Friends and Family

God made us to be in relationship with
one another and often uses family and
friendships to do some of His most
important work in our lives.

Everyone Needs Someone

People need people and friends need friends And we all need love for a full life depends Not on vast riches or great acclaim, Not on success or on worldly fame, But just in knowing that someone cares And holds us close in their thoughts and prayers- For only the knowledge that we're understood Makes everyday living feel wonderfully good, And we rob ourselves of life's greatest need When we "lock up our hearts" and fail to heed The outstretched hand reaching to find A kindred spirit whose heart and mind Are lonely and longing to somehow share Our joys and sorrows and to make us aware That life's completeness and richness depends On the things we share with our loved ones and friends.

-Helen Steiner Rice

We lost a Great Man

“A leader's role is to raise people's aspirations for what they can become and to release their energies so they will try to get there.”
David R. Gergen 1942)

Ridgely Abele, Hanshi

· Director Kokusai Shurite Yudansha-Kai
· 9th Dan Shuri-Ryu Karatedo
· 7th Dan Shuri-Te Ju-Jutsu
· 7th Dan World Karatedo Federation
· 7th Dan US Ju-Jitsu Federation
· Chief Instructor - Shuri-Ryu Karatedo

Hanshi Ridgely Abele began his martial arts training in 1964 under the direction of Hanshi John Pachivas. In 1971 He was certified to teach Karatedo and Kobudo. In 1982 Grandmaster Robert A. Trias appointed him as Chief Instructor of Shuri-ryu Karatedo. There are only eight of these chief instructors worldwide. Hanshi Abele was a member of the Inner Council for the International Shuri-Ryu Association. He was the founder and director of the International Shurite Yudansha-Kai, a worldwide organization of black belts dedicated to the research and development of Karatedo, Ju-Jutsu and Kobudo. He was a graduate of Florida State University and has a Ph.D. in Asian Combative Studies from a Hong Kong University. Hanshi Abele traveled, trained and taught extensively throughout the United States, Canada, Europe and Asia (Japan, Hong Kong & China), training with the best martial arts instructors in the world. He produced over 300 black belts throughout the world and maintains schools in the United States and Europe. He was elected to the Trias International Society as one of the most spirited fighters in the country. Hanshi Abele was a former Head Coach for the USA Karate Federation and was a National Licensed Referee who has served as the chief referee for two world championshipsHanshi Abele has achieved national and international acclaim in the Martial Arts as the winner of regional, national, and international tournaments, including the (USKA) United States Karate Association Nationals, the First Florida Professional Championships, the United States Karate Association Internationals, and the 1983 USKA World Championships. He placed second in both fighting and forms in the 1984 USKA World Championships, and was the 1985 USKA World Kata Champion Recently; Hanshi Abele has been inducted into the "Living Legends" as a pioneer of sport karate. He is currently the owner/operator of the Columbia School of Karatedo in Columbia, South Carolina.

Lessons

Art work a gift from Sensei Kevin Nordlander

"Character is higher than intellect. A great soul will be strong to live, as well as strong to think."

Ralph Waldo Enerson



Character


character is an assemblage of attributes or dispositions that distinguish a person as someone capable of clear, effective thinking.


Karate training is helpful in building one's character. This is especially important for all who follow the way. All too often, the negative consequences of poor Karatedo teaching appear, the problem is not Karate, but poor instruction and improper values (such as emphasizing competition and fighting).

Undoubtedly, Karate training has strong potential physical and mental influence -- for both good and evil -- on students. The mental influence does not come from movements but from an individual instructor.
This is why it is critical that any student (or the parents of any student) must consider carefully, above all else, what kind of individual one would study with for mental and spiritual guidance and influence.
A tournament, sport, and sparring-oriented instructor will teach values such as aggression, dominance, and mental focus on one thing above all else: winning the match and taking home the trophy. To achieve the mental strength and focus required to triumph above all competitors is a great achievement of athletics. But pursuit of this goal and these values can rarely come without scorning development of humility, patience, respect, and sincerity. Those contrary, aggressive traits do not have to be spoken aloud for their influence to be felt in students' lives.
Unfortunately, although Karate movements do not develop aggressive personality traits, some organizations' consistent over-emphasis on competition has resulted in a negative, harmful spiritual environment in the dojo.
The instructor interested in assisting students become better human beings, build their characters, develop self-esteem, confidence, sincerity, humility and responsibility is not likely to have trophies lining the front windows of his school. In a traditional class, the visitor is much more likely to see emphasis on formality, etiquette, non-violent behavior, full control of techniques, students cleaning of the dojo, and a the Dojo creed.
Instruction which only teaches the physical, technical side of Karate, in order to fight and win tournament trophies, will turn out violent people with troublemaker attitudes. Traditional values and a scientific teaching method will shepherd students' bodies, while instilling virtues of sincere attitude, confidence, self-esteem, and modesty. Such traditional training will produce a mentally and physically balanced person. A scientific teaching method entails (among other things) proper breathing, rhythm, dynamic balance, and movements which are studied and refined to allow the maximization of speed and power without causing either sudden or progressive injury to the body.
Through this kind of studied, refined training style one can achieve a better physical condition with minimum risk of injury.

Some 10 basic principles of movement, if followed, allow one to train and enjoy the positive benefits of Karate with little risk of negative consequences.
The important goal is to find the right teacher. The teaching method, and the personal life values of one's instructor -- not the particular martial arts style he or she teaches -- determine the quality of the learning experience.
Unnatural or harsh body motion, repeated over time, will result in damage to the knees, hamstrings, and lower back. Undue emphasis on sparring puts fingers, toes, knees, eyes, teeth and noses at risk. Natural motion and breathing can be briefly disregarded when students are young and energetic; but such bad habits have a cumulative effect, and will inevitably damage their health and vitality.,
Some symptoms of this kind of mistraining include: back and knee problems, pulled muscles, hernias, ulcers, and digestive problems. Instead of relieving stress and building vitality, bad training methods yield the opposite results; they will build stress and destroy the health of the practitioner. In this way, martial arts training under faulty instructors can become poison.
I advise prospective students and parents to do this: Instead of choosing a training hall by comparing tuition prices and convenience of location, be most concerned with the qualifications, teaching methods, personal style, and life values of the martial arts teacher who will be influencing the students.
The choice of a martial arts instructor should be far more important than deciding on a daycare center or baby-sitter (and those are important decisions). The potential benefit or harm derived from the dojo is even greater than a negligent or non-nurturing daycare environment. Karate training is like taking medicine. Follow the doctor's guidelines on how to take it, how much, how often, and enjoy good health. Ignore the doctor's instructions, go to an unqualified doctor, take too much medicine or the wrong kind, follow self-destructive patterns, and one's life can be shortened -- or ended.