Stop me if you have heard this one before....There were twins of an Alcoholic Father. One never drank a drop of alcohol, one was plagued by alcoholism his whole life. When they asked the twin who never drank "why have you never had any alcohol?" He responded simply "Because my Father was an Alcoholic." They then asked the twin who suffered from alcoholism "why do you think you struggle with drinking?" His response was simple "Because my Father was an Alcoholic." Our lifestyle

This weeks technique is a fun kicking combo with a few variations to challenge you, and keep training fun. Enjoy, Train, Share your progress, and let us know what technique you would like us to break down next! #techniqueoftheweek #instruction #kicking #tutorials #selfdefense #exercise #JoshuaPage #HickoryAcademyofMartialArts #downtownHickory #bullyingprevention

“Hear it in Your Feet” Every heard some really good advice? Heard something that got your head nodding? That got you fired up? You might have even tapped the person next to you and said, “I am doing this!”. You might have even written it down on your phone. Maybe on the ride home you even played out the senerio in your head, made a personal movie of you achieving your goal. Maybe, just maybe you did one of these……and probably thats as far as it went. We have all done this, we

"Your kids are so polite!" I love hearing this, and luckily I get to hear it often. My three sons are and....at least in public are always very polite, and our students at our Academy are always very polite in class. As a result we often get asked "how do you do it!". So we decided to break down a few simple steps to help anyone who wants to help their kids increase their manners, self-respect, and respect for others! Step One: "Monkey See....Monkey Do" 1) Teaching your kids

Good manners, common courtesy, and respect seem to be in a bit of a decline in recent history. With the advent of social media, and the power of anonymity it provides, it is easier than ever to say and do things that you might not do in person. In a society that seems to be speeding up exponentially, people just don't seem to have the time........for patience. Popular culture is bombarded with examplesof this type of behavior, even our Presidential Debates have taken on a dec

January 1st: You said "I am going to............this year!" You had a goal, you were excited, and you had a plan. January 14th: Life happened, you got frustrated, tired, lost some motivation, and now your sitting in front of the iPad with a Glazed Doughnut and a Glass of wine! Don't Worry! Some of us....many of us.....ALL of us fall off our course sometimes. The difference maker is our ability to course correct. To put ourselves back on track, and to set the stage for us stay

New Year, New Chance, Clean Slate. Kick off your new year by taking your dreams and wishes, and turning them into goals, taking action on those goals, seeing them through, and having a truly amazing 2019. Below are a few tips to get started and link to our 2019 Success Planning Guide to get you kickstarted to Success this Year! Goal Success Tips: 1) Post your goals where you can See Them! Read them three times a day! 2) Set Reminders to your phone, tablet or device to keep

Training Jiu-Jitsu is absolutely one of the best ways to learn Self-Defense, become confident, and get in shape on the mats, but it has impact far beyond that. Here are 5 lessons from Jiu-Jitsu that you can apply to life off the mats, in success, health, business, and relationships. 1) Victory is a result of Persistence: "Its not about who's the best, its about who's left." The most talented, naturally gifted, athletically inclined will pick up Jiu-Jitsu faster than the avera

"I marked that of my Bucket List." "Been there, done that." "I just got done with my 30 Day Diet!" We all have things we want to accomplish. Those titles, accolades, achievements, that we want to look back on and say "I did that!"....and their is nothing wrong with that. Having a getting mentality can take you to some great successes, to some truly amazing accomplishments....but they just can't keep you there. We see it every time we have a Blackbelt Test. Students push, stri