The Ultimate Black Belt Test Does Battle With Tobacco (NO SMOKING - SELF DEFENSE)
Sunday, October 11, 2009 at 5:20PM 
Ten Simple Flash Cards, with 10 Simple Messages. That's How We Will Begin.
We (martial arts teachers) are going to start talking to kids about smoking --and why it's not a good idea (actually, we're going to talk about just how absolutely stupid and destructive it is).
The story begins here:
So I am looking deeply, all the time, at what we could and should be teaching that is real self-defense
(and I mean REAL).
Why am I doing that?
Because I think teaching "self-defense" is my job (You may think it's your job too).
I'm the martial arts teacher, after all, am I not? I'm not the mechanic, the physician, the accountant, or the butcher --I am a martial arts instructor --and one big "arm" of the martial arts is teaching "self-defense."
So I look deeply at it --and how we do it.
And hands down, smoking is at the top of the list of things that do young people harm. Basically, the tobacco industry is a giant subsidized bully, preying on the young and uneducated.
However, until now, you could walk in 100 martial arts schools and you wouldn't see a single "anti-smoking" message.
You could watch 100 classes and you wouldn't hear instructors warning their young pupils about something that could very easily be one of the most smelly, ugly, and destructive forces in their lives.
So, to get started, I've designed 10 simple flash cards with a plain, simple, and shockingly clear message about smoking and its dangers.
I'm asking ALL martial arts teachers to print and use these flash cards in their classrooms. Give them to school teachers in your town --take them into the community and add a kind of component to your self-defense program that might save 1000's of people a good deal of money and LIFE.
To get these cards, which I'll send you for free, all you need to do is sign a pledge to USE them. All you have to do is send me the following message:
"My name is (Your Name); my school is located in (Your town and state). I am committing myself and my school to teaching young people about the use of tobacco and its dangers."
Send that to me in an e-mail and I'll send you the PDF of the 10 NO SMOKING flash cards. They measure 11" x 17" (meant to be trimmed and laminated), and will allow martial arts instructors to deliver from 60 second to 5 minute "mat chats" that get a message across every child should hear --and more than once.
You may use the e-mail form to the right. Perhaps we'll soon have a page you can go to and add your name to a list of instructors pledging the above. The download might then come automatically...
For now, send your pledge directly to me and I'll send you the art for the cards --and put you on a list to receive more information (as it comes) and more free teaching tools (as I develop them).
Questions? Call me at 530-903-0286 (Hawaii Time)
THANK YOU!
Tom Callos
Reader Comments (8)
My name is Philip Woo; my school is located in Edmonton, Alberta - Canada. I am committing myself and my school to teaching young people about the use of tobacco and its dangers.
hi tom,
i am a taekwondo instructor. my dojang is located in crestwood, missouri. I am committing myself and my school to teaching young people about the use of tobacco and its dangers. i think this is a great idea.
i look forward to hearing from you.
master winkler
p.s. i have read about your ultimate black belt test for years through my association with up. cya
"My name is Master Tim Bell my school is located in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada. I am committing myself and my school to teaching young people about the use of tobacco and it's dangers."
Hi Coach,
I am committed to teaching the evils of smoking. Would you please send me the link for the flash cards.
Thanks.
Chris
samuraikarate@bellsouth.net
My name is Leslie Berth; my school is located in Germantown, WI. I am committing myself to talking with Master Chan and Mr. Duke Lee about teaching young people about the use of tobacco and its dangers. I'm looking for materials like this as well as similar materials so that our children students can give presentations to other kids (like this, on diabetes, the escape from fire game I worked with you on in the past), etc.
Can you send me stuff like this? Thanks Tom!
Leslie Berth
My name is Tim Mullis and my school is located in Phoenix Arizona. I am committing myself to include the evils of smoking in my classes. Any information I can receive to help this cause would be greatly appreciated!! My mother passed away because of smoking so this is a subject that I am passionate about.
Thank you..
Tom,
Hit me with em man! I hate smoking!
"My name is Jason Trzewieczynski; My school is located in Buffalo, New York.I am committing myself and my scooll to teaching young people about the use of tobacco and its dangers..
buffalotc@me.com