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 

Through the Eyes of Middle School Students - Part I

The 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: Do your best. Show respect. Practice self-control. 

These rules-to-live-by are woven into the movement activities and lessons of Bushintai-Do for the Classroom. In this way, students make both a physical and mental connection to their meanings.  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." 

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, Bill Ayers reminds us that “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:

Do Your Best

from Sujit

Two of the authors pose for a photo.

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... 

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.

Show Respect

from Najla

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. 

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 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.

Practice Self-Control in Mind and Body

from Xavier

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 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 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." 

Nancy Keller, Education Coordinator

Bushintai-Do Programs, Inc.

Milton, Vermont  

Teacher at Winooski Middle/High School 

Winooski, 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

Moderate to Vigorous Physical Activity in the Classroom, Part II

Functional Training and Bushintai-Do

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.

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”.

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.

The horse stance is a compound (functional) movement.

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 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 or, in martial arts, the horse stance. 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.

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.

David Quinlan, Founder and Lead Instructor

Bushintai-Do Programs, Inc. 
Milton, Vermont

Moderate to Vigorous Physical Activity in the Classroom, Part I

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 Brain Rules (http://brainrules.net/), 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.

Resistance bands are favorite part of circuit training.

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.

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.

Push the desks aside and make time for exercise.

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. Part II of this series, Moderate to Vigorous Physical Activity in the Classroom, will connect functional training and the classroom-based martial art of Bushintai-Do.

David Quinlan, Founder and Lead Instructor

Bushintai-Do Programs, Inc.

Milton, 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