Talent will only get you so far

Growing up in my VERY early years, I wasn't the biggest, fastest or strongest. In fact, when I was in fourth grade I remember being embarrassed during a Presidential Physical Fitness Exam. They would sit us in a group, call us up individually to perform pull ups for boys and bent arm hang for girls. Well, being a little "large" for my age I only could manage 2 pull ups on my best day. I have to admit, I regretted fitness testing day.

There I was in my "Rocky Balboa" gym shorts trying to grunt and pull my way over that forsaken bar...embarrassing. Meanwhile, the kids who weighed all but 45 pounds were ripping them off like crazy. That walk up to the pull up bar felt like it was a mile if it was five feet.

Well, that was it. I was not going to have to re-live that embarrassment year after year. That day I expressed my pain to my parents and they got me a pull up bar (the one with the springs that goes in the door frame).

Every morning for the next several months I would get up and try to do as many pull ups as my body could muster. Every time I walked up to the bar, I relived that moment in gym class. Eventually I could do 4, than 7, then 8. I remember breaking 10 was the milestone (the same mile stone when you put your first set of 45 pound plates on the bar.)

It was at that moment, I got it. and after 5th grade, things were never the same.

What I got was the secret. The "secret" is consistent work over time. In the beginning talent makes things easier, but eventually you have to put some work in. That's why a lot of natural athletes never fully mature. By the time I was in 7th grade I could do 22 plus pull ups.

If a child is good at something early, he or she will stands out and as parents we see success and we encourage it, but there has to come a point where you should hold your child back, encourage other interests, and continue to challenge them by operating out of their comfort zone. This will help them develop a good work skills and manage expectations.

By the time they are in 8th to 10th grade, they'll know what they have to do. And there won't be burn out or any of the other issues that we see a lot of.

My father always said, talent will only get you so far, it's the work that matters. At the end of the day, we're teaching our kids how to develop good work ethics, success is just a by product of that.

kids sports
child activities
damian ross
coaching

Boy Stops Pitbull With Rear Naked Choke

A 9-year-old Bakersfield boy is being called a hero after he saved a girl and her dog from a pit bull attack.

Drew Heredia said he and a friend were walking a small dog Dec. 30 when a pit bull jumped on the dog. The unidentified 12-year-old girl reportedly tried to save her dog, prompting the pit bull to turn on her.

Heredia said he jumped on the pit bull and applied a choke hold that he learned while taking classes at a Brazilian jujitsu studio in southwest Bakersfield.

"It was kind of a hear-pounding moment," Heredia said. "It was very scary."

He said he held the dog for 20 minutes until an animal control officer arrived.

“At first, I wanted to kick it, but then I thought it’s not a good idea, because it could get my leg,” Heredia said.

The girl was taken to Mercy Southwest Hospital where she was treated for puncture wounds.

The pit bull was quarantined at the animal control office, where it will be euthanized after 10 days. No one has claimed the dog.

The girl's dog was injured, but it's expected to survive. The dog ran away during the attack but returned home Friday afternoon.

You can see the whole article HERE.

kids self defense
martial arts
the self defense company
animal attack
kids martial arts

Children and Self Defense

As a father I want nothing more than the safety and well being of my family. As someone heavily immersed ins the subject of self defense I NEED for my kids to be able to take care of themselves.

The idea of my kid being able to "man handle" an adult, determined attacker is a fantasy. There is no martial arts system in the world that will enable a child to defeat an adult or adolescent attacker. But we can teach them to escape, evade and avoid.

In module 5 methods of escape an evasion we focus on those physical methods. All of the tatics show you how to create a diversion for escape. This is excellent for ANYONE who is interested in base line, foundation personal protection. But our job begins BEFORE we get to the point of physical contact.

Al kids must know how to spot danger, listen to their instincts and communicate their feelings to an adult.

They must also be taught to locate "SAFE STRANGERS" Police officers, people with children of their own. In a crisis, you must play the percenages. A uniformed cop is a good bet, a single, white, male in street clothes, not so good.

In the family safe training we show kids how to escape, question adults and stay with their group. When they get older, we make them aware of more sohpisitcated tactics. For example, a man who appears to be injured offers you $20 to load boxes in his van. While any 12 year old kid may jump at the chance, we teach our children to spot the potential issues.

we alos teach them not to go with ANYONE without an adult. Even if the person in question apears to be in Law Enforcement. There's not a cop I know that wouldn't want to locate a parent or guardian before taking a child into custody.

There are always exceptions to the rule, but these methods increase chances of survival and develop kid's street smarts.