MONDAY, APRIL 2nd

2nd Quarter Fit Club Begins! We begin at 6am, and we will go strong for 12 weeks! It’s not too late if you would like to get that summer body!

SATURDAY, APRIL 7th

Noon-1pm… New family orientation class. If you have enrolled but haven’t been through the handbook, come join us. Meet other families, ask questions, and eat some pizza. Sensei Annie will play games with the kids while you learn more about how our school functions.

APRIL PARENT SELF DEFENSE CLASS

April 14th– Anti Mugging Class: Learn to be safe while on the go. In our anti-mugging class you will learn how to keep you and your family from being selected as victims, as well as learning self defense tips if the worst ever happens.

April 28th – Anti Home Invasion Class: Home invasion is one of the scariest crimes, which is on the rise. Unfortunately, there are also a lot of misconceptions in regard to how to keep your family safe from an intruder. Learn the facts on how to secure your home.

These classes are Saturdays from 3pm-4pm and they are TOTALLY FREE.

APRIL 23-28

Belt Striping week: see the schedule on this page.

MONDAY & TUESDAY - PRE-STRIPING @ NORMAL CLASS TIMES

WEDNESDAY - NO CLASSES - PRIVATE LESSON DAY

THURSDAY - STRIPING @ NORMAL CLASS TIMES

FRIDAY - STRIPING @ THE FOLLOWING TIMES:

4:00-4:30 – Little Champions4:30-5:00 – Little Champions5:00-6:00 – All Under Black Belt Youth 6:00-7:00 – All Under Black Belt Youth 7:00-8:00 – All Mixed Curriculum Black Belts8:00-9:00 – Beg and Int Krav9:00-10:00 – Adv and Black Belt Krav

YOUTH 1ST DEGREE:Cameron Sharos, Hunter Brink, and Typer Underwood all passed their 4 hour test which consisted of a 2 mile run, calisthenics, kicking drills, kickboxing combinations, and Krav Maga self-defense requirements. WELCOME TO THE BLACKBELT FAMILY!!!

YOUTH 2ND DEGREE:Braden Schmitt, Tristan Vanzandt, and Noah Goolsby continued in their training by passing a 6hr, 2nd degree youth blackbelt test. It was 6 hours of very hard work and I am proud of them for their continued work. Many view black belt as the end. In reality, it the beginning. I’m very proud of these kids!!!

ADULT KRAV MAGA & KICKBOXING BLACKBELT TEST:Janice Duke, and Tricia Collins passed a long, 2-day, 10 hr Adult Blackbelt Test; consisting of a 3 mile run, kickboxing drills and sparring, empty hand defenses, knife defenses, gun defense, and multiple stress drills! It was very tough, but they did great! Proud of you ladies!!!

3RD & 4TH DEGREE TESTS:Sensei Jimmy tested for his 3rd degree blackbelt this year. This was a year long process which included participating in several training events, certifications, VERY TOUGH tests, and passing his International Instructor College Certification. I am very proud to be Jimmy’s instructor, and to be his dad.

Sensei CT had similar requirements for his 4th degree test which he knocked out of the park. You can read about him and his test in the Instructor Profile section of the newsletter.

Sensei John Fulton began training with us at the age of 4 years old! He was funny, energetic, and had a personality that everyone loved! Because of his bright red hair, he quickly earned the name of Carrot Top, which eventually was shortened to CT.

As a child, CT moved through our pre-martial arts ranks as a 4, 5, and 6 year old; and then into our youth ranks. CT attended tournaments, training events, he was one of our first Demo Team Kids, and he was one of our first Leadership Kids. He has quite literally grown up doing martial arts.

CT has an impressive list of qualifications, including:- International Instructor College Certification - Apache Knife Fighting Certifications- Krav Maga Certifications- Youth Leadership Training.- KMU Brown Belt Level 2- SRCDT Level 1 Firearms Instructor- First ever 4th Degree Blackbelt from our school

He has stood out as an expert instructor teaching our youth, demo team, and now assisting in our newly formed Brazilian Ju-Jitsu (BJJ) program.

CT is now 21 years old and has been training for 17 years! In addition to all of his martial arts training, which he juggled through a very busy high school career making great grades and participating in extracurricular activities, Sensei CT is now in Engineering student at SIUE. He exemplifies what I expect in an instructor setting the example in his character, work ethic, and home life with his parents. Words cannot express the respect I have for this young man. I am proud I am of this young man!!!

This past year Sensei CT has taken his 4th degree test. He had many tasks to complete throughout the year for this rank. 4th Degree is considered Asst. Master in many systems. Therefore, it’s a little more complex than just “doing a test”. It came down to the final requirement as a 5 day training event. CT did 2 days of BJJ; followed by 3 days (17 hours) of Krav Maga Training!!!

CONGRATS ON YOUR 4TH DEGREE SENSEI JOHN FULTON (AKA CT)!!!!

Self Respect:Self Respect is doing things which show that you care about who you are and who you are going to become. Eating right, doing your homework, and working hard are all ways you can show that you respect yourself.

It’s important that we care about ourselves enough to take care of our bodies & brains, and we talk and think positive about ourselves.

Speaking with Respect Our words are very powerful. They can build others up and cause someone who was having a bad day, to have a good one. They can also tear someone down and make someone else feel bad about themselves.

Its important that we not only use respectful words, but we also say them in a respectful way. This is important when talking to mom, dad, sibling, teachers, or anyone else.

Another, and very important way to be respectful is to show respect through your actions. We call these “Acts of Respect”. Things like not arguing with your family members, helping a classmate at school, or doing chores without being asked are all ways to show others that you respect them.

Acting respectful is probably one of the best and most important ways to use respect in your life.

Acting Respectfully

WORKSHEET:

Younger students have your parents help you with this

Believing in yourself is an example of:

A. Self Respect

B. Speaking with Respect

C. Acting Respectfully

The challenge this month is to demonstrate 21 acts of respect. That is one per day for 3 weeks. It can be helping someone in your family, not arguing with someone in your household, not saying mean things, or even keeping your temper can be an act or respect for others. Write out your list and turn it in at the end of the month during striping week.

PLEASE USE A SEPARATE SHEET OF PAPER

Saying something in a negative tone of voice is:

A. Showing respect

B. Showing disrespect

C. Neither

Helping your brother clean his room just to be nice is:

A. Showing respect

B. Showing disrespect

C. Neither