Our Black Belt, Andy Horowitz, performs all over the world.

Please go to his rare local performance to be entertained and thrilled.

Our FMK family sends our deepest condolences to the Skube family.

https://www.lesjackfuneralhome.com/obituary/David-Skube

Next week – March 7th, 2015 – we are in the first parade of the year!!!!!

Next Saturday we are to be included in the City of Binghamton’s Saint Patrick’s Day Parade! It has been incredibly cold and snowy. We hope it will be more pleasant for this parade – BUT – please make a statement that you will get out and come to the parade and not let the weather of recent weeks make you unable to get out and enjoy something like this parade!!!!

We meet on Henry Street in front of the baseball stadium any time before 1:30 pm. Those bringing/dropping off parade participants, PLEASE go to the END of the parade route to meet your riders – the parade ends at Main and Arthur Streets on the city’s west side. This makes it more convenient and less confusing for everyone.

PLEASE TRY TO COME TO THIS PARADE! It is HUGE in numbers of participants and spectators.

In preparation for this parade, Zumba class will still be held but the Karate class Saturday will not be in session.

FMK

Another year of beneficial practice in our dojo is drawing to a close. We reflect on literally hundreds of classes and note that all of them were positive and energizing. Many people either formed or nursed close friendships that would never exist without our school. Even our spectator parents enjoyed the relaxing break to have us take over for their supervision.

We are so proud to have each and every member with us. We have all watched others improve and be so proud of themselves. Our bodies and minds can be compared to our cars. Left without any maintenance, we both will not work as well and will even malfunction. Things break, tear and wear out without proper care.

Noting the importance of our school, we asked our members at this time to please write something for our January, 2015 newsletter. Every year we open our publication with entries from all members. None have to be long. A sentence or two, or even paragraphs are welcomed into this edition. Say something about your progress something you feel about our fellow members, or even reflect on advice you have received or give advice to others. We try to make it easy for you to submit as well. Write something and drop it off in our class, or email it to Chris Root at CHRISCJRLAW@GMAIL.COM. You can even do it now if you want, just thinking about our school and sending us a message about why you joined and why you stay is enough. It is not hard because it is just supposed to be your feelings. Sometimes, finding your entry and seeing what others have written is a lot of fun in itself.

So please join all of your fellow dojo members and parents and make sure our first 2015 newsletter is complete and full as it can be by writing your feelings or accomplishments at our school. Everyone’s thoughts and feelings are important and we all want to hear what you have to say so please write something.

We talked today about reflecting on our progress and our great experiences in class. Please remember to always reflect on your classes and your school. Everyone can feel like they are in a rut, or feel like the dojo is not exciting to be at. Remember that there was a
time when you loved the dojo, loved the practices and loved the progress you observed in yourself. Well, whenever necessary, do the self reflection again to find why you felt it may have changed for you, practice hard and do not fight it but let all of it go. Remember… you will make progress forever unless you make yourself stop, so please, rekindle the excitement that was yours!

Our school has practical street self defense technique and advice administered and practiced daily, but our core belief is still to be a traditional dojo with all classes run in the most traditional manner. Why is this? We believe that traditional martial arts breeds discipline, mind/ body strength and self-defense expertise without fear of possibly dangerous confrontations because of the intensity of the spirit instilled during our classes. The only way to keep the school a traditional one is to teach and learn more through example.

I lead the way a traditional art should be practiced, our top members have absorbed the example that was placed before them, and they in turn show the example to others so that the entire dojo is run both fully traditionally and uniformly. It is not always easy to do this, but keeping our dojo as one that values the things that have made people mentally and physically strong and healthy is worth it. One thing lost by so many people is the formality that must exist in a traditional school. The bow is the prime example of this. Another is how we speak to each other.

Watch people like Martha Gerty and Deb Daugherty speak to me and everyone here. They keep an edge of formality even when they are having fun. Dojo have always maintained a formal way of speaking to each other as a vehicle to become more orderly and disciplined while showing respect to their school and to the other members. Some people get it and others are not quite there yet, but showing through example not meaningless conversation is the way to encourage this. Let me give you an example of someone getting it as far as great black belt attitude and respect that is never forced upon anyone.

On Wednesday, September 15th, Mr. Brandon Everson called to say he would not be here for class. When I answered the phone, the voice and the other said “hello Sensei this is Mr. Everson.” Before he even continued, I said to myself he gets it!

I have known him and his family for years so why would he say this is Mr. Everson?

It is because he is a sharp person and he understands what a traditional dojo is and how you should speak and act there. Calling yourself and others formal names adds to the necessary attitude until no one even feels funny speaking as such.

Allow me to give you still another example. A man I’ve known for over 45 years is a really good and close friend of mine. He is a Sensei and an accomplished master who has had his own dojo for much longer than I have. So, keeping in mind the length of the time I have known him, we still address each other as Mr. Kimura and Mr. Kushner because that is just what you do if you are a traditional martial arts master. I never even considered calling him by his first name at all. We even address each other as such in written or email format.

So, even though it was proper for Mr. Everson to speak as he did, I was still so pleasantly surprised to have this man quietly and simply demonstrate that he does understand what proper traditional dojo etiquette and behavior is.

Reflections and lessons in how to be the best can come anytime and anyplace. I will give you a perfect example of that in a moment. I have been telling our members that the only way to excel and really reach your full potential for mastering your martial art, is to just not quit. The fresh mind, the open mind, the thirst and the hunger for knowledge must all be there as well, but most times the person who never quits, stays because they already have those attributes. Our park class on Saturday, September 6, was attended by three people; Mr. Andy Horowitz, Mr. Tim Oven and our young friend Jimmy O’Bryan. It is well known around our school that I give Mr. Horowitz details, or minor critiques, to help his overall progress and performance. This day was no different, and a smaller class allows more of this to be done. Others observing can learn from seeing how a highly ranked person like Mr. Horowitz is helped to be a better martial artist, and in my view even more important to see how well the details are received and welcomed by someone of high rank and experience.

Also, as it is usually the case, we could only do a single step of a kata, making that step perfect. (A humorous side bar note; when we began to practice that day, I said to Mr. Horowitz, we will try to get through the kata and get past the first step. Knowing how our sessions go and knowing how we both want him to be perfect each step, he immediately said I’ll bet we won’t!) Well, guess what kata and step we were locked into reviewing for the entire class? The first step of Heian Shodan! Since Mr. Horowitz understands, as few others, that focus on just a single thing makes the whole of the martial artist improve, he spoke reflecting on that effort as the class near conclusion. He noted that many of the improvements I implemented for him are simply part of him now. He was right because I very rarely see him doing some of the things that were previously commented on. His second reflection noted that improvements never stop, but instead are a slow evolving process; some mentioned many times, new ones to contend with and many from months ago seem to disappear because the effort and practice make the corrections part of the person with time. Well, he is right in more ways than he even knows, and I have so often said that many people leave with so many more things to absorb, making them forever incomplete as a karate person, instead of continuing to master their art. How long does this take, and when do you know when to stop?

That last question I wrote was merely a trick question, because, unfortunately, way too many people ask it and way to many people think this fictitious cut off date actually exists. Is it necessary to think of karate practice as temporary? Definitely not! The truth is that you can continue Martial Arts practice for the rest of your life and never stop. The benefits and rewards continue. I have often said that the key to getting along better with and liking others starts by liking yourself. And, interestingly, karate practice helps you to do just that! The confidence and focus developed in the dojo makes you like how you are mentally and physically, while also continually improving your mental and physical condition.

Continuous mental and physical self improvement makes you able to face yourself so you can face others. This may sound silly to some people, but it is true that many, many people do not like themselves and actually cannot face themselves. This results in a negative personality and disposition and spirals downward until many people resort to heavy alcohol and or drug consumption to not have to face themselves and the problems that everyone encounters. Dojo practice definitely makes you happier with yourself and brings more peace to your soul, which then makes you happier about life in general, which makes you smile and speak in positive tones and ways, which makes you have more acceptance and likability, which then makes you even more proud of yourself, spiraling upward and positively onward. You see, each and every person is capable of and usually spirals either up or down, and each can continue in the direction initiated.

So why would one choose the negative path? Because the negative path requires much less effort expended. You can go downward in personality, mental and physical condition, and lose respect and friendship from others by simply doing nothing. What is the best way to combat this? Stay in the dojo!!

The reason for this is that the dojo atmosphere, formality, spirit, and a host of other things makes your life more enjoyable without the tremendous expenditure of effort, just show up, forget everything else, practice with us, you are better mentally and physically from each single class attended. Our friend, Black Belt, instructor and parent of children in our school, Abdul Qavi, said it best. Referencing his children’s longevity plans here, he just said karate is for life.

So simple but so profound. Let’s get back to Mr. Horowitz, he is Busy! He has a family, a home, he teaches at Binghamton University, he travels all over the world! If anyone could say they do not have time for dojo practice it is him! But, he never quits, and does not ever say I’ll be a little busy next month so I’ll be taking a break from the dojo. The break takers rarely return, and if they do, feel funny returning, and even forget things, making them more uncomfortable.

What does he do? Simple, he just never plans to quit! So, so simple. He just does all that he has to do and gets here whenever he can. As stated earlier, progress takes time, but the results are permanent, satisfying and wonderful! To master your art here and continue to do so forever, just plain show up and have your goal to have karate for life instead of thinking about how many breaks from practice are coming.!

Sensei’s Tip of the Month…!

So many people questioning the place for kata in their practice. Many either don’t understand why we do them, wonder what they are good for, feel they have to totally dissect kata and analyze every step to make the kata feel valuable and necessary, or do a combination of all those. You may notice that I always say answers to your progress and the dojo’s purpose are simple. People always feel they have to have more answers to things that are even possible to give. Here’s the most important tip about karate kata you will ever hear, just do them. The formality of the kata, the stances the concentration necessary to not mess up a kata and remember all of the steps, all of these, just plain make you better. When kata were developed they were not made to be dissected and talked about, they were just made to do! I’ve seen so many people either look terrible doing kata or just not making any progress because they feel there has to be a definitive answer and description of the purpose to each kata. They were, listen again, just made to do. Please, for your own sake for your progress, your peace of mind, and your longevity in the dojo, don’t look for reasons and analysis of everything. The word dojo means the way of the place, or the place of the way. What is the way? Practice, trust, smile, never quit, this is the way! So just show up and do kata, that is all you need!!

I usually like to use this newsletter to tell our members and their families things that can be both educational and of general interest. I do so knowing that no two people in our school are here for the same reasons. I also noticed that almost every member of our school can change their reasons for being with us as they excel and advance. That is precisely why a dojo is for anyone and everyone. You can join out of curiosity, stress, self-defense, exercise, and other reasons, and if you find different interests within our art as time goes on, you can still continue to find the dojo beneficial in many different levels. Our school was started and continues to stand for being a place that anyone from any background or interest can come together with others and feel safe, welcome, taught well and treated well. I want you to remember that the dojo exists for you. I want you to be both generous and selfish here.

Generosity comes in the forms of being humble, wanting to help others, allowing yourself to work with everyone, and even staying here as a member so our school stays open. The selfish aspect to which I referred is not of being humble, wanting to help others, allowing yourself to work with everyone, even staying here as a member so our school stays open. The selfish aspect to which I refer is not one of self centered mentality, it is one of working very hard so you get the most out of every class, for you. But, if you think about it, selfishness and generosity can actually coexist and complement each other, because your hard work to get a lot out of your practice will demonstrate spirit and electricity in the class, which will influence others and the entire dojo atmosphere so everyone will get more out of each class. Spirit, drive and spirit appear intense, but this same intensity brings more peace to your mind and soul. Let’s take self-defense and the preparation for it as an example of your intensity resulting in more peace and relaxation. The following has been written about in many publications and observed in our classes many times. Col. Jeff Cooper was a teacher, philosopher and an expert marksman. He devised a color code to be used to describe the states of readiness for self-defense. The system, devised I believe in the early 1980s, is still used today by many instructors and organizations. His system consisted of four colors, white, the state of complete peace, often unaware, yellow, your mind where to pick up dangerous people, places or circumstances orange, a person, place or situation and specifically alert you to danger – you are sensing that you now have to act. Finally, red, the most intense where action is imminent and or beginning. Relating to dojo practice the better you become and the more advanced you are, The more effortlessly you can go from one color state to the next and back. It is not a roller coaster with you being spaced out to scared or to actually looking out of place in silly because you may misjudge a person or situation and feel awkward or confused.

Your respected dojo attendance as practice, along with your full concentration in spirit will make you more relaxed and at peace, not less, because You, as an experience martial artist, will be more confident in your self defense abilities and you will be able to smile and be at peace because you can shift your color of awareness with very little or no effort. This also describes the concept of Zanshin, Zanshin means that you are not paranoid, not tense, not scared and also not spaced out. You’re happier than others without Zanshin because you aren’t jumpy or in a state of your nerves shot. Also, relating back to the concept of applying oneself fully in class, your continued practice makes the state of Zanshin easier and easier to reach and remain in, because the organization, discipline in order of the Qaeda and entire class makes you more aware of yourself and others. Also, for those who discount that value of Kata, trust me, the Kata is the core of finding inner peace and your entire progress. The Kata were developed to practice as if in a state of meditation, and the really cool part is that you do not have to meditate or know about what the Kata is doing for you, just do it and it will help you.

Sensei’s tip of the month

Please remember a very important bit of advice regarding the colors of mental readiness, no one should ever be in the white stage. Your continued practice will help you to easily achieve this, but by learning not to file below yellow means you are also achieving Zanshin principal we often speak of. And, I am not just referring to self-defense. Why do you think many people fall down, get hurt, and even get into car accidents? They fell into the white, stayed spaced out, resulting in accidents and injuries. Of course you can get hurt and fall down if you are aware of everything, but many household incidents and even car accidents, can be avoided, if you just plain learn to be aware all the time. Again, no paranoia, tension or fear, just happily aware of everything you are doing and everything around you. How do you do this? Easy! Just don’t try to get it – practice and continue to immerse yourself in every class and every kata that it will happen whether you know it or not, and it will happen whether you wanted to or not. Member of the Month Edward Thomas! At Thomas, promoted just this past month, is

April 1st marked our school’s 25th anniversary. We have never marked our Dojo anniversary with huge celebrations or parties. We are proud we have lasted this long, but we are also committed to just moving on instead of stopping to brag about our years in operation. I thought I would explain some things about why we opened and why we operate the way we do.

I competed all over our continent, seeing different schools and Sensei along the way. I mentally noted all the things that seemed to inspire and motivate people, and all of the things that seemed to discourage and hurt people both mentally and physically. When I finally decided in 1989 to open a school I pledged to myself to only do the things that made people feel better about themselves and their practice. We opened April 1st with six members, only one of which, Jerry Kocik, never leaving us entirely. We grew slowly but steadily. We attracted members from other schools who had heard about our quality of instruction and positive treatment of our members, many of whom were black belts.

We never sacrificed our quality just to increase our membership. This has made it difficult to continue without constant worry because many of the tactics and business practices to attract retain members used by schools all over the world, while good for business, totally lose a personal relationship with members and honesty in practice. These things are antithetical to our philosophy so I would not incorporate them into our school. Our first international recognition as a Dojo came in 1998 when I was inducted into the World Karate Union Hall of Fame. Since then we have been recognized and awarded in over thirty World Martial Arts Halls of Fame, serve on the Board of Directors of three Halls of Fame, authored numerous articles for publication in Martial Arts magazines and appeared on four sets of Martial Arts Masters trading cards. For nineteen consecutive years we have been giving free summer classes in the City of Binghamton Parks. This provides us with an opportunity to practice outside and introduce our art to hundreds of people who might otherwise never have the chance to experience it.

What I am most proud of though, is you the members of this school. We treat our members better than any Dojo in the world, I am not bragging when I say this. I have said that our members would never quit if they were required to spend six months in another Dojo first. We also try to go beyond what is expected or required to operate. We keep our school spotless, and I thank every person who does or has spent time helping with that. You will also find things here that you will not find anywhere else. Learning and retaining skills happens best when people are relaxed in their school experience. A negative atmosphere results in nervousness and intimidation, no one learns well under such circumstances. The military is perfect for what it needs to be. We are not that and we do not pretend to be. Seriousness and discipline are still important while still appreciating your presence in our school and educating you well.

Extras are all you will find here. Ask members who have been at other schools before they joined here and they will tell you that we are different. We have self-discipline in its truest form- we allow you to put your own effort into class- we do not make you try. I am very proud of our school, and you should be too. We have made a lot of skilled Martial Artists while making a lot of very close friends at the same time. Many of you have met people here that now mean a lot to you. That is a wonderful thing.

Thank you for sharing any part of our twenty-five years that we have existed. Please know that we put a lot of effort into making sure that you have a safe and clean place to change your life in, and to keep you and your family safe.

Sensei Frank Kushner

This is our last newsletter for the year of 2013. Thank you to Chris Root for putting it together for us every month. Also, thank you each for reading it every month. I say this because I know how many copies I make each month, and I know how many do not get picked up and read. It is not read by the majority of our members, which is a shame because I think we try to impart some important messages through this humble publication. So, besides our usual request that you encourage new members to join and current members to stay, if you do indeed habitually read this, please tell your fellow members about it and the inspirational and educational articles it contains each month so that more people can benefit from reading it.

Over the years I have repeatedly written about progress in our art. I have alway s stressed the need to continue so that solid and permanent changes take place in your martial art expertise. Well, I am very good at what I do. There is only one reason I became as good at this as I am. It is because I never stopped. I remember my first days as a white belt. I was no gifted or perfect karate student. Many people were better and more advanced than I was. If you want to be great there is no magic or secret to it, just never stop. I also didn’t make excuses for not knowing things. I didn’t talk myself into quitting because of things I created to rationalize it. I never pretended to be better than I was, I never acted as if I was better than others and I never told myself I was done making progress. I did other things than just practice karate, but I never decided to stop making karate a priority. I just told myself I would never quit because I knew I would keep getting better, I didn’t know each day if I got better, I just knew I would and left it at that. I always knew that I would improve if I believed in myself. That is it. If it sounds simple to you that is because it is just that simple. Do not ever quit and you will continue to be great and continue to improve for the rest of your life. People quit karate, jobs, marriages, and almost every other thing they do all too frequently. Perhaps staying with your karate practice can help you make longevity in other areas all that more possible.

I won’t begin to discuss in detail all the various and numerous reasons people make for leaving the Dojo. The sad thing is people do leave. Money and time are the dominate reasons, but since dinner out at a restaurant cost more than a month of study here and one class lasts no longer that a tv drama each day, those reasons seem trivial. It is all about motivation and priorities. Many people who leave once thought our Dojo was the coolest place they ever walked into, and their eyes were wide with eagerness and anticipation. They were content and satisfied. Did the Dojo change? No, the motivation and the priorities of the person does. Is it easy to do this for years? No, it isn’t. Unless…you let it be that way. The person who stays with a dojo forever let’s it be the way it was for them at the beginning, something valuable and fun. The real secret is that there is no secret. Every beginning student has visions and dreams of being a karate master. The truth is every student can become a very high ranking master as long as they never quit.

Shakespeare said “to thy own self be true”. Don’t quit and make up reasons why you should and did. Karate is universal, it can live with every race, creed, religion, political beliefs, age, whatever. Karate can make you a better catholic, republican, Jew, white, black, democrat, anything. Why is this? Because continuous uninterrupted karate practice brings you inner peace and the ability to see everyone through positive, peaceful, strong and objective eyes. Karate will just make you better…but you have to be in it to win it…

This month we are asking you, our students, the parent of a student, the friend or family member of a student, to write something for our newsletter. It doesn’t have to be long or complicated, just something from the heart about how you feel or what you think of our Dojo and our practice. Every January we publish all of the contributions in the Annual January members edition. Writing your thoughts or feelings about your school and reading everyone else’s can in itself be motivating for you and inspire you to stay and train harder. So please submit something personally at the Dojo or by email to chriscjrlaw@gmail.com by the end of December and thank you!

Humor is very healing in many aspects of our lives and at FMK we believe that it is an essential part of the learning process.

According to recent studies, laughter produces endorphins which lessen pain, increases production of T-cells, interferon and immune proteins called globulins and even significantly lowers Cortisol levels and returns the body to a more relaxed state.

Comedy helps our psyche and well being, and many studies show that scientifically it does even more than that! Humor may be interjected in various phases of the instructional process. Humorous breaks during a lesson promote learning by allowing the brain a “breather” to process and integrate. Humor nurtures the trusted relationships needed for engaged learning.

Therefore, it makes sense to us to incorporate humor as part of the learning process. The benefits of humor indicate that laughing could help strengthen your immune system – meaning you’re less likely to have to take time off work or make insurance claims at Aviva.co.uk, Aviva.com or Blue Shield. Most importantly, the emotional benefits of laughter can be useful for anyone learning martial arts or self defense. Here at FMK, we pride ourselves on this unique approach to learning.

Laughter is a powerful antidote to stress, pain, and conflict. Nothing works faster or more dependably to bring your mind and body back into balance than a good laugh. Humor lightens your burdens, inspires hopes, connects you to others, and keeps you grounded, focused, and alert.

With so much power to heal and renew, the ability to laugh easily and frequently is a tremendous resource for surmounting problems, enhancing your relationships, and supporting both physical and emotional Health Studies have pinpointed 18 different kinds of smiles.

The most common is the smile of enjoyment

13 muscles are used to smile, but 47 are required for frowning. You have to smile nearly a quarter of a million times to make 1 wrinkle.
Laughter lowers the levels of Cortisol in the body. Cortisol suppresses the immune system.
Lowering these levels enhances the work of the immune system and may prevent disease.
You can stimulate your heart and lungs, elevate your blood pressure and improve breathing capacity by laughing.

For Parents:
Adding humor to your life will allow your child to grow into a fun and light-hearted person, one that will never know the meaning of ‘depression’. The end result might very well be that laughter will help everyone in your family live longer too!

As laughter, humor, and play become an integrated part of your life, your creativity will flourish and new discoveries for playing with friends, coworkers, acquaintances, and loved ones will occur to you daily.

Humor takes you to a higher place where you can view the world from a more relaxed, positive, creative, joyful, and balanced perspective.

In terms of exercise:

You can get the same benefits from laughing 100 times a day, as you can from 10 minutes of rowing.

Charles Darwin believed that one’s facial expression can actually influence one’s moods. Studies in bio-feedback confirm Darwin’s belief.

15 minutes of laughter equals the benefit of 2 hours sleep.
One good belly laugh burns off 3 1/2 calories.
Laughing for 15 seconds adds 2 days to your life span.

The ability to laugh, play, and have fun with others not only makes life more enjoyable–it also helps you solve problems, connect with others, and be more creative. People who incorporate humor and play into their daily lives find that it renews them and all of their relationships.

Life brings challenges that can either get the best of you or become playthings for your imagination. When you “become the problem” and take yourself too seriously, it can be hard to think outside the box and find new solutions. But when you play with the problem, you can often transform it into an opportunity for creative learning.

“What did the zero say to the eight?….. Nice belt!” – Old Karate Proverb

You can avoid many confrontations and resolve arguments and disagreements by communicating in a playful or humorous way. Humor can help you say things that might otherwise be difficult to express without creating a flap. However, it’s important that you laugh with the other person, not at them.

When humor and play are used to reduce tension and anger, reframe problems, and put the situation into perspective, the conflict can actually become an opportunity for greater connection and intimacy.