Indiana Martial Arts
Martial Arts Indiana
Martinsville Martial Arts
Martinsville Karate
Martinsville Indiana
Taekwondo Tae kwon do

Subject: GMA Newsletter

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Testings
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USHF testing on Fri, Feb 15th at GMA-Martinsville.
TTCA testing on Sun Feb 17th in Jasper, IN. Martinsville students who are eligible should see Mr. Miller for paperwork, which needs to be turned in to Mr. Sieg no later than next Fri (the 15th).
TTCA testing in March? We are hoping to arrange a TTCA test at either Martinsville or DePauw in early March, approximately around March 8th. This is tentative and needs to be confirmed.

Other Dates
March 15th. TTCA Black belt testing in Louisville. Several GMA students will be testing
March 16th. TTCA tournament in Louisville, Ky. Information and entry forms should be given to Mr. Sieg at the Feb testing. Students are advised to get hotel rooms quickly before they sell out. Entry forms need to be turned back into Mr. Sieg 1 _ weeks prior to the tournament. **Students who do not have sparring gear may consider ordering some before the tournament.
April 6th. Spring United States Hapkido Federation Seminar to be hosted by GMA-DPU.
April 6th. Hapkido Black Belt Promotion Exam and Ceremony following the seminar.

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Comments about the Martinsville conferences
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Thanks to all those who took the time to give us feedback during the parent conferences at Martinsville. You made some great points. We would like to take just a second to address some of the common questions/concerns.

Breaking: Several think that it should be practiced more often before testing time. It has been theorized that breaking too frequently can lead to joint problems from the constant impact, particularly in children who are still growing and in students who have not properly conditioned their feet and hands for prolonged breaking (another medical debate). We try to minimize the risk of injury by being more selective in our breaking, but keep in mind the paddle and kicking shield drills, if done properly, should easily carry over into breaking skill but with less impact. So in essence, we practice for breaking quite regularly.

Class requirements and testing: Keep in mind that the 30 class minimum is only one requirement that must be met prior to testing and does not guarantee testing privileges. Please remember it is not a race but an individual journey. Letting students test before they reach the proper level of competency only cheats the student. That is how kids can graduate high school without knowing how to read. That is not the martial way.

Help with retention: GM Choi says to be a master you must master the basics. Unfortunately, children dont always appreciate this and may get a little bored during slower times in training (i.e. during the stripe level before the next belt color, where there is less to learn). This is usually only a short term problem that is remedied when the student tests and again has the excitement of learning new forms, 1-steps, etc. But in the meantime, we need your help to make sure that students dont throw away long term rewards during a short term sticking point. You wouldnt let your kid drop out of school, so why let them drop out of a personal development program under such circumstances? Please help us as we help the student work through it.

Testimonials: Also, thanks to those who offered to write a testimonial for GMA during the conferences. We are eager to receive them whenever you are finished writing them.

Email sign ups: If you havent checked www.gentrymartialarts.com out for a while, please do so. Also, make sure to sign up for the electronic copy of the newsletter and other timely announcements that may be made through the distribution list.

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Last modified: November 17, 2005