </span><span style="color: black; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 13px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Educating the Student Body</span><span style="color: black; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 13px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> (2013)</span></span></div>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 40.5pt; margin-right: 36pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: #eeeeee; color: #1b1b1b; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">“Principals are now learning about the relationship between brain activity and physical activity. In the past, where principals have said, ‘well, it’s a frill we can take out of the schools,’ they are now rethinking that and putting physical education and physical activity, in particular the physical activity breaks and recess, back into the schools.”</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: #eeeeee; color: #1b1b1b; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 13px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Dr. Jayne Greenberg, District Director, </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: #eeeeee; color: #1b1b1b; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 13px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Physical Education and Health Literacy, Miami-Dade County Public Schools;</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: #eeeeee;"><span style="color: #1b1b1b; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 13px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Committee Member, Institute of Medicine’s </span><span style="color: #1b1b1b; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 13px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Educating the Student Body</span><span style="color: #1b1b1b; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 13px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: #eeeeee;"><span style="color: black; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Current and emerging research confirms the relationship between physical activity, brain development, emotion control, obesity prevention and academic achievement, and schools can make a significant diff</span><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.15; white-space: pre-wrap;">erence.</span></span><br />
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<span style="color: black; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The</span><span style="color: black; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 15px; font-style: italic; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Institute of Medicine</span><span style="color: black; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> of the National Academies concluded that when factors, such as parental involvement and socioeconomic status are controlled, active children had stronger academic performance, especially in reading and mathematics, than inactive children. The benefits of exercise during the school day, the IOM reported, outweigh the benefits from increasing class time for additional academic instruction (2013). The concern for educators is no longer </span><span style="color: black; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 15px; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">if</span><span style="color: black; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> physical activity builds a student’s capacity for learning, but </span><span style="color: black; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 15px; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">how</span><span style="color: black; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> to integrate more movement into the school day.</span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtGki9Z51MJ0ePTDFAowLgj7kjGb-DEqXvARi6Wo9XEPDdbB79KUtO9lYBn1ZWKOcCRq-NlupJW2evumS-6s8VDwClEgHcuiHKz4Iz3RSQHRBlkWqEXXIi9oxRGdSG2UdmtpjFSiVYHH4/s1600/IMG_3171.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><span style="background-color: #eeeeee;"><img alt="" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtGki9Z51MJ0ePTDFAowLgj7kjGb-DEqXvARi6Wo9XEPDdbB79KUtO9lYBn1ZWKOcCRq-NlupJW2evumS-6s8VDwClEgHcuiHKz4Iz3RSQHRBlkWqEXXIi9oxRGdSG2UdmtpjFSiVYHH4/s1600/IMG_3171.JPG" height="240" title="In-School Physical Activity - Bushintai-Do for the Classroom" width="320" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="background-color: #eeeeee;"><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">To meet this growing need for in-school physical activity, David Quinlan, a Vermont-based sports and fitness educator, professional martial artist and business owner, and long-time middle level educator, Nancy Keller, founded Bushintai-Do Programs, Inc., a project dedicated to the health and well-being of children and adolescents through physical activity. In January 2013, they launched their first movement-based program called </span><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 15px; font-style: italic; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><a href="http://www.bushintai-do.com/" target="_blank">Bushintai-Do for the Classroom</a></span><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> as </span><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">a way for students to meet the recommended 60-minutes of in-school physical activity each day, while also learning about perseverance, respect, and self-control. Bushintai-Do’s 25-minute movement lessons can be shortened or lengthened to fit the classroom schedule, used as structured recess or teacher advisory time, or integrated as shorter movement breaks throughout a student’s day. With the on-line Teacher’s Guide, educators can also connect the study of Bushintai-Do to the study of language arts, social studies, mathematics and science. </span></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisQ2q3md9NSjTXr9QqXkJaU2-5afQQyx3FN_h1_dZQxCNlyGGl5cS-UA-SeXm8hmvqeeZyRAlnIiAiZ9HusTddW0hBIT3SQN0aEVQT6xm9Ju2Spb3rsaOWBXGNPnGrpU3C6FrgwtfWrJM/s1600/IMG_3172.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><span style="background-color: #eeeeee;"><img alt="" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisQ2q3md9NSjTXr9QqXkJaU2-5afQQyx3FN_h1_dZQxCNlyGGl5cS-UA-SeXm8hmvqeeZyRAlnIiAiZ9HusTddW0hBIT3SQN0aEVQT6xm9Ju2Spb3rsaOWBXGNPnGrpU3C6FrgwtfWrJM/s1600/IMG_3172.JPG" height="240" title="In-School Physical Activity - Bushintai-Do for the Classroom" width="320" /><span style="color: black; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 15px; font-style: italic; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></span></a><span style="background-color: #eeeeee;"><span style="color: black; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 15px; font-style: italic; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><a href="http://www.bushintai-do.com/" target="_blank">Bushintai-Do for the Classroom</a></span><span style="color: black; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 15px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> is more than a set of “brainbreak” videos. It is a moderate to vigorous exercise program designed for the classroom that also integrates the practice of coordinated and complex movements (e.g., contralateral) in a safe and school-appropropriate format. Research shows that technical movement, in particular, is the most beneficial to the development of attentional, sequencing and information processing skills, and it engages the brain and body in ways that normal exercises don’t. (Ratey, 2008; Jensen, 2009) In addition, </span><span style="color: black; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 15px; font-style: italic; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Bushintai-Do for the Classroom</span><span style="color: black; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 15px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> provides a clear and powerful system of proficiency-based goals in the belt-ranking system that motivates students and develops a work ethic. Students learn how to set, achieve and meet goals,</span><span style="color: black; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 15px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span><span style="color: black; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 15px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">and this success translates into academic achievement and personal growth.</span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: #eeeeee;"><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 15px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 1.15; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 15px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 1.15; white-space: pre-wrap;">Why Bushintai-Do instead of other martial arts? </span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: #eeeeee; color: black; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Bushintai-Do, "the Way of the Warrior in Mind and Body," is a martial art developed by Quinlan specifically for Vermont public schools. It is a synthesis of traditional Asian martial arts, but was designed without violent or dangerous techniques, so Vermont school children and adolescents could reap the physical and mental benefits of martial arts training without any of the potential risks.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeZKUfmDcx8uB0eKA-rnd74XBJF5lQ4a62fFDDDb-XpJmGMCVTBcexHuz5UZh7WH1FTHxn4T4WojgK6DcmdJuDy-z7Dp3upFQ7bHUacSh1W889r0QsPcaRoJUdDm45tSsyrgKS6lSwxOw/s1600/IMG_3175.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><span style="background-color: #eeeeee;"><img alt="" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeZKUfmDcx8uB0eKA-rnd74XBJF5lQ4a62fFDDDb-XpJmGMCVTBcexHuz5UZh7WH1FTHxn4T4WojgK6DcmdJuDy-z7Dp3upFQ7bHUacSh1W889r0QsPcaRoJUdDm45tSsyrgKS6lSwxOw/s1600/IMG_3175.JPG" height="240" title="In-School Physical Activity - Bushintai-Do for the Classroom" width="320" /></span></a></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: #eeeeee; color: black; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Throughout the years of teaching martial arts to school-aged children in the greater Burlington, Vermont area, Quinlan saw the benefits traditional martial arts could provide them. Parents often reported that their children were more confident and well-behaved, and showed improved academic performance, sometimes after only months in his program. He began to approach local public schools, hoping to bring the benefits of martial arts training to more children. After perceiving concerns on the part of school teachers and administrators about the safety of these disciplines, he developed the martial art, Bushintai-Do. Bushintai-Do draws from the purely defensive aspects of the traditional martial arts, and is a complete martial arts system in itself. It offers self-defense techniques, pre-arranged routines (forms), a comprehensive fitness program, a positive philosophical foundation, and the integration of mind and body development. Children and adolescents can experience the action and excitement of martial arts, but it is safe for all students to learn and practice.</span><br />
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<span style="color: black; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Since Quinlan first developed Bushintai-Do in 2002, over 500 students in three different Vermont public schools have experienced the benefits of his martial arts training. With a growing national need to counter childhood obesity trends, movement-based programs, like Bushintai-Do, are becoming a welcomed solution. What </span><span style="color: black; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Quinlan noted many years ago when he first started teaching martial arts to children is now scientific fact: There is a strong positive correlation between cognitive development, obesity prevention, and physical activity. As J</span><span style="color: black; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">ohn Medina, author of </span><span style="color: black; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 15px; font-style: italic; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Brain Rules </span><span style="color: black; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">(2008) reminds us, “Cutting off physical exercise – the very activity most likely to promote cognitive performance – to do better on a test score is like trying to gain weight by starving yourself.”</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 15px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 1.15; white-space: pre-wrap;">What is the mission of Bushintai-Do Programs, Inc.? How can we help?</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: #eeeeee;"><span style="color: black; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Educators David Quinlan and Nancy Keller have dedicated their entire adult lives to the well-being of children and adolescents. They have witnessed how active bodies make for healthy minds and believe that both the physical activity and philosophical foundation of </span><span style="color: black; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 15px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><a href="http://www.bushintai-do.com/" target="_blank">Bushintai-Do for the Classroom</a> </span><span style="color: black; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">can make a difference.</span></span><br />
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<span style="color: black; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">In over 25 years of working with children and adolescents, Quinlan and Keller have observed that when students don’t participate in physical activity, it usually means that they haven’t learned how to move. Rather than risk embarrassment, a child may elect to stand at the side and watch their classmates participate instead. Some students have been stunted by a lack of success in traditional sports in which a culture of competitiveness may inhibit those who do not excel from an early age. Many students are less active simply because screen time has replaced the time for movement activities. </span><span style="color: black; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 15px; font-style: italic; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><a href="http://www.bushintai-do.com/" target="_blank">Bushintai-Do for the Classroom</a></span><span style="color: black; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> was designed </span><span style="color: black; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 15px; font-style: italic; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">to help all students learn athletic and functional movement patterns</span><span style="color: black; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> and, as a result, develop the physical and mental confidence necessary for a life-long habit of physical fitness. </span></span><br />
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<span style="color: black; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">While </span><span style="color: black; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 15px; font-style: italic; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><a href="http://www.bushintai-do.com/" target="_blank">Bushintai-Do for the Classroom</a></span><span style="color: black; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> can benefit every child, it is not for every teacher. Studying a martial art requires discipline, focus, perseverance, and patience. Just as students need these qualities to succeed in the martial arts, in the classroom, and in life, educators will need to apply these qualities to their own implementation of this program. This is not a push-button program or a lightweight diversion for your students. It is for those educators who believe that students need purposeful (and fun) developmental instruction regarding movement, and for those who can also commit to learn Bushintai-Do alongside their students--all with our on-going support and encouragement. Those who do have found it a rewarding way to bond with their students, helping them achieve and exceed their goals academically, physically, socially, and emotionally.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Please contact David Quinlan at </span><a href="mailto:dave@bushintai-do.com"><span style="color: #1155cc; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 15px; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">dave@bushintai-do.com</span></a><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> to learn more about our classroom-based programs and how they could meet the needs of your students. </span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: #eeeeee; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">David Quinlan , Founder and Lead Instructor</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: #eeeeee; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Nancy Keller, Education Coordinator</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: #eeeeee; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Bushintai-Do Programs, Inc.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;"><span style="background-color: #eeeeee; font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;">Milton, Vermont</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;"><span style="background-color: #eeeeee; font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;">www.bushintai-do.com</span></span></div>
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Bushintai-Do Programshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10751796475258610134noreply@blogger.com0Vermont, USA44.5588028 -72.57784149999997741.6285143 -77.741415499999974 47.489091300000005 -67.41426749999998tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2576486174016989984.post-59561230118868221722014-03-26T21:13:00.000-07:002014-03-27T18:01:00.776-07:00Through the Eyes of Middle School Students - Part IV<div class="MsoNormal">
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Bushintai-Do, developed and taught by David Quinlan of Bushintai-Do Programs, is based on the principles of a traditional marital arts program, but contains no violent or dangerous techniques. Bushintai-Do is drawn from the physical, mental and philosophical components of various martial arts, such as Kempo Karate, Judo and Arnis.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">As
a classroom teacher, I witnessed how success at Bushintai-Do positively
influenced student achievement at school.
Through the physical training in Bushintai-Do, a student learns that he
or she can set a goal, work towards it in small, consistent steps and achieve
success. This leads to an increase in confidence and to the
development of a work ethic that can be applied to both academic and personal
goals. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">In
addition to classroom-based lessons in Bushintai-Do, students wrote weekly
journal entries and reflective essays about their experiences. Featured in this
blog and in celebration of Middle Level Education Month, middle school students write about are the qualities of perseverance, respect and self-control they learned through their practice of <a href="http://www.bushintai-do.com/" target="_blank">Bushintia-Do for the Classroom</a>.</span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">Doing
your Best Helps<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">from Jack</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj89cSiWvUIapAPZNXTVNwqqD3fd4DI0Y3Z7QzCZN7LWSdGw4xL4q_Ca0P4_VTRCq3fsHuDx8AJW-Ye3VFg3E1gWMrc5qQRLuZz_afkL62sBqijFDlh0ryFIK9MObeFM_rbREOX7vc5Ee0/s1600/Front+Position_Dylan.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj89cSiWvUIapAPZNXTVNwqqD3fd4DI0Y3Z7QzCZN7LWSdGw4xL4q_Ca0P4_VTRCq3fsHuDx8AJW-Ye3VFg3E1gWMrc5qQRLuZz_afkL62sBqijFDlh0ryFIK9MObeFM_rbREOX7vc5Ee0/s1600/Front+Position_Dylan.jpg" height="320" width="212" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;"><b>Front position is a show of respect</b></span><span style="font-size: x-small;">.</span></td></tr>
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<blockquote class="tr_bq" style="text-align: left;">
<i><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">Doing
your best means doing all you can. You
can work harder and be more focused on what you are doing. It can help you do better at work or do better
at sports. Not every person does their
best because they don’t know what their best is. I think that everyone should do their best
because it might make it easier for a lot of people if they did.</span></i> </blockquote>
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<i><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;"></span><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">When
I started doing wrestling, I did not always do my best because I was winning
so much, and I did not have time to really do my best because I was done the
match so quickly. Now I am not winning
as much, but I still do my best to win. When I lose a match, my dad always tell me it
doesn’t matter. If I lose, all he says
is that I did my best, so now I always focus on doing my best and it helps me win.</span></i> </blockquote>
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<i><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;"></span><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">I
have learned that if you always do your best, it will make things a little bit
easier than what people think. People
don’t know what doing their best means.
I will always do my best so that I get better. Bushintai-Do helps me because it shows me
what doing my best really is.</span></i></blockquote>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">What Respect Can Accomplish<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">from Zoe</span></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">Without
respect, the world would be chaos.
Respect includes listening, being aware and caring for other
people. Respect is related to
Bushintai-Do because you have to show respect by bowing to Sensei, and you
should always listen to what he says.
You should not talk over Sensei because that is a sign of
disrespect. You show respect by not
being rude and not saying what’s on your mind.
Showing respect is important because without it, everyone would be
rude. Respect keeps us from living in a
rude disrespectful world.</span></i> </blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: left;">
<i><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">Just a
couple weeks ago, I was very disrespectful, but I learned how not to be. It was one of those weeks where I was just in
a terrible mood and I hated everybody, but when I was disrespectful, I started
to develop an attitude and I became really rude. I talked back, I ignored my teachers and I
wasn’t nice to anyone at all. I was very
disrespectful. Eventually it went away.
I decided to not be rude and to not have an attitude towards
adults. If I wasn't respectful, then I
would’ve had a call home because I was really rude to everybody. It is important to be respectful because it
keeps everyone form being rude. Being respectful is important.</span></i> </blockquote>
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<i><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">I have
learned that showing respect is a rule that everyone should follow. It helps to keep the atmosphere
peaceful. If you’re respectful to other
people, then you’ll get a positive reaction back. “The Way of the Warrior”
includes being respectful in all situations.</span></i></blockquote>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;"><b>The Way of
Self-Control</b><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">from Mary</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;"><i>Self-control
requires practice. To gain self-control,
you must be able to sense yourself, and know your limits. Inner strength is the
key. I had to control myself when we
first began Bushintai-Do, for I, personally was extremely excited to
start. I also had to prevent myself from
jumping all over the place when I could do the White Belt Form. Self-control happens all the time. As I become more agitated or irritated, I
must practice self-control to prevent myself from acting irrationally. Sometimes when others bother me, I must use self-control to stop
myself from snapping at them to be quiet.
The importance of self-control is that it must be used by many people,
and with self-control, life seems to become easier to tolerate.</i></span> </blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq" style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;"><i>One
time at school, I wasn’t in a good mood and I had to restrain myself from
snapping at everyone around me. It was a
bad day for me, and I just wasn’t feeling good.
Everyone seemed more annoying at that time than usual….Was I going to
yell at them and cause a chain reaction, leaving them to hate me, or was I
going to stay calm and explain to them that I simply wasn’t feeling good? I chose the positive thought, and avoided
unnecessary conflicts…The practice of self-control that time came in handy; I
know how strong I was to not give into the evil thoughts surrounding my mind.</i></span> </blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq" style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;"><i>To
follow the way of the warrior, you must practice self-control. Life becomes simpler when you do not act
irrationally. Bushintai-Do helped me
realize that earlier than most people, who may learn it the hard way. Like Bushintai-Do, you must practice
self-control before it is possible to master it</i>.</span></blockquote>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Nancy Keller, Education Coordinator</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Bushintai-Do Programs</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Milton, Vermont</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Teacher</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Winooski Middle and High School</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Winooski, Vermont</span></span></div>
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Bushintai-Do Programshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10751796475258610134noreply@blogger.com0Vermont, USA44.5588028 -72.57784149999997741.6285143 -77.741415499999974 47.489091300000005 -67.41426749999998tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2576486174016989984.post-70998537110683533622014-03-16T19:11:00.001-07:002014-03-17T03:54:36.765-07:00Through the Eyes of Middle School Students - Part III<div class="MsoNormal">
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Resilience, self-control, leadership, open mind, courage, knowledge, determination, mental strength, respect and heart. According to my middle school students, these are the qualities of a Bushintai-Do martial artist. These also became the titles of the chapters for our unpublished book, <u>The Way of the Teenage Warrior</u>. For an entire school year, my students read essays from current and former middle school students, students who, like themselves, had studied and written about Bushintai-Do. What follows is a sample of the essays or excerpt of essays my students thought represented the warrior quality of heart.</span></div>
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<b style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Chapter 10</b></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Heart</span></div>
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<i style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I am a hard worker. Being a hard worker comes from my parents getting divorced and then living in a crappy trailer with hardly any money and clothes. I also didn’t have a very good school to attend. When I was little, I tried hard in school, but wasn’t learning anything. My mom finally decided to move to Vermont to be with family. Then we started doing well because my mom was able to get a good job, rent a house, and I started to learn at school.</i> </div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>At the age of seven, I had to go out and chop wood for our fireplace, take out the trash, tend to the compost, shovel my long driveway, and mow the lawn. As I got older, I had to do more. However, I didn’t stop and complain because I had to do more. I just did my best.</i> </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>Then we moved, again, and I had to go to a new school. With the new school, I tried hard to fit in and it worked, but I didn’t like it. I’ve tried really hard to get good grades, but sixth and seventh grade were difficult because of my grades and the other students. However, I didn’t let it get in my way. I am doing my best for eighth grade year, and it seems to be working.</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>Doing my best at home will help my family when they come home from a long day of work. Doing my best at school will help me, too, because when I have a family, I don’t want them to have the same life I’ve had. Bushintai-Do has helped me with getting good grades, and trying to be more respectful to other people. Because have discussions about what it means to do your best, I remember to do my best in everything I do, even when I don’t want to. I have had to do my best throughout my life and Bushintai-Do has reinforced the purpose of doing my best. Doing my best is basically just being me. And being me will help me through life.</i> </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">John, age 14 </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>I wanted to be a great martial artist like Bruce Lee. He always had a wise thing to say. He once said, “To spend time is to pass it in a specific manner, but once passed, it is gone forever.” What Bruce Lee was saying was that if you don’t spend your time wisely enough, your life will waste away.</i></span></blockquote>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>I have thought about this quote, and I figured it would be a great saying to live by. To waste your time is like wasting your existence. A wise person would see this, and not hesitate to do something to stop their life from being ruined. Perfect practice, a healthy diet, and time with friends are all people need to keep themselves happy. Perfect practice can be for anything, from exercise to studying. These are the things that Bruce Lee probably did. If he could do it, then anyone can do it. </i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Will, age 13</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i> One hot afternoon, my friend, Karen, and I were hanging out at my house. We felt like we were hungry, so we decided to make some toast with peanut butter and jelly. I thought it would be a better idea if she used one piece of bread and fold it over. She said, “No, I want to use one piece for peanut butter and one for jelly.” I laughed, and thought it would be funny to pick up her toast and throw it on the ground so that she couldn’t have any.</i></span> </blockquote>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>Karen didn’t take it that way.</i></span> </blockquote>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>We ended up fighting. We get mad over little things sometimes. Then she said something that I really didn’t like, and I told her to get out of my house, and she left.</i></span> </blockquote>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>During the next few days that we weren’t talking, I felt lonely. I was bored and I was stuck in the TV. Three days later, she came over to my house and we talked it out. We talked about how we get in fights over some things that are so little and how we just need to get over them.</i></span> </blockquote>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>I would say that our friendship is the warrior qualities of heart and resilience. Because we are dedicated to our friendship and we care about each other, our friendship symbolizes heart. Also, every time we have a fight, we have to overcome the problem and when we do, our friendship is smarter and stronger because of it. This is resilience.</i></span> </blockquote>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Desiree, age 13</span></blockquote>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Nancy Keller, Education Coordinator</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Bushintai-Do Programs</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Milton, Vermont</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Teacher at Winooski Middle and High School</span></div>
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Bushintai-Do Programshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10751796475258610134noreply@blogger.com2Vermont, USA44.5588028 -72.57784149999997741.6285143 -77.741415499999974 47.489091300000005 -67.41426749999998tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2576486174016989984.post-74090631554857718562014-03-09T06:26:00.001-07:002014-03-09T06:26:05.510-07:00Through the Eyes of Middle School Students - Part II <br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />Life involves conflict, often with others, but primarily with the self. Avoiding conflict with others is usually the best option. The perseverance, respect, and self-control that are practiced in Bushintai-Do help students work through conflicts in a positive way. If the conflict is in the form of a physical attack, the self-defense training helps students deal with this successfully. If the conflict is with the self, it often comes down to decision-making. The warrior qualities of <b>do your best</b>, <b>show respect</b> and <b>practice self-control</b> described in the lessons of <a href="http://www.bushintai-do.com/">Bushintai-Do for the Classroom</a> give students a framework for positive and healthy decision-making.<br /><br />In recognition of Middle Level Education month, read the wisdom found in the words of young adolescents as they use their experience with Bushintai-Do to reflect upon their personal growth and well-being.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 1;">by Mariah</span> </span></blockquote>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiE3pxZKwLSHNBirQSs_Me1tXOYqdTm_2SzsajKpnjpFkSGYmbfzF93ex-v8xYKZypJYMDVxuPHHLYk8TAUCPgbatbIzKCp2RTe21Ebp57tk1LlET0Xfb6wUg1LrUPaEWMVqf2Fte3alL4/s1600/Front+Position+Shows+Respect.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiE3pxZKwLSHNBirQSs_Me1tXOYqdTm_2SzsajKpnjpFkSGYmbfzF93ex-v8xYKZypJYMDVxuPHHLYk8TAUCPgbatbIzKCp2RTe21Ebp57tk1LlET0Xfb6wUg1LrUPaEWMVqf2Fte3alL4/s1600/Front+Position+Shows+Respect.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Students prepare to do their best.</span></b></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 1;"><span style="line-height: 1;"><i>Doing your best means that no matter how boring or hard a task is, you still give it your all. For me, doing my best is something I always strive for. People do their best in Bushintai-Do by listening to the instructor and trying to do the moves as best as they can. It's important to do your best in Bushintai-Do so you will be able to expand your abilities both physically and mentally. But, it's also important to do your best in your everyday life, like when you are in school. If you want to be successful in the future, you need to work as hard as you can. At one point in your life, you are going to be faced with a situation that is too challenging for you. All you can do is try as hard as you can. You can never fail, as long as you are giving it your all. Doing your best is vital for your success.</i></span></span></span></div>
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<i style="line-height: 1;">Last year I had a very strict language arts teacher, but she was just trying to prepare us for high school. That meant that she would push us a little above our intellectual level. One day we had to write a paper about our role model. I chose my mom because she works very hard and does so much for me. But there was one problem; I didn't know what to say about her. There were so many good things I could say, but I didn't know how to word it. I talked to my LA teacher about it. All she told me was to do my best. And that's exactly what I did. I spent about two hours rewriting everything, and eventually I finished. The next day I received my grade--A+. All I had to do was work hard and do my best. You can succeed in anything, as long as you believe in yourself and do your best.</i></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 1;"><span style="line-height: 1;"><i>I learned that you can't be great at everything. There are going to be some things in your life that you just aren't good at. The only thing you can do is work as hard as you can and do your best. As long as you are doing your best, you are succeeding. Bushintai-Do has helped me realize this. When we first started learning the yellow belt form, I was really confused. My teacher told me to just do my best. After a couple days of my hardest, I started to understand it more. Bushintai-Do teaches you to always do your best and to never give up, no matter how hard things get.</i></span></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkzVn_nDNWPHRyVlPwJsUS7yJ-pUCsjRNIyNUddawmWHXcBG6yU77yGhi0bAVBAmwOYzn8kDE5wcpwG2qRojmbCMY27J-JgTVZtvVXevQc9WgQ3mT39i5Fv3zU8kpXwpUp0xMD0g5oP-Q/s1600/Self-Defense+Technique.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkzVn_nDNWPHRyVlPwJsUS7yJ-pUCsjRNIyNUddawmWHXcBG6yU77yGhi0bAVBAmwOYzn8kDE5wcpwG2qRojmbCMY27J-JgTVZtvVXevQc9WgQ3mT39i5Fv3zU8kpXwpUp0xMD0g5oP-Q/s1600/Self-Defense+Technique.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;">Students practice a self-defense technique</span></b>.</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i> I am writing an essay for my purple belt in Bushintai-Do. Bushintai-Do is martial art that means the way of warrior in mind and body. For this essay I am writing about one of our rules which is show respect. Respect is very important for me. I want to be respected for who I am. In Bushintai-Do, respect is very important; respect is shown when you practice self-defense moves. You have to show respect when you're practicing self-defense techniques, because you must have a bond between the person you’re working with. To be able to get that bond, you must respect other people and get trust from them. </i></span></blockquote>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>In different countries, there are different ways to show respect. For example, in Japan people don't look in the eyes when they're talking to someone older than them. If a younger person makes eye contact with another person that means the other person is being disrespectful. Here in America people have to have eye contact with another person they're talking to. This is a show respect in America. </i></span></blockquote>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>Respect is crucial in Nepal, my native country. We couldn't speak back to our elders. In school in Nepal if we were late or did not do some of the homework, they use to hit us with sticks or a small pipe. I did all I could to not to talk back to the teachers. I tried to do my best to show respect to teachers and my friends. One time I showed up late to school--about one minute late. I was tired of showing respect to my teachers because they didn’t show respect to their students. But now when I think back, I was just acting without thinking. We came to America when I was in fifth grade. I didn't talk back to the teachers here as well because that was the way I was taught . After a while, I learned that talking back is not always disrespectful. Sometimes you're just asking questions and trying to learn, so you have to talk to the teachers. </i></span></blockquote>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>I show respect so I can be a respectful person. I show respect because that's the right thing to do. If I meet an unknown person and that person greets me, I greet him back because that's the right thing to do. If I meet this person again, I will be more respectful and have more time to know him.</i></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">by Damon</span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /><i>Practicing self-control is harnessing unwanted anger. Unwanted anger is not easy to control most of the time. When you let loose on unsuspecting people, the aggression can be passed down to others. This makes a chain reaction of anger and lack of self-discipline. Bushintai-Do requires self-discipline. That is why it is so important to control your temper.</i></span> </blockquote>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>T</i></span><i style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 1;"><span style="color: black; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">here was more than one time when I had to practice self-control. One time, however, especially sticks in my memory. When I was ten years old, there was a kids who was bullying me by calling me names and pushing me around. I told him to back off or I’d tell the teacher on him. Instead of escalating the problem any further, I just walked away. After I walked away, he never bothered me again. In this situation, by using self-control, I avoided having a fight and further injuries.</span></i> </blockquote>
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<i style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 1; white-space: pre-wrap;">So far in my life, I’ve learned that using self-control has not only helped my life, but also improved my attitude. I will also use this learning in Bushintai-Do. Self-control is the way of the warrior.</i></blockquote>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Nancy Keller, Education Coordinator</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Bushintai-Do Programs</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Milton, Vermont</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Teacher at Winooski Middle and High School</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Winooski, Vermont</span> </div>
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Bushintai-Do Programshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10751796475258610134noreply@blogger.com0Vermont, USA44.5588028 -72.57784149999997741.6285143 -77.741415499999974 47.489091300000005 -67.41426749999998tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2576486174016989984.post-70815875612134685512014-03-01T06:34:00.002-08:002015-01-25T06:06:24.583-08:00Through the Eyes of Middle School Students - Part I<div class="style" style="background: #FFFEFF; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; text-align: center;">
<span style="background-color: #eeeeee;"><span style="color: #0a0b18; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-align: left;">T</span><span style="color: #0a0b18; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-align: left;">he martial art of Bushintai-Do, created for use in schools as a structured recess, a series of brainbreaks or energizers, an after school program, or as a Middle Level Teacher Advisory activity, has three standards for success: </span><span style="color: #0a0b18; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-align: left;">Do your best. </span><span style="color: #0a0b18; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-align: left;">Show respect. </span><span style="color: #0a0b18; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-align: left;">Practice self-control. </span></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: #eeeeee;"><span style="color: #0a0b18; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">These rules-to-live-by are woven into the movement activities and lessons of <a href="http://www.bushintai-do.com/bushintai-do.php" target="_blank">Bushintai-Do for the Classroom</a>. In this way, students make both a physical and mental connection to their meanings. </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">In some classrooms, students write weekly journal entries or reflective
essays about their experiences with learning this martial art and these writings are one of the requirements for a belt promotion. By writing, students think more deeply about
the philosophical components of their training and
how these relate to their lives outside of the classroom "dojo." </span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: #eeeeee;"><span style="color: #0a0b18; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">In honor of Middle Level Education month, celebrated this March, Bushintai-Programs will publish weekly words of wisdom from middle schoolers who practice Bushintai-Do, the "way of the warrior in mind and body." As mentioned in a previous blog post, </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="color: #333333; line-height: 18.6666660308838px; text-align: justify;">Bill Ayers reminds us that </span><span style="color: #333333; line-height: 18.6666660308838px; text-align: justify;">“teachers must understand that even as they teach, they will also be taught. Even as they help others develop, they will, themselves, change and grow.” In this spirit, let us learn from our middle schoolers:</span></span></span></div>
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<b><span style="background-color: #eeeeee; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Do Your Best</span></b></div>
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<span style="background-color: #eeeeee; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">from Sujit</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAoN7jTTisB5bjY9_VtupkO9L85JQDyL5V2dJSzZsGK7-f6IlY8uN7cx3O2QxJFZDb7BMQjgQdtXJoJ0aplKINED0H4HYx14wBV6uIF_piOMi6S4-aYnMwr57PyZzzGlsz66qiKKjw1cM/s1600/WEbsite+PHoto+-+Techniques+3.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="background-color: #eeeeee; clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAoN7jTTisB5bjY9_VtupkO9L85JQDyL5V2dJSzZsGK7-f6IlY8uN7cx3O2QxJFZDb7BMQjgQdtXJoJ0aplKINED0H4HYx14wBV6uIF_piOMi6S4-aYnMwr57PyZzzGlsz66qiKKjw1cM/s1600/WEbsite+PHoto+-+Techniques+3.JPG" height="320" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><b style="background-color: #eeeeee;">Two of the authors pose for a photo.</b></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i style="background-color: #eeeeee;">Doing your best is the one of the rules in Bushintai-Do. When you do your best you will accomplish a lot in life. We have to focus on the forms and on what Sensei teaches us. If you keep doing your best, you will you understand different kinds of belt forms, like yellow, orange, and purple, and self-defense techniques. Doing your best will play an important role in your future and in your life... </i></span></blockquote>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i style="background-color: #eeeeee;">When you do Bushintai-Do, your body gets active and healthy. To make your body healthy, you have to do the exercises like you mean it. In Bushintai-Do, you have to control yourself to focus on the work. Doing your best does not just mean to do what you can, you have to make it better every time. Doing your best is very important in Bushintai-Do.</i></span></blockquote>
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<b><span style="background-color: #eeeeee; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Show Respect</span></b></div>
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<span style="background-color: #eeeeee; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">from Najla</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i style="background-color: #eeeeee;">Showing respect is about being kind and calm, focused and open-minded. Most of the time I show respect to myself and others. I show respect by listening and paying attention and not interrupting. I also show respect by participating and not complaining. </i></span></blockquote>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i style="background-color: #eeeeee;">When I practice Bushintai-Do, I always participate and listen and I never make fun of anyone trying to learn something new. I understand that it is important to be safe. I am always trying, but I’m not too hard on myself. Sometimes I complain about doing it which doesn't help or isn't positive. </i></span></blockquote>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i style="background-color: #eeeeee;">I understand that showing respect is important. Respect is important so you don’t get in trouble and you must show respect to get respect. Respecting myself helps me understand everything and everyone.</i></span></blockquote>
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<b><span style="background-color: #eeeeee; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Practice Self-Control in Mind and Body</span></b></div>
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<span style="background-color: #eeeeee; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">from Xavier</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i style="background-color: #eeeeee;">Self-control is the main key of Bushintai-Do. Self-control means relaxation, along with focus and slow breathing. In Bushintai-Do, self-control leads to being healthy and persistent. In other areas of life, self-control leads to success. </i></span></blockquote>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i style="background-color: #eeeeee;"> I remember when I wasn't focused and I didn't get a Bushintai-Do class credit. I was upset, but when I focused, I got the credit. Bushintai-Do gives me a chance to calm down and focus on what is important: School and concentration. I have lowered my energy and Bushintai-Do forms and techniques have helped. I believe Bushintai-Do will help me in the long run. In other words, it will help me mellow out and bring success in fulfilling my dreams. </i></span></blockquote>
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<span style="background-color: #eeeeee;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>I realized that when you use self-control, you get more things completed, especially when you pay attention in class. It adds to the success. I learned how important self-control is in reality. Without self-control, we wouldn't understand anything and we wouldn't know how to learn. We wouldn't care because we couldn't control our bodies. Self-control is the "way of the warrior in mind and body."</i></span> </span></blockquote>
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<span style="background-color: #eeeeee; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Nancy Keller, Education Coordinator</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: #eeeeee; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Bushintai-Do Programs, Inc.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: #eeeeee; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Milton, Vermont </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: #eeeeee; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Teacher at Winooski Middle/High School </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: #eeeeee;">Winooski, Vermont</span></span></div>
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Bushintai-Do Programshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10751796475258610134noreply@blogger.com0Vermont, USA44.5588028 -72.57784149999997741.6285143 -77.741415499999974 47.489091300000005 -67.41426749999998tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2576486174016989984.post-34995835565771959512014-02-10T03:16:00.000-08:002014-02-10T03:16:26.835-08:00Moderate to Vigorous Physical Activity in the Classroom, Part III <div style="text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>The Case for Martial Arts</b></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The <a href="http://www.iom.edu/Reports/2013/Educating-the-Student-Body-Taking-Physical-Activity-and-Physical-Education-to-School.aspx" target="_blank">Institute of Medicine</a> recently made recommendations for “strengthening and improving programs and policies for physical activity and physical education in the school environment." The recommendations were based on the fact that the physical, emotional and cognitive benefits of moderate to vigorous physical activity (MVPA) are well-documented, and that schools provide an opportunity to help children in these areas.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The evidence is overwhelming and the opportunity is at hand. As our schools once took the lead in providing vaccinations for children, they are now becoming more involved in promoting overall wellness. Nutrition, mental health, and social development are being addressed not only in addition to academic success, but in their powerful connection to it. The classroom, as a place of learning, should address all of these concerns. The need for MVPA is one that can be addressed, and therefore, it should be.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWZmzoPUieSekDBnmWpNusH6WnVvmEr49NC6dBK8sCAwhucAXN4oXgDnJR3bQ5AS0SPyuL2Bqo2dsR7lKU0RFB2roO5IxbTyMwBlFKIUQ_OxXG5tRDm17b3JLnC9zdX2a2nv7Ku8V8msI/s1600/Forms.Hope.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Learning the forms is a type of physical activity that develops sequencing and attentional skills." border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWZmzoPUieSekDBnmWpNusH6WnVvmEr49NC6dBK8sCAwhucAXN4oXgDnJR3bQ5AS0SPyuL2Bqo2dsR7lKU0RFB2roO5IxbTyMwBlFKIUQ_OxXG5tRDm17b3JLnC9zdX2a2nv7Ku8V8msI/s1600/Forms.Hope.jpg" height="320" title="Practicing the Coordinated Movements of Bushintai-Do Builds Cognitive Skills" width="211" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;"><b>Practicing forms develops attentional skills.</b></span></td></tr>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Martial Arts, according to John Ratey, MD, in his book, </span><span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Spark</span><span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">: </span><span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The Revolutionary New Science of Exercise and the Brain</span><span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, involves the type of coordinated movements that cause more connections to grow between neurons. In addition, the aerobic exercise of the martial arts elevates neurotransmitters, creates new blood vessels that aid in brain development, assists in development of new nerve cells, and encourages brain cells to log new information. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Martial Arts teachers have long been aware of the benefits their young students get from their training. Parents often report that their children get better grades, have increased self-esteem, display more respectful behavior, and acquire more self-control as a result of their martial arts classes. Mart</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">ial arts not only has numerous benefits beyond the typical MVPA, it is an activity well-suited to the classroom in that it has a tradition of learning, requires little or no equipment, and contains a powerful system of short and long-term goals, in the belt-ranking system.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Most martial arts programs teach a progression of movement sequences known as katas, or forms. Learning the forms helps students develop <a href="http://sparkinglife.org/page/add-adhd" target="_blank">sequencing and attentional skills</a>, important cognitive tools. The forms start with simpler movements at the beginner level, and progress to more complex movements at the higher level. The more advanced student not only possesses superior physical skills, but also greater knowledge of forms than the beginner. This emphasis on knowledge and learning lends itself well to the c</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.1500000000000001; white-space: pre-wrap;">lassroom environment.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The martial arts </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">dojo</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, or training hall, can be anything from the ornate to the minimalistic, but usually require little equipment beyond the floor space. Successful dojos can be run in vacant lots, church basements, backyards or garages, and, certainly, classrooms. One literal translation of </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">dojo</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> is, “a place of the way”. It is a place of learning the way of a particular discipline. In this sense, a classroom is already a dojo.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEYmDJPevN35gWG5RY1ooLXeboSYkJ1hxtlaB7vd4djdPmgtN005Y8xXtN5vnZ0zJ-rHsqvfu9PAkn3o_9h33TXMPNFAwIwnDugRG0KQvEDvwGUcUPiS28IyjPVQjaDopCU39esZN8MR4/s1600/Website+Photo+-+Belt+System+photo.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Belt ranks are earned with determination, patience and resiliency. It's more than just physical activity." border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEYmDJPevN35gWG5RY1ooLXeboSYkJ1hxtlaB7vd4djdPmgtN005Y8xXtN5vnZ0zJ-rHsqvfu9PAkn3o_9h33TXMPNFAwIwnDugRG0KQvEDvwGUcUPiS28IyjPVQjaDopCU39esZN8MR4/s1600/Website+Photo+-+Belt+System+photo.JPG" height="320" title="Bushintai-Do Yellow Belts in a Classroom Dojo" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;"><b>Bushintai-Do belts hang in a classroom "dojo."</b></span></td></tr>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Grades, the external measurement of academic success, are one indicator of proficiency. They provide a clear and powerful goal for many students. The same can be said of the belt-ranking system of the traditional martial arts. While they are proficiency-based, they reflect a variety of attributes beyond natural ability. Determination, patience, and resiliency are all the keys to achieving rank, and natural ability does not provide a shortcut to success. All students, regardless of physical or cognitive gifts, progress at the same rate. This encourages a disciplined, process-based approach to learning, which more resembles an academic pursuit than an athletic one. </span></div>
<span id="docs-internal-guid-7b7fb864-198f-64cb-5e62-afc23118dac3"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Martial arts is an excellent way to address the physical, behavioral, and cognitive needs of the student. The only thing the average classroom lacks, in regards to teaching martial arts, is the martial arts teacher. <i><a href="http://www.bushintai-do.com/" target="_blank">Bushintai-Do for the Classroom</a></i> was developed specifically for this purpose.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">David Quinlan, Founder and Lead Instructor</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; white-space: pre-wrap;">Bushintai-Do Programs</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Milton, Vermont</span><br />
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Bushintai-Do Programshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10751796475258610134noreply@blogger.com0Vermont, USA44.5588028 -72.57784149999997741.6285143 -77.741415499999974 47.489091300000005 -67.41426749999998tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2576486174016989984.post-17695828722399102502014-02-02T07:55:00.002-08:002014-02-02T12:41:59.330-08:00Why Bushintai-Do for my Middle School Students: Physical Activity, Academic Achievement and Personal Development<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Over ten
years ago, our middle school’s drug and alcohol counselor, Cheryl, handed me a
small rectangular scrap of white paper with a phone number and a name written
on it:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">893-8893<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">David</span><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;"><span style="background-color: white;"> Quinlan</span><span style="background-color: white;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">“Call
him,” she said. “My son takes karate classes from him. I
think he could help you.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">We had
just walked out of a meeting in our principal’s office, and were wondering what
to do next. Beth, my teaching colleague, and I were asked to create
a general education alternative program for our students, and we had discussed
some possibilities. That’s when Cheryl gave me Dave’s phone number.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">“We need
a less traditional classroom,” my principal, Mary, had stated at the
meeting. She was the newly hired principal for our middle school and
was in the midst of restructuring our teaching teams and programs. “We
need to offer a different classroom setting, a different approach and give our
students options.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">We
listened closely. Fresh from a conference on alternative education
programs, Beth and I shared some of our ideas with Mary, including a
description of the martial arts classes that were part of neighboring school’s
alternative program, Team Thrive. Neither of us had any martial arts
experience or any experience with alternative education, but from our
conversations with Phil, the lead teacher of Team Thrive, and his students, it
seemed like martial arts could be a good fit. Maybe we could do the
same for our middle school students. Bill Ayers, in <u>To Teach,</u> writes
that “the range of opportunities for students to experience success must be
wide and not narrow.” Martial arts would certainly broaden that
range.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">“Go
ahead. Sounds like a good idea,” Mary responded, when we raised the
possibility of including martial arts in our middle school’s new alternative
program.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">A few
days later, I held the small piece of white paper in my hand while I dialed the
phone number, and left a voice message. “Would it be possible for my
middle school students to take martial arts classes with you?” I
asked, and then left my contact information.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">What I
didn’t know was that Dave, after years of working with adolescents, saw a need
to create a martial art that was purely focused on self-defense. Students
could experience the mental and physical benefits of martial arts without
learning offensive or dangerous techniques. Drawing from his years
of training in karate, judo, and Arnis, Bushintai-Do, the way of the warrior in
mind and body, was developed and my middle school students were to become its
first practitioners.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">That
was May of 2002.</span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Sometimes
I am amazed that a brief conversation or a simple decision becomes, when
reflected upon years later, a significant event. This is true when I
remember the scrap of paper Cheryl gave me with Dave’s phone number, and the
intuitive decision Beth and I made to include martial arts as part of our
alternative program. That decision and Cheryl’s recommendation was
the beginning of a martial arts tradition for our alternative classroom, called
Team Velocity, and the beginning of a powerful learning experience for many of
our students, past and present.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Over the
years, I have witnessed how Bushintai-Do has helped our students grow in ways I
never expected. While students learn and practice the physical
skills of self-defense, they also make academic and social/emotional gains,
even though these two activities, martial arts and school performance, seem
unrelated. However, as I investigated and read more about this connection, I found
that current and emerging research confirms this link: The mind
moves the body <i>and</i> the body moves the mind.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaO_eTnzrKlpG7IXUNCp86-j0ZOclm3eDnkR76jBwMmd2p-kG7pj18kUhd7VA75cJp1T3e9t1rfDaDCxgjZdsz_P9VUUBEsgILBpctsxXob6i2Y3Rd5s5pI-vE-kdfLT3hhnXkGiD2Xz0/s1600/Techniques.Hope+and+Olivia.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaO_eTnzrKlpG7IXUNCp86-j0ZOclm3eDnkR76jBwMmd2p-kG7pj18kUhd7VA75cJp1T3e9t1rfDaDCxgjZdsz_P9VUUBEsgILBpctsxXob6i2Y3Rd5s5pI-vE-kdfLT3hhnXkGiD2Xz0/s1600/Techniques.Hope+and+Olivia.jpg" height="213" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><b>Practicing the coordinated movements of Bushintai-Do</b></span>.</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">John
Ratey, MD, clinical associate professor of psychiatry at Harvard Medical
School, states that when we move our bodies in coordinated and complicated
ways, such as during our martial art forms and techniques, and when we build
our aerobic and anaerobic capacities, such as when we exercise or practice a
martial art, we also spark biological changes in our brain cells that make us
more ready, willing, and able to learn (<u>Spark</u>, <u>the Revolutionary
New Science of Exercise and the Brain</u>). Dr. Ratey also claims that public
schools could better serve their students by building upon this connection, and
he gives the example of the public schools in Naperville, Illinois. Students
in this school district begin their day with aerobic exercise and movement
activities, such as yoga, dance or martial arts, and Naperville students boast
the highest achievement scores for eighth graders on the international tests of
math and science than any other school district in the United States. These
students rank sixth in the world for mathematics and first for science.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;"><span style="background-color: white;">Team
Velocity students followed a similar trend. While pursuing an advanced degree
in mathematics</span><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="background-color: white; float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizQWrvdsqhXfm5vZbsG_GnIVOxW8sdUXYoxvsca6hpgBe7KQs2hwI6ilBXyKybs_7XO2rTCVxPwLd6xZ4EB1EyQw2d7Pj9PN2IQxnzszNDQffi2XeZH4kT9OMpMVJrDE3UmFjIyzQR2S0/s1600/Meditation.Brandon+and+Jeff.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizQWrvdsqhXfm5vZbsG_GnIVOxW8sdUXYoxvsca6hpgBe7KQs2hwI6ilBXyKybs_7XO2rTCVxPwLd6xZ4EB1EyQw2d7Pj9PN2IQxnzszNDQffi2XeZH4kT9OMpMVJrDE3UmFjIyzQR2S0/s1600/Meditation.Brandon+and+Jeff.jpg" height="212" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><b>Lessons begin and end with seated mindfulness practice</b></span>.</td></tr>
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<span style="background-color: white;"> education, I investigated the relationship between physical activity
(aerobic exercise and Bushintai-Do) and academic performance. In a year-long
study focused on my students, I was able to show a statistically significant increase
in physical fitness, as well as an increase in mathematics achievement. In
addition to this quantitative data, Dave and I and other teachers have
collected over ten years of reflective writing that speak to this body/mind
connection. Many students often comment about their improved
ability to defend themselves or mention that they are physically stronger as a
result of their martial arts training, but all students eventually reveal their
personal insights and growth as a result of their participation in this martial
art. Interestingly, when we ask students to describe the qualities
of a Bushintai-Do warrior, students always think beyond the physical
traits and mention the qualities of determination, </span><span style="background-color: white;">respect,</span><span style="background-color: white;"> courage, resilience, strength, open-mindedness,
self-control, leadership, knowledge, and heart. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">In over 25
years of teaching and learning with students, I know of very few “teaching
methods” that encourage this type of introspection and personal well-being and
growth. Because of integrating Bushintai-Do into my classroom, I have learned
from my students what it means to be a warrior in both mind and body and
believe this type of learning has made a lasting difference not only for my
students, but for me as well. As Bill Ayers concludes in his book <u>To
Teach</u>, “Teachers must understand that even as they teach, they will also be
taught. Even as they help others develop, they will, themselves,
change and grow.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Nancy Keller, Education Coordinator</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Bushintai-Do Programs, Inc.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Milton, Vermont</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Teacher at Winooski Middle/High School</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Winooski, Vermont</span></div>
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Bushintai-Do Programshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10751796475258610134noreply@blogger.com0Vermont, USA44.5588028 -72.57784149999997741.6285143 -77.741415499999974 47.489091300000005 -67.41426749999998tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2576486174016989984.post-43844594442640990182014-01-18T06:06:00.001-08:002014-01-18T12:58:12.086-08:00Moderate to Vigorous Physical Activity in the Classroom, Part II<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.1500000000000001; margin-bottom: 10pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div>
<h2 style="text-align: center;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span id="docs-internal-guid-1737bd3f-a582-9402-23f1-c6e8df23a000"><span style="font-weight: bold; vertical-align: baseline;">Functional Training and Bushintai-Do</span></span></span></h2>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.1500000000000001; margin-bottom: 10pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Functional training is the core method underlying the typical conditioning regimen of the martial arts. To help define functional training, we should differentiate it from traditional fitness training – the latter being the conventional wisdom that grew from the fitness boom of the 1980’s, and is gradually being replaced by more functional methods.</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.1500000000000001; margin-bottom: 10pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> In traditional fitness training, emphasis is placed on isolation of specific muscles or muscle groups. Specific machines are designed to work specific muscles – athletes go from a machine that works quadriceps muscles, to a machine that works gluteus, to a machine that works hamstrings, to one that works calves, etc. This type of isolation, which forces the targeted muscle to do all of the work, is designed to induce hypertrophy, or muscle growth, under heavy work-loads. Under lower load and intensity of work, the muscles grow less, but achieve greater “tone”.</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.1500000000000001; margin-bottom: 10pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Traditional fitness training emphasizes “open chain” exercises. This means that the hand or foot performing the exercise is free to move. Open chain exercises typically isolate movement to one joint, and thus work load to one muscle. An example is the leg extension. Usually done in a seated position, the foot moves a weight that is placed far from the joint which performs the movement. The movement is performed almost solely by the quadricep muscles. This isolation can lead to rapid hypertrophy.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiopG5pypKe73REiJIb8xczrSS3SZABSZ2JSi24yt9xduaDiw_LrWQBdQfHB-zpt6ow3_oIR4P6MzgvQ30mpfYFNSU08UdlfG4hv92V_R71l9bl3qiII28TV-n026uyJ0Ep87L9Ecxt0OI/s1600/Student+Leaders+(front+row)+demonstrate+White+Belt+form..JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiopG5pypKe73REiJIb8xczrSS3SZABSZ2JSi24yt9xduaDiw_LrWQBdQfHB-zpt6ow3_oIR4P6MzgvQ30mpfYFNSU08UdlfG4hv92V_R71l9bl3qiII28TV-n026uyJ0Ep87L9Ecxt0OI/s1600/Student+Leaders+(front+row)+demonstrate+White+Belt+form..JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><b>The horse stance is a compound (functional) movement.</b></span></td></tr>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">In functional training, the emphasis is on movements not muscles. Muscle hypertrophy, which can be a by-product of functional training methods, is not the primary goal. Instead of isolation, functional training emphasizes compound movements</span><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> and “closed chain” exercises. Closed chain exercises are those in which the hands or feet performing the exercise are in a constant, fixed position (usually on the ground). They work multiple joints and multiple muscle groups at once. An example is the squat</span><span style="color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> or, in martial arts, the horse stance.</span></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> Feet on the ground, weight (if any – body weight is often enough) is placed close to the upper body. Hip, knee, and ankle joints are all involved, so gluteus, quadriceps, hamstrings and calves are all working with this one exercise. More importantly, they are working in the way they are naturally used when walking, climbing stairs, getting out of a chair, etc. In functional training, the various muscle groups, and the nerves which control them, are trained together in a natural, efficient sequence.</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.1500000000000001; margin-bottom: 10pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">In sports and in the activities of daily living (ADLs), multiple joint and muscle movements are required to happen at once, or in rapid succession, with maximal efficiency. Functional training is the way to achieve this efficiency – and with it, maximal power, endurance, speed, and stability, and prevention of injuries.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.1500000000000001; margin-bottom: 10pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: right;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">David Quinlan, Founder and Lead Instructor</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.1500000000000001; margin-bottom: 10pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: right;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Bushintai-Do Programs, Inc. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.1500000000000001; white-space: pre-wrap;">Milton, Vermont</span></div>
Bushintai-Do Programshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10751796475258610134noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2576486174016989984.post-69479397784292878462014-01-11T16:35:00.000-08:002014-01-11T17:51:46.183-08:00Moderate to Vigorous Physical Activity in the Classroom, Part I<div class="MsoNormal">
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The CDC calls for 60 minutes of exercise per day for kids and
teens. In one Vermont middle school, students get half of this in their
classroom each day. “Exercise boosts brain power,” according to Dr. John
Medina, author of <u>Brain Rules</u> (<a href="http://brainrules.net/">http://brainrules.net/</a>),
and this, along with the CDC recommendation, is the rationale behind the SIM
(Spartans in Motion) Program at Winooski Middle School, in Winooski, VT. Each
day, 11 classrooms (and part of the hallways) become high-intensity workout
spaces for 150 or so middle-school students and their teachers.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgD2aMjwsmP3MLtzsTcjwrj3O4KcIm1Y6AtKOM4EvDer_g7BIsZjl6MG1Zzdig0FkUH6maGFG1nC2yZzWoB1E_m_bqncosCNIeUULWuQq9a7LXECr3-vNYZXeNxntFFzddvRKsxizRTnWY/s1600/IMG_3072.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgD2aMjwsmP3MLtzsTcjwrj3O4KcIm1Y6AtKOM4EvDer_g7BIsZjl6MG1Zzdig0FkUH6maGFG1nC2yZzWoB1E_m_bqncosCNIeUULWuQq9a7LXECr3-vNYZXeNxntFFzddvRKsxizRTnWY/s1600/IMG_3072.JPG" height="240" title="Resistance bands are perfect for classroom use--low cost, easily stored and fun!" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Resistance bands are favorite part of circuit training.</b></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The students perform 30 minutes of circuit training routines
I developed along with the school’s Physical Education teacher. The exercises
are low-tech but high-intensity – and low-cost. Each room was outfitted with a
step, medicine ball, jump-ropes, agility rings, resistance bands, and juggling
scarves, at a cost of about $70 per classroom (aerobics steps were available
through the PE Department and other donors). The circuit format delivers
maximum benefit with minimum cost, and in a short period of time and limited
space. Most children, teens, and adults don’t need any of the complex fitness
machinery found in most gyms. Simple body-weight and low-tech resistance
exercises are often more functional, and every bit as challenging, as those
utlizing traditional gym equipment.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Functional training is the name given to the relatively new
focus that is transforming the fitness industry. The old model for fitness
training, developed mostly in the 1970s, was based on body-building and
long-distance running concepts. The average person, who was never going to be a
competitive body-builder, was taught to do essentially the same workout as a
body-builder would do - but with less weight. For cardio-vascular fitness,
everyone performed a distance-runner’s workout, but with less distance. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWtdcn2tgrjM0P8KdRN9OjKRAXeoZIiH93TTDY1TLkSR-hKe75An-7BY_zUWNtuJrQTsMZjC46zDUfB2brbv07Tb1ghkMRIhi51Bp_r-b4LTGZR7cAShq8KpC87CR1Mp3dPooERMRpjPo/s1600/IMG_3066.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWtdcn2tgrjM0P8KdRN9OjKRAXeoZIiH93TTDY1TLkSR-hKe75An-7BY_zUWNtuJrQTsMZjC46zDUfB2brbv07Tb1ghkMRIhi51Bp_r-b4LTGZR7cAShq8KpC87CR1Mp3dPooERMRpjPo/s1600/IMG_3066.JPG" height="240" title="Pushups is one station for classroom-based circuit training." width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Push the desks aside and make time for exercise.</b></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Functional training, in comparison, has its origins in medical
rehabilitation. The goal was to recover functional movement after injury or
surgery, and thus recover the ability to perform ADLs – activities of daily
living. The emphasis in functional training is on improving the quality of
movements, not just on building the size of muscles. Soon, the billion-dollar
professional sports industry recognized that more functional movement led not
only to increased strength and speed for athletes, but also to fewer injuries.
Functional training is now the predominant training concept applied by
top-level pro and college athletic programs, and is crossing over into the
fitness industry as a whole. Popular programs such as Cross-fit and P90-X
employ functional training concepts. Even the look of the state of the art
fitness center has changed – fewer treadmills, and more open floor space, fewer
weight benches and more kettle-bells. In fact, the modern fitness center
resembles the pre-1970’s model more than anything else – a lot of medicine
balls, Indian clubs, climbing ropes and chin-up bars. </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Part II of this series, </span><b style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Moderate
to Vigorous Physical Activity in the Classroom</b><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">, will connect functional
training and the classroom-based martial art of Bushintai-Do.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: right;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">David Quinlan, Founder and Lead Instructor</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: right;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Bushintai-Do Programs, Inc.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: right;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Milton, Vermont</span></div>
Bushintai-Do Programshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10751796475258610134noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2576486174016989984.post-63071387015525884692013-11-24T08:07:00.000-08:002015-06-18T03:54:56.485-07:00Sparring with the Self<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Martial arts training provides many opportunities for
learning. Students can not only learn to strike, block, throw, and pin an
opponent, but they can also learn ways to deal with problems in everyday life.
Many of these lessons can be frustrating, and even painful, but if the student
persists, he or she will gain life skills as well as martial arts skills.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Sometimes during sparring training, students are asked to
practice defending against an attacker's strikes, without hitting back. The
attacker moves in with a constant barrage of punches, kicks, and fakes. The
student is asked to maintain a good stance, focus on the attacker, and avoid
being hit. He or she can use footwork,
blocking, ducking and slipping, but no striking. This is a difficult drill, but
one that is important for developing a student's skill and confidence. It also
teaches a skill that is useful in everyday life.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHRGs1aqeT09_3_D7_IHcT0pD3Dbnv0rWDHUDCLKnjSO03P4W9HGcSs5qKyPWd-UeW3zjISxIWrdOcmRvP2dpkRwwYIEDSAN_NB4gg_dWyVIyunFF-ouKdyQXNQjDVl8lcQxIKq3ZLpEA/s1600/Blog+Post+Picture.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHRGs1aqeT09_3_D7_IHcT0pD3Dbnv0rWDHUDCLKnjSO03P4W9HGcSs5qKyPWd-UeW3zjISxIWrdOcmRvP2dpkRwwYIEDSAN_NB4gg_dWyVIyunFF-ouKdyQXNQjDVl8lcQxIKq3ZLpEA/s320/Blog+Post+Picture.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Bushintai-Do students practice self-defense techniques.</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Eventually, all martial artists learn to handle this drill
with ease. The goal is to relax as much as possible, and react only as often
and as much as is necessary. The student must use evasive footwork, but also
rely on blocking. If a strike gets through, the student must learn from the
mistake, but not dwell on the failure. In the beginning, many students find
this difficult. Their reactions are as different as the individual students,
but tend to fall in to one or more of the following categories:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Category One - The Runner</b>: This student does not trust his
blocking skills enough to rely on them, so he runs. He is achieving the object
of the drill, not getting hit, but does it by avoiding the striker as much as
possible. While this can be a good strategy at times, the Runner needs to learn
to stand his ground sometimes, and practice his blocking. Sooner or later, an
attacker will catch up with him. In standing and blocking, he takes a chance on
getting hit, but will learn so much more about self-defense than he would by
just running. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Running from problems in real life does not solve them. It
is good to be able to avoid problems, but there often comes a time when it is
best to stand and face the problem head-on. The more often a person does this,
the easier it gets, just like in sparring.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Category Two - The Jammer</b>: This student reacts to every
strike and fake with such force and intensity that she over-commits and creates
openings in her defense. She must learn to relax, wait, and only react to the strikes
that would really hit her. When she does react, she needs to learn to keep her
blocks short and controlled. She must learn to only use as much force in her
blocks as is necessary to stop the strike.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Many people react to real-life situations in the same way.
Any kind of minor insult or criticism is met with anger and over-reaction. Just
like in sparring, this strategy can cause more problems than it solves. The Jammer needs to learn which threats need to be dealt with and which can be
ignored. And when dealing with a threat, the Jammer needs to learn to not
over-react.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Category Three - The Doubter</b>: Some students defeat
themselves before they even get started, by thinking that they will probably
fail. This kind of attitude usually causes the student to perform at a much
lower level than he is capable of. In
sparring, the student has to learn to trust his reflexes and his training. Instead
of thinking negative thoughts about failure, he needs to concentrate on the
details of the task at hand. He will sometimes fail to block a strike, this is
part of sparring. When he does fail, he has to forget about that one and
concentrate being more prepared for the next one. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The doubter defeats himself in life as well as in
sparring. Self-doubt causes him to achieve much less than he is capable of. He
has to learn to have confidence in himself. When faced with a difficult task,
he needs to concentrate on completing the task, not on what will happen if he
fails. He will sometimes make mistakes, that is part of life. When he does
fail, he must learn from the mistake and then move beyond it.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Conflict and challenge are unavoidable parts of life. By
learning to handle the conflicts and meet the challenges in martial arts, we all can learn to handle them better in everyday life.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<div style="text-align: right;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">David Quinlan, Founder</span></div>
<div style="text-align: right;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Bushintai-Do Programs</span></div>
<div style="text-align: right;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Milton, Vermont</span></div>
</div>
Bushintai-Do Programshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10751796475258610134noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2576486174016989984.post-14980155027201059132013-10-31T19:24:00.000-07:002013-11-01T10:31:31.931-07:00The White-Belt Mindset<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><b style="font-style: italic;">Shoshin </b>- </span><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Japanese
for "Beginner's Mind" </span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">When a
student begins to train in a martial art, a white belt is typically worn around
her waist. Many times new students feel uncomfortable wearing a white belt
because they think the belt is one of low status, while, by contrast, the words
"black belt" conjure up images of a practiced and seasoned
master. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">What many students don't appreciate is that a white belt can symbolize "a
beginners' mind"--that a student who is a white-belt is open to new
learning. If a martial artist is not open-minded throughout her training,
she will never grow in the knowledge and skills necessary to achieve the rank
of black belt. But why would the color black symbolize years of training
and practice? In theory, when a white belt is worn many times, it becomes
soiled with use, acquiring a darker and darker color. Those students who
earn a black belt have done so through their own hard work and effort. However, extend this analogy one step further:
If the black belt, darkened through years of use, is washed, it would return to
its original white color. In this way, even though a black belt
represents high status, a black-belt martial artist really is a white-belt
student, still practicing and learning.</span></div>
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; text-align: left;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"></span><br />
<div style="text-align: left;">
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBOgFhoagkciVmTebZ5MQXG0QNLHM6BTpe0gPO26RuL1eAGmbE_h8CLyldLrrSr9OWMrEiOFO74mnytH4II1pnXyLBKFsuThGDrF7US9J7SBI8sxUETQTAkzIYE_6PlaWgeF0jFZ1KUZY/s1600/IMG_3092.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBOgFhoagkciVmTebZ5MQXG0QNLHM6BTpe0gPO26RuL1eAGmbE_h8CLyldLrrSr9OWMrEiOFO74mnytH4II1pnXyLBKFsuThGDrF7US9J7SBI8sxUETQTAkzIYE_6PlaWgeF0jFZ1KUZY/s320/IMG_3092.JPG" title="classroom-base movement activities" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">With an open mind and persistent <br />
effort, anything is possible.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</div>
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">
</span>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">This has
become a powerful metaphor for students in my classroom. For any student
to learn and grow, he must be open to new learning--whether this is in Bushintai-Do,
history, math or English. With an open mind and persistent effort, a
student can become a black belt, can become an accomplished mathematician or
writer, and, then…can </span><i style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">continue</i><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"> to grow and learn. This is the definition
of a life-long learner.</span></div>
<br />
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">At the start of the new school year, I like to honor the new white-belt
students in my classroom with a special White-Belt Ceremony. At the
ceremony, new students learn how to wrap their white-belts around their waist.
They also are introduced to a notion that may seem contradictory; white-belt
status in not one of low rank, but one of endless possibilities and growth--whether
they are at the <i>dojo</i> (Japanese for
martial arts studio) or in the classroom.</span></div>
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">
</span>
<br />
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">
</span>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arabic Typesetting";">Welcome
to all new students of Bushintai-Do, the way of the warrior in mind and body.
Always keep your white-belt mindset.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div align="right" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: right;">
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arabic Typesetting";">Nancy
Keller, Teacher<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div align="right" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: right;">
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arabic Typesetting";">Winooski
Middle and High School<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div align="right" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: right;">
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arabic Typesetting";">Winooski,
Vermont<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div align="right" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: right;">
<br /></div>
<div align="right" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: right;">
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arabic Typesetting";">Education
Coordinator<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
</div>
<div align="right" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: right;">
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arabic Typesetting";">Bushintai-Do
Programs, Inc.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</div>
Bushintai-Do Programshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10751796475258610134noreply@blogger.com0Vermont, USA44.5588028 -72.57784149999997741.6285143 -77.741415499999974 47.489091300000005 -67.41426749999998tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2576486174016989984.post-80241991141973661232013-10-26T04:41:00.001-07:002013-10-26T08:06:31.628-07:00Bushintai-Do and the Middle School Student<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Bushintai-Do means the “way of the warrior in mind and body.” For more than 10 years, my students and I practiced
and learned this martial art as part of our school day together. A few years ago, I had an eighth grader who found
the meaning of Bushintai-Do important to her, and chose to write about it
for her blue belt promotion essay. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">I oftentimes learn about myself and others through the eyes
of my middle school students. When I read this student’s essay about
Bushintai-Do, it was one of those moments.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: .5in; margin-right: .5in; margin-top: 0in; text-align: center;">
<b><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">A Warrior and Her Ways<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: .5in; margin-right: .5in; margin-top: 0in; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">by<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: .5in; margin-right: .5in; margin-top: 0in; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Winooski
Middle School Student<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: .5in; margin-right: .5in; margin-top: 0in; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">September
2006<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: .5in; margin-right: .5in; margin-top: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: .5in; margin-right: .5in; margin-top: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">A warrior means so much to so many,
especially in the martial arts world.
When I think of a warrior, I see a thin young man, hair back in a
ponytail, and a nice black uniform. I
also see a nice skin complexion, confidence. I see him standing in a world like nothing’s there, ready for anything,
anybody, or the obstacles that may come his way. I can smell a fearless boy with courage and a
whole lot of confidence. He is strong
and ready for a battle and possibly his last fight. I can touch the sword and feel how good it
feels to be in my hands. I feel, as I am
the boy, self-assured and brave. I can
taste how good it would feel to be a warrior like this boy.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">This warrior in my head reminds me of
Bushintai-Do because of the “Iron Man” on the school patch. The meaning of Bushintai-Do is the way of the
warrior in mind and body. The Iron Man
on the patch stands in a half circle and is like a shadow. </span><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">He reminds me of a warrior because he doesn’t have </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">a face. A warrior with no face to
me means you are ready, like the boy, to battle the struggles, people, and
things that come your way. A warrior
could be anyone. For example, my grandma
can be a warrior at church because she believes in the way of God and the
church. Or someone who’s learning how to
read, they’re learning something new.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Being a warrior also is not just being
physically strong, but mentally strong.
When you’re physically strong, you’re built and athletic, but it is more
than that. You’re not physically strong,
if you’re not also mentally strong. Mental strength is using your head and your heart the most, and not just
your muscle.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">How does martial arts relate to being a
warrior? Martial arts relates to being a
warrior because it helps you make it through the struggles when times are
tough. It prepares you for where life
will take you and through many obstacles. It prepares you physically and mentally because it gives you faith when
you need it most. I think martial arts
can create a strong warrior for any situation. I have to be a warrior on the football field because I have to be ready
for a hard hit or a new play. I have to
know the way of the team, like I have to know the way of the dojo. In math I have to be a warrior to learn new
concepts and to be a better mathematician. At home I have to be a warrior to learn new things about my family every
day.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Warrior means in English: a person who is or has been in warfare. But to me a warrior is someone like the young
man, the Iron Man and, of course, my sensei. Bushintai-Do has taught me the way of the warrior in mind and body, and
I think has formed many warriors over the years.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Nancy Keller, Teacher<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Winooski Middle and
High School<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Winooski, Vermont<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Education Coordinator<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Bushintai-Do Programs,
Inc.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Milton, Vermont<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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Bushintai-Do Programshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10751796475258610134noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2576486174016989984.post-8555958927764126802013-10-19T17:51:00.002-07:002014-07-12T04:55:06.181-07:00Why Martial Arts for Children<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%;">
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPrJBwbeLt5ciM4vQko1EZDO1K9dSHVzvHj4L4MsYlwNkynFL1Cqjpzn_T0ECU7fyhpBKpvkSHwaiSjBVQf0IjwdcZHknm9g8aQN4g0n69kO3myvsqpHrn-wfAnF2cpLMgt7IFwY_NSgw/s1600/Front+Position_Khalid.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPrJBwbeLt5ciM4vQko1EZDO1K9dSHVzvHj4L4MsYlwNkynFL1Cqjpzn_T0ECU7fyhpBKpvkSHwaiSjBVQf0IjwdcZHknm9g8aQN4g0n69kO3myvsqpHrn-wfAnF2cpLMgt7IFwY_NSgw/s1600/Front+Position_Khalid.jpg" height="400" width="266" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Bushintai-Do for the Middle School Classroom</b></td></tr>
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<span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">There are many reasons to
consider martial arts for children. One of the best reasons was illustrated to
me in an exchange I once had with a former student. It had been a random
meeting at a public place, when I struck up a conversation with a young couple.
We had chatted briefly, and the young man asked my name. When I told him, his
face brightened and he said with a smile, “You taught me Kempo!”<br />
<br />
This happens occasionally, and it is often hard for me to place the former
student. In this case, the young man told me he had been part of a class I had
taught at a local school ten years earlier. I didn’t recognize his name at
first, but remembered the program. My goal going in had been to help the kids
develop self-esteem, learn the value of hard work, and the importance of
respect and self-control. Until that day, I had considered the effort a huge
failure.<br />
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I’d like to say that in our brief chat, he told me that martial arts had
changed his life for the better; that he had taken the lessons learned on the
mat and applied them to everyday situations, allowing him to become a
successful adult in spite of his troubled childhood. Not only did he not say
that, he didn’t even imply it. But it was clear that the experience, which I
remembered as a negative, had meant something positive to him. His choice of
words, “you taught me,” not “I was in your class,” seemed significant. And as I
considered that, I remembered him. Chris. He was an enthusiastic and
hard-working student, and I had forgotten about him. I had let the negatives of
the experience outweigh the positives--something I vowed not to do again.<br />
<br />
We want so much for our children. We want them to have every tool we can give
them, to help them through the day-to-day challenges of their present, and
along the great unknown path of their future. I hope that we can help build a
foundation for your child’s academic, professional, and personal success. I
hope we can help our students’ develop a lifelong interest in learning, and an
appreciation for a healthy lifestyle. I hope their fighting skills will be
there if they are ever needed, along with their compassion and self-control,
which will alw</span></span>ays be of use. I hope they can get all of the benefits of the martial arts, and apply them every day of their lives.<br />
<br />
And, if nothing more, I hope that someday, long after the martial arts belts have been thrown out or moved up to the attic, if I meet up with your child again, his or her face will brighten at the memory of learning martial arts.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilMFFOnvgJRHdiu5KET74E_dU2lOUUl5FRN6OpnDICe5_F6NVJaaKKfGNN41x_Bwk_9zPYZTZ6xrtxdid5BeWm1N0o2vEP2JpOHzwtVj-XmcrcjlxTyUNSgALtMiu2vwCYtB3w0lrkR1s/s1600/P_0047_127.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilMFFOnvgJRHdiu5KET74E_dU2lOUUl5FRN6OpnDICe5_F6NVJaaKKfGNN41x_Bwk_9zPYZTZ6xrtxdid5BeWm1N0o2vEP2JpOHzwtVj-XmcrcjlxTyUNSgALtMiu2vwCYtB3w0lrkR1s/s1600/P_0047_127.jpg" height="200" width="133" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilMFFOnvgJRHdiu5KET74E_dU2lOUUl5FRN6OpnDICe5_F6NVJaaKKfGNN41x_Bwk_9zPYZTZ6xrtxdid5BeWm1N0o2vEP2JpOHzwtVj-XmcrcjlxTyUNSgALtMiu2vwCYtB3w0lrkR1s/s1600/P_0047_127.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><br /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">David Quinlan, Founder and Lead Instructor<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Martial Way Self-Defense Center</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">and Bushintai-Do Programs, Inc.</span><o:p></o:p><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Milton, Vermont</span><br />
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Bushintai-Do Programshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10751796475258610134noreply@blogger.comVermont, USA44.5588028 -72.57784149999997741.6285143 -77.741415499999974 47.489091300000005 -67.41426749999998