At this years JLFS Annual Research Conference, the executive board passed a resolution to create National Joe Lewis Day.  This initiative gives martial arts schools an opportunity to honor Joe Lewis on his birthday-week, with either a Kick-a-thon or Spar-a-thon fundraiser.

 Mr. Lewis’ birthday is March 7^th and Joe Lewis Day is set for the following Saturday, March 10^th.  All proceeds will go to a special fund set up to help and assist Joe Lewis as he continues to be treated and recovers from his brain cancer.

 “Joe Lewis Day has been created to help with some of the huge financial burden that such a serious illness can create.” says Jim Graden, a 7^th degree master in the JLFS and the person heading up this initiative. Jim continues, “Joe Lewis is the smartest and most giving person I have ever met. Considered by many to be the greatest American martial artist of the 20th century, Joe Lewis Day has been created to help a man who has inspired multiple generations of martial artists and has always given of his knowledge so unselfishly.”

 Special prizes have been created for the students who participate and the schools that sponsor the fundraisers. Every person who raises $50 or more will be given a personalized signed photo of Joe Lewis. The top three schools that raise the most money will win entry into the 2012 Joe Lewis Research Conference, held in Tampa, FL. Plus they will receive special recognition at the awards banquet. 

 To participate in National Joe Lewis Day please go to joelewisfightingsystems.com or contact Jim Graden directly at 727-418-4882 or jimgraden@yahoo.com

Check out this segment of Inside the UBC as I share with you my holiday party tips.

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Look at the expressions on the students’ faces. They should be engaged but not intimidated; having fun but not fooling around. A good instructor will teach an engaging class that keeps the students focused without having to scare them with intimidation. Plus, the class should look and feel like the students are enjoying the class.

There are many options when it comes to picking martial arts school. Always remember that the person teaching you and your family can have a huge impact on your lives – you just want to make sure that it’s a positive one.

A good quality family martial arts school shouldn’t be willing to teach effective striking techniques that could be easily abused by someone who is a bully and has no respect for others.

The instructors should be consistently checking with the parents of the students to make sure the child is showing improvements in their social behavior as they improve in their martial arts techniques. Martial arts should be as much about becoming a confident leader as becoming a good fighter.

If you are looking for a martial arts school for your family, make sure to sit in and watch a class. If a martial arts school will not allow you to watch a class, then walk out.

A good family-oriented martial arts school should have nothing to hide and should be willing to allow you to watch a class and then offer some type of short term introductory program so you can give the school a test drive.

When watching a class, you should first ask yourself, “What are they teaching?” Is the majority of the class being taught with the students’ hands coming back to their hips in deep immobile balances? If so, then the school is a little behind in modern martial arts and is teaching older, traditional techniques.

Again, I’m not saying that this is bad thing. Traditional martial arts is a beautiful art, but it does show that the school is not focusing on teaching modern self defense.

With so many options available for martial arts lessons, it’s tough to know how to make the right choice. You can enroll your family in a traditional martial arts program where they will learn techniques that have been around for hundreds of years but are simply not effective for defending themselves.

Or, you could find a school that focuses on mixed martial arts (MMA) as more of a sport. Your child could end up training to be the bully at the schoolyard without the added elements of respect and discipline.

When choosing a martial arts school for your family, one of the first things you need to ask yourself is if the ability to defend yourself is a high priority for you and/or your family?

Most people think that if they receive a black belt they’ll automatically know how to defend themselves. This is not always true. Many martial arts schools are teaching old-styled martial arts that are more of an art form than a form of self-defense.

There’s nothing wrong with this as long as you understand that self-defense is not a high priority in many traditional martial arts systems. These systems still teach martial arts like it was taught hundreds of years ago and aren’t making the modifications that are needed to keep up with modern, real life self-defense skills.

If self-defense is a high priority, then you might want to choose a school that teaches a more modern system that is always adapting to modern times and modern threats.

Great information From the Ultimate Body Challenge (UBC)

DON’T make these fitness mistakes:
1. Over-train. Your body needs time to recover in between workouts.
2. Skip breakfast. Breakfast will jump start your metabolism and provide you with the energy you need to get through the day.

3. Skip stretching.
4. Skimp on sleep.
5. Set unrealistic goals. Don’t expect the weight to come off overnight, you’ll set yourself up for disappointment.
6. Compare your successes and failures to others.
7. Work out randomly. Work out regularly to maximize the benefits you’ll reap from a consistent fitness routine. Make it a habit.
8. Give up. Consider talking with a friend in times of discouragement.
9. Forget to reward yourself on occasion.

But none of that would have happen if it weren’t for the legendary Joe Lewis. I’ve had two relationships with Joe Lewis. First as a snotty nosed kid who saw Mr. Lewis come into the karate school my brothers, John and Mark (champions in their own right), and I belonged to in the mid to late 70’s and beat the hell out of anyone dumb enough to spar with him.  Secondly, as a friend and mentor who took me to new heights in my martial arts training and made me into a champion.

Mr. Lewis was a close friend of my first martial arts instructor, Walt Bone. He stayed at Walt’s house when he was in Florida, in the 70’s, and he worked out at his karate school. I was just a 13 year old kid watching Mr. Lewis work out. Joe Lewis was already a legend in the martial arts and having him at the school that I trained at was like a football player watching Joe Montana workout. My hero was working out at my karate school – so very cool!

Fast-forward seven years later. I’m now 20 and running my own martial arts school with a financial backer and partner. Walt Bone had died two years earlier in a plane crash. I was without an instructor or any real guidance in the martial arts. I had done well on the tournament circuit, having achieved the number one fighter ranking in Florida, back when that actually meant something, but I was floundering with little direction and really didn’t know what the future held. I was even wondering if had made the right decision to try martial arts as a profession.  Low and behold, who comes back to Florida? None other then the legend himself, Joe Lewis. Joe was at the end of his fighting career and had come back to Florida to work with Mike Anderson.

Mike had a good relationship with my brother, John, and they hired John to help set up Joe Lewis seminars throughout Florida. One of the perks that John got for working with Joe is that he got to train with him. This perk didn’t include John’s younger brother (me), but I was hungry and nothing was going to stop me from having the chance to work with Mr. Lewis. I convinced my business partner to hire Joe Lewis to train me privately.  All I can say is Wow!

Mr. Lewis taught me how to train properly.  He taught me how to workout with a purpose and to make sure that every round, whether it was on the heavy bag, showdown fighting or sparring, had a purpose and was improving my skills and getting me in great fighting shape.

Of course I didn’t learn all that in just a few private lessons. My business partner started balking at the cost of me training with Joe. I will never forget what Joe Lewis said to me when I brought up the fact that I could no longer afford the lesson. He said, and I quote. “Forget about the money. Let’s just workout”.  Those simple, generous words changed my life forever. I trained under the guidance of Joe Lewis from that point on and went on to win my World Title.

I’m now involved as a member of the board of directors for the Joe Lewis Fighting Systems and I’m currently working on the white to Black Belt curriculum for them.  I encourage you to look into becoming a member of JLFS. The organization is not style specific and welcomes everyone who wants to continue to grow as a martial artist and be influenced by a true legend.

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What Might Really be Going On …
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UBC Advisory Board Member and Nutritionists, Gay Poe, explains how your body can be starving for healthy nutrients while quickly packing on the pounds.

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