August 27, 2008
Dear EDS Family,
Can you believe Fall is here? I can’t. In the mood of Fall arriving I wanted to write you this quick note to explain all of the events we have coming up over the next couple months.
We have been very blessed as a school over the last year, as EDS has continued to grow and grow. I attribute it to two major factors. First is our dedicated staff. The instructors who put in time with you day in and day out are some of the most committed I’ve seen in the industry… and I’ve seen a lot over the last 15+ years. We are all lucky to have them on our team.
Secondly, I have to give credit to our students and parents of our young students. Your dedication you show on a weekly basis is unmatched in any sport. I can’t thank you enough for letting me and the rest of the staff teach you and your family. Thank you so much.
Because there is so much going on this Fall I wanted to chronologically layout the main events happening over the next handful of months. I suggest you put this on the old fridge and circle the events which are for you. So here we go!
Sat. and Mon., 8/30 and 9/1 - No Classes
No Classes - Labor Day Weekend.
Sat., 9/13 – Adult Evolution Prep: Both locations
10am-Noon: Beginner
Noon-2pm: Intermediate
This is an opportunity to review the last three months of instruction before the evolution on 9/20. We’ll be specifically reviewing 75% of what will be covered on the test. If you feel shaky about your summer attendance, this is a great way to make it up. The cost is $10, please register online. NO Regular Classes at either location.
Wed. and Thur., 9/17-18 – Adult Naga Team Training Start Up: Both locations
Wed. 9/17, 8-10pm, Rockford
Thur. 9/18, 8-10pm, Bloomingdale
Given the fact that Naga was pushed back to Nov. 15th, we have pushed back our formal start date for our Naga Team training. Each team will train at their respective schools on Wed nights for Rockford and Thur nights for Bloomingdale. You do have the option of training with the team but not competing. So, now you have no excuses to shoot your skills up a couple levels in 8 weeks! Do not miss this opportunity! We have a new and exciting curriculum we’ll be passing on. The fee for this special training group is only $100, due no later than 9/18 (that breaks down to about $5 per training hour!). You must pay online. We medaled 5 out of the last 7 novice participants last time – but each will tell you the experience is the real gold!
Sat., 9/20 – All Adult and Rockford Youth Evolution: Rockford location
9-9:45am: Rockford Youth, 5:30 classes
9:45-10:30am: Rockford Youth, 6:15 classes
Noon-2pm: Intermediate and Advanced, plus Staff promotions
2-4pm: Beginner
In order to progress from one level to the next, all students must complete all 4 cycles within their curriculum. We’ll be testing for cycle 4 this time around. The cost is $20 for all adult students, and free for youth students. All students must register online. NO Regular Classes at either location.
Sat., 9/20 – Free Female Self-Defense Seminar: Rockford location
Noon-2pm
This is the perfect opportunity to invite your female loved ones to a self-defense seminar covering the essentials of personal protection. We will be covering our popular “Escape to Gain Safety” curriculum. For ages 12 and up. The cost is free, but you must register online.
Wed., 9/24 – Bloomingdale Youth Evolution: Bloomingdale location
5:30-6:15pm: All Bloomingdale Youth classes
Please see above for details.
Mon., 9/13 – No Classes, Columbus Day
No classes at either location.
Sat., 10/18 – Mock Naga Competition and Training Session: Rockford location
9am-Noon
Our two Naga Teams will square off during this time, using real Naga time and points. This will be a great experience to test yourself before the competition. We will also have a Q&A session to help you over any hurdles you’ve encountered. This camp’s cost is included in your Naga tuition.
Sat., 10/18 – CATT Session: Rockford and Undisclosed location
1-4pm
Our Counter Assault Tactics Team had an adrenaline pumping session last time learning about car jackings and how to combat them. Do not miss this opportunity to increase your street fighting IQ. Topics are only disclosed to members, for an application please contact me at matt@EliteJKD.com with “CATT” in the subject.
Sat., 10/25 – Youth Halloween Safety Seminar: Rockford location
4-6pm
From 4-6pm we’ll run 30 minute shifts (4, 4:30, 5, 5:30pm) of our Halloween Safety Course and our Haunted Gladiator Trek where young guests hunt scary monsters down. It will be age appropriate for all ages 4-14, however younger children are asked to come earlier, and older kids are asked to come to the later times. Give your child the tools to stay safe this Halloween, plus have tons of fun! Yes, the drive is worth it for all parents and kids even if you’re coming from the Bloomingdale area. Plus – it is free! Bring all of your friends and family!
Wed., 10/29 – Youth Halloween Safety Seminar: Bloomingdale location
5:30-6:30pm
Just like the event stated above, but we won’t have the Haunted Gladiator Trek. But, we still will have fun, games, and prizes, plus tons of safety lessons. This special session will also run for a full hour. This event is free too, so bring all of your friends and family.
Sat., 11/15 – North American Grappling Association Competition (Naga)
All Day
Cheer our competitors on as we compete with hundreds of others at this nationally ranked tournament. Go to NagaFighter.com for more info. No classes, everyone is invited to the competition.
Lee, Love, and Life,
Sifu
ps: Check out our RSS feed for our blog!
August 10, 2008
Matt,
Just wanted to give some feedback on the Palm Stick seminar today. I found the seminar loaded with a ton of useful information and I got in a great workout as well. The ease and practicality of the stick makes it an ideal and totally legal weapon.
Great Job.
Thanks.
JT
July 28, 2008
Starting off our weekly question answering session, this is a common one. Well, a little background first. As some of you know, I’m dyslexic, which simply means I see words in a different order when I read. Occasionally, if you listen in class you might catch me even speaking, and flip flopping words.
My point is that school was a pain. Reading was worse. As a result, I’m lucky if I read more than 100 pages all up through my 8th grade year. As my grades dipped again during my junior high years, I know I had to buck up and get to work in high school. I only got through grade school because I had a very dedicated mother who helped me study. Looking back it was the fact that she read many of the chapters with me which helped me retain info.
High school was tough too, but I dated a girl with 160+ IQ, and modeled a lot of studying habits off of her. I also came to the realization that if I created relationships with my teachers, they would go out of their way to help me… which they did. Although my grades climbed up a little - reading was still a pain. Taking my time, reading slower, and putting more effort into it helped a great deal. I also started to research “study skill” programs which helped me improve my test scores.
Then college hit. Long story short is that I really liked college. But before I got too deep in it I really put the pedal to the metal and read, read, read. It helped loving the topics I was taking in college, so the reading became easier. It was also just getting on down to business, and taking the time out to read… even if it was slower. On top of reading my course work in college, I started to read tons of self-help books. After I graduated and started my Master’s Degree I started reading 2-4 books per month.
As my martial arts business grew I really wanted to improve all areas in my life (modeling off of Bruce Lee), therefore, I started to build my library. The topics included diet, fitness, finance, marketing, communication, relationships, and Christian topics. As I read more and more, reading became easier and easier. My point is to those who are dealing with a child with dyslexia, to find topics they like to read about. As I progressed my love of reading spilled over into my love of writing, which lead to having over a dozen international articles published… two within the last 6 months.
Today, my books are all non-fiction. I recently finished Malcolm Gladwells hits Tipping Point and Blink. There is a great business writer called Dan Kennedy, where I’ve read about a half dozen of his books. My wife Stephanie and I also try to keep up on communication topics. One recently we finished was The Five Love Languages by Gary Chapman. I’m also working through a study guide on the book of Proverbs this summer - which has been very interesting.
Add in the 1-2 audio books I get through per month, and all together I get through 4-5 resources each month. I’m very picky on what I spend my money on, and my time is super important. I hate to say it, but as my family responsibilities grow, I find myself looking more and more at shorter/thinner books. I figure if authors can’t say what they need to in short form, they are using too much filler.
In the end, reading, and pushing through some early barriers has given me some huge blessings. The support of my mother and teachers were key. Not sure too many of my elementary teachers would have thought I would be reading all I do today - much less writing for magazines and newspapers. The cool thing is that all of this experience has also lead me to unique projects like writing scripts for my DVDs… which is a totally different experience (i.e. learning how to act and show what you want to say).
What are some of your current books? Good and the bad? Blog back so we can share some ideas!
Talk to you next week!
Lee, Love, and Life,
Sifu
July 15, 2008
Every wonder how EDS’s staff trains? What do they do? Last Saturday, admist great weather, EDS staff split the training into three mini sessions covering:
1. Sparring: Heavy accordions, and then a myriad of mass attack scenarios covering 1 vs. 4, 2 vs. 3, group on group, weapons, etc. Might have been the most taxing exercise most of my guys have ever done (with the exception of the next part).
2. JKD Nature Run: Approximately a 1.5 mile hike to and through the nearby forest preserve proved to not be “another walk in the park”. Along the way we stopped for sparring sessions on gravel paths, in waist high grass, along shrubs, on inclines of hills, and on top of mini Midwest mountains (or at least it seemed like it). We also sparred on narrow bridges, and used improvised weapons staff had seconds to find. Great job to everyone!
3. Instructional: We covered functional trapping, and showed how to use it in actual sparring and situations. Pak, Lop, and Jut Saos were all used, and we had guys pulling them off in sparring situations. The best part may have been “Pak Sao”, “Lop Sao”, and “Jut Sao” Numrada, which brought everyone’s functional trapping up to a new level. After throwing in the low lines, everyone looked like Hollywood fight choreographers. As we tied down the straight 4 hours of training, we ended things up with some advanced ground technique work. Advanced guard breaks, sweeps, and a series of moves from a new guard position were all learned.
All in all, it was a great session. It was a very serious workout for everyone involved. Great job to EDS’s top brass!
Lee, Love, and Life,
Sifu
June 16, 2008
There is that point in everyone’s training where they just get it. You can see it in their eyes… They realize, “Oh, this is the way it is in a real fight”. I saw many go through that in the last Adult Beginner Evolution. Over the last three months there was a lot of work on ground techniques, we call them the Basic 18.
After all of that work, it was important for the practitioners to know that in true “street fights” you have this aspect called “the street”. During the Beginner Evolution students logged in around 9 total minutes of straight ground fighting on the asphalt. Add onto that kick boxing, close quarters, stick / knife defense, energy drills, etc. It was incredible to say the least.
At the end of the session, everyone was dirty, sweaty, and tired. It was perfect.
I huddled everyone up at the end, and simply said, “Who else is doing what you are doing? I know of 6-7 ground schools within 10 miles of this place – plus dozens more within 45 minutes… and no one else is doing what you guys are doing.” Now add in the weapons work, stand up, energy drills, etc., and you’ve now put yourself into a group of martial arts students which is smaller than 1%. No exaggeration, I’ve been around.
So my hat is off to those who participated. Everyone did very well, and I’m proud of everyone.
Take care,
Lee, Love, and Life,
Sifu
ps: Make up evolution is being announced soon, keep in touch!
June 12, 2008
Very impressed.
That is the main thing I have to say. Let’s start with the Youth Classes first. Seeing kids as young as 5-6 years old doing the RAT program brought a tear to the old Sifu’s eye. I’m not sure if parents understand what they are giving their kids. While some kids are stuck in traditional martial arts learning “never to be used again” katas, EDS’s parents are giving their kids functional tools. As I talked to a police-school liaison officer just yesterday… He worried about the “NHB/UFC” style schools which are creating little gladiators which are out of control and irresponsible with their self-defense instruction. On the other hand, that is something I am glad we ingrain into the kids… responsible use of the JKD tools.
Although the kids may not totally understand exactly what they are doing in our classes, they are doing it none the less. As children in school learn the alphabet and numbers, they can’t foresee how they will use those concepts in the future. So is it with the JKD concepts they are learning… and now adapting from one range to another. I mean, get a hold of this… we had second graders during the evolution adapt from stand up attacks - to using close quarter tools - to weapons defense - to eye raking when tackled to the ground! Who else is doing that?
It would seem at this point like I’m tooting my own horn. However, I have to give thanks to the parents who have remained patient, consistent, etc.
As a side note, let me stated that at our Rockford facility I would love it for those parents who want to see their children train to observe in the “Observation Nook” by the water cooler. If you want peace and a rest, use the waiting room, however if you want to see your children train (like many parents have done for months) please use open area in the back of the class.
I’ll write about the Adult Beginner Evolution tomorrow.
Lee, Love, and Life,
Sifu
ps: Make up evolutions will be held in early July - more to come.
June 4, 2008
Hey there! Instructors-Students
Elvis is back in the building! Did you know Elvis was an accomplished martial artist? So here’s a chance to talk to the King himselvis!
We are looking to fill out some teams from EDS to participate in the Saturday June 21st NT & JT Charity Bocce Tournament. We have a half of a team ready to go so we need 1 male and 1 female to fill it out. $25 per person will get you a minimum 2 bocce games, a gift, pasta dinner and the opportunity to experience ELVIS HIMSELVIS as our dinner entertainment! We’ll have a silent auction, raffle prizes and a 50/50 drawing.
Dead line for entry in the tournament is June 7th. You can respond via this blog or call 815-282-6530.
If you are interested in the Pasta dinner only - tix are $15 per person/2 for $28. And you still get Elvis! Once again contact me via this blog or at the number above.
As Elvis (himselvis) would say “Thank you, Thank you Very Much!”
TCB baby!
Bonus question!!! The first person to respond to this question “What does TCB mean?” with the correct answer will get your choice of a cannoli or parodi cigar! (2nd bonus question ” what is a cannoli” - 1st person to ask this question is automatically disqualified from everything!)
JT
May 30, 2008
Please check out the updated schedules on this site… a few minor tweaks… Nothing that big. They will start Monday, June 2nd! We’ll also be announcing the winners from the referral drawing!
PLUS- Don’t forget, Adult Evolution Prep this Saturday, and Evolutions next weekend!
Too much stuff going on - enjoy!
Lee, Love, and Life,
Sifu
May 28, 2008
First off, tons of congrats to the NAGA Team… I am so proud of everyone. To think it was all 7 competitors first time, and 5 out of 7 recieved a medal. I already emailed the participants yesterday, but I want every student to know how exceptional I think everyone did. Can’t wait till the next one in Fall!
Many of you have faxed your applications in for the CATT Team, but our fax machine has “been sick”. We should have things up and ready by Thursday at 9am. Please refax them, and then drop me an email to let me know you did just in case. If accepted, you’ll recieve an email from me with specific directions. The first official session is THIS Sunday from 10am-2pm… you won’t want to miss it.
If you want more info - email now at matt@elitejkd.com.
Lee, Love, and Life,
Sifu
May 23, 2008
I just wanted to let everyone know how beneficial the NAGA training has been to me, and I am sure, to the other team members. Before I started training for NAGA I weighed about 220-225 (240 before I started classes at EDS, I’ve been here for about a year and a half). Doing NAGA gave me the motivation to eat healthy, work out every day, and keep it consistent. On top of that the whole team has helped everyone and encouraged them to keep it up. It has been a month or two since I first started NAGA training, and I am happily down to a stable 209 and dropping.
If anyone is thinking of doing NAGA next time, at LEAST do the training, it is one of the best workouts I ever get. On top of that if you plan to compete, you get the motivation to stay consistent and not slack off.
I want to throw out a big thanks to Dustin, Mike, Travis and all the rest of the NAGA people for just being there, making it fun, making it worth while. Let’s go win that tournament 
- Noah
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