Johnson's Blog - Cary TaeKwonDo Students pursuing excellence

Success Formula

by Jordan McGowan

“90% percent of life is showing up.” -Woody Allen

I didn’t coin this, but I’ve lived by it.

Consistently showing up is one of the biggest keys to success in many areas of my life. From my education to martial arts, by simply showing up I have already won far more than half the battle.

What follows is a reliable 3 part formula for success in any area:

Attendance + Participation + Consistency = Mastery

Attendance

This is the first and most important component of the success formula. If you commit to this piece, the momentum is already in your favor.

By attendance I mean “showing up”. Showing up means putting yourself physically in a specific location relative to what you are trying to learn or accomplish. Going to class in school, going to church, or going to martial arts class, all these put me in a position to be influenced and changed by that environment.

While preparation, practice and homework are all vital, in between all those is the foundation that makes them even relevant, actually showing up.

Participation

Now you’ve got attendance. For the sake of argument lets assume you have made a commitment to always put yourself in the room, whatever that room is, no matter what. You’re 90% there, but not there yet. Imagine a basketball team showing up at the arena, putting their jerseys on, going out on the floor and then not participating in the game. Some of you may feel like your favorite team actually plays this way, but nonetheless it’s a ridiculous notion. While I would say that this fictional basketball team team has won 90% of the battle by showing up, it’s ultimately meaningless if there is no participation.

This seems obvious, and it is, but it’s easier than it appears to slip into this mentality. Use class in college as an example. There are many university students that “show up” but don’t participate. They’re on the court but not really playing the game. Participation get’s us from 90% to about 98.4%. But there is one more element to this formula, and this is the “secret sauce” of success.

Consistency

Putting yourself in a certain place at a certain time and participating must be coupled with consistency.  

You must show up and participate again and again. You came once, that’s great, every journey of a million miles starts with one step, now repeat.

One of my most difficult classes in college was Neuroscience. Sometimes the concepts weren’t so much complex as they were dense, involving a lot of memorization. My overarching approach to this class was putting myself in front of the material as often as possible. Mostly that meant not skipping class, but additionally that meant attending every supplemental instruction session that was offered, and participating in study groups. Even if I didn’t ask questions or make meaningful contributions to these meetings every time, I was still in the room where someone was talking about the material.

The idea behind the old repetition adage “practice makes perfect” has not expired. Consistent attendance and participation will produce results.

Attendance + Participation + Consistency = Mastery

So there it is. Take this and go be a master!

This is a photograph of one of our students that was taken at his school's Community Day and serves as a reminder to us of why we started teaching martial arts.

We often get asked by our potential clients ,"What makes your school different from other martial arts places in the area?"

Around here, we know that our school is special, but it is sometimes difficult to answer this question in the course of one conversation. So, I will list some reasons that I believe make our school superior in the area of martial arts instruction.

1.) At Tiger-Rock, we focus on teaching quality martial arts while also rewarding a student based on their skill and merit. Fair and Balanced, our teachers know how to challenge a student and to get them to perform at their highest level - something we call their "Level 10" - without discouraging them.

2.) We teach lessons outside of just the physical mechanics of a punch, kick or the memorization of a form. Developing the "whole-student" is our goal as we impart upon them endangered values, things like a sense of community, integrity and honor, as well as good old-fashioned hard work. Our martial arts teachers encourage the students to give their "Level 10" in all areas of their lives, and we reward all academic efforts, outside activities and achievements. This is one way that we are able to get them to achieve their best for you, the parent. 

3.) At Johnson's Tiger-Rock, we have a warm, inviting, and family atmosphere with an incredible staff. My name is Bryson Johnson. My wife and I co-own the school together. Our child trains at the academy with us. We have two other full-time instructors: Jordan McGowan and Stephen Keim. Mr. McGowan is also a Youth Pastor at Antioch Church in Raleigh, and Mr. Keim is a college student.

4.) Our academy is the highest-rated martial arts school in the Cary, Apex, and Morrisville areas. We have outstanding reviews online. We think that this is due to the fact that we are very upfront with all of our customers, we work to create a great experience for all of our guests and customers, and because we have monthly memberships. I hope that you have learned enough about our academy that you can't wait to start your trial membership. I know that we can't wait so see you!

My family and I went to help clean up after Hurricane Sandy in Staten Island, NY.  I really couldn’t believe my eyes.  I’m going to tell you about our trip and all of the places we went along with the people we met and helped.

Philadelphia:
The first day we drove to Philadelphia.  It wasn’t that easy.  It took about seven and a half hours.  In our car there was my Mom driving, our au pair, Malin, and my brother Arran and me.  My Dad had gone ahead in another car.  Once we got to the hotel and got situated we sprinted as fast as we could down to the pool.  When we jumped in, we bothered all the grown ups who were sitting there!  After swimming we went out for dinner and then back to the hotel and put our PJs on for bed.  My Dad met us at the hotel with a huge truck full of relief supplies he’d picked up at Sams club.  It took him over 4 hours to get it all bought, packed, and on the truck.  People from my Mom and Dad’s work donated the money to buy the supplies.

Staten Island:
The next day we drove to Staten Island.  First we went to the high school where FEMA had set up all the relief efforts.  They were so happy to get the supplies we brought – we even took pictures with them.  We also met my Mom’s friend Christine and her family at the drop zone , they told us what it was like to be in the storm that day and showed us all the damage done by the water and the wind.  We were glad Christine and her family are okay.  Then the FEMA workers sent us to a car dealer on the main road closer to the beach.   This is where we helped clean up as much as we could.  Arran and I scrubbed the water lines on the wall, Mom and Malin mopped, and Dad shoveled debris from the parking lot.  As we were cleaning up, someone heard a cat calling from the bushes.  When we looked over there actually was a cat.  Then when I looked in the bush next to it, I found a garden snake.  We wondered how they survived the storm.  When I picked the snake up, some volunteers from a church group who were cleaning with us were surprised at what I’d found.  When we finished cleaning as much as we could, we drove to our friend’s house in Brooklyn.  We heard a man in another car in traffic yelling at the cars to hurry up constantly.  It made us laugh.

Brooklyn:
In Brooklyn we met our friends Brian and Bridget and our Aunt Annie came over from Queens to see us too.  We tried to play in the park, but it was still closed from the hurricane.  After we went to dinner, Arran and I fell asleep while counting trucks that went by on the highway outside the window.  I counted 583 trucks.

Washington DC:
The next day my Dad went all the way home, but we stopped in Washington DC.  We went to the National Mall where all the monuments and museums are.  We saw all the monuments and the white house.  We thought the white house lawn would be an awesome place to play if you were a dog.  I really liked the museum of natural science.  I loved looking at the newest discovery, the titana boa.  The titana boa was a 40 foot long snake that could swallow alligators in just a few bites.  Now the titana boa is extinct.  It was kind of a coincidence because on YouTube I was looking at videos about the titana boa just before the trip.
Early the next morning, we went home.  It felt good to try to help the hurricane victims, but it was a lot of damage.  It will probably be a long time before they clean it all up and they will need a lot more help.

Teddy Boyle
11/17/12
 

Enrolling your child in a martial arts program can be one of the best things that you will do for them. It is important, however, to find the right fit for your family. In the Triangle area, there are many options open to families who are looking for a karate program. This should be perceived only as a benefit, because competition requires everyone to serve their customers better. Knowing that you have these options, you should never choose a school based solely on location. You may be missing out on the school of your dreams just a mile or two down the road.

Even those who have never trained in martial arts understand that students receive different belt rewards during the course of their training. Receiving a new belt makes a student feel great, re-energized, and can motivate them to do even better as they continue on their journey. Through advancing in rank, a student learns the importance of hard work, daily practice, and perseverance in achieving their goals. This means that the new color is cool, and a student feels good wearing it, but more importantly, they had to work so hard to receive it. While this has been traditionally the case in the martial arts, many instructors in schools across the country have weakened their belt standards to the point that a belt is only an extrinsic reward. One thing is for certain, at Johnson's Tiger-Rock Martial Arts, our students receive rank only based on merit and the intrinsic value of the belt and your experiences will be second-to-none.
 

We appreciate and respect the important roles that our parents play in the Tiger Rock program. Without a strong sense of parental involvement, we would fail to reach many of the goals that we set for their childrens' success.

When parents ask what their child can be doing better in class, or go the extra mile to get their daughter that additional class or two prior to testing, they are helping to play an active role as members of their child's (our student's) support team. Yes, we are very grateful to the many parents who do more than just pay their child's tuition, but who serve as advocates for everything that we do as mentors/role-models. 

I asked Dr. Kristen Wynns, a Clinical Phsychologist from Wynns' Family Psycholgy for her thoughts on parental involvement as it relates to student success. This is what she had to say, "

"Parents are an essential ingredient in their child's success in school, sports, and other activities. It is often parents' enthusiasm, support, and cheering that motivates a child to try his or her very best. Parents are probably the most important influences on children’s lives and parents who are able to play a supportive role in their children’s learning and activities can make a huge difference to their achievement, behaviour and attitudes.Although parents are often needed for the logistical part of a child's activities (chauffeur, buying equipment, signing up for an activity), it is often the emotional and psychological support for the child that pushes a child to excel."

There are a few things that you can be doing as a parent of a Tiger Rock student in our program to help them achieve their potential:

1. First things first. Sit down and talk to your child about what their goals might be in the martial arts. As most children will automatically set the lofty goal of achieving their black belt, it is important for them to have short-term goals as well (i.e. getting their next stripe/belt, making it to green belt in order to start sparring, etc.) These sit-downs should occur at the beginning of each 8-week cycle to ensure that your child has a plan...And then, Stick to the plan! You know how good they will feel when they reach their goals. Set them up for success!
2. Ask your child what they learned in class, what the nutrition topic is, the hardest kick they are working on, hold the target for your child at home to practice, and have them show you "their stuff." Sometimes, this makes all the dfifference in the world when it comes to a student's motivation to succeed. This all communicates to your child that dad thinks that their training is important, and an engaged parent leads to an engaged TaeKwonDo student with increased confidence and enjoyment for their art.
3. Have a consistent and predictable training schedule and readiness routine prior to getting in the car to come to their martial arts class. Kids need consistency and thrive on a schedule. So many parents have said over the years, "My child loves it when he is here. It is just hard to get him in the car." This is not a TaeKwonDo issue. After all, they love it once they are at TaeKwonDo. Often there is a house to car issue, and what I suggest is that you make it easier for your child to want to leave what they are doing prior to coming to class. Obviously, if your child is playing with their friends every time TaeKwonDo class comes around, that student can easily translate coming to TaeKwonDo into a negative experience that prevents them from playing with their friends. However, if you attend TaeKwonDo on Tuesdays and Thursdays, and those are days in which your child finishes his homework, and he plays with his friends on Mondays and Wednesdays, I am sure that you will have an eager TaeKwonDo student waiting for you already suited up in the car. How you prepare for class can make a big difference as well.

In closing, It is an honor to teach your child and to be a role-model for them. We do not take this responsibility lightly...And We appreciate you reading this article, because it shows that you really are an involved parent! Thank You!

I came across this video featuring Len Kovar, and I thought that anyone could appreciate it. Mr. Kovar turned 90 and to celebrate, he decided to spar 10 rounds...quite impressive. This serves as an inspiration to all of those people who think that they are too old to start up martial arts. Quit making excuses. After all, in a safe and science-based program like Johnson's Tiger Rock in Cary, you can have a great deal of longevity in the sport of martial arts. What are you waiting for?

We are proud to announce that our newest instructor, Jordan McGowan has begun assisting with classes at Tiger Rock in Cary! After a good bit of searching for just the right person, we are confident that we have found in Mr. McGowan someone who has the highest integrity, physical skills and the ability to strongly contribute to the team.

Jordan McGowan has over 10 yeras of experience, is a graduate in Speech Communications from Baylor University and has a great attitude for taking Tiger Rock to the next level.

Thank You to all of our sponsors, volunteers, the competitors that came out and the spectators that came out to watch. It was an honor to have Johnson's Tiger Rock Martial Arts as the host of this year's national tournament here in Cary, North Carolina. There were several hundred competitors who came out to witness and participate in World-Class Martial Arts Competition.

Our student, 3rd degree black belt and violinist, Svetak Sundhar performed the national anthem beautifully. We would like to thank him for his performance. Many people were drawn to tears. 

Also, we witnessed the Cary Men's TaeKwonDo team receive first place in the Tag Team competition. This involves a variety of 3-person teams that spar continuously for 45 seconds each. The team that has scored the most points at the end of the 3 rounds wins the competition.

Many of our competitors and their families were asking after the event, "When is the next competition?" and THAT is always a good thing. We can not stress enough the importance of competition and the Tiger Rock competition experience.

Lastly, we would like to thank Eylora Davis-Ding and her family for supporting her on her Community Service Project for Backpack Buddies. We collected a ton of food items that will be put to good use in children's backpacks this Fall!