Kaizen is a Japanese word which has no corresponding meaning in English. Basically it means constant never ending improvement. Often people initially are sceptical about my teachings but they do not appreciate that in my seminars I often get people practicing techniques and methods that would normally be considered advanced in many styles. After just a couple of hours with me to see the measurable confidence and ability is a living testament to both my ability as a teacher and the methods that I practice.

So it has been a long two weeks of running, jumping and crawling (don’t ask) but I have really enjoyed my time with the parkour group here in Wellington.

The question that needs to be asked is....what is parkour?

Running Krav Maga got me working mostly with adults however the launch of the Taekwondo classes has once again got me working with kids. The last couple of weeks I have been working with the school kids of Rotorua Intermediate School promoting my school, and teaching basic Taekwondo and self defence moves. The energy and enthusiasm of the youngsters was tangible and to nurture and cultivate ability in people of an apt age to start martial arts training is one of the most rewarding experiences for any instructor in my opinion.

This has been a very rough start to the year for my hitching adventures. The plan was to go to places around New Zealand teaching and learning Martial arts as I go but this new found freedom ran into a few problems along the way. Timing, no one wanting to appear on camera, troubles with my laptop and mobile internet. However like most problems I have in my life all it takes is a little bit of training to relax the mind and find the solution.

Working with school kids has presented new opportunities for me as well as challenges. There is the organization and business savvy from running a martial arts school specializing in two distinct styles. There is the challenge of teaching kids survival skills from my favourite sport, teaching a new discipline as well as lecturing about being good citizens and never using the skills taught to them in the wrong way.