Blog

Riding the Storm Out

September 27, 2022 by KMMA

Well, my consummate optimism seems to be failing to curtail Ian’s plans thus far. We’ll be ok, but it does seem like hunkering down weather.

So I am closing the dojo effective immediately and we will remain closed Tuesday-Friday.

Be safe people. Stay inside with your families and wait this thing out.

I don’t think most of you are in an evacuation zone but, if you are, you may want to consider that.

Power outages and other inconveniences are likely for all of us, as well as high winds and rains.

But you’ll be OK if you just stay home and stay inside.

Just remember that life is 10% what happens to us and 90% how we react to it, and this too will pass.

In fact, as per now, my plan is for us to come together again at the dojo Saturday!

I will personally teach all classes, along with some of my bestest Sensei assisting.

Of course this assumes Ian is gone and it’s safe to do so but it seems like the case at this point.

Between now and then, I have a plan for you to stay positive and productive if you choose!

EACH AND ALL OF THESE RIDING THE STORM OUT CHALLENGES EARN CHARACTER STRIPES, AND THE PHYSICAL CURRICULUM EVEN COUNTS AS ATTENDANCE!

So Read On and Have Fun, Do Your Best and Learn Something New!

LESSON OF THE WEEK:

Watch the lesson
For bonus points (and a silver excellence stripe when you get back to the dojo Saturday or next week!) Answer these questions:

what are some of your short (1 year or less), mid (3-6 years) and long range Goals (7-20 or longer)?
what Resources are available to you to help you accomplish them?
what Actions will you take to turn your goals into realities?
which Beliefs will help you? which limiting beliefs could hurt you? which will you give power to?

You can post your answers, in writing or by video, at our Official KMMA Family page!

READ A BOOK!

Double credit if:
- it’s a personal/professional development book. Mine counts. 🙂
- You read it as a family.
- You do a written or video book report about it, when you’re done or as you go!

Here are all the character stripes for you to work on while you’re home by the way!

DO SOME KRAV MAGA!

Here are some fun and easy practice at home drills for skills!

The Chairmaster Accuracy Drill

Have fun, do your best, and post your work to the facebook groups too!

By the way, I am so super proud of all the great Blackbelt Leaders on these videos. We shot these videos during the pandemic, and I know they’ll serve you well now too.

MAKE A VIDEO!

Of yourself practicing.
Of your family doing some other positive and productive lock-in activities.
Here’s a great one: make a gratitude video, about all the things in your lives you are grateful for.
Post your videos to our Official KMMA and/or Blackbelt Leadership Facebook Groups!

TAKE SOME PICTURES:

If you prefer pictures, post some of those!

WRITE:

I love writing. It’s cathartic. This is a great time to do so yourself. Write about your thoughts and fears, your gratitude, journal the found quality time with your family.
Heck, write your first blog! Send them to me and/or post these too. I’ll pick a few to recognize to the tribe and/or even send out as an email and post on the blog section of our website!

SPECIAL NOTE FOR BLACKBELTS AND BLACKBELT CANDIDATES:

Everything happens for a reason and it serves us well.

It’s not only one of our favorite Blackbelt Leadership principles but, like all of them, it’s true and useful at times like these.

I hate that we had to reschedule our Blackbelt Retreat Weekend. I was resistant about it to the very end but once Word of Life shut us down, it was the best choice.

There are several things I’d worked hard at coordinating for the weekend that now will be modified, and I know you’ve been preparing hard too.

But, as always, the case, we can focus on what’s wrong or focus on what’s right and we’ll always choose the latter.

So here are a few ways in which you can use this contingency to your advantage. You now have an extra two weeks to hone your speech and/or even improve your essay. If you have any parts of your test plan left incomplete, you now have the time to do them! You can also practice, and this is especially true of you most senior Blackbelts who are doing performance forms! I am so proud of and grateful for each and all of you. You are the product of the product, and real-world example of what we do and why we do it.

here’s the form for 2nd degree and abover again btw

here’s the one for first to second

Feel free to share some leadership on the Facebook groups over this ordeal too- I know the rest of the tribe would live to hear from you. As a reminder, the new Blackbelt Retreat dates are October 14-16. Your next date with destiny! Keep preparing and stay great between now and then.
NEW EXTRAVAGANZA DATE:

The new Blackbelt Extravaganza is Sunday the 16th, still 3-5.

By the way, we have another 2 weeks to try and reach our Tunnels To Towers fundraising goal!

Let’s make next week post-hurricane bring a buddy week!

I’ll run a contest with some great prizes to see who can bring the most guests to class with you!

AND let’s fill up that referral board and throw a big party to celebrate when we do!

Amongst other fun things- I’ll teach you the Hurricane kick!

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About Grandmaster Stephen J. Del Castillo: Grandmaster Del Castillo is the founding Master Instructor of Krav Maga Martial Arts and has been empowering lives in Pasco and Hillsborough Counties since October of 2000. He is a 7th degree Blackbelt, MBA, author, mentor and success coach, a US Army Veteran and a proud father and grandfather. He is married to Ms. Barbara Del Castillo who helps him run the school. Grand Master Del Castillo began his training in the early 80’s and has high level blackbelts in Tae Kwon Do, Karate, Premier Martial Arts and Krav Maga Martial Arts as well as experience in kickboxing, Jeet Kune Do and Jiujitsu. He has high level instructor certifications from BBSI, IKMF, and KMG and has been featured in numerous Martial Arts publications and also Success magazine. He was a competitive sport karate and American Kickboxing instructor until he enlisted in the US Army where he served in the 82nd Airborne Division, where he won an Army Green to Gold scholarship and proceeded to ROTC and the University of Tampa. He was commissioned in 1992 and went on to serve in Germany with the 3rd Infantry Division and then in several other posts in the US until he left military service to pursue his dream of creating KMMA in 2000.

The Krav MagaMartial Arts Headquarters is in Lutz, FL at 1900 Land O’ Lakes Blvd., 33549. Krav Maga Martial Arts serves Lutz, Land O’ Lakes, Wesley Chapel, and surrounding areas.

See stephendelcastillo.com for more information and to order my book, Developing Your Superpower, Meditations on Mastery, Volume 1.

Also, check us out on Fun4TampaKids & on Go2Karate.com