Articles and Testimonials :
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July 4th, 2008 10:06 EST Glenn Brandon Burke (Mentor/Speaker) |
Hey, Glenn Brandon Burke, What do you Say Today?
(Weekly Columnist)
Glenn Brandon Burke, M.A.Ed, is a
Motivational Speaker * Author * Columnist * Educator * CEO
Every Week Read What Glenn Has to Say in His Column Online at www.TheSOP.org
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Motivational Speaker, Glenn Brandon Burke, M.A.Ed,
Interviews Top Martial Artist
This week I had the honor and pleasure of meeting one of the most incredible people I`ve ever met. Hey, I may go as far as saying he`s possibly one of the single greatest people, ever! But I haven`t yet met everyone in the world. But being from
Who am I referring to? It`s none other that Master James Matthews, 8th Degree Black Belt in Kung Fu San Soo, former bodyguard to the Hollywood A-List, and one of the nicest, most honorable and giving people I know. And I`m proud to call him a friend!
The
Master James` purpose in life is to improve his community one-child-at-a-time. Master James recalls the very moment he knew he was making a difference in a child`s life, and that was while teaching a self-defense seminar put together by a local therapist to help children, when all of a sudden, one of the children fell to the floor screaming, finally cried out, "if only I had known this stuff before, Grandpa wouldn`t have been able to do to me what he had!"
Walking away from that experience, weeping, Master James realized the healing and empowerment that martial arts provide for both children and adults -- men and women. In martial arts, the goal is prevention. Sadly, says Master James, "more often than not, people do not think about prevention until someone screams, "Help! I`ve been hurt!"
Master James began training in Kung Fu San Soo at the age of 13, in
These were kids that would have been hesitant to speak to one another at school. Now they are all sharing gratitude, kindness and encouragement with one another. They had learned tolerance, diversity, respect, and some really great self-defense skills in the process. Master James realized that he had a formula in his lesson plans that taught not just strong self-defense, but strong character skills. He decided to take his school format BIGGER and serve more people.
In 1999, Master James earned his title Master. Over the last 10-years, he has developed a specialized children`s program that promotes positive attitude and self-discipline. He now owns and operates PhD: Healthy Living through Martial Arts and specializes in preparing children and adults for life and leadership; by reducing stress, increasing confidence, building self-esteem and self-discipline all while protecting & promoting family values.
Master James discovered after years of working with children, parents, teachers and child Psychologists that at the core of every child is the desire to please. We all like the atta-boy or girl, "right? ?
The programs he`s developed provide children with the tools, knowledge, and self-discipline to live in social harmony and to be respectable as well as be responsible. As a result the whole family is happier, the child`s grades go up, and the number of atta-boys and girls they receive makes them feel great about themselves. They`re full of joy! And the added bonus is the healthier lifestyle and the gain of greater physical condition!
Not all Martial Arts schools are created equal. At PhD: Healthy Living through Martial Arts there are no trophies for sparring. Master James` philosophy does not promote fighting as a sport. His students learn the first day that Kung Fu San Soo is a form of self-defense and they only use it if they feel they are in harms way. At PhD it`s not all about the kicking and punching it`s the development and cultivation of strong character.
Here at PhD: Healthy Living through Martial Arts we offer the best children`s programs you will ever find! Children are the future of our community and society as a whole. PhD: Healthy Living through Martial Arts provides the students with the tools and lessons they need to actualize their greatest potential; mentally, physically, and spiritually, said Master James.
Master James welcomes and encourages both children and adults to take his classes and or bring his program into your school or workplace.
Due for release at the end of this summer is the Master James E-Book entitled, Go Bigger: Healthy Living through Martial Arts, for only $12.95, and will be available through his web site: www.PhDMartialArts.com. Also, pick up Master James as a friend through his My Space page at http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewprofile&friendid=386359714
http://thesop.org/index.php?article=12573
Savannah, age 10 – March 2007
I like Kung Fu San Soo because it makes me feel strong and it is very fun. I have felt more confident since I started Kung Fu. Master
Photo by Lucas Mobley / Record Searchlight
BIG KICKS: Peter Ward, 16, front left, Chris Golden, 17, and Stephen Bloomer, 15, participate in a kick-a-thon in Caldwell Park in Redding on Saturday. All are students of Master James Matthews’ PhD Healthy Living through Martial Arts school of Kung Fu San Soo.
Photo by Lucas Mobley / Record Searchlight
GIRL POWER: Sabrina Matthews gives daughter Gabriella Perry, 4, high-fives after she reached 400 kicks Saturday at Caldwell Park.
Kids from age 4 to 16 were out for kicks Saturday morning in Redding's Caldwell Park.
Students of Master James Matthews' PhD Healthy Living Through Martial Arts school in Redding were part of an hour-long kick-a-thon, a fundraising event in observance of National Martial Arts Day.
Family members cheered and sponsors pledged donations as the kids made their leg kicks. With more than 63,000 kicks tallied, the group raised more than $2,000 in an hour for Project Action -- a program that fights juvenile crime and keeps children out of gangs. The 25 students also joined with fellow martial artists across the country to break a world record for the most kicks executed in an hour. The world record of 8.3 million kicks in an hour's time was set Oct. 15, 2004, according to Project Action.
Master Jim, as he is known, was an apt and attentive leader.
"You are kicking with people all across the nation," he said. "You can't see them, but they're kicking with you."
Matthews, at times funny, silly and always encouraging, dressed in a black uniform and directed the students in white. Calls for spin kicks, side kicks and jump-snap kicks helped his students stay motivated. Midway through the kick-a-thon, as participants' energies flagged, he called on boys and girls to make their way to his microphone to recite elements of the student creed.
"Kick your way over here," said Matthews, and one after another did.
"I develop my self-discipline to bring out the best in myself and others," said one boy. Another recitation focused on developing self-confidence and avoiding negative habits.
Matthews has taught martial arts in Redding for 13 years. He said his system of teaching Kung Fu San Soo focuses on instilling positive attitudes and confidence in children. The PhD in the school's name stands for power, honor and discipline.
His dedication to empowering and encouraging children began after a self-defense class that he taught for a therapist friend who worked withabused children. After the class, a boy about 12 told him that if he'd known martial arts, he could have kept his grandfather from hurting him. Matthews said he cried then and still does when he thinks of the difference that teaching can make in children lives.
Matthews' wife, Sabrina, helps her husband in his mission. She worked Saturday to help younger students stay focused. Four-year-old Gabriella Perry, Sabrina's daughter, did some of her kicks in a pair of red-and-white cowboy boots. When her attention waned, mom pulled out a bottle of bubble brew and blew shiny bubbles for her to kick. Ben Phutsangdee, also 4 years old and a student at North Cow Creek School in Palo Cedro, kicked like a trooper throughout the hour.
"Master Jim is so awesome," said Joyce Arneson, who operates The Clothing Exchange, a secondhand shop next door to Matthews' school. Arneson watched as sons Joel and Jace, 10 and 8 years old, kicked for the cause.
"My boys used to put their faces up to his window all the time," she recalled. "He said, You have to get them in here,' and here they are."
Reporter Constance Dillon can be reached at 225-8372 or at cdillon@redding.com.
http://www.redding.com/news/2007/Oct/14/getting-their-kicks-in/
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What I like about Kung Fu San Soo is the exercises and the kicks. I love doing the exercises around the cones. I love doing all kinds of kicks. I also love the Student Creed. I like the way Master Elena, age 8 – March 2007 |
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