Physical Activity for All Children: Growing Up as a Decathlete

Growing Up as a Decathlete

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.

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.

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. The Functional Training Model has replaced the old “size, tone, and cardio” goals.

Classroom-based Brain Breaks from Bushintai-Do Programs.

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 children. In addition, exercise has been shown to be a more effective treatment of depression than medication is.

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.

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 youth sports 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. 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.

A recent study 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. 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.

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.

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.

Some have already adopted measures to address this. The Vermont Department of Education’s Education Quality Standards (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. 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. 

David Quinlan, Founder and Lead Instructor
Bushintai-Do Programs and Martial Way Self-Defense Center
Milton, Vermont

Honey, I Pumped the Kids Up!

Child-Centered Physical Activity, Part 2

The importance of physical activity for children is well-documented. The question is, what kind of activity is recommended? In a previous article, 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.

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. 

Pushups are an effective form of strength-building.

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.

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 research shows that children who regularly practice resistance training are likely to have healthier, stronger bones.

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. Studies have shown that this improved neuro-motor function will stay with a child into puberty and adulthood.

Body-weight exercises build strength.

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, children who regularly practice resistance training may be less likely to injure themselves participating in other sports, as strength is considered a preventive factor for children’s sports injuries.

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!

David Quinlan, Founder and Lead Instructor

Bushintai-Do Programs and Martial Way Self-Defense Center

Milton, Vermont

Resources

1. American Academy of Pediatrics Policy Statement. Strength, Weight and Power Lifting, and Body Building by Children and Adolescents. Pediatrics. 1990; 5: 801-803.
2. Fleck, S.J., Kraemer, W. J. Strength Training for Young Athletes. Champaign, IL: Human Kinetics, 1993.
3. Faigenbaum, A.D. Strength training for children and adolescents. Clinical Sports Medicine. 2000; 4: 593-619.
4. Guy, J.A., Micheli, L.J. Strength training for children and adolescents. Journal of the American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons. 2000; 1: 29-36.
5. 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.
6. 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.
7. 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.
8. 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.

Don't Take Your Kids Jogging (or to Classical Symphony Concerts)

Child-Centered Physical Activity, Part 1

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.

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.

Bushintai-Do was designed for
children and young teens.

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.

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.

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 .

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.

According to Paul R. Stricker, MD, FAAP, in Aerobic Capacity and Training Ability from www.HealthyChildren.org, “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.”

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.

David Quinlan, Founder and Lead Instructor

Bushintai-Do Programs and Martial Way Self-Defense Center

Milton, Vermont

The Exercise Crisis

The Case for 60 Minutes of School-Based Moderate to Vigorous Physical Activity

School-based Bushintai-Do for all ages.

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 compete for the active child’s attention.

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 reported 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.

Classroom-based exercise stations.

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 decreased by 32% over the past 40 years, with the majority in need of more exercise. 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 Institute of Medicine reports that 48-69% of children and adolescents in the United States do not attend physical education classes in an average week. One 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 movement in a child’s day. Studies estimate 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.

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 five years less than the previous generation. Schools need to take advantage of the opportunity they have, and make daily exercise mandatory for every student.

Exercise options for outdoor recess.

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 academic gains. 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.

David Quinlan, Founder and Lead Instructor

Nancy Keller, Education Coordinator

Bushintai-Do Programs

www.bushintai-do.com

Milton, Vermont

Physical Activity for the Classroom: A Martial-Arts-Based Movement Program

Why Bushintai-Do Programs, Inc.

"Exercise enhances cognition, academic outcomes, and graduation rates, and it reduces behavioral problems.”

Eric Jensen, Author, Teaching with Poverty in Mind (2009)

“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.”

Institute of Medicine, Educating the Student Body (2013)

“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.”

Dr. Jayne Greenberg, District Director,

Physical Education and Health Literacy, Miami-Dade County Public Schools;

Committee Member, Institute of Medicine’s Educating the Student Body

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 difference.

The Institute of Medicine 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 if physical activity builds a student’s capacity for learning, but how to integrate more movement into the school day.

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 Bushintai-Do for the Classroom as 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.

Bushintai-Do for the Classroom 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, Bushintai-Do for the Classroom 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, and this success translates into academic achievement and personal growth.

Why Bushintai-Do instead of other martial arts?

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.

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.

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 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 John Medina, author of Brain Rules (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.”

What is the mission of Bushintai-Do Programs, Inc.? How can we help?

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 Bushintai-Do for the Classroom can make a difference.

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. Bushintai-Do for the Classroom was designed to help all students learn athletic and functional movement patterns and, as a result, develop the physical and mental confidence necessary for a life-long habit of physical fitness. 

While Bushintai-Do for the Classroom 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.

Please contact David Quinlan at dave@bushintai-do.com to learn more about our classroom-based programs and how they could meet the needs of your students.

David Quinlan , Founder and Lead Instructor

Nancy Keller, Education Coordinator

Bushintai-Do Programs, Inc.

Milton, Vermont

www.bushintai-do.com

Through the Eyes of Middle School Students - Part IV

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.

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. 

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 Bushintia-Do for the Classroom.

Doing your Best Helps

from Jack

Front position is a show of respect.

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. 

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. 

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.

What Respect Can Accomplish

from Zoe

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. 

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. 

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.

The Way of Self-Control

from Mary

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. 

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. 

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.

Nancy Keller, Education Coordinator

Bushintai-Do Programs

Milton, Vermont

Teacher

Winooski Middle and High School

Winooski, Vermont

Through the Eyes of Middle School Students - Part II

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 do your best, show respect and practice self-control described in the lessons of Bushintai-Do for the Classroom give students a framework for positive and healthy decision-making.

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.

Doing is Succeeding 

by Mariah 

Students prepare to do their best.

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.

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 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.

Showing Respect in Different Countries

by Nishan 

Students practice a self-defense technique.

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. 

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. 

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 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.

Practice Self-Control

by Damon

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. 

There 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. 

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.

Nancy Keller, Education Coordinator

Bushintai-Do Programs

Milton, Vermont

Teacher at Winooski Middle and High School

Winooski, Vermont