Our Newest Black Belts and some random pics!!

We are very pleased to announce our newest Black Belts::

1st Degree Black Belts::
Brandon Hanson
Chieko Hoki
Lee Stevens

2nd Degree Black Belts::
Sandie Waters

3rd Degree Black Belts::
Chris Allman
Martin Tinoco
Mimi Tinoco

Enjoy some pics from the tournament. We all had a great time but were exhausted after the fact. Our Swat team enjoyed a 1st place victory over American Fork and 11 other schools, while our STORM team enjoyed a 2nd place victory only losing to AF...but we are already putting the spring demo together so that we bring home that trophy!!

Many thanks go to Katrina for lending us Justus for so many hours...to get us ready for this awesome event! And many thanks to Justus for being willing to help us shine. Lindon Black Belts were not just good enough to promote, but we cleaned house during the tournie with many medals coming from the newest black belts.

Brandon Hanson - 2nd place (demo), 1st place (weapons), 1st place (self-defense), 2nd place (forms), 2nd place (sparring)
Chieko Hoki - 2nd place (demo), 1st place (forms), 2nd place (sparring)
Lee Stevens - 1st place (weapons 35+), 2nd place (forms 35+), 2nd place (sparring 18+ & 35+), 2nd place (weapons 18+)
Sandie Waters - 2nd place (demo), 1st place (weapons), 1st place (self-defense), 3rd place (forms), 3rd place (sparring)
Martin Tinoco - 2nd place (demo), 1st place (sparring), 1st place (weapons), 1st place (forms), 2nd place (self-defense)
Mimi Tinoco - 2nd place (demo), 1st place (weapons), 1st place (self-defense), 2nd place sparring, 3rd place forms

For bios please see the following posting...

BLACK BELTS fall 2009

We are beyond excited to announce our newest Black Belts!!

3rd DEGREE BLACK BELT
Chris Allman
Jeff Allan
Martin Tinoco
Mimi Tinoco
2nd DEGREE BLACK BELT
Sandie Waters
1st DEGREE BLACK BELT
Brandon Hansen
Chieko Hoki
Lee Stevens

Achieving the level of Black Belt is something that very few are ever able to claim! Over 50 Black Belts from 15 different schools through out Utah were candidates at this test. It takes countless hours of training and huge amounts of dedication, discpline, focus and respect!! We were especially proud to have (3) students achieve the rank of 3rd degree Black Belt (no other school in the system had so many test). They are each such fantastic examples of Leadership and Black Belt Excellence.
We would like to highlight each of our Black Belts:

CHRIS ALLMAN- Chris is an extremely talented martial artist. He always exhibits such grace and skill with his forms and self defense. He also is quite acrobatic and it is always a pleasure to watch him do his thing!

JEFF ALLAN - Jeff just recently left for a LDS mission and was unable to attend the test but we are sure you have seen Jeff around the studio. You probably have even taken numerous classes from him. Jeff is a wonderful young man and has been an excellent member of our Leadership team. We are so proud of the example he is at karate and in life! We miss you Jeff!

MARTIN TINOCO- We are sure many of you have seen Martin at demo's and at the karate school. He is a very talented martial artist! It is always a joy to watch him perform.

MIMI TINOCO- Mimi is not only a talented martial artist but also a well loved leader. She started as an extremely shy young student and has developed into one of our teachers that every little ninja loves. But don't let that nice-ness fool you, she's got a mean axe kick and is one of our top Sparring competitors.

SANDIE WATERS- We are so lucky to have been joined by Dr. Sandie Waters. Sandie moved down over the last year to teach courses at UVU (she came from Utah State and transferred from the Logan school). She is inspiring to not only our students but also woman in the martial arts. She is the first adult woman we have had to achieve a 2nd degree black belt from our studio. We are grateful to the great things she contributes to our studio!

BRANDON HANSEN- Brandon is a very impressive 11 year old and our youngest student to test for Black Belt during this promotion! He's a fierce competitor but an even nicer kid. He's a great example to his younger brother who is in the little ninja program and also to his Dad who just received his brown belt.

CHIEKO HOKI - We were especially excited to have Chieko Hoki as Lindon's very first Black Belt. Chieko and her family started at the Lindon Studio when we first opened and she was the first Lindon student to achieve the rank of Black Belt. We look forward to when her mother, sister and brother can join her as black belts!

LEE STEVENS- Lee was one of the first students who followed us when the Lindon studio opened. He has been one of our most consistent and dedicated adult black belts. He works wonderfully with our Teens & Adults and brings years of martial arts experience. His attention to detail in forms and self defense helps to remind us to appreciate all aspects of skill development. We are proud to have him as part of the studio!

Be sure to give them a big high five when you see them at the studio! And we can't wait for when YOU achieve your black belt too!!
Black Belt Jackets are something that every student testing from the Lindon school receive when they achieve Black Belt. This is something that is earned and you can only receive from the Lindon Studio! Looking good Black Belts!

INTERSCHOOL TOURNAMENT 2009

Way to Go BLK Lindon!!
SWAT - 1st place
STORM - 2nd place

With over 400 competitors, this was quite the tournament. Competitors competed in Forms, Self Defense, Sparring and Weapons. We were so proud of all our students! We know that this can be a little nerve wracking but all the hard work and dedication certainly pays off! We know that your competing will help you to grow as a martial artist and will help increase your confidence.
We look forward to seeing more of you at the Spring Tournament!

Way to Go BLK Lindon Competitors!!

Eli Allan
Chris Allman
Kayla Braithwaite
Damian Brown
Jackson Call
Brinton Craghead
Cayden Farris
Kiara Gentry
Sebastian Hamilton
Brandon Hansen
Steve Hansen
Tyler Hansen
Chieko Hoki
Maya Lawrence
Te Lawrence
Karina Lopez
Mike Lopez
Harley Manire
Reese McKinnon
Gage Nerdin
Cameron Niswander
Jeff Oldroyd
Marshall Oldroyd
Takumi Palmer
Skyler Romero
Joey Russell
Sabrina Saini
Lindsay Shimanek
Lee Stevens
Martin Tinoco
Mimi Tinoco
Emi Velez
Sandie Waters

(if we missed your name, please let us know :)

Lindsay's Interview...Nice job!!

Lindsay's showing at the Orlando Florida Tournament

Lindsay qualified, at the last Wyoming Tournament, to represent Bobby Lawrence Karate (Lindon) at a national Tournament in October. We are so proud of Lindsay...who is currently training to earn her Ban Bu belt in April. Lindsay was invited to compete in the Orlando tournament and came home with 4 medals...

Gold Medal
American Kamas Traditional Weapons

Silver Medal
Traditional Forms

Silver Medal
Open Style Weapons

Bronze Medal
Traditional Forms

We are so proud of her and her efforts to represent us.

Lindsay has also expressed appreciation to her teachers who also helped her achieve such great things...

Back 2 School Bash...Lindon Style!!

We had an awesome time Saturday at the Back 2 School Bash in Lindon. We had lots of students and new friends attend our event and even made a little money for the STORM team!! Thanks to all who supported us and our endeavors. Thanks to everyone who helped during our event especially Holly, Katrina, ELITE team, STORM team, SWAT team, STORM team moms, etc. Send in your photos of future events so that we can use them on our blog.

Justus' Tip of the Week!!

Here is our tip of the week...

Lindon Parade 8.8.09

So we began August with another awesome Parade!! We were able to perform as a SWAT and STORM team with Justus in the lead. This was our last parade for the season and hope that you had the chance to come and see us in action! If you would like your student (or yourself for that matter) to be a part of a fun, energetic, dynamic, and great team then just let us (front desk) know and we will direct you to the time and place for the tryouts! This is a great opportunity for all to come and learn how to be a leader in Bobby Lawrence Karate and be a part of TEAM JUSTUS!!

Lindon Carnaval 8.8.09

Just a few of us having a little fun at the Lindon Carnaval...

Pleasant Grove Parade

Enjoy the pics from the Pleasant Grove Parade...way to go SWAT & STORM teams!! GO TEAM GO!!

2009 Western Wyoming Karate Championships - May 16, 2009

Welcome to Green River, Wyoming....we were given the opportunity to perform/participate at a Promoter's Championship Qualifier. We were proudly represented by: Lindsay, Mimi, Chieko, and Martin. This Tournament was a qualifier for the Disney Martial Arts Festival in Orlando, Florida on October 16-18, 2009. Lindsay and Mimi were both invited to compete in Orlando in the fall and represent BLK-Lindon!! Lindsay plans to make the journey and show how we do things in Lindon...Justified!!

Lindsay
1st Forms
1st Weapons

Chieko
3rd Forms

Mimi
???

Martin
??

Spring BLK Interschool Tournament (May 1, 2009)

Our April was filled with practices for the SWAT, STORM, and ELITE teams. We put in many, many hours and finally were able to show off our skills at the Spring BLK Interschool Tournament on May 1, 2009 at Murray High School. Our teams did very well and the Elite team even went on to compete at Saturdays finals against American Fork coming in 2nd place. We did very well and look forward to our Fall Tournie! Please send pics that you have form the tournament...we look forward to include them and your stories on our blog...

SPRING TRAINING

The spring is a great time to take your training to an entirely new level. The concept of springing into action may conjure thoughts of mental activity, but by putting the correct spring in your step, you’ll find you increase your physical ability as well. Physical activity is the key to health and prosperity, and the results are not only evident in your physical appearance. The more active you are, the healthier you will be mentally, spiritually and, of course, physically.
The pouncing speed of a mountain lion should come to mind when you think of explosive movement. Can you be that quick as a human? The answer is absolutely—but it takes two things: the right perspective and the correct training. Many instructors are teaching students daily and training their muscle memory to be as quick as a mountain cat. As a martial artist, you should be consistent in your training and if you are, then your results are limitless.
Now is the time to refocus on your goals, and start training a bit harder, so you can achieve the results you want. Take this time to develop a regular outdoor routine that will improve your martial arts abilities. Walk; run; perform wind sprints, kata or forms outside; and go to the beach to run on the sand or do your kicks. Meditate at the park, or meet a friend and workout. This will add to your motivation, and eliminate any potential monotony.
All of these activities will certainly enhance your martial arts skills, and possibly even improve your speed and agility, so you can be ready to spring into action. Explosive movements are developed through practice and repetition. Speed and agility are all components of hard work and practice, so you can be all that you can be. Put a little spring in your step, your training, and your life.