Puerto Rico Seminar October 25, 2007

Yamabushi Dojo
Manny Saavedra, Kaicho Jimmy Valentin, Sensei

Elton Valentin, Sensei

Jose Feliciano receiving his Rokudan

























WORLD SANSEI KORYU GOJUKAI KARATEDO


ABOUT LEADERSHIP

This letter is written to all the Black Belts in the Puerto Rico Region.
The visit to Puerto Rico was a wonderful experience, the passion that you have for the art has renewed my own passion. We should all be working towards the same goals in our Karate-do remembering always that together we can perform miracles, apart we have nothing. Never allow a person to come between you and your values and honor. The word Loyalty to me means a great deal. “World Sansei” Koryu Gojukai Karatedo, has established a very selective inner circle, a circle of Karateka that believe in the importance of Loyalty, Honor and friendship. This circle is known as “The Society” The Society is made up of the best role models in the system. It is a Society that will hopefully grow in time. We in the Society with the greatest pleasure have inducted Miguel Montalvo, Sensei.
We know that he will be an asset to the “Society” The inducting ceremony is will be held in the near future.

For those of us that have never stop teaching and made this our life long endeavor and have devoted countless hours in the Dojo. We keep the fire burning in the hearts of all our students. We write, we lecture, and we propagate the system. Many of us export the system to all parts of the World. We travel and we are noticed by others as leaders. Leaders than have never stop teaching in the worst of times and in the best of times. What this association of great teachers needs to understand that it’s not about ego it’s not about jealousy it’s not about envy it’s about the Art, “The Art is Above the Artist”.
If we truly internalize this we would go a long way to restore honor in our karate-Do.

As Professional Sensei’s and educators these are the things we should stand for:

Our mission should be,

To provide a total educational opportunity that develops skills and knowledge, potential, self-esteem, productivity and motivation for lifelong learning in the Karate-Do. Through programs emphasizing academic excellence, we should be committed to developing professional Karate-Do educators who are; knowledgeable, thoughtful, and skillful - educators who think critically and who can synthesize experiences as responsible persons in a free society, as professional technicians and as effective leaders, business owners and innovators. Recognizing the multi-system, multifaceted nature of American martial arts society, we should prepare professional martial arts educators must emphasize historical variety and diversity. The overall mission of a good Sensei is in the developing professional educators in Karate-Do. This requires a lot of teaching time in the Dojo or Lecture Hall.


These are the things that drive us
Commitment
Drive
Passion
Love

These are our commitments
Love is our law
Truth is our worship
Form is our manifestation
Order is our attitude
Beauty and perfection is our life.

We should endorse and promote the following values in order to achieve this mission:

High expectations for students, instructors, parents and communities;
A clear vision of desired results
Strong leadership
Teamwork
Ethnic and cultural diversity
Appropriate educational development
Safe, clean, orderly learning environments
Accountability
Recognition of, and rewards for excellence
Community and family participation and support
Life long learning

Humbly submitted

Manny Saavedra, Kansho

“World Sansei” Koryu Gojukai Karatedo

PS:
I would like to thank Jose Rios, Sensei and Javier Ortiz, Sensei for opening the door.

Bamboo Dojo

The art of teaching

Human relations skills

One of the most effective ways to teach is by becoming a living example. For this reason, the instructor needs to be a positive role to the student. This position is necessary for the instructor to influence and build the students character and life. To further the responsibility, the instructor must realize that every time he/she is in contact with the student, whether or not he/she is in the Dojo. His/her actions make a big impression. Both the young and older students need a living example. An instructor is much more effective if the adult has respect for the instructor’s personal habit and lifestyle.
When dealing with parents of a student, the instructor must understand that they play an important part in the teaching team. It is a good idea for the instructor to explain to the parents the goals and teaching methods he is using. This is necessary for the parents to know they can encourage the child and help assist is the learning process. Parents must realize the benefits and the reasoning of the rank system; the parents must also realize the benefits of individual and class discipline. The support of the parents is critical in achieving optimal progress of the student. It is the instructor’s job to communicate this to the parents so that they fully understand their role as a member of the teaching team.
Class management skills are equally important in developing a professional teaching style. The Instructor is most effective when he/she controls the emotional climate of the class. The following skills can generate and maintain motivation in the students and their desire to learn:
Set the attitude and tone of the class.
Create a positive atmosphere.
Use a personal approach.
Set direct goals.
Give thoughtful feedback to student response.
Give praise.
Give positive correction rather than criticism.
Refer to the student by name.
Teach the concept of personal achievement\