SGRO Karate VISION "And the LORD answered me: “Write the vision; make it plain on tablets, so he may run who reads it" Habakkuk 2:2. So, here is the "Vision" for SGRO Karate,as plain as possible, interview (Q & A) style
1) Who is the teacher, and what are his teaching credentials? 2) What is the Mission and Vision Statement of SGRO Karate? 3) How does SGRO Karate develop my child's self-esteem? 4) How does SGRO Karate help my child become a "Champion" in life? 5) How does SGRO Karate help families become successful in life?
1) Who is the teacher? David L. Sgro, and his senior students, are the teachers. David Sgro took his first martial arts class in 1974, and started teaching full time in 1986. He relocated to Fayetteville in 1999, and ran a full time school and taught the military. He developed "FIGHT CUT" (Fully Integrated Grappling and Hitting Techniques, Close Up Techniques) and taught 3rd SFG (A), 82nd ABN, PsyOp, CA, Military Police, 18th ABN Corps and VMI. His military (and missions books) are available in Amazon. For more info visit (This link takes you out of this page): www.combativearts.net
In 2009 he responded to the "Call of the Lord", sold everything, and moved with his family as missionaries in Guatemala, and established "GO! Ministries", which provides clothing, medicine, mission teams, and building supplies, for the Indigenous Mayans of Guatemala. For more info about GO! Ministries, visit (This link takes you out of this page): www.goministries.info
2) What is the Mission and Vision Statement of SGRO Karate? Mission Statement: The sole purpose of SGRO Karate, is to develop a student's self-esteem so that they, when faced with physical, mental, and spiritual challenges in life will have the confidence to confront the challenge, and succeed.”
Vision Statement: * To maintain and promote a community where people can engage in a productive, lifelong study of the martial arts. * To have a positive influence on the general community where we live, work, and train in the martial arts. * To promote students whose proficiency meets, or exceeds International Standards; and to encourage students to teach, and/or compete at the highest level they can achieve.
3) How do you develop self-esteem? I started karate in 1974 because I was being bullied at school. My Uncle suggested I take karate, so I did! Soon the bullying stopped. Why? Because my self-esteem grew. Let me use a coffee table as an example of what I mean:
DR CC: When someone is sick they go to the Doctor. The table top (Self-Esteem) can only hold up what the legs can support. The 4 legs are the Doctor, DR CC. Self: Discipline, Respect, Confidence and Control. The 4 legs have to be equal length and strength. When the table (self-esteem) is asked to hold more weigh than it can, it starts to wobble, and additional weight causes stress and breaks the weak leg. Let me give you some examples.
Discipline: People are not born with self discipline; so they need to learn it, but they don’t know how. Goal setting is a perfect way to do this and so SGRO Karate uses "Rank Achievement" (Earning their belt) as a primary motivator to develop self-discipline. A student who has TOO LITTLE discipline lacks self-discipline, and will never finish what they start. The load (the table top) of (i.e. studying, work, pressure of grades) becomes too heavy, the discipline breaks, and the table crumbles. With TOO MUCH self-discipline, they might develop a risk aversion, and become overly cautious, or become a perfectionist. They may focus on details, at the expense of seeing the bigger picture. Hebrews 12:11 For the moment all discipline seems painful rather than pleasant, but later it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it.
Respect:TOO LITTLE respect, and people will not treat themselves, and others properly. They will be rude and crass. They can be self-centered. With too much respect then they might let people walk all over them in life. Their "respect" can become a justification letting things "slide" when being oppressed. God wants us to be polite, respectful and kind, but He does not want us to be a "welcome mat" or a "punching bag" for others to wipe their feet on. When a student has TOO MUCH respect the opposite can become an issue. Yes, it is important to respect those in authority, but, if those in authority cross appropriate boundaries and lines, it is possible a person who has given too much trust and respect may find themselves being taken advantage of. Luke 22:36 He said to them, "But now if you have a purse, take it, and also a bag; and if you don't have a sword, sell your cloak and buy one.
Confidence: TOO LITTLE confidence will make a student shy and introverted, in a negative way. TOO MUCH confidence can lead a student to "writing checks their body can't cash!" They'll over-estimate their abilities and take on things they can't handle. Matthew 23:12 For those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.
Control: TOO LITTLE control the person stops doing things that could improve their situation, perhaps ceasing activities they used to enjoy. They can cause injury or damage, to themselves and/or others around them. That injury, or damage, can be physical, mental, spiritual, financial, or emotional. ThatTOO MUCH control can lead a student to "fear life". FEAR stands for "False Evidence Appearing Real". They'll over-estimate the situation they are facing and can develop a risk aversion. Or, they may try to control things they can't, leading to angry, or anxiousness, when they can't get their own way. Sometimes they'll take responsibility for things outside their control. This leads to more problems, like depression.Control and Discipline work hand-in-hand.
4) How does SGRO Karate help my child become a "Champion" in life?
A person is made up of 3 parts: Body, Mind and Spirit (Character). Body: The "body" is the physical realm. It is developed through stretching, and exercise. This leads to fitness and optimum strength, flexibility and endurance. "Kwan Jang Nim (Grand Master) Sgro lives a health life style and teaches about diet, exercise, resting, and balance.
Mind: The "mind" is the set of faculties including cognitive aspects such as consciousness, imagination, perception, thinking, intelligence, judgement, language and memory. The mind is developed through the concentration and focus needed to be successful in the martial arts. This this done primarily through Hyung (Form) practice. Kwan Jang Nim Sgro lwas an a National Hyung Champion, and has produced many National Hyung Champions.
5) How do SGRO Karate help families become successful in life?
Competence: SGRO Karate is "disciplined" and "fair". Students are not "given rank". "Little Jimmy" gets his rank when he earns it and deserves it. SGRO Karate teaches "traditional martial arts", for self-development, and "practical applications" for self-defense. SGRO Karate is not into "participant awards", and such. Karate is a contact sport, so, we allow "controlled contact" in sparring. SGRO Karate balances this with safety. Our goal is to develop strong students, who have the confidence to defend themselves, and still are kind and gentle. We call it "Steel hand, velvet glove".
Competition: SGRO Karate is highly competitive! KJN Sgro has competed, taught, and coached at the highest level in Tang Soo Do. Strong competition creates strong people! If you trust your childs competition career to me, I will produce a champion! I am most certain of this, as I've done it, time and time again for close to 40 years. I've either personally competed, taught, or raised up Tan Soo Do National and International Champions, who've either competed, or demonstrated in: 1) USA 2) Canada 3) England 4) Holland 5) Greece 6) Guatemala 7) Costa Rica 8) South Korea 9) Philippines 10) COLUMBIA
Community: Our slogan is "We're more than a Karate School, we're Family!" In a strong, tight knit karate school, many life-long friendships can be formed.
Q) What is "Community"? A) A feeling of fellowship with others, as a result of sharing common attitudes, interests, and goals.
Q) How is "Community" established? A) A group of people come together for a common interest, at a common time, over a period of time. We do this very thing. We support our students. We attend many tournaments, and our "Parent/Student" run booster club hosts fundraisers to help cover competition and travel fees. These fundraisers also build "Community". We have "pot-luck" dinners, birthday parties, camp outs, and many other "Community Building" events! So, come and be part of our family!
Come try a couple of classes (No charge) and see what all the excitement is about!