Category Archive

Every office has one – loud, rude, egotistical, two-faced, and sometimes even dangerous. Left to their own devices, an office bully can turn your livelihood into a living nightmare. Carrie Clark, co-founder of the California Healthy Workplace Advocates, who promotes anti-bullying policy throughout the country, defines what qualifies as bullying and how to stand up to a growing problem that …

Go to any corporate training program, seminar, or meeting and the topic of goal setting and time management is likely to be of primary concern. Goal setting is also a major part of your martial arts training as well. People that don’t set goals are less likely to achieve success in their lives. I can’t tell you how many martial …

One of my first jobs was as a painter. The owner of the paint crew told me something that changed how I look at things. He said, “The most precious thing you can give anyone is your time.” I didn’t get it at first. My flippant thought was, *Well, I’m here.* Being physically in a place does not mean you …

A while back, Mr. Oliver challenged us to keep our mushin in circumstances we normally lose it. I have long been of the opinion that commuting is not for me. I just don’t like driving. There are any number of ligitmate and ridiculously silly reasons… pollution, car accidents, road rage, discourtesy, the shining blindness off of silver cars, … You …

This young lady is inspiring. Every adult here should watch this. If you are a parent, share this with your child. Kids are capable of amazing things despite their age. I encourage our Karate kids to think big when it comes to their community projects and this is why. Kids can change the world. http://www.ted.com/talks/lang/eng/adora_svitak.html

I was intrigued by the verbal judo assignment to identify what makes me angry and to give it a name, know it and own it. Others that know me may think differently but I think it takes a lot to get me angry. It takes more than someone cutting me off on the freeway or a cranky co-worker to impact …

Our school is integrating an exciting program called Verbal Judo into our classes. It’s a set of tactical communications lessons that goes hand-in-hand with our existing martial arts curriculum. The goal of Verbal Judo is to redirect negative behavior and reduce conflict through verbal communication. Originally,we taught this methods police officers in the area. The methods are applicable, however, to …

For the most part, the situations in life that make me need an anger guard are when dealing with other people in crowded places. First, I am particularly sensitive to people hurrying me, or even perceiving that people are hurrying me in any public situation. Using verbal judo in these instances is helpful insomuch as I can recognize the situation …

Yes, it’s true. I learned something from Girl Scouts last weekend. Let me explain. I was contacted by a troupe leader recently who was interested in getting her scouts into a short, one-hour self-defense class. I explained what my fee would be (a box of Girl Scout Cookies of course!) and we set a date. That day at the center, …

Recently Sensei Oliver asked the Little Dragons to complete a worksheet about recognizing and controlling their anger. The sheet asked them to think about what pushes their “hot buttons” and what they could do to recognize, minimize and counter the negative feelings that arise when anger sets in. My daughter listed two items: her little sister tearing her homework and …