A Garden of Trees

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.

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.

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. 

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

David Quinlan, Owner and Lead Instructor

Bushintai-Do Programs and Martial Way Self-Defense Center

Milton, Vermont

Bushintai-Do.com

MiltonMartialArtsVT.com

info@MartialWayVT.com

Gratitude, Hope and Giving Thanks

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).

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

I am grateful for the instructors and staff who have not only learned my system of teaching, but have added their own individual improvements to the program. Together, we are constantly developing and improving our martial arts, and the ways we teach them.

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.

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.

A Father's Day Message

Happy Father's Day

David Quinlan 

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.

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.

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.

To my dad, and my children, Happy Fathers' Day!

David Quinlan, Founder and Lead Instructor

Bushintai-Do Programs

Milton, Vermont

Moderate to Vigorous Physical Activity in the Classroom, Part III

The Case for Martial Arts

The Institute of Medicine 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.

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.

Practicing forms develops attentional skills.

Martial Arts, according to John Ratey, MD, in his book, Spark: The Revolutionary New Science of Exercise and the Brain, 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.

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. Martial 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.

Most martial arts programs teach a progression of movement sequences known as katas, or forms. Learning the forms helps students develop sequencing and attentional skills, 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 classroom environment.

The martial arts dojo, 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 dojo 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.

Bushintai-Do belts hang in a classroom "dojo."

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.

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. Bushintai-Do for the Classroom was developed specifically for this purpose.

David Quinlan, Founder and Lead Instructor

Bushintai-Do Programs

Milton, Vermont

Why Bushintai-Do for my Middle School Students: Physical Activity, Academic Achievement and Personal Development

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:

893-8893

David Quinlan

“Call him,” she said.  “My son takes karate classes from him.  I think he could help you.”

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.

“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.”

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 To Teach, writes that “the range of opportunities for students to experience success must be wide and not narrow.”  Martial arts would certainly broaden that range.

“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.

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.

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.

That was May of 2002.

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.

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 and the body moves the mind.

Practicing the coordinated movements of Bushintai-Do.

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 (Spark, the Revolutionary New Science of Exercise and the Brain). 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.

Team Velocity students followed a similar trend. While pursuing an advanced degree in mathematics

Lessons begin and end with seated mindfulness practice.

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, respect, courage, resilience, strength, open-mindedness, self-control, leadership, knowledge, and heart.  

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 To Teach, “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.”

Nancy Keller, Education Coordinator

Bushintai-Do Programs, Inc.

Milton, Vermont

Teacher at Winooski Middle/High School

Winooski, Vermont

Sparring with the Self

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.

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.

Bushintai-Do students practice self-defense techniques.

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:

Category One - The Runner: 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.

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.

Category Two - The Jammer: 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.

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.

Category Three - The Doubter: 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.

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.

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.

David Quinlan, Founder

Bushintai-Do Programs

Milton, Vermont