Peanut Butter and Jelly and Christmas Gift Drive

Christmas Gifts

This Christmas we will be doing a peanut butter and jelly drive as well as that of gifts for those in need during the holiday season.  We have all been blessed at one time or another and this is our opportunity to share some of those blessing with others as we give.

When you come in and see the Christmas Tree please consider bringing an item that can be placed under it to assist those of our community that are in need.  Be mindful of children of all ages.  For example, teenage girls might be thrilled to get some makeup or other such items.

As we do this I am certain that our own spirits will abound as we participate in bringing “Holiday Cheer” to others.

Thanks for Thanksgiving

Karate Quest is a special place in that all that train at the school are a part of a great family environment.  This Thanksgiving I have given much thought to what I am thankful for.  Among the many great things that include my own family, good health and living in the greatest country in the world.

One of the things that I have been so grateful for is the opportunity to meet and interact with so many great people at Karate Quest.  The quality of those that train is second to none.  We are all better people because of the relationships we have one with another as we come together to train and share in the martial arts.

Most anyone that has trained at Karate Quest for any time at all has heard me make the statement that it is much more than punching, kicking, throwing or any of the other really fun stuff we do.  It is also about us as a group of people who make ourselves a little stronger and thus make our families, communities and country a little stronger too.

Keep it up!

Bigger and Better!

The classes at Karate Quest have been a lot of fun.  They have been attended by a greater number of students which in turn adds so much energy and so much more fun.  Our adult class was so full of energy tonight not to mention the smiles that you might have thought it was the kids class.

That said, we all have the ability to be a kid at heart once in a while.  That is what makes Karate Quest so great.  We get to work on valuable life saving and Self-Defense skills.  We get in great shape while we are doing it.  Best of all it is a lot of fun.  There are many reasons why the classes are fun and our numbers of participants are growing.

Part of what makes it so much fun is the fact that the way the Karate Quest Self-Defense curriculum is taught is that it involves using our mind as well as our body.  We not only get to focus on the physical skills of Self-Defense, but the physics, anatomy and principles of motion behind the techniques.

The next and maybe the most important part of the training is the in depth analysis of a Self-Defense scenario.  We cover things such as how a criminal chooses their potential victim, environmental awareness, posture and demeanor, and how to avoid the criminal pitfalls to start with as well as bunch of other really cool and empowering things.

One of the most empowering things is the sense of confidence that is developed over the course of training.  We have one lady who feels like she is Jackie Chan and Jet Li combined.  I’m not saying that she thinks she can do all of the super hero kind of moves, but her confidence and the way she carries herself makes her look like she can handle herself.  More importantly, she feels and believes that she can take care of herself should she have to.  Of course we all hope that we don’t have to test our skills and ability.

As one who has had to apply his skills professionally as well as while a private citizen I can say that their value is priceless when you need to respond.  Being prepared for negative situations makes you not fear the potential of them.  Should something happens you are less likely to freeze up because you are conditioned to respond.

Bottom line the training is fun so come on out and have a great time at Karate Quest.

 

Patriotism Lives On at Karate Quest this Veterans’ Day

Today we have the opportunity to celebrate Veterans’ Day right on the heels of yesterdays recognition of the 234th Anniversary of the prestigious United States Marine Corp.  I was never a Marine.  However, in a small way I am a product of the Marine Corp as my father served in the Marine Corp and later in the National Guard.  He served int he capacity of a Sergeant and thus some of his sense of discipline and respect was a natural by product of how I was raised.

My father has never bragged about his service to our country, but has always continued to show his love, appreciation and loyalty to the United States in his efforts to serve and help others as well as conduct all of his business dealing honorably.  He was also the one to inspire my early interest in the Martial Arts as he shared some of his Military Combative training with me at a young age and was supportive of my continued training in Self-Defense though out my school years.

My mother is also a patriot.  She is a direct descendant of President John Adams and his son John Quincy Adams.  Both of course are Former Presidents of the United States and the only father and son to have served in that capacity until George Bush and George W. Bush served in that honorable position as Commander and Chief.  My mother now serves as the regent for the Daughters of the American Revolution in our area where they perform many public service initiatives.

Needless to say, I too love our great nation and I feel it a privilege to share the benefits of the Martial Arts with the future leaders of country as well as the many good adults that make up our community.  Attributes such as Focus, Discipline, Confidence and Teamwork will arm all those that train at Karate Quest to be better members of their families as well as citizens of their communities and fellow patriots in this great county.

In honor of that we are privileged to train today to do our part to make America stronger on person at a time.  I will see you all on the mats.

Formal Salute,

Mick Jolly

Arrestling: For Those That Serve and Protect

After learning of the slaying of a fellow Police Officer in Seattle this last weekend I have given much thought to what we can do to make it safer for our Law Enforcement Officers (LEOs) in whatever capacity they serve.  As one who has served as a LEO myself I am very passionate about Officer Safety.  Of course Defensive Tactics do not answer every situations.  However, I realized last night during our LEO only training how true the old adage is that we can’t let what we cant do keep us from doing what we can do.

Since opening Karate Quest we have provided free training training for the LEO community ranging from agency use by Local PD to the SO and a numerous LEOs that have utilized the free training we provide from nearly every agency you can think of.  We are also listed as an official Arrestling location where we exchange information that can add to the safety of those that serve.

Serving as an LEO has real risk.  The number of LEOs that are killed in the line of duty is staggering.  I have stood in front of the Vietnam Memorial Wall and those from WWII and Korea.  I have been to the Arlington Cemetery and Gettysburg.  I have been to Ground Zero at the Twin Towers location in New York  City and I have been to the Pentagon.  Those are all places that should be considered hallowed ground because of the sacrifice of those that have gone before us.  No less hallowed is the Memorial for Fallen Officers that is in Washington DC or the Memorial that is at the Washington State Criminal Justice Training Center in Burien.  I personally know people that are on both of those walls and their sacrifice should not be forgotten.  Let’s do what we can to make their job better.

Next time you see a LEO out doing his/her job give that person your respect for their courage and willingness to make the ultimate sacrifice to Serve and Protect.