It is official! Next school year I will be teaching Spanish, Bible and PE Classes at Ahoskie Christian School. The Principal approached me a couple of weeks ago to offer this opportunity and I am truly humbled by the offer. I have been teaching Martial arts there to a small group of Elementary and Middle school children for the last school year. It is particularly very excited to also inform you all that the Physical Aspect of the PE class at Ahoskie Christian will be our Martial Arts Program…Glory to Jesus!

I find myself praying, like never before, for God to open doors for me to use my talents for HIS glory and for the service of His people and I can see the Lord doing just that. On June 10^th 2012 we will start our bilingual services at New Vision at 3PM and that will be a great avenue to preach and teach the Word, to sing, to pastor and minister to people and to train others to be use by God. God is truly faithful and merciful.

We will continue with our Martial Arts Program at The Gates County Community Center and at Vidant Wellness Center. I hope to see as many of you as possible also participating in Gates County First Martial Arts Summer Camp.

For more information please call us at 252-506-5374, visit our facebook page at facebook.com/gatescountymartialarts or visit our blog at angelcasiano.com

Sincerely,

Angel Casiano

President/Founder

Good Fight Taekwondo and Kickboxing Academy

Dear friends:

We are happy to announce Gates County First Martial Arts Summer Camp. This is a great opportunity to advance in rank and for our children to have something positive to do during the summer.

Dates: July 9^th to August 3

Days: Monday through Thursday

Time: 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM

Cost: $60.00 a week

Ages: 8 and up

$30.00 REGISTRATION FEE. NO REGISTRTION FEE FOR STUDENTS ALREADY REGISTERED IN OUR PROGRAM.

Options:

*It is not mandatory to participate in the whole Summer Camp; you can chose a minimum of of one week. You can participate in two weeks, three weeks or the whole camp. Students participating in the whole camp will have a greater chance to be ready for Rank Testing.

*There is a $40.00 discount if you pre-pay for the whole Summer Camp.

Special Notes:

*Every Camp Participant MUST purchase a Karate Uniform. The cost is $40.00! If you are already registered in our program and your child already has a uniform there is no need to buy a new one. Students must wear Karate Belt and Running Shoes every day.

*Students must bring their own lunch and Snacks!

Activities:

*Daily Devotions

*Daily Physical Training

*Fun Games

*Detailed Study of Martial Arts; specifically every Stripe Requirement.

*Others

FOR MORE INFORMATION CALL US AT 252-506-5374 or visit our Facebook page at Facebook.com/gatescountymartialarts

Through my years in Martial Arts I commonly hear many martial artists referring to their particular style as the best. Through the years, I also commonly hear martial artists, negatively speaking of or even mocking other styles. I am convinced that every style has something unique, practical and useful in our development as martial artists. I am also convinced that if you are narrow minded and can’t see beyond the walls of your only style you are becoming more and more obsolete. The strength is in expanding our experiences as we discover our own self as fighters.

Take the Side Kick for example; in my life as a Martial Artist I have been exposed to three different ways of executing the same kick. Even as the foot end-up in the same position basically; the execution is totally different. As I studied Tae Kwon Do, a Korean style of Martial Arts, I was thought to keep my knee and ankle in the same line, the Side Kick was a straight line. As I was exposed to Shotokan, a Japanese style of Martial Arts, the emphasis was in pointing with the knee first.  Later, as I was exposed to Wing Cheung Kung Fu, a Chinese style of Martial Arts, my instructor placed the emphasis on the lifting of the knee. The knee, this time, is above the ankle. With Wing Cheung Kung Fu I found a middle ground between the Japanese and Korean way of doing the side kick.

As I teach my students the Side Kick, I do not limit them to only one experience, I teach them the three ways I have been expose to and let them decide what works best for them. What I have discovered is that the three ways of doing the sidekicks are powerful and useful depending on the student’s body’s structure and depending on where they find themselves in a particular fight and/or tournament.  In my own experience, when it comes down to power, I like the Wing Cheung Side Kick; when it comes down to speed I like the Shotokan style and when it comes down to a side kick in a close range I like the Tae Kwon Do. But is that so? Can I say: this is the absolute conclusion for the assessment of these kicks? Absolutely no! This is my conclusion base on my own body structure and my own experiences! I would have never known this reality if I decided to limit myself to one style.

My son Angelo recently became our first, First Degree Black Belt in my Program. Through the years I thought him fundamentals of Boxing, Tae Kwon Do, Kickboxing, some practical Self-Defense Techniques and some Ground Fighting. As he prepares to go to college and move out of town, I strongly encourage him to continue getting involved in Martial Arts and to try other styles. It is a beautiful and powerful journey! In my opinion, it is a richer and interesting journey compared to locking ourselves into one style and give up our freedom to experience.

My journey started with boxing as a young teenager. I learn hard work, to condition my body for Full Contact, waking up at 5:30 AM to run five miles, ride my bike another three to five miles to get to the boxing gym every day to get yell at by my boxing coach, come back and then close the day with an extra three miles of jogging. My journey continued as I started my studies of Tae Kwon Do in order to develop my kicks. Then I engaged in the study of Wing Cheung as my instructor prepared me for kickboxing and simultaneously I was studying Shotokan. My journey continued, even today as I have a new born passion for ground fighting and practical self-defense. To lock myself into one style is boring to me, to lock myself into one style limits me, so I enjoy my freedom as I continue this never-ending journey.

I was truly blessed to have the opportunity to learn from great Martial Arts Instructors; I am grateful for all of them! However, none other challenged me more than Sifu Anthony Arnett! I respect this man not only as a great fighter and Instructor, but also as a man of God. I came to him as a former Amateur boxer and as a First Degree Black Belt in Tae Kwon Do. From Master Arnett I received great inspiration and confidence as a Martial Artist. Through the studies of Cheung Style, a style created by Master Arnette, I receive all of the tools necessary to successfully represent his program as a kickboxer. He never took away what I already knew; he added to what I knew and took me to higher levels as a fighter.

This is part of his story:

MASTER ANTHONY ARNETT

9th GENERATION DISCIPLE OF 8TH GEN.
GRANDMASTER WILLIAM CHEUNG

2011 National Karate & Kung-Fu Union Grand Champion

MARTIAL ARTS COMPETITION TIMELINE

1974 Began competing in Points Tournaments in Baltimore, MD and Washington, D.C.

1975 Continued competing in local Tournaments in Baltimore, MD and Washington, D.C.

1976 Continued competing in Baltimore, MD., Washington, D.C., and Virginia.

1977 Became Division Champion on several local circuits and also began competing
nationally on the “Professional Karate Association” (P.K.A.) circuit.

1982 East Coast Grand Champion and ranked 8th in the Nation on three Tournament
Circuits.

1983 Met Grandmaster William Cheung in Chicago, IL and accepted as one of Grandmaster
Cheung’s Disciples.

1983 Began competing in Tournaments using Wing Chun Kung-Fu. As an honor to his
teacher Grandmaster William Cheung, opened the first Wing Chun School in
Baltimore, MD.

1984 First place Heavy Weight Champion and Runner-up for Grand Champion in “Ziggs Hard
Contact Tournament” the first “hard contact” Tournament in Alexandria, VA.

1985 Competed in Hard and Full Contact Tournaments in Maryland and Virginia.

1986 Opened first Traditional Wing Chun School in Waynesboro, GA.

1987 Opened second Traditional Wing Chun School in Augusta, GA.

1988 Began competing in local and state Tournaments throughout Georgia.

1989 Grand Champion in Fighting and Forms category in Georgia.

1990 Opened first Traditional Wing Chun School in Florida.

1991 Grand Champion in Continuous Fighting Format Tournaments in Florida.

1992 Undefeated as Continuous Fighting Format Grand Champion Title and Division
Champion in Point Tournament.

1992 Grand Champion of the “North FL Open Martial Arts C.S.F.” in continuous Fighting,
Forms, and Weapons.

1993 Undefeated as Grand Champion in continuous Fighting and Division Champion in Point
Tournament. “Cheung Style Sport Kung-Fu” was dedicated to Grandmaster William
Cheung. Participated in the “Night Of Legends” All Star Champions, Jax, Fla.

1994 Created “The Fighting Dragons” team and traveled throughout FL and GA competing in
Point Team Fighting Competition. “ Night Of Legends” All Star Fighters, Won Grand
champion Men’s Fighting Heavy Weight.

1995 Coached Full-Contact fighters for competition on the “International Sport Kickboxing
Association” (I.S.K.A.) Circuit. Retained Division Champion in Points Title in Georgia.
Travelled with Grandmaster William Cheung to California.

1996 Accompanied Grandmaster William Cheung on California tour and featured in MA
Training Magazine.

1996 Coached 6 full contact fighters to victory in the “Memorial Day Massacre” fight in
Jacksonville, FL. Completed a 3 volume video series on “Cheung Style Sport Kung-Fu”
starring Grandmaster William Cheung and Master Arnett. Retained Division
Champion Points Title in Georgia.

1997 Division Champion in Forms, Weapons, and Fighting in Georgia. Retained Division
Champion in Point Fighting in Georgia.

1998 Opened first private lesson studio exclusively for one-on-one sessions in Jacksonville,
FL. Retained Division Champion Points Title in GA for Forms, Weapons, and Fighting.

1999 Retained Division Champion Title on the Tri-State Circuit. Established the Certificate
Course Program (C.C.P.) through Private Lessons. Promoted Tournament training
seminars and camps.

2000 Awarded “Provisional Master Grade Level-5” by Grandmaster William Cheung.

Division Champion in Fighting and Forms in the North FL Martial Arts Association.
Division Champion in Fighting, Forms, and Weapons in the “National Karate & Kung-Fu
Union” (N.K.K.U).

Awarded the overall Grand Champion in the “National Martial Arts League” for Forms
and Weapons Demonstration. Awarded the “Most Competitors” Award.

2001 Awarded “National Karate & Kung-Fu Union” (N.K.K.U.) Ultimate Grand Champion in
Forms, Weapons, and Fighting in the Masters Division.

Grand Champion in the “North FL Martial Arts Association”.

“Southern Sport Karate Open” Grand Champion in Men’s Black Belt for Fighting.

New chapter of Cheung Style Sport Kung-Fu opened in Hilton Head, SC.

2001 Began the sport of Olympic Style Fencing under Mr. Raul Toro at the Jacksonville
Fencing Club. Participated and placed 3rd in Fencing Competition in Gainesville, FL.
Placed 1st in Inner School Fencing Tournament.

2002 Awarded the North Florida Martial Arts Association Fighting and Forms Division
Champion (Masters Division).

Open 3rd Chapter “Cheung Style Kung-Fu Academy of Orange Park, FL. Continued
Certificate Course Program (C.C.P.) to develop instructors.

2003 Awarded “NFMAA” Fighting and Forms Division Champion.

20 year Celebration as a student of Grandmaster William Cheung. Honored as the
“Founder of Cheung Style Sport Kung-Fu” (10 years).

Invented new self defense weapon called the “Arn-Knot”. Four state summer tour
promoting The “Arn-Knot”.

Featured in Jacksonville weekly publication Folio Weekly article called “Fight Club”.

2004 North FL Martial Arts Association (NFMAA) Division Champion in Fighting and Forms.
Gallops Karate Tournament Grand Champion in Fighting Masters Division.

Gainesville Challenge (Gainesville, FL) Grand Champion in Fighting Masters Division.

Universal Hall of Fame winner for Kung-Fu Artist of the Year.

Orlando Universal Martial Arts Competition 1st place winner in Fighting Masters
Division.

Opened new Traditional Wing Chun School on Chester Avenue (Jacksonville, FL).

2005 “Bethel Champion of Champions” Grand Champion for Fighting.

“Gainesville Challenge” 1st place winner for Fighting Masters Division.

“Gallops Karate Tournament” 1st place winner for Fighting Masters Division.

“North Florida Martial Arts Association” (NFMAA) Division Champion for Fighting and

Forms.

Became the Official Martial Arts Instructor for NFL Football Team Jacksonville Jaguars.

2006 Appeared in Black Belt Magazine with Grandmaster William Cheung.

Appeared on Inside Kung Fu Magazine May 2006 front cover with Jackie Chan.
Featured in Inside Kung Fu Magazine article “Cheung Style for Tournaments.

Retained Division Champion for “NKKU”, NFMAA”, “Gainesville Challenge”, and
“Gallops Karate Tournament”.

2007 “Gallops Karate Tournament” Grand Champion.

Successfully coached 3 students for MMA Competition in Jacksonville, FL.

2008 “National Karate & Kung-Fu Union” (N.K.K.U.) Grand Champion and Gold medal
winner.

“NFMAA” 1st place winner in Masters Fighting Division.

“Gainesville Challenge” 1st place winner in Masters Fighting Division.

“Gallops Karate Tournament” Grand Champion

“Bethel Champion of Champions” Grand Champion for Fighting.

2009 “National Karate & Kung-Fu Union” (N.K.K.U.) Grand Champion and Gold medal
winner in Masters Division.

“Gallops Karate Tournament” 1st place winner for Fighting Masters Division.

2010 “Clash of the Titans” Tournament 2nd place winner Men’s Black Belt Fighting.

“Clash of the Titans” Tournament 1st place winner Men’s Black Belt Weapons.

“National Karate & Kung-Fu Union” (N.K.K.U.) Gold medal winner in Fighting for
Masters Division.

“Gallops Karate Tournament” 1st place winner for Fighting and Forms Masters
Division.

2011 Opened Sport Kung Kung-Fu Academy of Jacksonville under President of the Global
Traditional Wing Chun Kung-Fu Association, Grandmaster William Cheung.

Participated in foster camp program, “Camp for Champions”.

National Karate & Kung-Fu Union (N.K.K.U.) Grand Champion in Fighting Masters
Division and Gold Medal winner in Forms.

Check out his Master Arnett Web Site at: http://www.skfajax.com/wing-chu-master-anthony-arnett/

Martial Arts and The Bible

As a Christian and a martial arts student, I have often wrestled with the idea of self-defense. Does God expect me to defend my family and myself when physically attacked or am I to “turn the other cheek” and endure it in the name of Jesus? As I considered the many comments I encountered on this topic, I became even more confused. Some advocates for “religion” have gone as far as to say that anyone who practices any form ofmartial arts is without a doubt bound for hell. It wasn’t until I committed myself to a more thorough study of the scriptures that I discovered the truth for myself. The Bible gives more than a few examples of the practice of self-defense and the idea of martial arts. I would like to share some of what I have learned in this study of the Bible – Old Testament and New. The Bible is, in fact, the very word of God (II Timothy 3:16-17).

God and Warfare

The first example of a physical struggle in the Bible is in Genesis chapter 4. It is here that Cain kills his brother Abel. This is an act of violence condemned by God for two reasons. First, the violence was out of anger and jealousy because his brother’s actions were better than his own (Genesis 4:4-7). Secondly, the violence was pre-meditated. God confronted Cain before this violence occurred. He told Cain that he would need to figure out how to master the sin of anger and jealousy that was trying to overtake him. What this scripture teaches is that God does not want us to initiate violence but he wants us to train ourselves to master our emotions when tempted with feelings of anger, jealousy and rage. He wants us to prepare our hearts to respond humbly. I believe the study of martial arts can provide this kind of training. I have seen it in my son’s martial arts class. His sensei (teacher) may spend up to half of the one-hour class teaching the children humility, manners, concern for others and peace-making. They are taught to avoid violence and stay calm in situations of conflict. This kind of character training is right in line with the example of God’s training of Cain.

The next biblical example of a conflict involving a physical struggle is found in Genesis chapter 14. In this chapter, kings are at war and Abram’s nephew, Lot, and Lot’s family are taken captive. In response to hearing the news about his relatives, Abram sends men to rescue them. In Genesis 14:14-16, Abram sent out “the 318 trained men born in his household”. It seems that even though Abram was not at war, he had a training program for his family and household. It was obviously a training program for warfare of some kind – and a good one, at that, since they were victorious in returning Lot, his family and all of their possessions from the hands of warring kings. After Abram’s successful rescue, he is honored by God and reminded that God had made him successful against his adversary. God later renames Abram, “Abraham” and he becomes the founding father of faith for the Jewish people (and later Christians as well).

To clarify the meaning of the term “martial arts”, Webster’s defines the word martial as “warfare” or “warrior”, and arts as “a skill acquired by study”. In the story of Abram rescuing Lot, the Bible gives us an example of warrior training. Not everyone in Abram’s household was a part of the 318 trained men, but the ones that were had excellent martial arts training. And God helped them to be victorious as they executed their warfare skills.

Here are a few other brief examples of warfare, from the Old Testament, that could be studied further:

 Genesis 32 – Jacob avoids war with his brother, Esau. He prepares for battle but orchestrates a peaceful resolution.
 Deuteronomy 20 – God goes with the warriors to fight against their enemies.
 II Samuel 23:8-39 – the Bible describes David and his mighty men of battle.
 Nehemiah 4 – the builders of Jerusalem’s city wall carry weapons to defend themselves during the rebuilding.

There are many more examples in the Old Testament, with a wide variety of scenarios and many unique resolutions. The subject of warfare is very complex and each situation needs to be considered carefully. Therefore, when faced with adversity, wisdom needs to be applied.

An Eye For An Eye

Even with the Old Testament of the Bible showing support for martial arts training, some might argue that the God of the Old Testament is different than the God of the New Testament – that God’s position on warfare changed when Jesus came on the scene. It might be said that the God of the Old Testament was about war and the God of the New Testament is about peace.

The Bible, however, does not support this. James 1:17 says that God does not change, and Hebrews 13:8 says that Jesus Christ [God] is the same yesterday, today and forever. Therefore, the God of the Old Testament is the same God of the New Testament. As we continue to study this topic, we will see that the New Testament also discusses self-defense and the idea of martial arts.

Matthew 5:38-42, in which Jesus talks about “an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth”, has been used to condemn martial arts. It reads, “You have heard that it was said, ‘Eye for eye, and tooth for tooth.’ But I tell you do not resist an evil person. If someone strikes you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also. And if someone wants to sue you and take your tunic, let him have your cloak as well. If someone forces you to go one mile, go with him two miles. Give to the one who asks you, and do not turn away from the one who wants to borrow from you.” At first glance this passage seems to be advocating a reversal of the Old Testament laws. I was swayed by this argument myself, and was torn in my own convictions for some time. But when I finally decided to dig deeper into the Bible, I was amazed and encouraged to find some answers.

Many people who want to obey the Bible simply gloss over this scripture, like I did, because they are torn between what they think the Bible says and their consciences telling them to prepare for warfare and to protect.

The truth is that Jesus never intended to abolish the Old Testament laws. He only intended to clarify them, to reinforce them, fulfill them, and reveal God’s heart behind them. This is what Jesus says just moments earlier in Matthew 5:17: “Do not think that I have come to abolish the [Old Testament] Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them.” When Jesus speaks about “turning the other cheek”, in Matthew 5, he is referring to the Old Testament Mosaic laws found in Exodus 21, 22 and 23. These chapters in Exodus contain the laws God gave to his people, which reinforce and further detail the famous “ten commandments”. Jesus is specifically referring to Exodus 21:22 where God explains what punishment should be given if men are fighting and an innocent by-stander is harmed (in this instance, a pregnant woman). This is not a scripture about self-defense but about restitution and punishment for a crime. Jesus referred to this scripture because the people, in religious self-righteousness, were using this particular scripture to justify retaliation and vengeance. “An eye for an eye” had become an excuse to be intolerant and merciless toward one another. A closer look at the “act of aggression” that Jesus refers to as a strike on the cheek, will reveal that he is talking about an insult rather than a fighting fist. The word “strike” is translated from the Greek word “rhapizo” which is used interchangeably with the word “slap”. In the Jewish culture (as in many other cultures), a slap in the face was a form of humiliation or rebuke. It was not necessarily a physical attack and was not meant to result in physical harm. Even Exodus 21:21 (regarding “an eye for an eye”) says that if, as a result of a conflict, a pregnant by-stander is forced to give birth pre-maturely but there is no serious injury to the woman or the baby, “an eye for an eye” should not be applied as a punishment. Jesus is confirming that this Old Testament law regarding punishment is not to be used as an excuse for retaliation when inconvenienced or insulted. Jesus is exposing the heart of man and is further clarifying the Old Testament Law. God’s desire is that we don’t retaliate but rather that we restrain our emotions in the heat of conflict and maintain righteousness and mercifulness. We are not to pounce on our adversary at the first sign that we have been offended. The ultimate goal of God is to win over the offender, help him to see God’s mercy and institute a change of heart in the offender (see 2 Peter 3:9-15 and Luke 9:51-56 for further study).

Guidelines For Martial Arts

The Bible provides some guidelines for practicing self-defense and martial arts as it aims to clarify what is and is not acceptable in the face of conflict. II Timothy 3:16-17 says, “All Scripture [the Bible] is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.” I Corinthians 13:7 says, “[Love] always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres”. Using the Bible as a guide, a person can become thoroughly equipped to be a protector.

Permanent injury or death can occur as a result of practicing martial arts. This does not make martial arts unacceptable to God but God clarifies what is and is not acceptable in regard to deadly force in various situations. For example, Exodus 21:12-14 says that if a person is killed unintentionally, the killer is not guilty of murder. If it is intentional, the killer is to be sentenced to death. Exodus 21:18-19 says that if men are quarreling and one strikes the other and injures him seriously but not permanently (even with a weapon), he is responsible only to compensate the injured man for loss of time and medical expenses. I point out these scriptures to show that God is concerned with the attacker’s and the defender’s intentions as well as the outcome of the conflict. We cannot simply say that anyone who harms or kills another man is guilty and has committed a sin. It depends on his intentions. Also, we see that using extreme force, or even a weapon may be acceptable if it is used in a way as to not intentionally inflict permanent damage.

The Bible refers to another situation in which self-defense may be used during a robbery, in Exodus 22:2-3. If a man is being robbed, he is entitled to protect his property, his family and himself. If the attempted robbery takes place at night and the actions of self-defense result in the death of the robber, the defender is not guilty. If the attempted robbery takes place in the daytime and the robber is killed, the defender is guilty of sin. The difference may be that in the daytime, the defender should have more control of his actions and should be able to subdue the robber without killing him. Self-defense is warranted but control must be applied. At night, in the dark, maximum force would be acceptable since it is more difficult to assess the threat that the robber poses. It would be more difficult to tell if the attacker had a weapon, or to assess his physical strength.

God expects us to constantly make decisions about the situations we are in. In regard to martial arts and self-defense, it seems that God is concerned with our intentions. Guilt and innocence, to him, are a matter of the heart. God expects us to be directed by the heart of the scriptures in the Bible. We must be directed in our actions by scriptures such as Deuteronomy 5:17, which says, “You shall not murder” as well as I Corinthians 13:7 which says, “[Love] always protects”. As the Bible states in II Timothy 3:16-17, all Bible scripture is relevant and useful. During one of my martial arts classes, one of my fellow students asked our sensei, “What attack should I make now?” He had just finished practicing a series of intense self-defense tactics on his partner, rendering him harmless. Sensei replied, “Run”. No final “kill-move”? No, it is time to make another decision about the threat the attacker poses. If the attacker has been successfully rendered harmless then you shouldn’t stick around to inflict more damage or further risk your own safety. The Bible gives us specific guidelines for martial arts but God also communicates his heart about how he wants us to treat one another. He wants us to treat one another with love – even in conflict.

Weapons

I have also wrestled with the question of whether or not it was right for weapons to be used as a means of defense. Should I own a fighting knife, a sword or a gun? Isaiah 2:4 says, “…They will beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks. Nation will not take up sword against nation, nor will they train for war anymore.” If this scripture were taken out of context with the rest of the Bible, to use a weapon would be a sin. But this scripture has to be balanced with others. In the context, this scripture is describing the contrast between the nations of that time and the type of nation Jesus would establish in the future. The nation that Jesus would establish would have no military and there would be no physical walls to defend. It would be a spiritual nation, not a physical one.

The New Testament clearly confirms the right to bear arms. Romans 13:4 says, “For [the governing authority] is God’s servant to do you good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, for he does not bear the sword for nothing. He is God’s servant, an agent of wrath to bring punishment on the wrongdoer.” Even Jesus directs his disciples to acquire weapons as the time of his crucifixion approached. Luke 22:36 says, “He said to them, ‘But now if you have a purse, take it, and also a bag; and if you don’t have a sword, sell your cloak and buy one.’” And in Luke 22:38, “The disciples said, ‘See Lord, here are two swords.’ ‘That is enough,’ he replied.” Peter soon after uses the sword to protect Jesus and Jesus rebukes him for it. This was not to say that it is wrong to use a weapon to protect someone. Peter had earlier been rebuked by Jesus for trying to keep him from fulfilling his mission of dying for the sins of the world (see Matthew 16:21-28). Jesus was re-stating that Peter was not to protect Jesus from going to his death. This was not the correct time to use the sword. Jesus had his disciples arm themselves because Jesus was not going to be with them, physically, any longer. They would need to protect themselves and each other and Jesus gave them the right to bear arms in order to do so.

Martial Arts Is Not Religion

It is important to note that martial arts is not religion in that it is not an institute of service and worship of God. It is only a tool to accomplish a necessary training. There will be flaws in all martial arts training and even things taught that are contradictory to the Bible. This will happen even when the martial arts style or system is advocating biblical-based training. Romans 3:4 says, “…Let God be true and every man a liar.” My son was recently taught by an instructor during class to avoid talking about politics and religion in order to avoid conflict. Though I appreciate the effort made to train the kids to keep thepeace, the concept is biblically flawed. I spent the next week teaching Bible scriptures to my son such as Acts 4, “Judge for yourselves whether it is right in God’s sight to obey [man] rather than God. For we cannot help speaking about what we have seen and heard.” It is each person’s responsibility as a Christian to know what the Bible teaches. Even in Acts 17:10-11, when the apostle Paul taught the people of Berea, the Bereans were honored by God for having a noble character because, “they received the message with great eagerness and examined the scriptures every day to see if what Paul said was true.” Each of us has the same responsibility to examine the scriptures to see if what we are being taught is true, whether it be a teaching from our martial arts instructor, school teacher, neighbor, or religious leader.

Conclusion

Martial arts training has its place. It can help people learn to deal with the inevitable conflicts in life. There is no escaping battle in life. God wants people to be prepared to handle these battles, whether it is to turn the other cheek to an insult, find a peaceful resolution, or physically defend themselves or others. Martial arts and self-defense are not sinful or inherently wrong, but without the guidance of God and the Bible, martial arts could be misapplied. Without proper biblical training we are left to our own sinful nature, which tends toward retaliation, haste, fear, hatred, pacifism, and intolerance. Martial arts is a biblical concept, but even more attention should be given to biblical training. The Bible should be used in conjunction with martial arts training. In conclusion, I Timothy 4:7-8, which says, “Have nothing to do with godless myths and old wives’ tales; rather, train yourself to be godly. For physical training is of some value, but godliness has value for all things, holding promise for both the present life and the life to come.”

Scripture taken from the HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan Bible Publishers.

Author’s Bio: 

Tom Katch, Christian and martial artist. CEO of Kataaro – Quality martial arts uniforms, custom embroidery, and screen printing at http://www.kataaro.com.

http://www.selfgrowth.com/articles/katch1.html

Dear students and family:

We are so excited! I can honestly say that our program is truly growing in Gates County. I want you to mark your calendars as we have two Rank’s Testing quickly approaching.

“Current White Belts Moving Up to the Yellow Belt Rank Level”

Date: Saturday March 31, 2012

Time: 1:00 PM

Place: Gates County Community Center

And,

This second test is really special to us as we will be testing my son Angelo D. Casiano. Angelo will be testing for his Recommended First Degree Black Belt. Angelo started his Martial Arts studies in our program in Jacksonville, Florida when he was only eight years old. He is truly overdue for his Black Belt and we are very excited for him. My son is my right hand when it comes down to running this program. I will truly miss him next year as he goes to college! However, we are raising a few leaders that will help us to continue providing good quality martial arts in this region.

For this testing we will also be testing a few Yellow Belts that are moving up in ranks very rapidly. The following is the information for this Rank’s Testing:

Date: Saturday April 21, 2012

Time: 1:00 PM

Place: Gates County Community Center

In my forty three years of live I have had the honor of playing different sports and engage in different activities. I noticed that when I was playing baseball my training was focus on the game  of baseball, so without a doubt that after the running and the exercise I was going to hit and catch the ball; there was no way around that. When I became a one hundred meter’s runner in High School, again, after the regular running and exercise, my training was focus around developing speed for running.

Even as I spend time in the wonderful world of music as a singer, I needed to practice those songs over and over during rehearsal to make sure that they were perfect when the time to perform came. As a pastor I also needed to spend time in prayer and in the study of God’s Word in order to be able to be ready for the Sunday Sermon. These are normal activities in preparation for all of these functions and, again, there is no way around them.

It amazes me how much Martial Arts have been watered down to the point that in many school there is little or no real sparing taking place. How can we even come close to be effective Martial Artist without constant sparring?  In our program, our students are not allowed to make contact during sparring sessions as White Belts. Even as they are learning the fundamentals of Boxing, Taekwondo, Kickboxing, Effective Self-Defense and some ground fighting, they are not allow to make contact in stand up fighting yet. They, however, start making contact in their sparring, boxing style, as Yellow Belts. As Orange belts they continue the Boxing Style Sparring and then as Green belts they are introduced to Kickboxing Style Sparring. Sparring has a way of testing student’s heart in a very special way; it is here that they discover the importance of keeping their hands up. It is here that they discover that things don’t exactly work like in the movies and it is here that many quit.

Beloved, without sparring we are lying to our students and denying them the opportunity to discover themselves as Martial Artist; what works for them and simply what does not. Especially in dealing with children, it amazes me how some are so quick to cry to their mamas when the sparring session did not go their way. It equally amazes me to see how over-protected parents are at times and how they support quitting and the cry baby syndrome in the lives of their children. It is ok to toughen-up! They will need that toughness later on in life. My questions for these parents and students are: What did they expect? Did they expect for me to teach their children how to do a few flying fancy kicks, break a few boards and learn a few Katas and give them the next belt level? Martial Arts are not only a physical sport; it is an art designed to teach students how to fight in different levels. Therefore, sparring is not only necessary, it is indeed vital for your success as a Martial Artist. Without sparring there are no martial arts!

The beauty of sparring is that is taking place in a friendly environment where the objective is not for my students to beat each other, but to learn from each other as part of the family. Sparring is never full contact. So it is safer than a street fight. However, sparring is a powerful and vital tool in the development of the martial artist. To all of our new Yellow Belts I say today…Be encourage; it gets better!

Good Fight TKD & Kickboxing Academy Martial Arts General Schedule

Mondays:

1:00 PM – 1:45 PM Ahoskie Christian School Students Only (Elementary School)

2:15 PM – 3:00 PM Ahoskie Christian School Students Only- (Middle School)

4:00 PM – 4:45 PM Gates County Community Center (All Ages and All Ranks)

Tuesdays:

4:00 PM – 4:45 PM Gates County Community Center- (All Ages and All Ranks)

7:00 PM – 8:00 PM Private Class

Wednesdays: 

11:00 AM – 11:45 AM Vidant Wellness Center Clients Only (Ahoskie)

1:00 PM – 1:45 PM Ahoskie Christian School Students Only (Elementary School)

2:15 PM – 3:00 PM Ahoskie Christian School Students Only (Middle School)

4:00 PM – 4:45 PM Gates County Community Center (All Ages and All Ranks)

Thursdays:

12:30 PM – 1:15 PM Gates County Home School Group Only (All Ages and All Ranks)

4:00 PM – 4:45 PM Gates County Community Center (All Ages and All Ranks)

7:00 PM – 8:00 PM New Vision Church (All Ages and All Ranks)

Fridays:

4:00 PM – 5:00 PM Gates County Community Center –All Ages Yellow Belts and Above Only-

Saturdays :

10 AM – 12N Private Class

For more information please call Mr. Angel Casiano at 252-506-5374. We are also on facebook.com/gatescountymartialarts and angelcasiano.com

I’d rather get killed fighting a vicious attacker defending my family or my life than to die like a coward. As I study different kinds of self-defense techniques, a thought crossed my mind. Many of these self-defense techniques are actually good and effective if the person is skillful and bold enough to perform them under life and death situations. I believe that where we fail as Martial Arts instructors is that we do not seriously take into consideration the way our Sympathetic Nervous System reacts in times of extreme pressure. It is one thing is to practice a technique in the Dojo among people that do not want to hurt you and another to have someone that actually wants to take something valuable from you, hurt or even kill you. When facing these life and death situations our heart rate goes from a normal 80 to over 175 beats a minute. At that moment we must make a drastic choice: to stay and fight or to run as fast as possible.

Some years ago, I used to live within minutes of Downtown, Jacksonville. It was very normal for me to take a jog around downtown and go to the Gym there. I remember that it was getting dark and that particular night I just wanted to walk to the Gym. I saw these two guys pass by me in two bicycles; they actually asked me if I was straight. I thought they were questioning my sexuality. Later, I found out that they wanted to know if I had some drugs on me. I guess, as fast as I was walking, they thought I was on my way to buy some drugs, so they assumed I had some money on me. I did not feel good in my spirit about these guys, but they kept on going in their bicycles and I kept walking fast on my way to the Gym.

I had the choice to stay on the street that I was on and add a few more minutes to my walk to the Gym or cut into the local park. That park was very dark; nevertheless, even with the red flags, I took the turn on that park. I was only about one hundred feet into the park when I felt those two bicycles behind me. They both got out of the bicycles; one pointed a gun directly at me from about 20 feet: “N**a, give me yo money,” he demanded. My whole life flashed before me in seconds. I was in a solitary place; it was dark and as one came to see if I had anything of value on, the other firmly pointed that gun at me. There was absolutely nothing I could do to defend myself. My best defense was to listen to that voice that told me to stay on the street and don’t take that turn. That night I had nothing on me but my keys! All I could do was to remain calm and to pray for God’s protection. These guys allowed me to go with no trouble and no injury; however, even as a Black Belt and a Martial Artist of many years, I could remember the stress that I was feeling. It actually took months for me to recover from that incident. How much more therapy would I have needed if a Physical confrontation would have taken place? I was in a dark place, my visual was very limited, I was nervous even as I projected being calm. There was a weapon that could rapidly end my life and on top of it all, there were two guys. However, the greatest wakeup call for me was that even with all my years of training, being a second degree Black Belt at the time and even a Martial Arts Instructor, I really did not have a clue about how to properly defend myself if these guys would have came closer. I knew how to fight; but self-defense is not about fighting but about protecting your life, family and even the innocent under extreme and unpredictable circumstances.

In times of extreme pressure we do not think as clear as we do under normal circumstances.  People that are extremely terrified are as thoughtless as people that are extremely angry. It is almost like our brain becomes very limited in placing complex thoughts together. That is the reason why a good self-defense technique in theory can become a disaster in practice because this reality was not taken into consideration. All that grabbing, twisting arms and acrobatics go out the door when we realize that we are one second away from dying. We need to have knowledge and skills in practical, effective and brutal self-defense.

The good news is that God created us in such a way that our bodies already have a defense mechanism, if you will. When we are scared, and probably many can relate, we can jump higher, we can run faster and we can hit harder. Based on this fact we can build a simpler, but at the same time, more effective Self-Defense Program. Just as we prepare for natural disasters, the statistics are making a strong case for us that practical self-defense is a must. I am not stating to go after a Black Belt or even to get involved in regular martial arts programs, even as martial arts offer many benefits. I am talking about the need for good, practical and brutal Self-Defense’s classes. The good news about these kinds of Self-Defense Techniques is that it does not take you years to learn. If you already have a fighting background, you will be ready for any possible attack within a few months.

It is my goal in my program that all of my students be able to know how to defend themselves against any possible attack. Not for my students to learn a million techniques, but for them to learn a few effective ones that will also give them the freedom to change things up. I do not want to teach a robotic self-defense class, because real street fights are unpredictable. You do need to know natural reactions of the Body, I will give a structure, but from there you have the freedom to build according to the way you feel more comfortable.