Episode 819 - Adding Martial Arts to Everyday Activities
In this episode, Jeremy and Andrew talk about how Adding Martial Arts to Everyday Activities benefits everyone.
Adding Martial Arts to Everyday Activities - Episode 819
Is martial arts strictly for self-defense applications, or is it only effective inside a dojo?
Surprisingly, martial arts principles can be applied to everyday life. For example, being mindful of how you place groceries in your car, choosing healthier snacks, or even closing everything with kicks. There are great benefits to approaching everyday tasks with the same discipline and attention to detail that martial arts training requires.
In this episode, Jeremy and Andrew discuss how adding martial arts to everyday activities can improve physical and mental health, reduce stress, and help individuals become better versions of themselves.
After listening to the episode, it would be exciting for us to know your thoughts about it. Don’t forget to drop them in the comment section down below!
This episode is sponsored by Kataaro:
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Use the code: WK10 to receive 10% off on your first order today!
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Show Transcript
You can read the transcript below.
Jeremy Lesniak:
What's happening, everybody? Welcome. This is whistlekick Martial Arts Radio, and on today's episode, Andrew and I are gonna talk about putting martial arts into everyday activities. The idea that martial arts happens beyond the mats, beyond the bows, so to speak. Everything we do can be martial arts, and we don't mean that in a hokey way. Stick around. You'll see what we're talking about. If you're new to the show. I'm Jeremy Lesniak. I founded whistlekick because I love traditional martial arts. And then I went and found Andrew because he also loves traditional martial arts and that's why we do this show. Andrew, how are you?
Andrew Adams:
I'm great. How are you today?
Jeremy Lesniak:
I'm great. Thanks for coming.
Andrew Adams:
I'm a little tired, but I'm good.
Jeremy Lesniak:
Yeah, I am too. I will confess, I went back to bed after first cup, took a quick nap.
Andrew Adams:
Oh, do you have a new pup? Do you have a new puppy as well?
Jeremy Lesniak:
I do not have a new puppy.
Andrew Adams:
Because that's why I'm tired. That's why I'm tired.
Jeremy Lesniak:
Yeah. It's like a baby that's never gonna be able to tell you what's wrong.
Andrew Adams:
Yeah, I will say my wife is very good at speaking dog. Like she truly is uncanny at how good she can like read what the dog
Jeremy Lesniak:
Oh, that's cool.
Andrew Adams:
Like she will say like, oh, she wants this right now. And sure enough, that's what she wants. Like it's pretty amazing. But it's still
Jeremy Lesniak:
Puppy whisperer.
Andrew Adams:
Like a baby.
Jeremy Lesniak:
Yeah. Well, just like a puppy or a baby, we have helped this show grow. 01:25 into something that we're both really proud of. You know, if you're unfamiliar with whistlekick and all the things that we do in our mission to connect, educate, and entertain on the road to getting everyone in the world to train, please go to whistlekick.com. Check out everything we've got going on over there. We have a store where you can buy things to support us and use the code, podcast15. We also have links to the various events we put on. The various project we're involved in, like Martial Journal and a whole bunch of other stuff. And honestly, it's constantly changing. And how do I know it's constantly changing cause I'm doing the constant changes? There's a lot that's going on over there. Now, if you love this show and you really wanna go deeper and get transcripts and links and all that good stuff, go to whistlekickmartialartsradio.com. We don't hide any of the old episodes and I often have people reach out to me. Well, have you ever interviewed this person? Probably go search. What about a topic on this? Yep. Go search. Go check out all the episodes that are there, and if you don't like the search function that's there, don't forget Google, right? You can just search whistlekick Martial Arts Radio, this person, or this topic, and it's gonna come up, a lot of Google optimization on there. One of the things that we do that I have not yet talked about, that Andrew was very sad about a moment ago. In a sense, people are wondering what, what, what is, what is it? We have a Patreon. We offer a Patreon where we give you exclusive behind-the-scenes bonus content. Lots of great stuff. And if you love what we do, you will love the Patreon, patreon.com/whistlekick. If you're watching, you can see Andrew ripped the piece of paper that he has had for quite a long time.
Andrew Adams:
Couple of years, at least a year now I think a
Jeremy Lesniak:
Couple of years, really?
Andrew Adams:
You can think a year.
Jeremy Lesniak:
Wow. Well, its time has served its duty. We love having the Patreon. We love doing that because it gives us an opportunity to bring even more value to those who really find the most value in what we do. And you can get in for two bucks a month. You wanna know who the upcoming guests are. Two bucks a month. You want bonus episodes that you're not gonna find elsewhere. Five bucks a month, you want bonus videos, it's 10. Books, training programs, all kinds of good stuff you're gonna find it in there, go and check it out. And somewhat new to us. New to this show. None of the episodes we've recorded with this have aired yet, but we have our first sponsor. And I'm really excited about this because the sponsor that we have is not just any old podcast sponsor. If you listen to podcasts, you know that most podcasts will take anybody as a sponsor, you know, buy this random product that has nothing to do with what we do or support this event that. You know, two of you would like to do, they'll take anybody's money. Well, that's not us. And we've talked about this for years. What we would do with a sponsor? Well, if you're watching the video, you can see our first sponsor here. Oh, looks like it might be reversed. It's Kataaro, and if you know Kataaro, you probably know them from making the absolute best martial arts belts. They make incredible belts. And that's what I'm holding here is mine. Kataaro belt. I got to go through the whole process, pick everything now. I went very simple. I have a simple black belt. I don't put stripes on my belt. No disrespect if you do, but it has the whistlekick logo, and the embroidery on this is absolutely top-notch. They make everything in the US to order. It is, I mean, it is the true definition of custom and let's face it, we, most of us have a number of uniforms, at least a few if we've been training a while, but we probably have one belt. Well, if you're gonna have one belt, it should probably be a great belt. And if you want that belt to last a really long time, that's Kataaro. So you can use the code. WK10 for 10% off your first order. Capital W, capital K. Numbers one number zero, 10% off. And I hope you do, you can also follow them on Instagram, Kataaro USA, facebook.com/Kataaro, and their website is kataaro.com, kataroo.com.
Andrew Adams:
Yeah, and you know, people will, you know, if they're regular listeners to the show, they would've heard. Gage's episode, a couple of weeks ago.
Jeremy Lesniak:
Gage Hanlon, who is, I don't know, did we get to his official title? He's not the owner. Director of Marketing, something like that.
Andrew Adams:
He's not the owner. I mean, I have not asked him.
Jeremy Lesniak:
A great guy.
Andrew Adams:
Official title.
Jeremy Lesniak:
He's a great guy. I had a wonderful time with him.
Andrew Adams:
Chief Marketing Officer.
Jeremy Lesniak:
Something like that. Yeah. But he's a good guy and he works really hard.
Andrew Adams:
But one of the things that really got me when I listened to that episode is, you know like you mentioned, I have multiple uniforms. Why? Because I go to multiple classes a week and I don't do laundry every single day. Right. And you know, so the, and they even, they wear out, right? Because I'm wearing them constantly and the same thing will happen to our belt. And, you know, yes we often will see the belt that changes from black and starts to turn white, and the significance of that. But the reality is, if you have a cheap belt, it's going to fray and break. And these belts are such good quality, and if you are going to put so much time and effort into your training. Nothing better symbolizes that than your belt.
Jeremy Lesniak:
Yeah.
Andrew Adams:
And so if you're gonna put so much time and effort and money into your training, I think spending a little bit extra on getting a good high-quality belt is something that you deserve.
Jeremy Lesniak:
Yeah. It blows my mind the number of people who put $10 belts on and wear them for years. And if you, if that's you, if that's what you were, that's okay. Totally fine, right? We're equal opportunity, but if you want the best quality belts and how do I know how good these quality are? Because we tried making belts, right? whistlekick has made a lot of things. We made belts. If you have one, hold onto it. It's a collector's item. We're not doing belts again, it is difficult.
Andrew Adams:
We don't need to.
Jeremy Lesniak:
And we definitely don't need to now.
Andrew Adams:
We don't need to now because we have, we have access to the best.
Jeremy Lesniak:
Kataaro.
Andrew Adams:
Highest quality belt made by Kataaro.
Jeremy Lesniak:
All right, let's get to the show.
Andrew Adams:
Yeah, let's do it. Adding martial arts every day,
Jeremy Lesniak:
Adding martial arts to activities. I keep forgetting the title and this came out. We should give the shout-out. Where this came from? You and I were at an event and Dave Covar was there teaching, and at the end of a session, he invited everyone to sit down and we had a conversation. It was, more him sharing his thoughts. But it was wonderful. And I think you had brought this up Andrew as a topic, so I'm curious what you thought of what Mr. Covar said.
Andrew Adams:
So first off, you were the one that suggested…
Jeremy Lesniak:
Oh, was I?
Andrew Adams:
An episode.
Jeremy Lesniak:
Oh, okay.
Andrew Adams:
Yeah, you were.
Jeremy Lesniak:
Oops.
Andrew Adams:
But it was one that I was right on board with. Because I was at that same session that you were. And it definitely got my mind thinking about the ways that we can think of things as being martial arts, even though most people wouldn't. And the, one of the things that he, one of the things that he said that I really resonated well with me is, you know, you are hungry for a snack and you could have an apple or you could have a chocolate bar. That's a choice that you can make and there's nothing wrong with either choice, but what's gonna be better for your body? What's gonna be better for training like that could, some could easily say, one could easily say that is martial arts choosing the apple over the chocolate bar. Could be martial, could be considered martial arts because you are helping train your body.
Jeremy Lesniak:
Well, and more so if you recognize that chocolate bar is not good for you, that it makes a, even if it's mild negative impact on your body, you could call that self-defense. You are defending yourself from the chocolate.
Andrew Adams:
Yeah, [00:09:37].
Jeremy Lesniak:
You know, is that a bit of a stretch?
Andrew Adams:
Yeah.
Jeremy Lesniak:
From the way we usually use the word. Absolutely.
Andrew Adams:
Sure, sure.
Jeremy Lesniak:
But the sentiment's there.
Andrew Adams:
Yep. Absolutely. Absolutely. And the hang on. How do, how I'm, I gotta put these words together, hang on.
Jeremy Lesniak:
Sure.
Andrew Adams:
I got a bunch of them in my head.
Jeremy Lesniak:
I'm taking a note.
Andrew Adams:
It is often said that you know, we as martial arts, martial artists often, not always, but often talk about self-defense and blah, blah, blah. And, and it's, you know, it's really, I've often used the word self-protection better cuz I don't like defense. But, you know, protecting your body is really important. But we all know the downsides to smoking cigarettes. But I know a lot of martial artists who smoke, and that's fine if they're gonna do that, but let's recognize that's not keeping your body as protected as it could be. You know, you are putting your body in danger. I mean, is it different from walking down a dark alley? At late at night. Yeah. That's a different choice, but it's still not best for you.
Jeremy Lesniak:
Yeah. Because smoking cigarettes is guaranteed to have a negative impact on your life. Walking down the dark alley.
Andrew Adams:
Correct.
Jeremy Lesniak:
Doesn't necessarily.
Andrew Adams:
Yeah. And we all know it. It doesn't matter who you are. If you smoke cigarettes, you know that it's not a good thing.
Jeremy Lesniak:
Yep.
Andrew Adams:
And I recognize that. Let's be clear, like nicotine is an addictive substance and people are addicted to, I mean, I get that. But that is still a choice that you've chosen to make.
Jeremy Lesniak:
And we all have them. And let's face it, we all have habits. We all have things that maybe we could do better, right? Like it's impossible to do everything that is healthy for your body and avoid everything that is unhealthy for your body. So, you know, please, I hope folks don't let Andrew's example get you down. You know, we're just using it as a strong example. But keep going, please.
Andrew Adams:
So I mean, those sorts of choices can be considered martial arts.
Jeremy Lesniak:
Yeah, I wholeheartedly agree.
Andrew Adams:
How did that resonate? How did that conversation resonate for you?
Jeremy Lesniak:
What I liked and I'll confess, you know, my memory for such things isn't great. I tend to remember emotions more than I do specific words that people make. And what I recall from that conversation was the low level that he was able to bring in and talk about. I seem to remember an example about, grocery shopping, putting something in the trunk of the car or something like that. I dunno if you're remembering it in better detail than I am, but we are, you know, we often, as martial artists, we look for problems to prevent. Right? And this is the, I'm not gonna sit with my back to the door, right? This is a common thing among martial artists. We don't like people behind us. Totally get it. Not suggesting that it is not worthwhile, but we spend a lot of time. Oh, I've gotta sit with my back, you know, without my back to the door. I've gotta keep an eye on what's going on. I'm a sheep-dog, you know, whatever. But the statistics around something happening are so incredibly small. Does it not serve us to take the same discipline, the same understanding? Forget about the problems for a moment, but the same attention to detail that has made us better at whatever it's we do within our training and apply it to something as inane as grocery shopping. How I place the bag in the back of the car are, and again,
Andrew Adams:
Or…
Jeremy Lesniak:
I don't necessarily mean well place the bag in such a way that if you get in an accident, the, you know, whatever's heavy in the bag doesn't roll out, hit you in the head in a rollover accident, and cause you harm's not what I'm talking about. I'm talking about the recognition that the things that we do can color all of the things that we do. We can shop- like a martial artist, we can open the door like a martial artist,.
Andrew Adams:
We can drive like a martial artist.
Jeremy Lesniak:
Yeah.
Andrew Adams:
You know, think of the, you know, I'm thinking of a few places here in town in Keene where it goes from two lanes to one lane. And often people are like, Ooh, I gotta get in front. I gotta speed up. I gotta speed up. I wanna get in front of that one car. Well, yeah, but you're still right behind the other car in front there. Like you just saved yourself, how much time? Maybe 10 seconds you might get to your destiny if you and I are going in the same place. You got there 10 seconds before me. Is that really smart? When you could have caused an accident or not? Maybe you don't cause an accident, but you piss off the guy behind you that you just cut off.
Jeremy Lesniak:
Yeah.
Andrew Adams:
Who now has road rage issues? Is it worth it to get to your location 5 to 10 seconds earlier?
Jeremy Lesniak:
If your life is that urgent, then I would suggest you've likely made a significant number of mistakes before that 10-second event.
Andrew Adams:
Yeah, exactly.
Jeremy Lesniak:
Yeah. When we talk about making, bringing martial arts into, let's not just call it everyday life, let's call it common life. But things that happen all the time, you know, what are some of the other ways that we can look at this, you know, we've talked about, and I think everybody's likely on board with the, you know, do things that are good for your body. Or good for your mind, right? Like that's, it's fairly obvious and I doubt we have to convince anyone of that. But where else can we take this?
Andrew Adams:
I mean, you could also just use your martial arts and like, this is such a silly thing and I know you do it as well. I will go out of my way to close my fridge door or cabinet doors with kicks.
Jeremy Lesniak: Yeah.
Andrew Adams: And I'm not talking. Hard, right? I don't wanna knock all the stuff outta my fridge shelves right on the door.
Jeremy Lesniak:
Right.
Andrew Adams:
But it, you know, I will bring up my leg and I will slowly bring it out and close the door with a round kick or with a hook kick, depending on how I'm standing.
Jeremy Lesniak:
Yeah.
Andrew Adams:
And it, I mean, yeah. And the same thing with the car door, right? I've got my, both of my arms are filled with groceries. I don't want to close the door. Could I just use my knee and just be, you know, kind of? Yeah, sure I could, but I will actually purposefully take a step back, lift up my leg and slowly bring it out and then put a little force behind it to make sure there's enough force to close the door. Does it look kind of silly when somebody sees me do it? Yeah, probably. Do I care? No, not really.
Jeremy Lesniak:
Regardless. Maybe you find it mildly enjoyable, but how many times a year do you close those doors? If you're putting intent into that practice, even if it's only one repetition, it's a lot of extra kicks.
Andrew Adams:
Yeah.
Jeremy Lesniak:
And one of the major bits of feedback that we get from people when we talk about martial arts and improving as martial artists and spending more time is that they don't have time. And, you know, we've released a number of things, books, and offerings that address that. And there are more that are coming, but everybody has the chance to shut the door with a well-placed kick. Everybody has the opportunity. When they sit down to practice, you know, horse dance for three seconds before they sit in the chair, you know, whatever it is.
Andrew Adams:
Yeah.
Jeremy Lesniak:
And maybe you don't wanna do everything because maybe that's too much for you, but I bet if there's something that someone is struggling with, they're trying to improve in class, there's a way for them to bring that. Into their life.
Andrew Adams:
Yep. I had a student who was working on Sanchin and she worked at a grocery store,
Jeremy Lesniak:
Which for those of you who maybe don't…
Andrew Adams:
Check out.
Jeremy Lesniak:
Don't train karate. It's a very common intense form. Like a Poomsae or something.
Andrew Adams:
Yeah. It is a very narrow stance. Right. And so she worked at a grocery store as a cashing out at a register. And so she would just stand in Sanchin. And use that time to like work on strengthening her legs because she's just standing there doing this with her arms and grabbing something. And cuz this was, you know, this was years ago before there were a lot of conveyor belts.
Jeremy Lesniak:
Yeah.
Andrew Adams:
Where, you know, or you know, you have to just, you have to scan everything that goes by. Right. And so she would just stand in Sanchin. Nobody could see her feet.
Jeremy Lesniak:
Right?
Andrew Adams:
Right. But she used that as an opportunity to, you know what, I'm gonna work on strengthening my legs because that stance allows you to like, put tension. And, you know, when she got tired, she would relax and that's fine, but, she was gonna be standing there for four or five hours a day, why not use that time?
Jeremy Lesniak:
Might as well find some benefit in it. Beyond, yeah. Yeah.
Andrew Adams:
Yeah.
Jeremy Lesniak:
You know, let's throw people a couple more examples. See if anybody, we can give folks some other ideas so they can take this sentiment into their life. You know, standing in Sanchin standing for a long period of time. You talked about shutting doors. That's another big one. What about, so when people often have a difficult time practicing their forms, finding time to practice their forms, you know, maybe they don't have the amount of room that they want, but if what you're practicing is remembering it. Or if you believe that visualization is beneficial, brushing your teeth, especially if you have an electric toothbrush. That's about the time it takes to get through a form slowly.
Andrew Adams:
Yep.
Jeremy Lesniak:
Or maybe you're washing your hair and your eyes are closed cause you don't want the soap in your eyes, so you're visualizing going through a form or a technique or a sparring match. I think visualizations is absolutely wonderful, and I like that
Andrew Adams:
Neither of us had that issue, but…
Jeremy Lesniak:
No, not at all. I don't even own shampoo. You won't find any of my house. To folks who only ever listen. Neither Andrew nor I have hair. I have a little bit of a beard. That's it. Where else can this come in?
Andrew Adams:
The one for me that I've been, that I myself am working on? And when he said it there, it really kind of hit home, was the snacking and the food and what you put in your body, and for those that don't know, I drive a lot.
Jeremy Lesniak:
Yeah.
Andrew Adams:
I'm in my car constantly and I'm in my car a lot at night and I am having close calls
Jeremy Lesniak:
30 or 40,000 miles a year.
Andrew Adams:
Yeah. Typically 40 to 45,000 miles on my car a year. And a lot of that driving is nighttime. A lot of it's long, long hours. Like I'll be in the car driving for four or five hours at a time. And you know, I've had some close calls with being like, whoa, hi, I'm really tired and like I need to stay awake. And so I have gotten into the habit for years of drinking soda. Because it's got the caffeine, cuz I don't drink coffee. I don't like coffee.
Jeremy Lesniak:
Right.
Andrew Adams:
And so I would be drinking soda late at night and just to keep me awake, I would start eating potato chips cuz it gives me something to crunch. And salt,
Jeremy Lesniak:
You're not alone.
Andrew Adams:
Wake me up
Jeremy Lesniak:
Think for most of us snacking is part of driving cause we get bored.
Andrew Adams:
Yeah. And salt and vinegar, potato chips, for example. Like, you put that in your mouth and you're like, oh, your eyes are like, oh, I'm awake now. Right? And so if I drive, you know, I drive in my car every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. Pretty much a long two to two-and-a-half-hour drive to get somewhere, and then a two to two-and-a-half-hour drive back. So that's six-car rides, right? Monday, Wednesday, Friday, there and back. That's six-car rides every single car ride getting at least one soda and some chips or snacks.
Jeremy Lesniak:
Yeah.
Andrew Adams:
I have put on more weight than I am comfortable saying.
Jeremy Lesniak:
Sure.
Andrew Adams:
And when Dave mentioned this, that, you know, choosing an apple over snacks, I, you know, unhealthy snacks is martial arts. I was like, wow, you know what? That's absolutely right. And I have consciously been making an effort to, I don't buy soda nearly to the same degree I used to occasionally. Now I do, but I see it more of as a treat.
Jeremy Lesniak:
Sure.
Andrew Adams:
And I myself am not a fan of water. I just, it has no taste. And so I don't like that. But smart water produces lightly flavored waters. Like passion fruit, pineapple,
Jeremy Lesniak:
Right.
Andrew Adams:
Oh, that's great. And it's just a hint and it's still water. And yes, there may be some other things in there, but you, there's no one on the earth that's,
Jeremy Lesniak:
But it's better than drinking six sodas a week.
Andrew Adams:
Absolutely. And so I'm still having a lot of water intake. I'm still hydrating. It's still good. It's certainly like you said, it's better than all of that soda.
Jeremy Lesniak:
Yeah.
Andrew Adams:
And then, getting snacks that are healthier. I can't tell you the number of pints of blueberries I've purchased in the last few weeks. I love blueberries and they're easy to go and I get more peanuts. Peanuts are another one.
Jeremy Lesniak:
Okay.
Andrew Adams:
That I can just have in the car and snack on them. And again, having lots and lots of peanuts maybe isn't quote healthy, but it's way healthier
Jeremy Lesniak:
Than the chips.
Andrew Adams:
Five bags of chips and Reese's a bunch of Reese's peanut butter cup.
Jeremy Lesniak:
Yeah. And there's a…
Andrew Adams:
Like, I definitely see that as practicing martial arts.
Jeremy Lesniak:
Yeah. And you know, we can, again, we talked about the impact to your body, but there's another way to look at it that is very much martial arts and this kind of goes, a bit counter to the way a lot of society wants us to look at things these days. You said that healthier. You necessarily say healthy. Healthier.
Andrew Adams:
Yep.
Jeremy Lesniak:
Now, if we said what is the healthiest choice for you to drink while you're driving in the car? It's water, right? Obviously.
Andrew Adams:
Yep.
Jeremy Lesniak:
But what you've chosen is healthier than the sodas. Even if you would only have the soda on the drives home. Right. Cutting out half of it, that's healthier.
Andrew Adams:
Yep.
Jeremy Lesniak:
And in martial arts, we tend to be really good at saying, okay, you've learned the form, now let's refine the form. Now let's refine it more. Now let's add power. Now let's add application, right? Or sparring. Okay. Just don't get hurt. Now we can speed it up a little bit. Now try doing this, add this, add that. If you talk to anybody, the early stage of their martial arts career, they will often say, I looked at the black belts in the front of the room and I had no idea how I was gonna get there. I didn't think I ever could. Right? Because there's so much in between where they start and where they're trying to go. But how do you get there by taking a step at a time? And this is where actually, surprisingly, I have a copy of it right here. This is the whole concept of this book that I wrote, 12 Months to Health, right? It was about bringing the martial arts mindset into looking at your health and your fitness and just living a better life. By making small changes and continuing making them.
Andrew Adams:
Yep.
Jeremy Lesniak:
Anything else we should add?
Andrew Adams:
No, I don't think so. I think it, again, all of this episode is, every episode and every episode we do is just food for thought.
Jeremy Lesniak:
Yeah.
Andrew Adams:
Literally food for thought.
Jeremy Lesniak:
Ha.
Andrew Adams:
There's stuff to think about.
Jeremy Lesniak:
And hopefully, you have thought we've been thinking, I think during these episodes, one of my favorite thing reasons that we do audience, thank you for coming by. Thank you for listening or watching. Remember, we do have videos of every episode on YouTube. And you can catch the audio feed anywhere you might find podcasts. Go to whistlekickmartialartsradio.com if you want the show notes, transcripts, links, photos, videos on guest episodes, all that good stuff. Remember to support Kataaro, K A T A A R O dot com. Use the code WK10 for 10% off your first order. That's capital letters and numbers. You can follow them on Instagram, Kataaro USA, and I hope you go check out their stuff, even if you're not in the market for about right now. Go check it out. It's drool-worthy and there's so much customization that you'll come up with something that you're like, I want that for myself
Andrew Adams:
I was just about to say, so I went earlier in the week cuz I knew we were recording this episode and I wanted to refresh my memory on some of their customization stuff. And you know, it's pretty amazing you can put in what you want things to say. How do you want it angled, how do you not angled, how do you want it oriented?
Jeremy Lesniak:
Yeah.
Andrew Adams:
What font do you want? And they'll show you examples. Right. That's a. Yeah, it's really pretty amazing.
Jeremy Lesniak:
And I even have notes go, I'm sorry, finish up. Go ahead.
Andrew Adams:
I mean, their biggest thing that I think is really cool is, you know, you mentioned that you don't use, you don't put rank stripes on your belt, which is fine, and there's nothing wrong with those people that do. But one of the coolest things they do offer is free rank stripes for life. So, let, I'm an instructor, I promote someone to first-degree black belt. Let's say I get them a, you know, a custom embroidered belt. With one stripe on the bottom, and then a couple years later they test for second on. Now I've gotta go buy another customized belt with two stripes on it. Like, ugh, that's a pain.
Jeremy Lesniak:
Or what I've seen happen in a lot of situations is they bring it to another embroiderer, or even the same embroiderer and the color of the thread is just a little bit off, or the thickness is just a little bit off and you can see it and it looks funny.
Andrew Adams:
And you have to pay for it.
Jeremy Lesniak:
And you have to pay for it.
Andrew Adams:
One of the cool things with Kataaro is if I buy a black belt for my new black belt, with from Kataaro, I'd have that one gold stripe on it. If I used gold, maybe I want red, maybe I want purple, like whatever. But when they test for second on, I take that belt and mail it back to Kataaro. They will put a new rank stripe on it for free.
Jeremy Lesniak:
That's pretty cool.
Andrew Adams:
So I don't have to buy a whole new belt. So even though that belt might be a little pricier, cuz you're purchasing a higher quality, better product.
Jeremy Lesniak:
Yeah.
Andrew Adams:
In the long term, you might actually end up saving yourself money, especially if you're a school owner.
Jeremy Lesniak:
It genuinely, you know, Kataaro's been around for a certain amount of time. 2003 if I remember correctly. I bet there are belts that have been out there for 20 years. You know, I know how long my belt has lasted, my original black belt, and it was not this quality. So it'd be interesting to see how long this belt and the belts that, you know, folks around us that I get to know last. Two other things to let you know out there in the audience seminars, they are available. If you want me to come out, maybe I'll bring Andrew, you know, depends on the time and where we're going. Let's come teach you some fun stuff and consulting. I do offer. We offer as whistlekick martial arts consulting services to schools. Regardless of what you teach or how big you are, if you are interested in us applying the same integrity and consistency, and honesty that you see in everything that we do to your martial arts school and helping you grow and make more money, you can do it. Reach out for either of those things, jeremy@whistlekick.com. Andrew's email address is andrew@whistlekickmartialartsradio.com. Our social media is @whistlekick and that brings us to the end. Until next time, train hard, smile, and have a great day.