Halloween Safety Tips

Our martial arts school is asking parents, homeowners and drivers throughout our community to join with us to make Halloween safer with these safety tips.

Parents

· Make your child eat dinner before trick-or-treating.

· Children should carry quarters, so they can call home.

· An adult should accompany young children.

· If your children go on their own, be sure they wear watches, preferably those that can be read in the dark.

· Buy or make costumes with flame-retardant material.

· Older children should know where to reach you and when to return home.

· You should know your children’s route for the evening.

· Although tampering is rare, tell your children to bring their candy home to be inspected before consuming anything.

· Look at the wrapping carefully and toss out anything that looks suspect.

Homeowners

· Buy candy that is individually wrapped.

· Consider healthier alternatives for treats: juice boxes, packages of low-fat crackers with cheese or peanut butter filling, single-serve boxes of cereal, packaged fruit rolls, mini-boxes of raisins, packaged granola bars, and wrapped single-serving packages of microwaveable popcorn that can be popped later.

· Consider non-edible treats for children: pencils, erasers, plastic rings or coins.

· Clear your yard of debris, ladders, dog leashes, flowerpots, etc.

· Make sure your home and yard is well lit.

· Make sure your jack-o-lanterns are away from the path where trick-or-treaters will be walking. Battery-powered jack-o-lantern candles are preferred to real candles.

· Ensure that any decorations can’t be blown into the jack-o-lantern and catch on fire.

· Make sure that your pets are secure for the evening.

· Do not invite any children to come into your home. Prop the door open while handing out candy, never ask them to stand in the doorway.

· If a child needs assistance, ask them for their parent’s phone number and offer to call them.

· If you think a child is in danger, call 911 and stay outside with the child.

Drivers

· Drive carefully over hills, around curves and approaching stop signs or cross walks.

· Enter and exit driveways with caution.

· Watch for children walking in the street in neighborhoods without sidewalks.

Sensei Chris Feldt
Samurai Karate Studio 
2000 Clemson Road
Suite # 9
Columbia, SC 29229
803-462-9425
samuraikaratestudio@gmail.com

One Day!

 

There is so much conflict in the world!  

From the Middle East to Afghanistan to Iraq.

From the Arab Spring which has resulted in regime change and the loss of thousands of lives.

From the economic crisis in America and Europe, with the near collapse of our banking system, that is slowly reaching into Asia.

From the Tea Party rally's to the Wall Street demonstrations.

From the high unemployment rate with millions without a job, to a growing homeless population.

 

The left is attacking the right and vice-versa.

 

Washington has mastered the art of the "blame game" with neither party accepting responsibility for what is going on.

 

One Day!

 

I am confident that one day, we will be part of a kinder, gentler world, because of the work we are doing!  As school owners, we have audience to a large sphere of influence if we make the most of it.  

 

Our curriculum touches on all things human -- strong and vibrant as well as frail and compassionate.  

We have the power to CHANGE the world; one student, one parent, one community at a time!

 

One Day!

 

  

 

This blog post is a part of The Ultimate Black Belt Test (ultimateblackbelttest.com), an undertaking of The 100 (the100.us), and a part of Samurai Karate Studio (samuraikaratestudio.net).

 

 

The Power of One

Sunday, October 2 marks both the United Nations' International Day of Non-Violence and the birthday of one of its biggest proponents: Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi. This video pays tribute to the concept and the man and is called the "Power of One."

Here at SKS, we honor the values and practice of the nonviolent civil actions that changed a nation -- and indeed, the world.

Video from KarmaTube

Sensei Chris Feldt

Samurai Karate Studio

Columbia, SC 29229

803-462-9425

samuraikaratestudio@gmail.com

9-11 Tribute

I visited Ground Zero 3 months after the attack on the twin towers and the emotion was just as raw then as it was today, watching the memorials on television.  I had friends who had loved ones that perished that day. It's so hard to imagine the horror of it all and the pain of the survivors and their family's.

And we can not forget the magnificent men and women in our military who work hard every day to keep us safe and especially, those fallen soldiers that made the ultimate sacrifice in protecting our freedom.

This is a very powerful tribute to the victims of the 9-11 attack.

Let us celebrate the memories of their lives and continue the good work that we are all capable of!







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

State Parks Are Threatened

 

Despite all the doom and gloom you hear about in Washington, with regards to our debt ceiling and our bloated budget, I can't say there has been a dramatic impact on me or most people I know in my state.  However, for the first time I can ever recall, our state park system is under attack across the US, with many states considering closing their parks in order to save money.

While I certainly sympathize with the states, as the current economy is one of the worst in decades, and Washington really hasn't been able to get it's house in order to help the states, it seems to me, closing the parks is just a quick and easy fix and doesn't really address the state's long term fiscal problems.

At a time when many families are struggling, our state parks provide an outlet for family fun that is low cost and encourages healthy activities like walking, biking, canoeing and hiking.

I also believe there is a bigger issue with closing these parks.  For the first time, our current geneartion is growing up without any exposure to the outdoors.  Parents are terrified of letting their children play outside, for fear their child might be abducted or molested. 

However, as author Richard Louv points out in his book, Last Child In The Woods, there is a growing nature deficit,  "As the nature deficit grows, new studies demonstrate just how important direct contact with the outdoors is to healthy human development. Most of the new evidence that connects nature to well-being and restoration has focused on adults, but during the past decade, scientists have begun to study the impact of nearby nature on child development. Environmental psychologists reported in 2003 that that nature in or around the home, or simply a room with a view of a natural landscape, helped protect the psychological well-being of the children."

Closing these state parks will only compound the nature deficit that many of our children are already experiencing!

I hope the states can figure something out and keep the parks open.  

To me, this is good self defense!

If you would like to find out what parks your state are considering for closure, please visit the link here: Tree Hugger.

"There are no words that can tell the hidden spirit of the wilderness, that can reveal its mystery, its melancholy, and its charm."  Teddy Roosevelt

 

This blog post is a part of The Ultimate Black Belt Test (ultimateblackbelttest.com), an undertaking ofThe 100 (the100.us), and a part of Samurai Karate Studio (samuraikaratestudio.net)

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