Martial Arts Archives | Little Hero Project

First Promotion 2020 – Celebrating the Year

This weekend our dojo: Cumming Martial Arts, had its annual First Promotion ceremony at a local high school. This ceremony is special because it’s the only time during the year that the entire school is together with all students in one place at one time.

This year was was very special to our little family because this is the first time that all three of us gals: me, Lyla and Mia participated in in the festivities.

Lyla received an award for best sword competitor, and I received an award for outstanding adult in 2019. Lyla also received an award for academic achievement. We are so glad to be part of a martial arts school that values achievements outside of the dojo.

I was also so honored to become a new Mamasan alongside these two amazing ladies, which is an honor given to dojo moms who make a big impact at the school.

After the awards, it was time for demonstrations!

The obstacle course is always so cute to watch, as the Tiny Tigers race to win a trophy. Mia came in second place in her division and we are so proud!

The competition team, Team Tsunami, performed a team demo to round our the student demonstrations. Lyla and I had the opportunity to perform part of the sword kata together, which was such a great experience! We are looking forward to doing much more of this in the future!

As coaches, we were very proud of these students because we only had one or two classes to prepare for it and we felt that they held their own very well. Onwards and upwards! Here’s to an amazing 2020!

Featured, Martial Arts, Tournaments

The Inaugural North Georgia Open

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We had the opportunity to attend the inaugural North Georgia Open by PROMAC this past weekend. This tournament was literally less than a mile and a half from our dojo, so it felt like it was right in our backyard!

It was so amazing to have so many of our fellow Cumming Martial Arts students in attendance to cheer each other on and celebrate our wins!

Our dojo ended up with 13 first places, 12 second places, 11 third places, and 2 grand champions. What a way to welcome the North Georgia Open to Cumming, Georgia!

Not to mention, we got some snow as well! Just the frosting on top of a great day!

Featured, Martial Arts, Tournaments

Kicking 2020 off in Tennessee

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We started our karate competition season off with a road trip to Franklin, Tennessee for the Middle Tennessee Classic by PROMAC.

While it was awesome to get back into competition mode, make new ones friends from all over the Southeast US; part of the reason we love traveling to tournaments is making these weekends a mini getaway.

After the Middle Tennessee Classic tournament, we spent the rest of the weekend exploring Nashville and visiting our friends at the Gentle Barn Tennessee.

Nashville has so many amazing murals around the city. If you find yourself there, definitely try to visit a few of them. The angel wings were our favorite, and they were so gorgeous in person!

The Gentle Barn Tenneessee holds a special place in my (Melissa’s) heart. Dudley, their three legged cow, played an enormous part in my journey to not eating meat. The sweet animals who still live at the Gentle Barn carry on his legacy at the sanctuary. They serve as amazing ambassadors for kindness to animals everywhere.

Martial Arts

Getting Through Your First Belt Test

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First, congratulate yourself on getting through the toughest part of getting to your next belt: staying consistent and regularly attending classes. Most times, the hardest part is just getting through the door and getting started!

Now, you’ve been training for a few months, and you’ve learned your first kata (form), self-defense drills, and your basic martial arts moves (ie. punches, blocks, kicks). Now it’s time to test for your next belt, which means that your instructor feels that you’ve progressed to a point where you are ready for more knowledge.

It’s normal to be nervous. No matter how many belt test you take, you will always be nervous before one. It’s normal!

Here are our tips for preparing and getting through that first belt test.

Having your first belt test when studying martial arts almost like a rite of passage. Are you nervous? It’s normal to be nervous. No matter how many belt tests you take, you will always be nervous before one. It’s normal!

First of all, congratulate yourself on getting through the toughest part of getting to your next belt: staying consistent and attending classes. The hardest part is just walking through the door and getting started!

Now, that you’ve been training for a few months, and have learned your first kata/form, self-defense drills, and your basic martial arts moves (ie. punches, blocks, kicks, stances). Now it’s time to test for your next belt, which means that your instructor feels that you’ve progressed to a point where you are ready for more knowledge.

Here are our tips for preparing and getting through that first belt test.

#1 Your Mindset

Mindset is everything. If you don’t think you can do something, you won’t. If you believe that you can do something, you almost always will.

#2 Be Prepared

You will always know ahead of time when you are testing, and you should know what you will be tested on (if you don’t know, ask your instructor).

#3 Eat Well

Brain fog and upset stomachs aren’t something you want to be dealing with during your first belt test, especially when you get a little nervous. Make sure to get a healthy, and nutritious meal in the morning before you test and eat smart throughout the day.

#4 Don’t Stress About It

If you weren’t ready for your belt test, then your instructor wouldn’t haven’t recommended that you take it. So do as well as you would do during a normal class, and let your training, muscle memory and adrenaline take over!

Marvel receiving her yellow belt in karate.

Have you taken a belt test before? What are your best tips?

Fitness, Martial Arts

Choosing a Martial Arts School for your Child

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It’s no secret that martial arts classes for kids are insanely popular. Especially out in the ‘burbs where we live, there seems to be at least one martial arts school in every other shopping center.

Who wouldn’t want to raise a little ninja, right?

Plus, the benefits of a martial arts program are endless. Kids will learn important life lessons that they will carry with them into adulthood. From building confidence to learning respect for yourself and others to developing self-reliance – there’s no team in martial arts, you need to depend on yourself.

The reason Marvel got started in her martial arts classes was due to my encouragement. I had something to do with it (a lot to do with it).

I love kickboxing and boxing, so naturally, I have a circle of friends who are really into it too. Once my girls saw us being bad asses on the heavy bag, they wanted to try it out too.

We went through a couple schools before we found “the one.” Here’s what I learned through my experience:

Choosing the right martial arts school for your child is difficult. What do you look for?

Do your research on the type of martial arts and narrow down to which discipline(s) to take a closer look at. The most popular ones with children’s programs tend to be karate, taekwondo, and jiu jitsu.
Test out at least 2-3 schools before committing to one.
Observe how the instructors interact with the students. Are they firm, yet engaging?
What is the instructor to student ratio? Some schools have 10 students per instructor… I prefer at most 4-5 students per instructor.
Ask: how quickly do students move up in belts? Are yo ujust paying for a new belt color or is the student actually learning the skills?