New School Year Around The Corner

Phew!

The summer has really gone by quickly, with just a few weeks left before school starts.  I am always sad as summer comes to an end, but I love the excitement and energy that a new school year brings as well.

Busy School Year

I expect this to be a very busy school year, as I will be involved in many different programs.  Aside from teaching my regular classes at Samurai Karate Studio, I will also be teaching at the University of South Carolina.  I am a professor there.  I will be teaching beginner karate, but hopefully, I will be adding a second class, self defense for women, in the Spring.  

I love teaching at USC!  College students enroll in this class because they are interested in learning how to defend themselves and gaining an understanding of karate.  These students tend to be in pretty good shape, are flexible and pick up the techniques pretty quickly.

I will be teaching twice a week at USC.

I have also offered my services, to teach basic self defense skills to the women in the USC sororities.  Statistically, this age group is one of the most vulnerable to sexual assault and it is my goal, to help educate as many women as possible so that they can defend themselves if assaulted.

Richland County School District 2

I will be teaching afterschool karate programs at Rice Creek Elementary, Sandlapper Elementary and North Springs Elementary Schools. This will be my 3rd year teaching at these schools and I have a blast working with the younger students.  These classes focus on character skills such as discipline and respect, cover topics like stranger danger and Diabetes awareness as well as cover basic karate techniques.

I am hoping to pick up another afterschool program, across the street from my dojo, at Living Springs Church.

In addition to my karate programs, I work with the local teachers and guidance counselors covering various presentations.  The most popular one (of course) is bullying and how to defeat the bully in a non violent kind of way.  I have taught hundreds of kids over the past 4 years and I have had great luck helping these children understand what bullying is and how they can "fight back"  without resorting to kicking or punching.

Of course, if you know someone who is having a problem with bullies, please contact me and I will work one on one with the child and parent to help them deal with their situation.

Community Service

In addition to all of the above, SKS will continue to serve it's community in many different ways.  I am looking forward to a trash clean up project, a homeless project, Harvest Hope Food Drive, etc.  If you or someone you know, needs some work done, SKS is here to serve you.  Just call us at 803-462-9425.

Lastly, SKS has it's first students testing for black belt in September.  This is a very special event for me, as these are my very own students that I will be promoting to black belt.

So, as you can see, this will be a very busy school year, but I am really looking forward to it.

 

Sensei Chris Feldt

Samurai Karate Studio

Columbia, SC  29229

803-462-9425

samuraikaratestudio@gmail.com

What Samurai Karate Studio Is All About!

Join me and listen to the video below that describes what Samurai Karate Studio is all about!  It was created by my mentor, teacher and friend, Tom Callos, who has more than 40 years of experience practicing and teaching the martial arts:

I have been training with Master Callos for more than 3 years and I am a proud member of two of the most unique associations for martial artist's and school owners out in the world today. They are The 100 and The UBBT.

Please check out the work we are doing!


Sensei Chris Feldt
Samurai Karate Studio
Columbia, SC 29229
803-462-9425
samuraikaratestudio@gmail.com

Yes I Can!

As a martial art's school owner and instructor, one of the many challenges I have is motivating my younger students to have courage and perseverance, to keep pressing forward, no matter what and to never give up! Unfortunately, in today's society, I find too many children give up very quickly and many parents just let their children quit. I am not just talking about martial art's, I am talking about other sports, playing a musical instrument or getting good grades.

One of my instructors, Tom Callos, who is the creator and team coach for the UBBT and The 100, reminds me all of the time, "that nothing in life that is worthwhile, comes easy!"

Sure, getting a Black Belt takes many years, hours of practice and dedication and overcoming the many obstacles that life throws your way. The same goes for never missing a day of school or work, or getting good grades or that well deserved promotion.

So, I am always looking for ways to inspire and found a great one!

I love the short video below! Why?

Because it's from the heart and even better, it's from a little child.

Watch this and be inspired.....

Oh, and be prepared to smile!

"Experience is the child of thought, and thought is the child of action."

Benjamin Disraeli

Sensei Chris Feldt
Samurai Karate Studio
803-462-9425
samuraikarate@bellsouth.net

Remembering Memorial Day

I found this really beautiful video from Humanity Healing, that helps us remember the significance of what Memorial Day is all about. I have several military families that train with me, and several members that have been deployed over the past three years. Thankfully, no one I know personally has been wounded or killed.

However, we are engaged in two wars and the reality is we have men and women who continue to be in harms way.

Let's say a prayer for the fallen, and those still serving on the front lines!

Thank you to all who serve and those that gave their lives to protect our freedom!

Happy Memorial Day!

Sensei Chris Feldt
Samurai Karate Studio
803-462-9425
samuraikarate@bellsouth.net

Martial Arts Lessons, Baseball, Football, or Soccer?

As a boy, my parents took me to try out all the typical sports. As a an adult, I am now able to reflect back on all those activities --and I have an opinion about sports that might help you (parents), if you too are considering something athletic for your own child.

The martial arts lessons I took, hands down, left me with the most powerful memories, usable resources, and the richest experiences of all the sports I participated in. Just this morning for example, I was recalling something one of my teachers used to say, “If you can’t, then you must --and if you must, then you will.”

Even now as an adult, as I continue my training and the lessons learned continue to be valuable, as they reinforce the principles of Black Belt. like courage, honor, integrity, compassion, perseverance and respect. I am forever training to become a master and I will always explore areas of self defense that include more than just kicking and punching, like Diabetes awareness, obesity, body image, anger management, environmental self defense and community service.

My life is my dojo and my training has become a way of life, which it does eventually for many of my students.

Martial arts lessons will stick with your child. I’m more confident today, more capable, and better when the pressure is on -- and I attribute a lot of that to my martial arts training.

Parents, invest in lessons. They’re worth it!

Sensei Chris Feldt

Samurai Karate Studio

803-462-9425
samuraikarate@bellsouth.net

The Great Bell Chant

One of our challenges, as members of the Ultimate Black Belt Test, is to meditate every day and work on developing what Thich Nhat Hahn calls "MINDFULLNESS". Learning how to meditate has been more difficult than I expected. Not that it's hard to sit, it's hard to "unclutter" my mind and to focus on nothing but my breathing.

The below video, offers breath taking images as well as beautiful chanting to music and bells.

Take a moment to watch it and see if it helps to bring yourself to a place of mindfulness?

Sensei Chris Feldt
Samurai Karate Studio
803-462-9425
samuraikarate@bellsouth.net

Looking For The Unconventional!

The DOG POUND, below, is a unique structure. 

Unconventional. 

I am working very hard, to create A school that is unique and unconventional!

I am looking for students who are unique and unconventional; and willing to participate in my journey to personal excellence, in and OUT of the dojo!

This is work of a master instructor!  Yes?

 

Sensei Chris Feldt
Samurai Karate Studio
803-462-9425
samuraikarate@bellsouth.net

Sam Mockbee: Master Teacher

Meet Samuel Mockbee!

He would be considered a master teacher.

He is the man who started the Alabama Project by bringing in college students into Greensboro, AL where they use their architectural skills to make a difference in the lives of many families in Greensboro.

The students interview the families that need help, decide who gets picked for the project, then construct the house from top to bottom using recycled materials and money raised through donations, from corporations, grants and organizations like the UBBT.


It's an amazing story of someone who cares!

I am proud to be a member of this group!



Sensei Chris Feldt
Samurai Karate Studio
803-462-9425
samuraikarate@bellsouth.net

Intelligent Curriculum

I’m involved in a rather revolutionary project involving a change in the what, when, why, and how of teaching people of all ages about self-defense.  The project has been launched by my martial arts teacher’s association, The One Hundred (The 100),  and involves a concept coined Intelligent Curriculum. Intelligent Curriculum is a process where web-technology is applied to teaching people about the depth and scope of self-defense as it applies to today’s world. For example, there isn’t a kick, punch, block, arm-bar, leg lock, or other martial arts maneuver on or anywhere close to a list of top 10 killers of men, women, or children in the Western world. But Diabetes is on the list. With Intelligent Curriculum the martial arts teacher brings a Diabetes disease primer into his or her curriculum, using the Internet, so that the student doesn’t go through years of “self-defense” training without addressing the topic. That’s an intelligent direction for the way we should be addressing self-defense in a world where Diabetes affects more than 25% of all Americans.

Some of the other issues Intelligent Curriculum is seeking to address include the media; bullying; anger; emergency situations; diet; care for the environment; and community involvement.  While all of these issues may not, at first glance, obviously relate to self-defense, they will in martial arts schools of the future. From a teacher’s perspective and from someone who has more than just a passing interest in self-defense, I find the approach to be refreshing and valuable.   There isn't a school in the Columbia area, that offers the curriculum that I do!  I don't say this to brag, but clearly to demonstrate that my school believes self defense is more than just kicking and punching.  My school is focused on fostering change and personal development, skills that will last a life time!

For more information on how I’m implementing Intelligent Curriculum in my school and in our community, contact me here;  Sensei Chris Feldt, Samurai Karate Studio, 2000 Clemson Road, Suite # 9, Columbia, SC 29229, 803-462-9425, samuraikarate@bellsouth.net.

The Little Green Book

I just finished reading The Little Green Book, 365 Ways to Love The Planet, by authors Joseph Provey and Owen Lockwood.  This is a neat book with lots of suggestions on how we can conserve our natural resources and protect our planet.  The author's main idea is that we ALL can take small steps and make a difference.

The authors present 365 ideas, one for each day of the year, that can be implemented to help save the environment.  I would highly recommend this book for children, as it provides simple and clear choices to act upon.

For those of you that are not familiar with my karate school, environmental self defense is key part of our curriculum.  Beginning with my beginner belts, students are expected to complete a certain number of self defense acts for the environment and must they lead and participate in a clean up project for their green belt.

Occasionally, I will have a new student or parent ask, "what is doing a clean up project have to do with karate?"

My response is EVERYTHING!

Self defense is more than just kicking and punching!  We are stewards of our planet and EACH of us is responsible for protecting it's natural resources and conserving as much as possible.  This is my role as a master instructor....taking what I do and know, out of my dojo and applying these same principles into the world!

Why?

Relax, I am not some environmental wacko!  Regardless of  whether you believe the world is getting warmer, or whether it is man made or natural; I just believe we owe it to future generations to do everything we can to preserve our world so that they too can enjoy the beauty and the bounty that our planet presents us with every day of the year!

At Samurai Karate Studio, our curriculum includes environmental self defense, Diabetes awareness, anger management, peace education through acts of kindness, anti bullying, stranger danger and project based leadership; along with a traditional style of karate that will improve your fitness and help you to defend yourself if necessary.  If this sounds like something that "speaks to you", then give us a call and come visit our school and take a class.

Sensei Chris Feldt

Samurai Karate Studio

803-462-9425
samuraikarate@bellsouth.net