Black Belt 4 Life

Hello Monarchs of the desert, Prince and Princesses of Spring

I hope all is well since our last meeting.

In case you haven’t noticed, we’re warming up here in the desert.  Spring has opened her loving arms to us once again and she is meticulously adorning the desert floor with a plethora of color that does not disappoint.

BB4L has added some color to the work of art as well! Come by the River Center during class time and you’ll see an abundance of Gold Belts practicing their new curriculum. Congratulations to all of our passionate Lil’ Dragons who graduated to Gold Phoenix Belt, our powerful Kid Tigers who graduated to Gold Tiger Belt, and to our Mighty Kids and Adults who graduated to Gold Belt! Check out the pics at http://www.flickr.com/photos/bb4l/sets/72157615952899007/

We also had an incredible Grand Opening party at the studio. We’ll get some photos of that event up soon.

Thank you thank you thank you to all that helped out with these events.  You know who you are and we are so very grateful.

The future:

Friday, April 24th 6pm-7:30pm - Buddy Bash!  Bring your friends to this FREE party for martial art games, class, and, of course, Pizza….

Black Belt 4 Life Summer Camps - call us (or better yet stop by) for details.  These are unlike any other camps you’ve ever seen!

So, work hard, train hard, play hard… practice balance.  Enjoy your day, rest in it’s natural great perfection.  You deserve it

Matthew

Hello Scions of Greatness, Ambassadors of Cool

We had our first PNO (Parents Night Out) party on Valentine’s Day.  We played, we trained, we ate pizza.  We even watched Kung Fu Panda (brilliant).  It was the first of our monthly PNO parties and fun was had by all.  The next one will be in mid March.  Safest, most fun (and cheapest - $20 a kid) 4 hour babysitting service in town.

This Friday, February 20th is our first Buddy Bash.  It’s time to bring your buddies to class to show them what you’ve been doing this past month.  We’ll start at 6pm and end at 7:30pm.  This evening, your buddy will have the opportunity to play games, participate in contests, and learn a little about the values that we teach at our facility.  We will conduct a little orientation for parents as well.  We will explain, in detail, such things as the belt order, testing, attendance, studio protocol, etc.  This is a perfect time to ask questions about our different programs.  Of course, there will be pizza and drinks.  

Stripe testing will be held next week on the 26th and the 27th.  Next month will be our first Belt Graduation.  It’s time to get some color on the floor!

Kids!  Don’t forget your Excellence Sheets!

Lots of goings on are happening at BB4L.  If you get an opportunity, just stop by.  Come in and chat or, better yet, head down the Walk Of Excellence, take off your shoes, come one the floor and start hitting the bags.  You’ll be glad you did.

Matthew

Hello Queens and Kings of 2009, Sons and Daughters of the natural great perfection-

Hope this finds you well.

So… Black Belt 4 Life is now home to 27 students!  We’ve been open for a little over a month now and I’m very pleased with the turnout.  I couldn’t ask for a better situation.  Course, it makes sense, Mac and I have built an awesome school, if I do say so myself.  Our students display a perfect example of a melting pot.  I believe there is an equal amount of boys and girls with ages ranging from 3 to somewhere in the mid 50’s.  They all, however, have one thing in common.  They love to train and they love to train hard.  

Martial Art schools do not have to be dingy, dirty, musty, predominantly male establishments to produce intense, difficult, realistic, and UFC - esque training.  Our kids program consists of all the martial art motor skills needed to graduate into our adult program plus (and MOST important) the unparalleled life skills development training that instills in them the power to handle most, if not all, of what this crazy world has to offer.  The best part is that it’s incredibly fun.  

We have a saying in our adult program that “you don’t have to be a fighter to train like one.”  That’s the beauty of it.  Our adult students come from all walks of life.   We have professionals, a couple doctors, teachers, students, artists, and even hair stylists.  None of them actually want to get in the ring and fight.  But they all want to train as hard as the fighters in the UFC do.  We train hard.  We work hard.  And we play hard.  It’s all about balance.   And the best part is that it’s incredibly fun….

Someone recently asked me about stretching.  When to do it.  Which stretches are the best.  I’ll tell you one thing, I think humans in general don’t stretch enough.  We also don’t drink enough water, but that’s for another time.  

The best thing to remember is that in order for a muscle to stretch it needs to be relaxed and warm.  Therefore there will be no static stretching (touching toes, splits, etc.) before a work out.  Warm up first.  This is the reason for the running, jumping, skipping, side stepping at the beginning of class.  Get the blood flowing (good for your heart as well and we here at BB4L care about your heart…) then proceed to active stretching (stretch kicks, 1-10s, lunges, etc.).  But this will all be taken care of by Mr Mac and myself during class (therefore- get to class!).  

Do all your static stretching after class, when you’re still warm, or when you get home (if you’re still warm, of course).  Sit on the floor in the splits, relaxing (not leaning forward) whilst watching your favorite show or reading your favorite book.  Begin with a little discomfort (there must be some discomfort) and when it goes away, with your hands behind you on the floor, lift your butt up and push one foot out a little, keeping the other heel firm on the floor.  Push just until you feel that desired discomfort.  Do this as many times as you like.  And relax.  The key is to just do it as many times a week as you can.  Don’t make it difficult, just do it.  (Nike had it right all along).  See you in class!

Well my friends, the studio is beautiful.  I’m so happy with how it turned out.  And I’m so grateful for each of our students.  They’re the beginning of something great.  

Oh, if you stop by during the next month, you’ll see my sister, Melissa, behind the desk.  She single handedly put the business side of Black Belt 4 Life in working order.  Thanks Iss!  But still give her a hard time, I always do.  It’s fun!

Until next time, keep on keeping on and enjoy the natural great perfection that is your life.  You deserve it.

Matthew (Mr. V)

Hello!

Like the title says, Welcome to the next year of your life.  January is traditionally a time for reflection on accomplishments, setbacks, and fond memories of the previous year which leads to thoughts of hope, renewal, and a clean slate regarding the awesome year to come.  This is a time of goal setting.  A time to make changes.  A time put things in motion.  A time to make decisions.

How is 2009 going to be for you?

What are you going to do to make this year incredible, remarkable, unforgettable, and any other -able you may think of?

An abundant amount of “stuff” happened in 2008 and it is this Martial Artist’s humble opinion that 2009 is greatly appreciated.  What better way to start a new year than to open the front doors of BB4L. 

We have many cool things to look forward to this year.  One of which already happened.  We got our mirrors….  This may sound like a little thing, but I assure you, it isn’t.  It consisted of many minutes of phone tagging, emailing, coordinating, map questing, designating, driving, meeting, measuring, fastening, glueing, laughing, crying, and shaking hands.  And, this occured whilst receiving awesome customer service.  Robert and Sue of Affordable Mirrors (dot com) were wonderful and I recommend them to anyone on the west coast who wants incredible service and value. 

So Far So Good

Rob and Sue                                              Finished.

Reflection Perfection….

So I sit here on the 5th of January, looking at my beautiful school, watching Mr. Mac prepare for class and I’m thinking I’m pretty lucky.

We made it to the next year, people.  Wonderous things lie ahead.

Hello All

It’s been an awesome first week!  Black Belt 4 Life now has 6 students.  6 future black belts.  6 leaders in our community.

It’s an incredible feeling to be teaching again.  I was beginning to feel like a builder rather than a martial art teacher.  I like the idea of being both.  I enjoy building thing. I love to create interesting spaces and, for lack of a better saying, thinking outside the box….  That’s why I’m so proud of the studio we’ve built.  Visually, it’s different than most martial art schools.  It’s comfortable here, yet there is a powerful pull to sweat.  The training floor has been used and abused this week and has passed with flying colors.  Mr Mac has designed a pro shop that is both visually entertaining and completely functional allowing the students to get up close to the various training packages we have to offer.   All in all it’s a beautiful place.

I know, I know, stop telling us how beautiful and just upload some pics already….  Patience grasshoppers.

Training has begun, which means Belt Graduation is at the end of March.  This is very exciting!  So, we’ll do our part and share with you what we believe to be some of the best martial arts training available today. You just have to show up.  

Remember, chin down, guards up, and smile, you’re awesome.

Hello All

Enjoy.

Welcome Home…

Ms. Abby’s 1st Class.  She rocks.

Courtesy and Respect.

Uh… Adorable.  Incredible focus as well.

Mr. Mac is explaining the Smart Stance to a very apt pupil.  

Mr. Mac, unsurprisingly, taught an out of this world class.  If you ever get the opportunity to watch one of his classes, do so.  You won’t be let down.

A wonderful night with a wonderful family.  Thank you Agrellas, you are my Ambassadors of Cool.

Hello!

It’s time to usher out the old and embrace the new. It seems our paper has found its way to the top of the pile.  Thus, Pima County has poked, prodded, and inspected finding us qualified to operate a Martial Art Studio in the River Center on E. River and Craycroft in beautiful Tucson, AZ.  

Therefore:

BB4L has officially opened for business and the studio, if I do say so myself, looks awesome!

 I’ll post pics of the finished studio next post as the ones I took today did not turn out….  They didn’t do it justice.  Mr. Mac and I have meticulously created a very special place to embody the Martial Arts.  I’ve never seen a place like ours and I am incredibly excited to enroll our first students!  We were entertaining the idea of not opening until the new year as most people will be on vacation during the holidays, but we’re too excited.  As a result, we’ll be open until the 22nd, enjoy our families, then re-open on January 5th.  

So, Welcome.  Come on in.  Get ready to Work Hard, Train Hard, Play Hard.  When you leave, you’ll walk taller.

Enjoy your day, you deserve it.

Hello All

Muscles are sore, eyelids are heavy, fingers are a little cracked, attitude, however, is excellent!  It took some time and a little bit of coercion here and there but the training mats are down.  Black Belt 4 Life is ready to start empowering lives.  

Pima County, nonetheless,  is not….  We, like many businesses starting up, are at the whim of government bureaucracy.  There is a little piece of paper called a Certificate Of Occupancy (C of O) that says we are allowed by the county to do whatever it is we do in our place of business.  In our case, that’s teaching martial arts.  So the county has to make sure that we dot our I’s and cross our T’s before we do so.

 Cool.  Black Belt 4 Life has no problem following the rules (they’re there for a reason).  We do have a problem with being a piece of paper on someone’s desk somewhere, probably underneath others, waiting for it to be our turn to be inspected and, thus, obtaining the coveted C of O.

Ego has no business being in a martial art school, yet I feel we’re so much more than that piece of paper.  If the person only knew our intentions, she or he would gladly put us on the top of the list.  If they could see the excitement in Mr Mac’s eyes when he answers the phone, “Thank you for calling Black Belt 4 Life!  How can I help you?”  If they can only see how he interacts with people inquiring about our studio.  He’s ready to go.  It’s 11:42 PM as I write this and he is still at the studio finishing the second coat of paint in the Intro room.  (Incidentally, that’s how we roll; no C of O, let’s use this time to our advantage and paint the Intro room.)

So, whilst waiting for the aforementioned inspection, take a look at the progress.

The pre-reception desk.

The finished (sans paint) reception desk and the beginning of the training floor!

My family came out during Thanksgiving to help with the buildout.  I am a lucky guy.  Notice the Christmas Tree.  Happy Holidays everyone!

And we have a training floor people!  Pay no attention to the wall with no paint.  Our mirrors are on the way.

Pretty awesome.  If I do say so myself.  

Until next time, have an incredible day, you’ve earned it.

Hello everyone.  Just a few things: 

1.  I’m still alive and BB4L is on schedule (we even scheduled our first Intro class!!)  

2.  There are now a few pics on the previous blogs that show the future studio in it’s birthday suit so to speak.  

And 3.  Mr. Mac and I recently visited with Greg Silva, a leader in the martial art industry and the president of United Professionals (UP), at his Premier Martial Arts Studio in Tempe, AZ.  Awesome school, this pic doesn’t do it justice but the wall says it all…  

“Work Hard.  Train Hard.  Play Hard.  It’s all about Balance.”

Mr. Silva (it sounds funny calling him “Mr. Silva” as he very humble and down to earth.  He’d tell me to call him Greg) invited us to his incredible home close by in a place called Red Mountain.  We chatted about the business of the Martial Arts and the trials and tribulations of running a school whilst his three shih tzus frolicked about yearning for our attention.  

It was great to be able to spend a few hours with him.  He started out owning a martial art school in Florida with a total student count of 1200… in a single school.  He then went on to create a company, UP, that would provide guidance to hundreds of schools throughout North America and England.  Eventually because he wasn’t busy enough, he founded Premier Martial Arts.  He even published a book last month….  He’s created an incredible life for himself and his family all by training, teaching, and mentoring in the martial arts.  He’s proof that if you believe in yourself and love what you do, the possibilities are endless.

And he treated us like peers, thus letting us know we’re in the club and solidifying what I already knew:  Black Belt 4 Life is a phenomenal idea.  

One of my goals is to become a mentor for people who want to better their lives through the martial arts. Another is to create opportunities for my future students in the business of martial arts.  

The ultimate goal of black belt is not to become a “lethal weapon” (what is that anyway?) or be able to kick higher than the person next to you.

The ultimate goal is to become a teacher.  A mentor.  A champion of life.  Humbly sharing all this knowledge thus helping to create better communities, better lives,  Black Belts 4 Life.

Have a beautiful weekend. You deserve it.

Matthew

Well, hello.  It’s been a few days since we’ve seen each other and this is because not much has happened in BB4L’s pre-opening roller coaster since the last post.  But today, Thursday, November 6, was a defining moment day.  This was a day in which three things happened that were new and one of them facilitated the defining moment status.

1.  Drum roll….  The landlord has begun working on our buildout!  

2.  BB4L has erupted in a sea of color.  The walls have been painted and they look glorious, if I do say so myself.  I love the colors and I’m very happy with the finished look.

It was hard work, but I believe in hard work.  There’s integrity in it.   I believe that if you give something your all, put forward blood, sweat, and tears, that something will give it right back.  BB4L is very happy with it’s new look.  It’s ready, chomping at the bit to fill its meticulously painted walls with students young and old.

 I must add a most humble and deep thank you to my father, Blair Van Orden.  

He’s been in the studio almost every day helping in every way possible and will be there whenever I need him.  

This whole endeavor would not have been possible without his never ending encouragement, support, and love.  Thanks Dad.  I love you. 

 And 3.  (The defining moment)  Josh McMillan (Mr. Mac) has arrived.  Mr. Mac has been training in the martial arts for, well,  ever.  He began training in Florida just out of pre-school.  He’s 26 now and he’s one of the best martial artists that I know and one of the best teachers I’ve ever seen. He has studied many styles that range from Karate, Tae Kwon Do, Hapkido, Kempo, Krav Maga, Brazilian JiuJitsu and Thai Kickboxing.   He was Florida State champ in the KICK USA tournament circuit (a very competitive, distinguished, and incredibly cool Karate tournament) 3 years in a row and the national champion in 2001.

Most important,  Mr. Mac’s many students throughout the years know him as an educated, caring, persistent and enthusiastic instructor. The children take so much of a liking to him because he is patient, understanding and an excellent communicator. The adults keep coming back because they love the intensity of his classes and the knowledge he brings to the martial arts. And I’m thrilled to team up with him because he believes in empowering peoples lives through the martial arts as much as I do.  Yet, he’s also the yin to my yang.  Where I deficit, he excels and vice versa.  

Mr. Mac, like myself, has worked with many martial art schools throughout the country, teaching, consulting, even running the show.  Crossing paths many times throughout the last few years, we were able to discuss at length the state of the martial arts community.  During these discussions, we came up with an idea of how to create the perfect martial art school.  This is how Black Belt 4 Life came to life.  I will never forget the day I told him, whilst working with him at a karate school in Knoxville, TN, of my plan to head out west and start a studio from scratch that epitomizes what I believe to be the perfect martial art school. He began to add to my descriptions and agree with my analysis of our current situation and it was at this time he said, “we could call it Black Belt 4 Life.”  ….  There you have it.  This was very hard for me to Divulge. Mr. Mac came up with the name Black Belt 4 Life….  Of course, it fit perfectly with my ideas and ideals and, at the time, I was adrenalized and proceeded to map out my plan in great detail.  It wasn’t until later that I became a little jealous about the actual naming of our beloved studio….

So, BB4L emerged out of almost 20 years experience from EACH of us in the martial arts.  It’s a product of our love of the life, the discipline, the tradition, and the confidence it instills in people of all ages.  We’ve dedicated our lives (and our life savings…) to Black Belt 4 Life and we consider ourselves a couple of the luckiest guys in the world.  We get to share Karate, Kickboxing, Self-Protection, and XMA to kids and adults every day.  This is the beginning of something extraordinary.

The perfect Martial Art Studio.

I’ll talk more about what Mr. Mac and I believe to be the perfect martial art school at a later time.   Better yet, come on down and see it for yourself.  Black Belt 4 Life.  Creating a better community one black belt at a time.

Enjoy your life, rest in its natural perfection.  You deserve it.

Matthew (Mr. Van Orden)

contact me at train@blackbelt4life.com