The Importance of our Martial Arts Lineage

Friday I had the privilege of training with Grand Master Byung Min Kim as I do every Friday. After Tahdo (tea ceremony) Grand Master Kim invited me out to lunch. During lunch I asked him about his teacher Grand Master Sang Soo "Tiger" Kim. He explained to me that when Tiger Kim was a young man he moved to Seoul to train under Grand Master Hwang Kee.
Hwang Kee was the head of one of the original nine "Kwans" the Moo Duk Kwan and taught Tand Soo do.
General Hong Hi Choi decided to unite the nine Kwans under one name, Taekwondo, to make Taekwondo the Korean National Sport. Grand Master Kee did not want to change and moved to the USA.

When I first started training with Grand Master BM Kim our school was Moo Duk Kwan Taekwondo. Later we changed to WTF.
Why is this important your martial arts lineage is like your family tree

Grand Master Hwang Kee 1914-2002
Grand Master Sang Soo "Tiger" Kim 1933?-1998
Grand Master Byung Min Kim
Grand Master Edmund Ciarfella Jr
Master Teresa Ciarfella

Frog and the Scorpion

One day, a scorpion looked around at the mountain where he lived and decided that he wanted a change. So he set out on a journey through the forests and hills. He climbed over rocks and under vines and kept going until he reached a river.

The river was wide and swift, and the scorpion stopped to reconsider the situation. He couldn't see any way across. So he ran upriver and then checked downriver, all the while thinking that he might have to turn back.

Suddenly, he saw a frog sitting in the rushes by the bank of the stream on the other side of the river. He decided to ask the frog for help getting across the stream.

"Hellooo Mr. Frog!" called the scorpion across the water, "Would you be so kind as to give me a ride on your back across the river?"

"Well now, Mr. Scorpion! How do I know that if I try to help you, you wont try to kill me?" asked the frog hesitantly.

"Because," the scorpion replied, "If I try to kill you, then I would die too, for you see I cannot swim!"

Now this seemed to make sense to the frog. But he asked. "What about when I get close to the bank? You could still try to kill me and get back to the shore!"

"This is true," agreed the scorpion, "But then I wouldn't be able to get to the other side of the river!"

"Alright then...how do I know you wont just wait till we get to the other side and THEN kill me?" said the frog.

"Ahh...," crooned the scorpion, "Because you see, once you've taken me to the other side of this river, I will be so grateful for your help, that it would hardly be fair to reward you with death, now would it?!"

So the frog agreed to take the scorpion across the river. He swam over to the bank and settled himself near the mud to pick up his passenger. The scorpion crawled onto the frog's back, his sharp claws prickling into the frog's soft hide, and the frog slid into the river. The muddy water swirled around them, but the frog stayed near the surface so the scorpion would not drown. He kicked strongly through the first half of the stream, his flippers paddling wildly against the current.

Halfway across the river, the frog suddenly felt a sharp sting in his back and, out of the corner of his eye, saw the scorpion remove his stinger from the frog's back. A deadening numbness began to creep into his limbs.

"You fool!" croaked the frog, "Now we shall both die! Why on earth did you do that?"

The scorpion shrugged, and did a little jig on the drownings frog's back.

"I could not help myself. It is my nature."

Then they both sank into the muddy waters of the swiftly flowing river.

Positive Leadership Are you a morning person or an evening person?
Ask this question to your students. If they are not sure what you mean, you can clarify that some people like to wake up early and have lots of energy in the mornings. Others like to stay up late and have the most energy at night. Which are you?
Once they have committed to one or the other, point out that anyone who believes he is a morning or evening person (as most people do) limits himself by giving himself an excuse to be unproductive for half of the day. It is a self-imposed limitation.
Once you change your mind and believe you are a 24-hour person, you can maximize your life 24 hours a day. Many people believe they are a morning or evening person, or that they are not good at something like math or business. Whenever you program yourself to believe such things as fact, you limit yourself.
If you can change the way you think, you can embrace all the amazing, positive qualities within you. You can maximize your potential, because belief is stronger than fact. You cannot change the past, but you can change the future by changing your beliefs. If you believe you can be successful, you will become successful.

United Martial Arts Centers Blog

September 25th 2008
Hello fellow martial artist and friends. I am setting up this blog a an open forum for martial artists to express their thoughts, ideas, and experiences in a positive setting to help others with their training or getting starting with their training.

Please feel free to post:
1. Your martial arts class experience
2. Your martial arts thoughts
3. Ideas on how to make classes better
4. Training tips for other students

Sincerely
Grand Master Edmund Ciarfella 7th Dan
United Martial Arts Centers