What I did was work for half of a day at my dad’s office and the other half of the day was volunteering. My dad works at an IRB, if you don’t know what that is it’s essentially the legal side of a clinical study. When someone decides to participate in a clinical study, an IRB makes sure that that person knows all of his or her rights and makes sure…

We recently had the opportunity to have a woman by the name of Amy Scarfone come and film one of our family classes in a 360 degree video format.  If you have never seen this technology it is a really great way to experience a class.  When viewing it you will need to open it in Google Chrome or another web browser that supports 360 degree video formats.  I was also able to watch it on my iPhone. As you press the button to look around you can see all of the different particptants in the…

As Modern Martial Artists, community warriors, this issue as much as any issue is related to our practice.  We teach that our community, or village, is our responsibility to take leadership, and action to protect, and grow.  And, that village must include the most vulnerable, and victimized.   At the very least we can become aware, and educated.  So many people have the belief that this kind of slavery is taking place only in places far away, and certainly not in…

This video shows exactly why I teach, rather we teach, Bully prevention at MIMA --   We have literally taught hundreds of hours, mostly unpaid to kids from all over the greater Seattle area.  We teach not only the target, but also the kids who bully about tolerance and…

My Five Living Heroes 

1. My mom because she always helps me by encouraging me to be my very best.
2. My dad because he always helps me when I’m stuck on something he helps me become a better person.
3. Luna because she keeps me on track and helps me when I need help. She also makes me laugh (sometimes).
4. Mrs. Millison because she helps me in math every time I’m stuck on a problem in…

About the Author:

MeLisa Strongheart is a Master Instructor and co-owner a…

This month in honor of Thanksgiving and Veteran's Day we are focusing on "Gratitude".

Mercer Island Martial Arts utilizes the latest research in areas such as positive psychology and exercise physiology to create a martial arts program that is both modern and mixed with martial arts traditions.   Here is just one of the many activities that we are currently doing with our students along with a short description of what positive psychology…

Super excited for this weekend!

Not only because i get to have fun with all the kids, but also because we are collecting food for the food pantry at Youth and Family Services.  There is nothing better then having fun and working together as a community!  …

Hey Everyone,

October is National Anti-bullying month and this month we will be talking with the students about the impacts of bullying, how to handle a bully, as well as, if the child is a bully.  Here are some great resources and websites for your information…

The Black Belt I Must Become

The black belt I wish to become is one of transcended skills. One that I cannot become until I have truly realized my abilities, and the limit on my physicality and endurance becomes limitless. I want to be a black belt with precision, speed, and power.

I want to be a black belt who is also a Leader. To be one with control over the floor and the skills present to lead it in an educational and entertaining way that emulates the prowess the masters…

Flynn Williamson

My Top Five Living Heroes

1.)    Alex Honold

Alex Honold is one of the world’s best rockclimbers. He’s the expert on free soloing ; rockclimbing but without any pro, ropes, or safety equipment. Just him on the rock with his rockshoes and a chalk bag. Alex freesoloed the Yosemite Triple Crown and has done extensive cleaning and dozens of ascents up el cap’s nose and face, and Half Dome, as well as the Dawn Wall.  Honold had a 4.7 GPA and was working on a…

My Five Living Heroes

1. Sandra Everingham (aka my mom) is my hero because she always helps people with things and she is a super nice person to everyone. I want to be like her someday.
2. Javier Garavito (aka my dad) is my hero because he is super smart and is very good at a lot of things and on top of that he is very fun to be around. I would also like to be like him.
3. Solis Garavito (aka my brother) is my hero because he…

I try and eat organic as often as possible, and I love fruits and vegetables; however eating organic is can be more expensive.  So, when is it okay to by non-organic fruits and vegetables? 

The Environmental Working Group has a list of fruits and vegetables that are okay to eat non-organic and others that you should always buy organic.   Sometimes referred to as the "Clean Fifteen", these are the ones eating non-organic is fine.   The so called, "Dirty Dozen" are recommended to always…

Over the years, I have collected videos of all the forms and made them available on YouTube. To help people locate them, I created a YouTube channel called "Mercer Island Martial Arts - Forms".  Since there is a belt tests next week, I thought I'd post a link for everybody again.

Thanks, Kenny

MIMA Forms YouTube Channel

Recently we started ending class with, 10 articles of mental training and I love it.  Not only is it awesome to work out our stresses with kicking, punching and yelling, but now we get to check in with the mental values of martial arts!…

My 5 Heroes:

5) Russel Wilson. He inspired me a lot, and gave me one clear message. NEVER GIVE UP. Remember how in the playoffs, he barely made it past the first few rounds? Well, he never gave up, so that is why he made it that far.…

Upon reaching black belt, I hope to continue my training in Tae Kwon Do at the dojang for the rest of my time in high school. Once I have graduated high school and move on to college, I will try to find another community that shares my passion for this martial art. Many colleges that I have researched and hope to attend have a Tae Kwon Do or Martial Arts association which would act well as the type of community that I am looking for. While I cannot be sure what the future will hold,…