US Army 425th Civil Affairs

Recently, To-Shin Do Black Belt Instructor Steve Broadhead and I spent some time with soldiers of the 425th Civil Affairs unit of the US Army. We covered fundamental effective means for Close-Quarter Combat with the weight of modern armor in mind.  Below is a note that coordinator, SGT Andrew Nicholls sent to me following the training.

“To Shin Do is the most effective form of martial arts I’ve ever used. I’ve implemented it’s simple and effective techniques to train my team and help keep myself alive in Iraq and out of trouble in the US. It has come in handy more times than you would think to stop a fight from even taking place! You don’t just learn the physical techniques, you also learn to project yourself in a way that puts you in control of the situation.  Hats off to Paul and all the instructors at WQS for their passion and selflessness in their teaching.”
-SGT Andrew Nicholls, US Army

To see the video of the training, go to:        http://www.youtube.com/WQSmartialarts

Paul Hantoshi Molinsky
Warrior Quest Society
1111 Ranco Conejo Blvd. Suite 503 • Newbury Park, CA 91320
805-499-9033

A New Decade

 It is hard to believe but 2010 is already here. Didn’t we all just got through the big Y2K panic. Computers were going to freeze, The power grid was going to shut down, anarchy was going to break out everywhere. There were even rumors about Nuclear Missiles resetting and automatically launching. Well here we are a decade later still kicking. It has been a tough time, national tragedies, wars, a troubled economy, however throughout it all we have endured. Many valuable lessons can be learned from these times. How we adapt and change to our environment is the big one. In our training, this is exactly what we do. We train not for the norm, but for the unexpected. We constantly talk about the “what if” scenario. How would you deal with this particular situation, how would you respond and what would you do to get to safety. What a magical and amazing art To-Shin Do is, it teaches you how to live your life freely and without preset limitations. The training is designed to give you solutions and options for difficult situations. Remember Knowledge isn’t power, what you do with the Knowledge is what makes it powerful.

Simon Botoshi Clifford

WQS Martial Arts

1111 Rancho Conejo Blvd., Unit 503, Newbury Park, CA 91320

805/499 9033

Think Positive

Don’t dwell on what happens to you in life, use what happens to empower yourself.

 To go somewhere, you need a destination and a plan to get there.  That’s the easy part.  Now, never, never, never ever give up.

The word impossible, is as negative as possible is positive.

 When you help other people with their problems, your own problems will be easier to cope with.

Trusting ones self will lead to success.

Obstacles are the world’s way of saying “Stay focused”

Give out positive energy and it will come back exponentially.

Commit to life with a positive attitude and life will give back all it has to you.

The problem is not the problem.  How you deal with the problem is the real problem.

Simon Botoshi Clifford

WQS Martial Arts

1111 Rancho Conejo Blvd., Unit 503, Newbury Park, CA 91320

805/499 9033

Mind Science in Action

One of our students, Michael Crawford, sent me a little blurb on the positive effect of Stephen K. Hayes’ To-Shin Do Mind Science Program is having on his life.

It is Saturday afternoon. Just got home from training. My cousin that I live with is a student of Kodoken Judo. We like to play in the living room from time to time. My cousin’s wife’s sister is staying over. (She has issues to work out – see where this is going.) Well, with the combination of my cousin & I, his daughter and her dog making for a very loud crowd, his sister is “rudely” awakened, be it noon, and comes out with all of her negativity aimed directly at me. Won’t say the exact words she used. I apologized and offered other suggestions so she can rest, such as sleeping in her mother’s room, which is unoccupied and further away, hence quieter. Instead she storms off and leaves behind a volley of abusive language and negative intent.

About 20 minutes goes by and my cousin’s wife comes home. I start explaining what happened but her & I start to go on the defense – which whenever she & I speak is notorious for. To be honest, we have spent over a year having people play messenger for us because we couldn’t talk to each other. As we started getting defensive about the “awakening incident”, I started to step back. I let her know that I love my cousin and she is a bigger part of his life than I’ll ever be. In turn I also explained that I love her too. I told her how she makes him happy and completes him and that I’m tired of fighting. Then the conversation went deeper than just this, which is another story.

It started out with strong negativity in a chaotic confrontation ready to explode, but with a little bit of mind science turned into a peaceful beginning in my household.

I would like to thank my instructors of the Newbury Park Quest Center for helping me see new wholesome values and also empowering me to take these values I already do have and use them in other versatile manners. This I wouldn’t have had been possible if I had not trained and experience the Mind Science drills that An-Shu Stephen K. Hayes masterfully handed down to the owners of the Warrior Quest Society. Thank you all again.

(Director’s Note:  Most people in life, when given a lump of coal fail to see the diamond in the rough. Michael is not one of those people. Whenever I give a homework assignment from the Mind Science, he seems to always come back to me with a success story. His work place has become better because of him. He deals with confrontation, bullies, and environmental circumstances in an enlightened manner. And now, once again he has been the protector and actively promoted harmony at home.)

Paul Hantoshi Molinsky
Warrior Quest Society
1111 Ranco Conejo Blvd. Suite 503 • Newbury Park, CA 91320
805-499-9033

Veteran’s Day Service

I have just returned from taking my children to a Veteran’s Day Service in Thousand Oaks. Some time has passed- we are now home, but I can still feel the energy of the ceremony; the feeling of gratitude for all our Veterans have provided this country and continue to provide; the feeling of loss for those that are never coming home; the feeling of pride as our colors were posted.

As the Lt. Colonel called for the WWII Veterans to stand, one gentleman in attendance had jumped at Normandy- my son was so excited as this is one of his favorite topics.  The fly over by the Condor Squadron was of course a croud pleaser and people of all ages waved flags of all sizes. The bugler played Taps and the bagpiper played Amazing Grace– I don’t think there was a dry eye within a three mile radius.

I was honored to be in attendance at the Veteran’s Day Service- and to teach my children the meaning of the day. We train in a warrior tradition and today we honored true warriors that helped make our country the great nation that it is today.

Kriss Gakutoshi Hurdle
WQS Martial Arts

Warrior Quest Society
1111 Rancho Conejo Blvd., Unit 503, Newbury Park, CA 91320

(805)499 9033

Truth

A few years back, my instructor made a very strange statement. I was challenging the validity of a particular technique, to which he responded, “It’s all lies, you figure it out”. This perplexed me, as I had always looked to him for guidance and advice. When I asked him why he gave me such a strange response, he explained that this was a lesson that he had himself had been taught by Hatsumi Sensei. I asked him what this meant and he simply responded “I will only understand, when the time is right”. (I later found out, that this lesson was also learned from his own experience).

“It’s all lies, you figure it out”. Well a few years have passed and I now have a better understanding of it’s meaning. Everything we do is always changing; in fact the only constant we have in our training, is change its’ self. The circumstances that create an opportunity will always be different and therefore the outcome will always be a unique event. The techniques that you learn in class are just that, techniques. They will not work when viewed this way. To be effective, they must become a piece of a larger, cohesive event. Remember, a single word, although powerful, cannot tell a story.

Simon Botoshi Clifford
WQS Martial Arts
1111 Rancho Conejo Blvd., Unit 503, Newbury Park, CA 91320
805/499 9033

Arthritis Foundation’s California Coast Classic

By
Gianni Torraca

 

One symbol of To Shin Do is the person stretching beyond their comfort zone.  A simple yet profound message, get outside your comfort zone and reap the rewards. Applying this to my love of cycling I wondered how far could I go under my own power?  How about San Francisco to Los Angeles?  This year I joined over 200 cyclists in the Arthritis Foundation’s California Coast Classic.  A charity bike tour called the California Coast Classic Bicycle Tour sponsored by Amgen.  So not only do you get to experience one of the most dramatic coastlines in the world but also help fund arthritis research.  Each rider had to raise at least $3000.  This year $1 million was raised.

 This 525-mile ride leaves from the Fisherman’s Wharf in San Francisco and arrives 8 days later at the Yahoo Center in Santa Monica.  The ride hugged the coastline making the constant of the Pacific Ocean a familiar companion nearly every day of the ride. Read Full Story Here

WQS Martial Arts

Warrior Quest Society

1111 Rancho Conejo Blvd., Unit 503, Newbury Park, CA 91320

(805)499 9033

An Amazing Group

We just completed a senior citizen’s women’s self protection and awareness seminar. What a powerful group of people! I certainly thank these women from the bottom of my heart; their enthusiasm and willingness to learn reminded me that my cup is never full. Any pre-conceived notions of what a “senior citizen” is or should be just flew out the window.

The group we had the honor to work with is confident, open minded and full of spirit. And upon completion of the class, has quite a few awareness tools that may be applied right away.

To Shin Do practitioners- imagine yourself in 20 or 30 years—- the beauty of what we study is that you WILL be able to continue to train— the art will adapt to you. Imagine what a presence in the world you will be!!!

Kriss Gakutoshi Hurdle
WQS Martial Arts

Warrior Quest Society
1111 Rancho Conejo Blvd., Unit 503, Newbury Park, CA 91320

(805)499 9033

Patience

Have you ever been in class and felt like you were living in Ground Hog’s day.  “Didn’t I just spend a week to this kata”  “Gosh, I seem to have been a blue belt for ages”  Sound familiar.  It can happen to all of us.  Students spend approximately 3 months at each belt level and sometimes it can seem repetitious.  Is it really? Yes you do the same Kata, however as you move through the belts in a particular realm, the lesson changes.  Your instructors will often show you Henka (variations)  The understanding of the lesson will change as you become more proficient in your realm.  When you train as a new student in a realm, it is all very mechanical.  As you progress, the movement becomes more natural and before you know it, you can start to embody the feeling of the element.  There really isn’t any substitute for the time spent on the mat.  You have to live and become it.  A good friend of mine, uses the expression “that sometimes you just have to let the varnish dry”  You just have to spend some time letting the movement become part of you.

 

In life things are very much the same.  If you are a driver, think back to when you were learning.  At first you had to think about everything.  The steering, the gas, the braking, the turn signal.  Everything was an individual thought process.  After a few months, you braked without consciously thinking.  You steered and signaled at the same time.  Things just happened.  Now we drive, talk (not on a phone unless it is hands free), signal, adjust the radio, think about your day without given any thought to the actual act of driving.  That is the level of proficiency that we strive to in our training.  A point where you give no thought to the actual movement as it is part of you.  Next time you are training and you feel that you have got it, ask yourself if you could respond without any hesitation.  If the answer is yes, then you are on your way, if no, then maybe a few more hours behind the wheel is what you need.  Having the patience to hang around and really embody the art, is part of the character of a true warrior.

Simon Botoshi Clifford

WQS Martial Arts

1111 Rancho Conejo Blvd., Unit 503, Newbury Park, CA 91320

805/499 9033 

Thank You, THQ

Just got back from Gaming Company THQ’s quarterly meeting; Warrior Quest Martial Arts was asked to perform a demonstration as part of a global game release promo. Paul Hantoshi Molinsky and Jeremy Park performed jo-staff to the delight of all in attendance- with cool music and ninja costumes. Kriss Gakutoshi Hurdle and Simon Botoshi Clifford answered many inquiries about our dojo.

To the outside observer, this was a marketing meeting for THQ—to us, we were training—info gathering, marketing strategies, getting the word out about To Shin Do. Are you aware of ALL your training opportunities?

Kriss Gakutoshi Hurdle
Warrior Quest Society
1111 Rancho Conejo Blvd., Unit 503, Newbury Park, CA 91320

(805)499 9033