t he
Rippl e
Ef f ect
"We make a living by what we get. We
make a life by what we give."
W inston Churchill
mont hl y
December2016
Photo: Marcus Edwards
Gr ace
Embrace it.
What do we mean by "gr ace?"
It's kinda tough to define. Graceful as
a ballerina. The eagle'swingsgracing the
air. She works with the grace of angels.
You've probably heard such sayings,
and the pictures they make give us
some sense of what grace means.
So do some words that suggest the
opposite: His cursing is disgraceful. Her
performance was sloppy, careless,
without grace.
As a concept, grace suggests lightness,
simplicity, flow. Pianists use grace
notes, where one note glistens
beautifully into the next. We talk
about grace periods, where you may
be a few days late with your
homework, but the teacher's gonna
let it slide.
Soisgracejust for dancersand musicians
and beautiful people? Nope. Because
grace, in itself, is beautiful. We create
beauty when we act with grace. You
can see this in the paramedic gently
holding the head and checking the
pulse of someone who's hurt, talking
to them in a slow, even voice, helping
them calm down from a very scary
place. This is grace in the face of the
grim.
There's grace in shouting, in masses,
as when Martin Luther King led the
Million Man March on W ashington.
And of course there's grace in martial
arts. In the movements, for example.
W orking on your slides, your
flexibility,
on
smooth,
crisp
combinations. Grace arises out of
confidence, out of consistency, out of
care.
Almost all of us start out clunky. Keep
working, keep believing, and you'll come
toknow gracebeyond wordson your way
toBlack Belt.
Feel the grace flow through Ripple Effect's
last Black Belt Spectacular.
""No man is an island, entire
of itself. Every man is a piece
of the continent, a part of the
main."
John Donne
Winning (and Losing) wit h gr ace
We don't exist alone. We owe a big part of our life and our
accomplishments in it to people who have stood alongside
us, pushed us, knocked us down, helped us back up.
Sparring competitions aren't about laying waste to a series of
opponents. It's not about sheer demolition and moving on to
the next victim. We strive to win. But to win with modesty,
humility, to win with grace, that's what sets Ripple Effect
martial artists apart.
Have you ever tried your best, prepared, worked your heart
out--then come in second place? Third? Last? Losing can
make you sulk, sneak away, grimace at the judges, call them
unfair. But this isn't losing with grace (and it doesn't do us
any good).
Likewise, winning can make you giddy, supercharged,
shouting, grinning, knocking people out of the way in your
glee. In a word, annoying. No one wants to be around a
graceless champion.
W hat's the first step to winning (or losing) with grace?
Congratulate your opponent. Deal out some high fives. Fist bumps.
Bear hugs and big smiles. See how great it feels to be graceful,
no matter what. Try it out!! Hi-Yah!!
Fromthepicture, can youtell whocamein
first andwhosecond? They bothlook
pretty darn happy, after all.
Smiles, laughs, wordslike"great job!"and
"sweet moves!"gosofar withmembersof a
team. Try 'emout next timeyoucompete
andfeel theflowof gracefromfirst tolast.
Bl ack bel t gr ace
Ms. Dickinson's poem gives us some beautiful images
of grace in action. Grace lends a lightness to what we
do, even when it's super tough (the bird's sweet
singing against the harsh wind).
"Hope?isthething with feathersThat perchesin thesoul And singsthetunewithout thewordsAnd never stops- at all -
Faced with challenges (the bird bashed by the storm),
grace finds feathers and gives us lift. It never stops
summoning the effort to keep going, even through the
"chillest land" and "strangest sea." And it never begs or
whines. It gives.
And sweetest - in theGale- isheard And soremust bethestorm That could abash thelittleBird
That kept somany warm -
Your first black belt test will be a check on your nerves,
your resolve, your character. It's designed to do exactly
that. Your instructors want to see how gracefully you
can endure the extremes.
I?veheard it in thechillest land And on thestrangest Sea Yet - never - in Extremity,
It asked a crumb- of me.
~Emily Dickinson
Can you keep yourself together?Can you stay in tune when
your body and mind get sore and weary?Can you summon
the strength to help others get through? Those are the
marks of a Black Belt.
Grace conquers frustration, impatience. Grace is
power.
Coaches: Read these lines with your kids. Try to see a picture with each one, to develop a feeling
inside. Then talk about how what you see, how you feel. Dotheimageshelp your kidswith theconcept
of grace?Giveit a try!!
coaches' cor ner
In your mind, see yourself rocking your baby, gently, softly to sleep. Changing diapers. Making
lunches. Helping with math and spelling. Hauling all their gear to karate. Consistent care, belief,
patience, love. In these actions, grace runs like a pulse through your life with your kids.
Kids need to know that they don?t earn grace. Grace is given, and given freely, just like we see
in nature. We?re graced with morning light. We?re graced with rain, graced with snow. We
didn't earn these things that make life beautiful and possible. The giving comes naturally.
Act ion st eps f or Gr ace:
Say pleaseand thank you. There's a reason good manners and appreciation are called
"graciousness."
Forgive. Nothing shows grace like saying "it's ok." Forgiveness shows that you have the
power to heal wounds, even your own. It's a beautiful thing.
Befirm, not rigid in your stances. Just like a good sparring stance, be firm in your
positions with your kids. But be ready to respond. W hen kids feel like their words
mean something to us, that they don't just upset us but really make us think and
respond out of love, it earns respect. They see you as a pillar, holding them up, keeping
them on a perch that lets them see and experience the graceful beauty of the world.
Thank you coachesfor everything you dofor your kids. Happy Holidays!!!
For t COl l ins School Updat es!!!
Dat es t o Rem em ber
STRIPE WEEK!
Jan 9-14
BELT TESTS:
Jan 17, 18, 19
BLACK BELT
PROGRESS CHECK:
Jan 20
BELT PROM OTION:
Jan 21
WOM EN'S SELF
DEFENSE COURSE:
Jan 28 (See Sierra or
Shelby to sign up!)
CLOSED:
New est BBC an d
Leader sh ip M em ber s
Julia Mohr
Elisa Williams
Ann Ward
Luke Purvis
Jake Stetz
Zachary Stetz
Joshua Stetz
Tyler Shaw
Wyatt Skoglund
Paden Kurtz
Rebecca Clark
Christopher Clark
Kelly Clark
Reed Clark
Happy Holidays!!
for the most
up-to-date class
schedules!!
Are you loving your
experience at Ripple
Effect Martial Arts? Help
us spread the word!
New St u den t s!
Gabriel Mercado
Jaython Stein
Harper Stein
Sam Martin
December 24-31
Visit
mykarateclasses.com
Teddy Martin
Lilly Byers
Lilli Gerhardt
Nick Bailey
Jaxon Bailey
Kelton Deakins
Chris Fisher
Sam Garber
Zach Garber
Timber Hume
Sign in to FaceBook and
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excitement. Thanks for
your support!
Longmont School Updat es!!!
Dat es t o Rem em ber
STRIPE WEEK!
Jan 9-14
BELT TESTS:
Jan 17, 18, 19
BLACK BELT TESTING:
Nov 18
BELT PROM OTION:
New est BBC an d
Leader sh ip M em ber s
Xzandra Aley
Ezra Baze
John Baze
Aspen Kotson
Dorian Minette
Noah Zweers
New St u den t s!
Owen Arthur
Adelyn Blattner
Jan 21
Destiny Burton
CLOSED:
Olivia Baker
Dec 24-31
Ethan West
Happy Holidays!!
Antonina Zharkova
Visit
mykarateclasses.com
for the most
up-to-date class
schedules!!
Are you loving your
experience at Ripple
Effect Martial Arts? Help
us spread the word!
Sign in to FaceBook and
Google+ and share your
excitement. Thanks for
your support!