My leadership project was done in conjunction with my volunteer effort with the local chapter of the Red Cross. I have been a Red Cross volunteer for almost five years and work in the DST group. This is the group which manages the IT and communication for the Red Cross. As one of the more technical members of the team, I was asked to lead an effort for building out a new communication system…

When I first started studying at Mercer Island Martial Arts, I really didn’t expect to like it and only took a class because my son wanted me to take the family class with him. But when I discovered how much fun it was, I got very ‘serious’ about it. Like many beginners, I was really focused on ‘power’ and trying to kick higher than my opponents…

Something which has helped with my technique and development as a Martial Artist, and especially with my ability to learn new techniques is the concept of 'going slowing'. I do not know where I heard the phrase originally, but it seems to apply all the time in Taekwondo; “Sometimes you have to go slow, to go fast”. I have taken it to mean that being…

Prior to starting Taekwondo, all forms of exercise had a finite life expediency for me. At the point when I started feeling comfortable or hit some basic level of competency, I would get bored and quickly lose interest. When that happen, I would quickly stop whatever the activity was. What I have found with Taekwondo is a never-ending stream of new…

Something I have learned since becoming a black belt is how important it is to listen to how your body feels. As one of the ‘older’ students on the mat most nights, I am continually faced with limitations that come from getting old. I have the added challenge of having messed up my knee twice. (torn ACL once, torn meniscus twice) So it has become…

After I submitted my letter of intent to the masters for my upcoming 2nd DAN test, they asked me to post it as an example for others. I believe the letter needs to be tailored for each personal individual journey, but I hope the format is useful for others.

Kenny

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April 30, 2017

Mercer Island Martial Arts

Grand Master Strongheart

Master…

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

The Washington Trial Association or WTA is a local organization which promotes hiking and protecting the wilderness areas which surround us here in the PNW. My family has supported the group for a long time with donations and taking part in the yearly Hike-A-Thon that takes place each August.…

Thomas Edison

One of my first ever hero's was Thomas Edison. I can remember in grade school finding every book available in the library about him and reading them all multiple times. Edison is known for creating the first practical light bulb, but most people don't know he actually invented hundreds of other things over his lifetime.  (personally he held more than a thousand patients) Beside the lightbulb,…

Focus and TKD

I am always being asked how I got started with TKD and each time I have to laugh when explaining it. You see, I never in a million years thought it was something I would like or even try. If my son had not applied the magical little boy peer pressure, I would proba

bly never had taken that first class. But one day I found myself out on the mat during a family class and when it was over, I realized I had enjoyed…

Perseverance

           noun: steadfastness in doing something despite difficulty or delay in achieving success...

If the most important thing in martial arts is respect, the second must be perseverance. As I sit here in my big arm chair with my knee propped up with an ice pack on it, I am…