“To enlighten and evolve through the art of Kenpo”
| Volume 12 |
March 2007 |
Issue 1 |
From The President...
From The President...
by Bryan Hawkins, President, UKS
One of the primary themes that run through many of my lesson plans and general teaching philosophy is that of creating good habits. In order to move spontaneously when facing a physical threat, our Kenpo must be a habit. We must be able to respond physically without having to consciously think about what to do. Once our senses perceive danger and send that stimulus to the brain we then subconsciously — or what Mr. Parker used to refer to as superconsciously — process the information at which time a message is sent via the nervous system to the muscles and other tissues to effect a physical response.
We as Kenpoists must be diligent to form the habit of proper technique and the habit of proper mindset. In order to do that we must form the habit of regular training sessions. Being habitual with your Kenpo applies to Kenpoists of all ranks and ages. I heard a story once about an old Cherokee Indian who was trying to teach the principle of “forming good habits” to his grandson. He told his grandson that inside all men there are two wolves constantly fighting. One wolf represents all negative things such as selfishness, deceit, laziness, boastfulness, gluttony, etc., while the other wolf represents the more positive attributes: honesty, good work ethic, kindness, honor, physical health, and so on. The boy asked which wolf will win, to which the grandfather replied, “Whichever wolf you feed.” So as Kenpoists let’s make sure we strive to feed our good and more positive habits, not only with our physical Kenpo but with our day-to-day lives outside our dojo.