St. Matthews Martial Arts is proudly open on this holiday to share community and education. Remember this week is the last week of the old schedule. One week from today we move to the new schedule. The Black Belt Club Kick Off event was awesome on Saturday and we are so glad we had so many students participate (35 Black Belt Club members participated in Kick Off)! Wednesday this week is our Third Wednesday Women’s Self Defense Class. Also, Fun Day is next week. If you haven’t heard about Fun Day, it is on the last Saturday of every month (from 5:00 PM to 8:00 PM). Fun Day is a karate class with extra games and then we eat pizza and watch a movie.
Okay, that’s the news. On a more serious note, we feel like Martin Luther King Jr. Day is about equality, compassion, and community. These are three things we take pride in teaching to all our students. Another important part of Dr. King’s message was non-violence. It is strange for martial artists to say that they believe in non-violence, but that’s another important part of the message we teach. A martial artist doesn’t practice punches hoping to get the chance to use them on someone (at least most days). It’s more than that.
In front position we say that one of our hands represents war and that the other represents peace. We say that the peace hand covers the war hand because we are people of peace. Our martial art is not about making war or perpetuating violence. Our art is about keeping peace. It’s about keeping an argument from escalating so it doesn’t become a fight. It’s about keeping a misunderstanding from escalating so it doesn’t become an argument. It’s not that martial arts is the solution to all problems in the world (martial arts by itself can’t cure hunger or disease). But martial arts does help people find better versions of themselves. It also helps a community come together. The word “dojo” means “Place of the way” and that meant it was a place where people are taught the “way” or art. One of the most important lessons an instructor learns is that an instructor is actually a tour guide. An instructor’s job isn’t actually to teach the right answer, it’s to help people find the answer that’s right for them. So a dojo isn’t a place where people are taught a way, it is a place where people find their way.