January 10th , 2016

This week's TFTW is a joint effort by the Black Belts of the Ueshiro
Pelham Manor Dojo.

"If you don't have time to get it right, when will you find time to do it
over?" - John Wooden, UCLA basketball coach

In this age of short attention spans and selective memory, when everything
is disposable or designed to become obsolete, devoting the "Time to Get It
Right" is often seen as impractical if not downright wasteful.
Traditional martial arts offer an antidote to such thinking. Getting it
right, particularly the long journey to get it right, is what makes us
both competent and confident when facing the world's challenges. That
said, we should always strive to get it right NOW - not later - even
though we're prepared to "find the time to do it over"... and over... over
thousands of repetitions if need be, to reach perfection.

Next time you receive an old familiar correction, try to get it right then
and there, instead of just shouting out, "Arigato Sensei!" and thinking,
"I'll find the time to fix it later." Then, hold on to it like a
tenacious pine perched atop a coral cliff in Okinawa. Settle for nothing
less.

Domo arigato gozaimasu, Hanshi,

- Kyoshi Michael Mackay
- Mr. Brian Heese, Chief Instructor,
Ueshiro Pelham Manor Karate Club

* From 1948-1975 Wooden compiled an impressive record of 664 wins vs 104
losses. He was a stickler for punctuality, neatness, and refraining from
profanity. When asked why he enjoyed teaching and coaching, he replied,
"Where else would I find such splendid company?" His "Pyramid of Success"
is a classic reworking of "The Seven Virtues of the Warrior".

Although there is no record of him ever studying karate, he
certainly had the spirit of a great sensei and samurai.