Black Belt Attitude: Staying Calm

“Remain calm, serene, always in command of yourself. You will then find out how easy it is to get along.” — Paramahansa Yogananda

Each week we discuss a Black Belt Attitude topic with the kids in our Warrior Talk. With Easter and another long weekend approaching this week is on Staying Calm. Please pass this on to as many people as you can. Like dropping a pebble in a pond, the ripples can have a significant effect on someone else’s life.

STAYING CALM
You can’t control others, nor can you ever truly know what someone else is thinking, but you can take control of yourself by resisting the urge to fight fire with fire. Even when you know you are right, even when someone is putting you under pressure, even when you want to lash out, your best response will always come from a place of calm stillness.

Remaining calm under stress takes training. The best way to avoid stress and remain calm is to take a breath and move your attention to something else. Resist the urge to comment or push back. The moment itself is completely neutral, no aggression, no anger. It just is. Pause, breathe, and then consciously respond with calm clarity rather than reacting based on your interpretation of what you think is happening.


GRADING
The Kid’s Grading Register is NOW OPEN for our first Grading of the year. You can register your child for Grading online, or by filling out the Grading Register in class.

Please note the Adult Grading Register closes this Friday, the kid’s register closes on March 29, so please make sure you register before then. If you have not registered you may not receive your belt on Grading day.

ADULTS:
When: Saturday March 30
Time: 12.30-2.00 p.m
Where: Subiaco PCYC

KIDS:
When: Sunday April 7
Time: 9.00 a.m start (all times to be confirmed the week before the Grading)
Where: Subiaco PCYC
REGISTER NOW

The cost is 50.00 for children and adults White Belt to Blue Tip, payable on the day. Adults Blue Belt and above is 65.00.

A reminder of the minimum number of classes needed to grade:
White to Yellow Belt – 10 classes
Yellow to Green Belt (Green Tip for adults) – 15 classes
Green Belt and above – 20 classes

Children will also need to receive a stripe of green tape on their belt before they are allowed to grade. The green tape is awarded based on their technique, behaviour, and attitude in class. No green tape = no Grading, regardless of how many classes they have done.

Parents, you can download a copy of the Grading Sheet and notes we use to grade your child. This is directly from our Trainer’s Manual and is a great tool you can use to discuss and help your kids understand what we look for when we grade them.


ADULT PRE-GRADING INTENSIVE
Adult students, we will be holding a pre-grading intensive seminar on Saturday March 23 from 2.00 p.m. This will be a purely technical session as we work on your Self, Multiple, and Ground Defence syllabus to prepare you for Grading.

The session is open to all adults, even if you don’t intend to grade.

When: Saturday March 23
White Belts to Blue Tip: 2:00-3:00 p.m
Blue Belts and above: 3:00-4:00 p.m
Where: Subiaco PCYC
Cost: 15.00

Each session is worth 2 training credits.


CLASS CONTENT
We try our best to make the classes as fun and educational as possible. We do things like making sure the trainers regularly rotate teaching within the class, have a new talk and technique focus every week, and hide repetition. The thing is, in martial arts, in order to get good at it, you have to repeat the moves over and over again. I still practice the white belt moves everyday. And there is no use rushing it, and there is no quick fix. In the big scheme of things, your belt level is exactly where you should be.


NOW YOU CAN TRAIN AT HOME. See the preview
Great news – there is now a full Northstar Ju Jitsu interactive workout available on the Northstar online Academy. Not only is this course a great resource for adult NSJJ members, this is also a great opportunity for parents to see how the basic techniques are done correctly and then enjoy a workout at home with your children. Great for adults and children, you can now train and improve the basics wherever you are.

 


EVENTS
Don’t forget you can stay tuned in to all the latest dates and events at WestStar on the new Events section of our website. We’re constantly updating the events page with all the latest happenings and important dates.