A personal story, and some cool news about MSDC!

Written by Chris Monday, 07 November 2011 16:44

Hi All,

I'm excited to bring you some news today.  For me, the story is rather personal.

Do you have any projects that you've just never gotten around to finishing?  I think we all do.  And if you're like me, you have one or two of those projects that really drive you crazy.  From time to time you are reminded that you're not moving forwards with those projects, and I know that it eats me up inside when I'm neglecting a project that has real value to it.

This past weekend, I was very fortunate -- I was able to address not one, but TWO of those projects in my own life.  And I'm telling you about it because they will both affect YOU, my friends at MSDC, in the very near future!

In the late spring of 2002, when I stopped teaching dance full time, I came back into the Martial Arts with incredible enthusiasm.  Even though I was still training, I had missed exploring new territory, learning new arts, and developing new skills.  So that year, I started training in a number of new Martial Arts, and under several high level instructors.

As I started to progress in these systems, some of them took center stage and forced others to wait on the sidelines.  Over time, I started to become frustrated that I couldn't train all of them with the same intensity at the same time.  Some of them would have to wait.  And this is where the tough part came in:

Two of the arts that were left out of the spotlight were styles I really enjoyed -- Budoshin Ju-jitsu and Krav Maga.  Budoshin is a traditional Japanese style of Ju-jitsu, which blends elements of Karate, Judo, Aikido, as well as some other unique techniques into a rich blend of classical training.  Krav Maga is a hard-hitting, in your face, aggressive and hands-on discipline for the 21st century.  Both of them are awesome, and I really enjoy training them.

So over time, I started missing these two arts in my training, and it was bumming me out.  I'm excited to say that I put some work in, and now BOTH of these arts are coming to MSDC, and you'll have the opportunity to train them!

This past Saturday, I (finally) earned my Black Belt in Budoshin Ju-jitsu.  I drove down to Arlington, Virginia for the chance to train and test under my instructor, Professor George Kirby (10th degree black belt and head of the Budoshin Ju-jitsu system).  With Sensei Kirby's blessing, we are adding Budoshin JJ to our Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Elite schedule at the beginning of the new year.

As if THAT wasn't enough, during my trip I was able to log some training with my friend Sean Stoopman, who is a Krav Maga black belt and the head of a new organization -- Adaptive Krav Maga International.  I'm pleased to announce that MSDC will be AKMI's first affiliated location, and we will be adding Krav Maga to the JKD Essentials and Elite programs in January.

So despite my embarassment over YEARS of feeling that I wasn't giving these two styles the attention they deserve, I am THRILLED to announce that we'll be starting classes in BOTH of these arts in less than 2 months.  There are a couple other new classes headed onto the schedule at the end of the year, so keep your eyes and ears open for more juicy details as that draws nearer.

And if there's a moral to this story, it's this:  That thing you want to go do?  GO DO IT.  Take the plunge.  Get it done.  You'll be so glad that you did.  And if your project is anything like mine, other people will also benefit from it!  So whatare you waiting for??? :)

See you all at MSDC!

~Chris