Balanced Life Skills Martial Arts

Everyone gets angry or sometimes has anger lingering in them.  For a young person it may be having a toy taken away from them by another child.  It may be not getting their way or what they want at that very moment.  As we get older though we may be angered because of being lied too or we may be frustrated, feeling guilty or it may be due to a fear that we have.

I will tell you my own example.  My father died when I was 13 years old.  I did not even realize it – but it made me angry that he had left me alone at that time.  That feeling followed me for a very long time and it was not till I was close to 30 years old that I realized that my anger about that unfortunate circumstance was having an affect on other parts of my life. 

How we feel anger can be different too.  It may be that we frown, clench our teeth, wrinkle our brow, feel it in our stomach, head or throat.  Some may react by clinching their fist, crossing their arms, stomping their feet or screaming mean words.  Others may just become very quiet and internalize their feelings.  So as we begin to discuss anger management we recognize that it is about how we handle anger in a safe, fair and positive way.  Of course it is OK to be angry, but its not OK to just someone with our words or physically because we are angry.

Each month we define and discuss a word of character development with all of our students.  This month the word is Anger Management.  It will be defined this way.

Young students:  Anger management means: “I calm myself down when I feel angry!”

Older students:  Anger management means:  Dealing with anger in a safe, fair, and positive way.

If you would like to see how we will deal with this subject with our students please follow our discussions here during the month of March.

This is an update on my trip to Alabama later this month. We have now been told what we will be doing this time in Alabama.

Project 1. The big project this year is the renovation of the Rosenwald school. I have linked to a site where there is more information about the historical significance of the school.
Project 2. The team will be building a home or an addition for a man who is blind.
Project 3. We will be working on creating a garden project for some in the community.
Project 4. There are 5 youth that 5 members fo the UBBT will establish a mentoring relationship with. They will work along side of the UBBT members, but will also take part in other activities to help build a relationship that can be maintained after we leave the town.
The community is hosting several dinners for the team and one of them is at the City Park where all of the town has been invited to come see a demonstration performed by the UBBT members. In addition during the week some members will be visiting local schools and making presentations.
In addition to this all of us will be doing some training in Diabetes education with Andy Mandell. More on him later, and we will also be training more in Anger Management Education.
When we have time for all of this. The last time I was there we were up and started our day at 5 AM and did not stop till very late in the evening, around 11 or so. This is a zero waste event for us also. All of us are required to bring mess kits, towels and water bottles, as there will be no plastic bottles, paper plates or towels or anything that needs to be thrown away – as much as possible. (toilet paper allowed)
When I return I will be happy to tell you about the event and the things learned there. This is a training program for those who are or who aspire to be, master teachers. What I learn there, I must bring back to our own community, to make the same kind of difference here that the 100 martial arts masters have made in Greensboro, Alabama.
If you would like to support the work in that town with a small donation, it would be happily accepted. My instructor has made it clear to us that only small donations by many individuals should be accepted. I hope that all of us together here at Balanced Life Skills and our AA County community will benefit from the experience I have at the end of this month.

• There are 22 million Americans with diabetes
• 7 million of them do not know it
• 54 million are at risk for developing the disease
• The cost each year here in America – $225 BILLION

Two months ago I was completely clueless when it came to this disease. Oh I had heard of it, but honestly did not know anyone who dealt with it. Or at least I did not think that I did. In fact there were individuals all around me that did. Quietly, without complaint, going about what they did with great courage.
My instructor, Mr. Tom Callos, suggested that we should be teaching our students and the community about this disease. So I started to learn about it and found out that it is manageable, but requires constant attention. That is why we put the program together we talked about earlier and we will be doing the walk with Chris and his family.
Will you join us? I hope you can. In the next few months, together with some of the interested students and adults here at Balanced Life Skills, we will try to create a program and video to do more with the education of others about this disease. In the meantime please look at the Defeat Diabetes Foundation’s website for more information, including a screening test. As Andy Mandell says, “The only thing worse than finding out you have diabetes, IS NOT FINDING OUT.”
Balanced Life Skills is committed to teaching self defense beyond the physical. We are working on curriculum with others to address stress, anger management, environmental issues, apathy, consumption, and of course Teaching Peace.

Younger students:

Anger management means “I calm my self down when I feel angry!”

Older students, teens and adults

Anger management means dealing with anger in a positive, safe and fair way.