SLAYER NEWS
About Dragon Kenpo Karate
15 June 2008: The Heart
"The heart of a wise man should resemble a mirror, which reflects every object without being sullied by any." --- Confucius
Table of Contents
Featured Article: You're Being Admitted by Reverend Ray Mann (A very interesting look how Dragon Kenpo techniques were utilized in a hospital setting).
Anatomy of the Heart by Steve Amoia
Closing Comments by Coach Ron Pfeiffer
Staff Biographies Link
by Coach Ron Pfeiffer
Due the the rain, we had to cancel our flag retirement ceremony and awards presentations that were planned. Our big announcement at our camp trip is the new Parent of the Year. This year the honor went to Bill and Sonya Murray. They have big shoes to fill as Tim and Maria Starck have set the bar quite high with a great job of chairing the Parent committee. New ranks will be handed out in classes. Make up exams will be held the next couple of Wednesdays at 5:30pm at the YMCA.
September and Another Tai Chi Weekend!!
The first weekend in September is scheduled for our 3rd Annual Tai Chi Instructors Training Seminar. Now even if you are just interested in improving your Tai Chi skills, this would be a great weekend for you. Although the focus will be on the 31 movements of Tai Chi for Arthritis, there will be some advanced work on the 73 Forms as well as testing opportunities for our World Dragon Kenpo members. This is an intense weekend of training, and according to past participants, a life changing event. I sincerely hope to see many of you there, and if you need lodging or other information you know how to email for it. If you don't know, just click on wi_ron@yahoo.com and put Tai Chi Weekend in the subject line.
And Finally,
Just because World Dragon Kenpo Schools of Self Defense is on track for another great year is no reason to get lazy!! Talk to at least one person per week about your (remember this is your school) membership in WDK and the benefits of our program. If you are at least at the Orange Belt and want to start a training group, email your request for Assistant Instructor status and get to kickin'!
All the Best,
Reminder
Occasionally, our members have asked what's the best way to help others learn about our school and program. K.I.S.S. Keep It Simple Students! Just refer them to one of our websites, as some of you know we have a few. Also, our school depends on member referrals to grow. Our tuition is the lowest of any school because we don't have advertising expenses, etc. Use these links for referrals:
http://www.onlinekarate.bravehost.com/
Coach Ron Pfeiffer can be contacted at dragonkenporegister@yahoo.com
You’re Being Admitted
by Pastor Ray Mann, WDK Orange Belt
Editor's Note:
Our theme this month is about the heart. Both in a physical sense, and in terms of personal character. In this featured article, Reverend Mann demonstrates the true meaning of heart.
“You’re being admitted” are words you dread hearing when in a hospital emergency room. I had come into the emergency room in February of 2008 after seeing my doctor for a backache and a stomach ache. What I did not realize was that the two issues were not separate, but related to the same thing, an attack of pancreatitis. Pancreatitis is an inflammation of the pancreas which can be extremely painful and even possibly life-threatening. The treatment, though, is simple. After finding me a room, I was given an IV with morphine for the pain and a saline solution to keep me from being dehydrated. To rest the pancreas, I was allowed nothing by mouth… No food, not even water. For the next six days, I had the pleasure of watching daytime TV hosts cook wondrous meals and not be able to have even a bowl of jello!
Over the next two months, I spent 20 days in the hospital with three separate incidents of the same illness. To this point today, the doctors still do not know for certain what triggered these episodes. Early in the course of this adventure, I realized that I was in danger of growing weaker physically, a state the doctors called “de-conditioning”. Each day spent in bed meant at least two days recovery time after release… In my case, over 40 days of recovery time!
In November of 2007, I joined World Dragon Kenpo and began training. I am a minister in the Church of the Nazarene in my mid-forties, and started down this road with the thought of starting a Martial Arts Ministry in my church, as well as getting into shape myself. Having had prior experience in Aikido, I advanced quickly to Yellow Belt. When I was in the hospital and realizing the problems I was facing with de-conditioning I asked my wife to bring in a set of resistance bands for me. I began walking up and down the corridors trailing my IV stand like an old friend, and practicing the routines from WDK in my room. I had some access to the Internet in the hospital and was able to go online a few times to the WDK site. With these resources available I was able to maintain some degree of an exercise program.
It is now a little more than two weeks after my release from my last stay at the hospital, and I can say that the conditioning that World Dragon Kenpo afforded me before I was admitted, and the routines and techniques I was able to practice while actually in the hospital have allowed me to recover much quicker than I otherwise would have. I have now advanced to Orange Belt two months behind schedule, but I’m here!
Moreover, the benefits of WDK are not simply physical. The benefits of concentration, focus, assertiveness and prioritizing which WDK teach also were qualities that became very important in the hospital setting. “Make the most of every opportunity” is not simply a nice saying or Bible verse; I found that WDK was a way for me to open bridges to people that I would not otherwise have had much in common. It was a way for me to help other people as well, in the middle of what I was going through.
I also know that WDK is keeping me in shape, so that if this should happen again and I hear those dreaded words, “You’re being admitted,” I will be ready physically, mentally and socially. Hooah! Go WDK!
by Steve Amoia
Copyright Texas Heart Institute, www.texasheart.org used by permission.
Four Chambers
As we can see from the above detailed diagram, the heart has four chambers:
- Left Atrium
- Right Atrium
- Right Ventricle
- Left Ventricle
Source: Copyright Texas Heart Institute, www.texasheart.org used by permission.
Four Valves
To complement the four chambers, the heart has four valves. To view more detailed images, please click here. But if we look above, we can see the valves in the highlighted diagram.
- Tricuspid
- Pulmonary
- Mitral
- Aortic
We often hear that phrase. But did you ever wonder how many times your heart beats during your lifetime? According to the Texas Heart Institute:
"By the end of a long life, a person's heart may have beat (expanded and contracted) more than 3.5 billion times. In fact, each day, the average heart beats 100,000 times, pumping about 2,000 gallons (7,571 liters) of blood."
Source: Copyright Texas Heart Institute, www.texasheart.org used by permission.
To learn more about the heart, please visit the Heart Information Center Page at the Texas Heart Institute.
I would like to thank Mr. Ken Hoge, Manager, Visual Communications Services, of the Texas Heart Institute, for his kind assistance with this article.
Steve Amoia can be contacted at info@sanstefano.com
Closing Comments by Coach Ron Pfeiffer
If you have an article that you would like to submit, you may respond to me or Steve Amoia. Just send your submission within the body of an email. Comments and questions about our publication are encouraged, and you can direct them to me by email. Please proofread your submissions, and shorter rather than longer articles are preferred. WDK reserves the right to edit any submission.
Important Notice To All Members
All Student/Instructor members are reminded that advancement and promotion are not automatic. Contact Coach Pfeiffer or your local instructor if you have questions or to request advancement information.
Is your school having an event? Let the Dragon Kenpo community know by placing it in the Slayer News! We are here to help you and your students get the most out of your training.
Please remember to keep your information updated so that the World Dragon Kenpo Schools of Self-Defense can serve you in the best way possible!
The articles within this newsletter are the views of the writer and not necessarily the views of World Dragon Kenpo Schools of Self-Defense.
Coach Ron Pfeiffer can be contacted at dragonkenporegister@yahoo.com
Staff Biographies Link
