Eddie Lott's ATA Black Belt Academy

ATA Fit Camp

2009-08-31T18:51:00.000-07:00

On Saturday, August 29th, 2009, we hosted two fitness camps at the Academy. The camp for adults was from 9:00 am until 11:00 am. The kids camp was from 11:00 am until 12:30 pm. At each camp we talked about making better choices with nutrition and exercise.

Both camps started with a warm up, followed by target drills using elbow and knee strikes. Each group also took the ATA Physical Fitness Test, a 5-round maximum rep routine. In round 1 participants do pushups. In round 2, sit ups. Round 3 consists of kicks on the heavy bag. Round 4 is combinations. Round 5 is punches. Each round is 1 minute long with 1 minute rest between rounds. The goal of each participant is to "score" over 300 repetitions through the 5 rounds.

In addition to the ATA Fit Test, the participants in the adult session also completed a Warrior XFit workout to finish out their 2-hour camp. Warrior XFit is an online fitness program that features a different workout each day of the month. Each of the 6 exercises in a daily workout are performed in 20-second, high-intensity bursts, followed by a 10-second recovery. Participants complete (6) 20 seconds bursts of each exercise before moving on to the next exercise.

Everyone had a blast on Saturday. For more information on the ATA Fit Test or the Warrior XFit program, please call us at the Academy at 912-764-3844.

Check out these pics . . .

Super Hero Camp

2009-08-24T19:53:00.000-07:00

Last Saturday, August 22nd, we hosted our Super Hero Camp at the Academy from 12:15 - 3:00 pm. The goal of the camp was to train like a Super Hero. Each activity worked on a particular skill that various Super Heroes were known for. For example, we had drills that worked on the agility of Spiderman, the strength of the Hulk, and the problem solving skills of Batman! All of the kids had a blast. Here are a few pics:
The Hulk Boulder Toss!

Balance Practice!

The Superman Push!

Check out this Mummy!

See you next Saturday at the ATA Fit Camp! Call 912-764-3844 to enroll in this free event!

ATA Rank Advancement Camp 2009

2009-07-10T08:44:00.000-07:00

Ensure Your Spot! See Column on the Right to Enroll Now!

Join us July 20th - 24th for our ATA Rank Advancement Camp 2009 where you can advance one full rank at the completion of camp.

Sign up now! Space is limited.
Please see our video above or call for more information.

If you have any questions please feel free to contact us at:
912-764-3844
ata@frontiernet.net

Karate Kidz Summer Camp 2009, Day 1

2009-06-08T21:05:00.000-07:00

This week at the Taekwondo School we're hosting our week-long Karate Kidz Summer Camp. We have 10 boys and girls in the camp, which runs from 8:30 am until 2:00 pm each day. Each day of camp focuses on one area of Taekwondo training and one area of Leadership training. We just wrapped up day 1. Here's a quick look at our day:

After everyone checked in, we started with our Taekwondo/Leadership training. Today's Taekwondo training was about improving the student's technique for Forms (predetermined sequence of movements). We looked at things like:

1. the parts of a kick, especially the "rechamber"

2. the correct "loading" and "rotation" of double blocks

3. eye contact during techniques

For Leadership training, we discussed and practiced the importance of a positive attitude, or "Black Belt Attitude" while at the Taekwondo school and while at home. We looked at things like:

1. what we say: please, thank you, you're welcome, yes sir, yes ma'am

2. what we do: focus our bodies, help other people, practice what we learn

3. what we feel like: never give up - even if it's hard, encourage others, doing the right thing even if we don't feel like it

During class and throughout the day, the students earned "Leadership Stars" for demonstrating these skills.

After changing out of uniforms, we had a quick snack and then went out to the sidewalk for a session of "Taekwondo Art".

Afterwards, we came back inside for a lot of fun and games: dodgeball, limbo, jumping, ducking, races and challenges. We also watched a little bit of video from the ATA World Championships. After all of that, everyone was ready for lunch. Today's lunch came from Chick-Fil-A.

After lunch we had a special guest speaker from the Bulloch County EMS, Mr. Mike Lindamood. He talked with the campers about his job, calling 911, and general summertime safety tips. Afterwards, he let everyone take a closer look at one of Bulloch County's rescue vehicles. Everyone agreed that the truck was "pretty cool".

After that, everyone got cooled off with a little bit of water fun before going back inside for more fun and games. Before you know it parents were arriving for the 2 o'clock pickup. We recapped the day for the parents and set the stage for tomorrow.

We'll see you then.

2009-05-19T06:32:00.000-07:00

Hi Everybody. It's been awhile since I last posted. My apologies. It seems that I got off to a good start (blogging) and then kind of fell behind. Well, I'm up and running again. I plan on posting regularly on events that are happening in my life, especially those at the Taekwondo school.

Most recently, we wrapped up another 8-week belt cycle last Saturday at the Statesboro Mall. All of our students who tested for new rank met at 11 am to receive their new belts. As you can imagine it was an exciting event. We had 13 Tiny Tigers who received a new belt, 32 students who received new color belts, and 5 students who received new black belts!

Here's a look at our newest black belts and their ranks:

Lucas Boddiford, 1st degree black belt recommended
Brylie Ritchie, 1st degree black belt decided
Austin Gooding, 1st degree black belt decided
JD Johnson, 1st degree black belt decided
Andi Johnson, 1st degree black belt decided

After the belt presentations, our instructors put on a short demo. They broke boards, sparred, did weapons and self defense. It was great.

Then on Monday, students were able to attend classes and start on new material for their next belt - another goal achieved, another one set, another one they will get!

See you next time!

Mobile Regional Tournament

2009-02-02T19:55:00.000-08:00

The ATA Martial Arts School in Mobile, Alabama hosted it's first Regional Championship Tournament on January 17, 2009. Three members of our ATA Academy were able to attend. Todd Besier, his son Ethen, and I represented Statesboro at the day-long event held at the Mobile Convention Center.

ATA tournaments start with a Black Belt Judges meeting at 7:30 am. Competition then begins with the youngest competitors and continues throughout the day, finishing with the adults.

At days end, we three competitors from Statesboro had earned 4 second place finishes and 4 first place finishes. Todd Besier, one of our color belt adult students, was competing in free-sparring for the first time. He received 2nd place finishes in Forms, Weapons and Sparring. Ethen Besier, competing in the junior blue belt division, finished 2nd in Forms, 1st in Weapons and 1st in Sparring. I received 1st in Forms and 1st in Sparring.

The three of us are looking forward to the next regional tournament in Atlanta, GA in March.

Kickin it up at Portal Elementary

2008-09-29T19:57:00.000-07:00

I was contacted a few weeks ago by Mr. Paul Hudson, the principal of Portal Elementary School, about performing at an assembly that was scheduled for September 26th. I gladly accepted the invitation. This is the school that, on most days of the week, I get to walk down the kindergarten hall with my son as I drop him off for his day at school. So Friday came, and I arrived early to set up some equipment and to talk a little more with Mr. Hudson about the assembly. We had talked before about this assembly being a great way to "Kick Off" the school's success goals for the year. The assembly would address Attendance, Behavior, the Accelerated Reader Program, and all of the rewards that the students would be able to accumulate throughout the year for their achievements in these areas. Mr. Hudson started the event. Dressed in a Taekwondo uniform and a headband (that strangely resembled a necktie), he talked to the students about the various things that they would be able to receive for their hard work and perseverance.

After talking to the students, Mr. Hudson got ready to break a board. More than 450 students laughed and giggled as Mr. Hudson did his "silly" warm ups. He then called two students up to the stage to help hold his board. As he prepared to break the board, he stopped and said that he wouldn't be breaking the board. He had invited a professional to come by and break it. This was my cue.

The students clapped and cheered as I entered the room and proceeded to the stage. My part in the assembly was to reiterate the things that Mr. Hudson had talked about; Attendance, Behavior and Focusing on the Accelerated Reader Program (in an exciting and memorable way). To do this I brought some boards to break. My plan was to talk to all of the students at the same time but to challenge a specific group about one of the success goals that Mr. Hudson talked about. Then I would break a board "for that group".

I talked to the 5th graders first, challenging them to have the best attendance for the whole school year. Then, I broke a board for them - a knee strike. Next I talked to the 4th and 3rd graders. Their challenge for the year was to really work on having the best behavior of any grade at PES. I got Mr. Hudson to help me hold the board for this one, a hammerfist board break. The challenge for the 2nd and 1st graders was to do the best in the Accelerated Reader Program. At this time I grabbed my gearbag and pulled out about a dozen "things" that I like to read. I showed them magazines, newspapers, and several different kinds of books. (I have to tell you that some of the books that I used I borrowed from my son's bookshelf, so I had to clear it with him beforehand - He said it was OK) For the 3rd and 2nd grade break, I got Coach Parker to help hold for a jump front kick. During all of this excitement, the Kindergarten and Pre-K students were really doing a great job waiting for their turn, and it was finally here. Their challenge for the year was the hardest, to work on their focus in 3 important areas: listening, looking and thinking. After talking about how to focus these 3 areas, I broke an "oversize" board with an elbow strike.

The assembly lasted about 45 minutes. All of the students (and the teachers) seemed to enjoy it. Mr. Hudson did a great job as "Master Hudson" and I had a blast, as always.

As an teacher, motivational speaker and entertainer, I always hope that something good that I say or do will "stick" or "make a positive impact" with some in the audience . . . maybe only one. Hey, maybe that "one" is that little kindergartener that I walk down the halls with in the mornings on his way to class.

A Visit From The Boys

2008-09-21T20:11:00.000-07:00

Last Saturday, I had the privilege of working out with some of the young men from Joseph's Home for Boys, located here in Statesboro. (Joseph's Home for Boys is a group home that provides a long-term supportive environment for children ages 6-21) This class, like one I did last year with the boys, was set up months ago by a member of the Statesboro Service League.

The class was set up for Saturday at 1:00 pm at our Academy. Members of the Service League arrived first - the boys arrived shortly after. Since the class like this that I did last year, I've been able to work with the boys through a Taekwondo program that we started at the Home, so I knew most of them. But there were three new faces, three boys that I hadn't met yet. I introduced myself to them, talked with them for just a minute, and then got everybody out on the floor to start. It was a great mix of people for the class: members of the Service League, some of their children that had come with them, and of course the boys - in all about twenty.

The class started with group warm up exercises. Then everyone paired-up for partner drills . . . situps, pushups and target kicking. Punching drills came next, followed by self defense practice drills. The class finished with some fun conditioning drills and a game of dodgeball. During all of these activities, we talked about the development and use of Leadership Skills - perseverance, hard work, respect, discipline and focus. Everyone did a great job and seemed to have a great time - I know I did. (I'll try to get some pics of the class posted soon)

Earlier I mentioned a Taekwondo Program at the Home. This program has allowed me to go out to Joseph's once a week to teach Taekwondo and leadership skills. The program has definately been a success. Earlier this year, five of the boys earned their orange belt and had their belts presented to them at our belt ceremony at the Statesboro Mall - they even did a demo at the Mall! Since then, we've changed the program to allow the boys to come to our facility for their classes. Here, they're able to fully participate in the program, with the right equipment and environment. They continue to do well and are looking forward to their next belt promotion.

What I learned from a building . . .

2008-09-08T19:50:00.000-07:00

We've got a lot of stuff. Our attic is full of stuff. Our garage is full of stuff. We've got stuff inside, stuff outside. That stuff just keeps accumulating.

So . . . we've taken the leap and bought a 30 by 30 metal building - you know. . . just in case we somehow get more stuff. Anyway, it's scheduled to be delivered tomorrow and for the last few days a crew of workers have been getting the ground ready for the building.

First, several trees and bushes needed to be cleared out. That was easy enough. The guy clearing some land for my dad next door made quick work of the trees and bushes - he's there clearing some land next door that my dad just purchased. From there the crew of workers took over, each one appearing to know exactly what needed to be done to get the ground ready for the concrete slab to be poured - each one moving about with a purpose. I could tell that they'd done this before. They were busy measuring, cutting wood and hammering stakes. It took them about two days to create the wooden form that would hold the concrete slab in place while it dried.

Yesterday, I got a call from the boss man who said that because of the slope on our land we needed some dirt brought in to level it up. He explained that it would be a whole lot cheaper to bring in some dirt than to fill it with extra cement. And so that's what we did. At about 2:00 today, a huge dumptruck full of dirt was pulling through our yard to get to the building site. He unloaded in less than a minute and was on his way. For the rest of the day, the crew worked to spread and compact the dirt. What started as two big piles of dirt was soon spread over the whole area. By six o'clock, the dirt was spread, compacted and ready to accept the truckloads of cement scheduled to be delivered in the morning.

What intrigues me most about the whole process is the care that is taken to prepare the foundation for this building. I can't help but think of the Bible verses that talk about building on Rock, a solid foundation, one that won't get washed away. As I go back and think about the process, I remember the boss man saying that the footers on one side needed to go a little deeper because of the sandy ground on that side. He said that they needed to go deeper to get on a little firmer ground, so everything would be stable. When I asked him about what kind of dirt to get to fill-in with, sand or some other kind of dirt, he said to order dirt - not sand - because it would pack better and hold stronger. That makes sense. At another time we were talking about the concrete slab itself. He told me that a slab of that size would crack, that's just how it goes, but they would put some "lines" (can't remember what he called them) in the concrete that would help control the cracks. I thought that was a pretty cool idea.

After all that I've seen the workers do over the last few days, I have a newfound respect for the whole process of installing a concrete slab. Great care and time goes into making sure the foundation is solid and sure. And, knowing that the slab will crack, steps are taken to help minimize and control them. It sounds like a great parallel to life, don't you think?

We should all take great care and time preparing ourselves - our attitudes, our education, our skill set, etc. - so we have a firm, solid base to build any endeavor upon, whether it be a way of life, a career goal or a hobby. And, because we're human, we know that we will have faults - our foundation will probably have faults - but we take steps to prepare for those faults - to help control them. It's impossible to know how many faults will come or when they'll come. We just hope that we've prepared our foundation, our life, as best we can and that when challenges come, we plan - and actively work - to overcome them. What do you think?

Competition, Crabs and Go Carts . . .

2008-09-02T18:26:00.000-07:00

We've just returned from a tournament down in Panama City Beach, Florida this past weekend. This particular tournament is held each year on Labor Day weekend and is a very popular tournament on the ATA Tournament Circuit, drawing over 1,000 competitors from as far away as San Diego, California. However, most - like us - were from the southeast region, a little closer to home.

Like for most of us, vacations are hard to come by - at least good ones are. So, we took advantage of this tournament by extending our stay. The tournament was being held at the Edgewater Beach Resort, right on the beach, and we booked our stay at the Resort so we would be close to the beach and the tournament. We arrived on Thursday night and left on Monday morning.

We left Portal around 3 o'clock, after picking up Braden from school. From there we traveled through Pearson, GA to pick up my mom and change vehicles (my dad let us use his Escalade) and then went on toward Florida. We arrived around 9:30 pm -after the time change. Not much to do when we got there: checked in the resort, checked out the beach, unpacked our stuff and settled in.

Friday was a fun day. We spent most of the day on the beach - swimming, playing and building sand castles.

After the beach, Braden and I checked out one of the pools at the Resort while Jamie and mom went to the room.

Later that day, I was scheduled to compete (4th and 5th degree competition took place the night before). The tournament started around 6:30 pm and my group was assigned to ring number 3. Jamie and Braden got front row seats and my mom was able to watch from the nearby secretary's table. Forms competition was first. My scores were a 9.8, 9.8, 9.9 - good enough for 1st place. Weapons were next, but I didn't compete in weapons this time. Sparring was last. I made it to the final round, but lost by one point. . . so I got 2nd in sparring. Overall, I felt good about my performance and - like all things that challenge us - walked away knowing that there's still a few more things to work on!

Saturday was spent at the tournament. The morning started off with the Black Belt Judges Meeting at 7:30 am. Tiny Tiger competition started around 9:00 am. Opening ceremonies were around 10:00 am. From there, competition continued throughout the day, starting with the youngest competitors and working up through the age and rank divisions until everyone had competed. The tournament finally wrapped up around 4:30 pm that day . . . a very long, hot day. [We had five competitors from our school in Statesboro competing in the tournament. Their results will be posted in the next edition of iVision, our weekly e-newsletter.] Later that night we went out for dinner and then headed back to the room.

On Sunday, we went back to the beach. By then signs of Hurricane Gustav were evident - higher winds, bigger waves, looming clouds and the threat of rain. The two red warning flags were out so we couldn't swim in the ocean, but we still had fun at the lagoon pool. After swimming for awhile, we went out for lunch and then went to ride go carts. Now that was fun! The boys rode in the 2-seater and mom rode in the single seater -- mom says she won -- Braden says that the boys won -- I think the boys won. Anyway, after that we went shopping for some Hermit Crabs to replace one that we lost (for more on that story check out Jamie's blog). We ended up buying 3 crabs and a shark-tooth necklace for Braden. When we got back to the room, we contemplated leaving early because of the approaching hurricane, but after studying The Weather Channel every chance we got, we decided to stay. So later we went back out to the pool and had some more fun, got take-out from the restaurant by the pool, and ate dinner in the room.

Deciding to stay turned out to be good. The hurricane missed Florida and the "outer bands" didn't have much effect on the weather where we were. The weather on Monday was actually better than the weather on Sunday. So we got up, packed up our things, checked out, stopped at the local Waffle House for breakfast (closer to lunch on "our time"), and headed home.

It was a good trip. We had fun on the beach, competed in a tournament, rode go carts, ate some great food, bought some Hermit Crabs, and was missed by a hurricane. Not bad for a Labor Day weekend in Floriday. It's something we'll look forward to next Labor Day - minus the hurricane of course!

Tournament Stuff . . .

2008-08-24T22:08:00.000-07:00

I was talking to my dad on the phone earlier today about the upcoming Panama City, FL tournament coming up this weekend.

Since I'm on the tournament staff, I try to attend all of the tournaments in our region throughout the year. This one, in particular, is especially nice to attend because of it's location - white sand beaches of the Gulf Coast - and because of all of the fun things to do while there - go carts, bungee, shop, eat, and of course, the beaches. Sometimes, Braden and Jamie can't go with me to all the tournaments, but they'll be able to go to this one, which allows for a mini-vacation, something all you self-employed readers. . . well, anyone for that matter, look forward to.

We talked about us riding with my mom down to Panama City. He's even letting us borrow his Escalade - the one with the TV's in the headrests, pre-loaded with cool video games (much to Braden's delight). It'll make his trip - who am I kidding - my trip a whole lot more enjoyable. I've got it all worked out . . . there are two TV's. . . one for Braden, one for me, Jamie can drive and my mom can work the navigation.

What's also cool about this tournament is that it's on Labor Day weekend, which extends the mini-vacation a much-needed extra day. My dad's even getting us an extra night's stay and may be able to go, too. As much as we love it here in Statesboro/Portal, we're really looking forward to a fun and relaxing weekend.

Now for those of you who may be a new student or just haven't been able to attend a tournament yet, let me tell you a little bit more about what these tournament things are all about.

First of all, if you're not in the American Taekwondo Association (ATA) then this stuff doesn't necessarily apply. What I mean is the ATA is large enough to have it's own tournament circuit, meaning all of the competitors and judges are members of the ATA, using ATA rules, policies, procedures and techniques. This allows for greater safety, structure, and competitiveness. Other tournaments and tournament circuits may allow different martial arts, have different rules, and may not offer the structure and uniformity that ATA tournaments provide. Having said that, here's an overview of ATA tournaments:

The ATA Tournament circuit starts in June each year with the ATA World Championships in Little Rock, Arkansas, the International Headquarters of the ATA. There are two National tournaments each year, Spring Nationals in Las Vegas and Fall Nationals in Orlando. There are five or six regional tournaments each year. Our region, Region 108, makes up Georgia, Alabama and Northern Florida. Attendance at these regional events ranges from about 500 to over 1000 competitors. Competitors range in age from about 3 to about 73 - and up. Competition is open to all rank levels: beginners to black belts to instructors. Competitors compete for 1st, 2nd and 3rd place trophies. All competitors 16 and under that do not place will receive a competitors trophy.

Currently, there are five areas of competition: Traditional forms, Traditional Weapons, Xtreme forms, Xtreme weapons, and Sparring. Students register for these tournaments with their instructor and then work with their instructors to prepare for competition. Competition usually takes place on Saturdays, with special seminars and training events on Fridays and/or Sundays. Most families drive to the tournament the day before and spend either one or two nights in the host city, making the most of their mini-vacation.

Competition is divided by age and rank, with specific staging times assigned to these groups. (staging is the process of gathering a rank and age group and then dividing the group into smaller groups for competition.) The maximum number of participants in a competition division is 16. Once the competitors are staged, they are then taken to an open ring for their competition. Xtreme forms and Xtreme weapons are done together, first thing in the morning, while traditional forms, weapons and sparring are done together, but after all Xtreme competition is done. This gives the Xtreme competitors time to change into their traditional uniforms for traditional competition.

ATA tournaments are held in large convention halls, gymnasiums, or resorts that can comfortably accommodate the competitors, judges, special guests, dignitaries and their families. The day starts around 7:30 am with the Black Belt Judges Meeting. Tiny Tiger (the youngest group) and Xtreme competition start around 9am. An opening ceremony follows around 10am. After the opening cermony, competition resumes, starting with the youngest and lowest rank students. Competition usually wraps up around 4 or 5 in the afternoon.

The ATA's goal with tournament competition is for all participants to have a safe, enjoyable experience that they'll want to do again. Concessions, engravers, photographers, and merchandise vendors are available to help make the experience even more memorable. Of course taking in the sights and attractions of the area, making new friends, and enjoying time spent with family is what a lot of students remember most about going to tournaments.

So, what about you? Interested in learning more about tournaments? How about competing in a tournament? If so, please contact us and we'll get you signed up, set up a plan for your training, and fill you in on all of the other details that'll help you and your family have a great tournament experience!

What a week!

2008-08-17T20:52:00.000-07:00

Here's just 3 reasons why this week was awesome:

First of all, I'm an Olympics-nut, meaning I'll stay up hours on end glued to the tv to see which country, which athlete will win the next medal. Every night this week when I got home, I couldn't help but turn on the tv to watch - it's addictive. But when you see all the great athletes, the records broken, the medals won, the elation of victory, and the disappointment of defeat, you can't help but watch. Even the sports that you don't ordinarily watch, the low-profile events, seem to have new appeal just because they're now being done AT THE OLYMPICS. And how about the high-profile stuff like gymnastics, swimming & track? All the drama, intensity and competitiveness - it gives me goose bumps just thinking about it. It makes me proud to be an athlete, proud to be an American!

Also this week, I had lunch with my son and his kindergarten class on Tuesday. It was our first lunch together at school. He got the sandwich lunch. I got the plate lunch. It was good, but being there with him at school was great. He's been having a tough time when his mom or I drop him off in the mornings, but Thursday was a breakthrough day - no crying. I gave him a surprise later that day for being brave (a Ben 10 toy from Walmart). I know it took a lot of courage, and I couldn't have been more proud of him!

My third awesome event this week was my mom's birthday. Wednesday was her 70th birthday, but her party was on Saturday. The whole family got together in Savannah for a surprise party for her at a local restaurant. The food was great - the dessert even better. Everyone had a great time.

You know, as I think about my mom, I begin to realize how much she's influenced my life.

She was very athletic in high school and college, competing in swimming and track and field events. She loves to watch sports on tv and remains active today. She's a sixth degree black who's won numerous World Champion Gold Medals over the years! . . . SHE's the "Olympian" that I've watched on the medal stand. She's a true athlete. She makes me proud to be an athlete, proud to be her son (there goes the goosebumps).

Oh, and SHE was the one who took ME to kindergarten each morning and had lunch with ME at school. I know I cried a lot when she dropped me off at school, and I know she couldn't have been more proud of me on that day I didn't cry. I wonder if she bought me a toy for being brave?? She probably did.

I hope that when I celebrate 70 years that it's with my family - and that I've lived an active life - and that my son is as proud of me as I am of her- and that I've influenced my son like my mom has influenced me.

Finding the positive . . .

2008-08-10T19:29:00.000-07:00

I went to my first tournament back in 1987. It was an ATA tournament. I was a green belt, about 14 years old. I was competing in forms and sparring. I don't remember much about my form, but I do remember the sparring match: a quick and decisive loss to the guy who eventually won 1st place that day. I didn't get hurt, well not physically, but remember being very nervous, anxious . . . and yes - I'll say it - scared.

My second tournament was also as a green belt. It went pretty much the same way: other guy won - still scared. Not a very successful way to get my tournament career going, right? Well if you consider success as winning a first place trophy, then no. But let me tell you about why it was a success.

Time to get philosophical on you. Here goes:

You and I know that when we move outside our comfort-zone by challenging ourselves with difficult tasks, or trying new things, or going forward even though we're afraid, we are growing as a person, learning about ourselves, and building the framework of future success! How do I know this? Books tell us, successful people tell us, (your mama probably told you, too) and I bet that if we go back and think about those "outside of my comfort-zone" experiences, we'd find that there was something positive that came out of it. I'll be the first to admit that it doesn't feel like it when it's happening. But, usually after time has passed and a new similar experience comes up, we remember that original experience (our feelings, our actions, and our results) and somehow we're able to get through this new experience a little easier: we've grown, we've learned, we've built up something inside us that helps us to keep going. Sometimes the positive that we get from an uncomfortable experience is blatant and very useful. At other times, just knowing that it "didn't kill ya" is good enough . . . and just as useful!

So what about my great tournament start? Well, after those first two tournaments I didn't compete again for a few years. Why? Maybe I was scared or had just gotten turned off to tournaments? Or maybe that "positive" just hadn't been realized yet, or was growing inside, or just wasn't manifesting itself yet? When I did start competing again in tournaments, it was as a Black Belt, at the ATA World Championships. How did I do at this glorious return to competition? Zero in forms - Zero in sparring. Nothing it seems had changed - but wait (insert proverbial lightswitch) - something had changed. Don't know what it was, but this time, I kept competing, I wanted to compete, I looked forward to competition. After several tournaments, I started doing better. I started winning forms trophies and not getting beat in the first round of sparring. After several years of tournaments I started winning first place forms trophies and started winning more and more sparring matches (even placing first at times). And, what do you know, in 2005 I won a forms championship and was the 2008 runner up for the forms championship! How about that. A lot learned since that green belt in 1987.

Now as a 5th degree, I've been attending tournaments for many years. I've competed in weapons and done well. I've trained 3 World Champions. I'm a member of our region's tournament staff, a group of officials who work to make the tournament run smoothly by enforcing rules and fixing problems. I still compete, too. And I still get a little nervous before each competition. But, having come this far, I know that with each "failure" comes some future success and with each success comes more success.

So, for my students and the people that know me and read this, I challenge you to find the success in any failure. I challenge you to move outside your comfort-zone and try something new, something different, something you've been avoiding. When you do, you may have instant success, instant achievement - so keep on going, find more success!

Or when you do, you may NOT have instant success, you might flop or flounder, or do OK. If that's the case, look hard for that elusive - sometimes tiny - positive thing that will help you to build your future successes >> even if it's the relief and satisfaction of just knowing that it didn't kill ya!

How it all came about . . .

2008-08-03T20:09:00.000-07:00

You know I'm not much of a "computer guy". Sure, I check my email, but that's about it - and I didn't even get an email address until 2004! Now don't get me wrong, I like technology and electronics,but I never got "into" the emailing, texting, blogging stuff that everyone around me seems to be doing and enjoying.

So, now my wife's talked me into blogging. She's been blogging for awhile. She enjoys it and people enjoy reading her blogs. She's been after me for months about starting a blog, but I've just been hesitating, waiting, unsure about the whole thing. I'm not sure how it's going to go for me. This stuff comes so easily for her. She's good at it, really good. I would tell you to go check out her blog, but then you'd probably go read hers and not read mine. We're both martial artists, and in this family, she would be considered the Black Belt Blogger and I would be the nervous novice - the white belt blogger! But, like we tell our Taekwondo students to do, I'll go forward with confidence, I'll practice, I'll make mistakes but also make improvements, and hopefully I'll move my way through the ranks of this art called blogging.

With much advice and support from my wife, we've decided that my first blog should kind of give a preview of what's to come, give you an idea of what you can expect to find here. My hope is that this blog will be informative, educational and entertaining. It will be a place to learn stuff about me, Eddie Lott, that you may or may not know. I know you may not want to know stuff about me but my wife assures me that that's one of the intriguing things about blogs, that's why people read them. Anyway, this blog will be a place to see pictures and videos of students, instructors and their families at ATA events like testings, tournaments, seminars, late nights, etc. Each week I'll also talk about a martial arts idea, event, training method, teaching method, tradition or philosophy that I hope you'll find interesting and want to come back again and again to see what's next!

For today, I'll wrap up with some background information about me. If you're not interested, just skip this part and best wishes until next week.

Well, in the beginning there was my mom and dad. They had me on March 15, 1973 in Los Angeles, California. Didn't stay there long. I "grew up" in and around Willacoochee, Georgia - yes, Will-a-cooch-ee, a super-small, South Georgia town located on US Hwy 82 between Waycross and Tifton. We moved around a little during my kindergarten through second grade years but settled into the Atkinson County School System from third grade on. I started my martial arts training in May of 1986 with my two younger sisters. I was 13 and our first martial arts school was a rental property that my dad owned next door to us. To go to class, we just walked across the yard, climbed a fence and we were there. If it were only that easy nowadays? My parents, like most, encouraged/supported/modeled/enforced/rewarded our learning in school. They wanted us to succeed in school. Maybe they thought learning stuff in school helped you do better in life? . . . You think?

Oh well, on to high school. I was lucky. I was able to do and be successful at many things. I played sports (football & track), competed in Literary events (spelling and keyboarding - 2nd in state even!), and was class president for 3 straight years. But I take the greatest pride in the fact that I graduated Valedictorian of my 1991 senior class (even had lunch with Governor Zell Miller). What I don't tell most people, though, is that there were only 76 other people to beat out. Is that good or bad? Anyway, by graduation I was a first degree black belt. I had even taken a break from training during my junior and senior year of high school.

I moved to Statesboro to attend GSU that Fall. During my first 2 years at Southern I didn't really know what I wanted to do "when I grow up". Of course I did a lot of core classes, but I also took psychology classes (because I liked them) and biology and chemistry classes (at one time I wanted to be a physical therapist) and business classes (I think I knew then that I was going to be my own boss - at least until I got married - but that's another blog). During this "unsure" time in college I continued my martial arts training, testing for higher rank and entering the instructor program. And then - somewhere right in the middle of my college career - it clicked . . . I wanted to teach Taekwondo "when I grow up". So, I chose a major - Psychology (mainly because my dad said I should "pick something that you could use no matter what you choose to do . . . you'll pretty much always have to deal with people) - and so it began.

I started teaching Taekwondo in January of 1993 at the Recreation Department here in Statesboro and for the next two years I went to college in the mornings and taught Taekwondo in the evenings. Classes grew and I moved into my first commercial building soon afterward. From there we expanded several times in the original shopping center and moved our location twice, landing where we are now on Northside Drive. During this same time my martial arts training continued. I was training, competing and learning. Also, during this time, college continued. I graduated from GSU in December of 1995 with a degree in Psychology (and a couple classes short of a minor in business). I did manage to graduate from GSU with honors, too - not first in my class - but with honors (there were a little more than 76 other people in this class to beat out.?!) But seriously, I valued education then, and I value it now. Maybe that's why I'm so excited about what I get to do - teach people martial arts-leadership-life skills.

I am truly blessed. Today, I'm a 5th degree black belt business owner/instructor. One of my goals is to test for my 6th degree next Summer. At 35, I'm truly in the best shape of my life. Jamie, my beautiful wife, and I were married in 2000. We have an incredible 4 year old son (who turns 5 on August 6th). We're blessed with a loving family, 3 unique dogs, an unbelievable house and pond on 5 quiet acres of land in Portal, Georgia, a super-small "just north of South Georgia" town about the size of Willacoochee, Georgia. Imagine that.