Thursday 23 June 2011
After our last “Factor10 Fashion – A Martial Arts Must” news release I had so many comments from members and parents about what Factor10 is all about. The excitement was incredible with people just wanting to get their hands on the latest Factor10 uniform and to hear more about what was to come.
Factor10 has been an amazing revelation to me over the last three years. To be honest I am a relatively creative person (coming from a strong music family background) however I have never been inspired more than I am now.
The thought that someone can realise their potential by a Factor of 10 greater than they ever imagined they could seems limitless. The concept is only limited by the way we may choose to think about this in our mind … the way we choose to think about this ideal.
To understand that a person could continue to achieve through the ranks of 10 colour belt grades, and then into the black belt grades where they could move through 10 black belt grades seems almost impossible to the mind that chooses to limit thinking to the more acceptable boundaries of thinking.
Grand Master Lee did it, and we can do it … if we begin to believe that it is actually possible.
I know it’s possible, because I have taught for nearly 30 years and I have seen transformations in people that continue to blow me away. Even though I actually believe things can happen by a Factor of 10 greater than we ever imagined, my experiences with seeing the transformation of people through the Martial Arts never ceases to amaze me.
I recall in December 1998 a mum brought her three children in to start Martial Arts, the main motivation being that she was concerned that her eldest child, then in year 2 at a local school, was a classic target for bullying.
If we fast forward a number of years (about 11 years to be more exact) that same boy is now going to university, still training at our academy, and has his second dan black belt and competed nationally and internationally in full contact WTF Taekwondo. His achievements include Commonwealth Championships and Youth Olympics, to mention a couple.
And the other two children in the same family are also black belts. This is just one of many stories of success at our Martial Arts Academy. Oh, and by the way, the mum has been training now for about 8 years.
I saw the need about 3 years ago to tailor our programs to guarantee the continuation of our successful legacy – the continuation of the transformation of one person at a time through the Martial Arts programs we provide.
These pathways to success, our programs, have been tailored and grouped to guarantee that when people come to us for a Martial Arts experience, it becomes more than just a “here and now” thing, and although the here and now is important to us, it becomes a life journey though the martial arts like Grand Master Lee and I have been fortunate enough to experience.
At Factor10 we have rebranded our programs into our 10 programs of success from the Foundation programs to the Power programs, and from the Growth programs to the Freedom programs – these are what Factor10 is all about. It’s about 10 uniquely designed programs that provide the Martial Arts experience second to none, branded in a way that makes possible a life journey in the martial arts.
And every journey has a beginning; good journeys have a plan … and extraordinary journeys are ones where we have gone to a greatness unsurpassed by other life time journeys.
So where did my journey begin?
Well it’s just what I imagined it could be back in 1973 when I trained in some blokes back yard in Karate – I think his name was Alex – a guy who was so proud of his achievements as a Martial Arts expert and in particular in Karate. He trained under a Japanese Master near the Story Bridge on Brisbane’s river side and hung out with the guys who I hung out with in Sherwood and Graceville in Brisbane’s western suburbs.
And so this guy Alex was a mate of Phil, one of our group, who thought Alex was pretty cool – he knew some crazy Karate stuff and that was enough to make us guys – my brother and me – have a go at it. After all we were just in out later primary school years chasing some great Martial Arts experience but not knowing what to expect or even to understand good Martial Arts from no so good Martial Arts.
So we trained with this guy only to realise that the longer term objective of becoming a black belt was less than likely under this guy – he was good – however literally in the backyard situation it was highly unlikely we had a chance to develop through to black belt and beyond.
And so my brother Patrick and I went beyond this to explore a more professional experience – and we found Bob Jones Karate in the Valley near Brisbane City.
Actually my mum and then stepfather John thought this was all Ok and we went along to training sessions and gradings to do our best. In fact it was surprising that mum and John actually came along to our grading day and watched the action – the first time my mum learned a lesson or two about what the Martial Arts was all about. Back then gradings were a pretty scary event – to say the least!
My Martial Arts journey carried on through chance. Yes, the journey has been extraordinary, and mostly because my family encouraged me to pursue my Martial Arts interest, but to a large extent it happened by chance.
Chance that my brother came across this Karate guy in his back yard, chance that we later in ’86 found this Taekwondo guy teaching from home (and that’s another story to be told later), and chance that I came under an extraordinary Korean Master like Grand Master Sung Soo Lee who gave me the roadmap to my own black belt success.
My vision for our members is that we leave nothing to chance, that we create the experience that will, through extraordinary Martial Arts programs, provide the pathway to black belt success that I have discovered by chance.
The Factor10 programs are designed to make this happen for every one of our members. Sure the family partnership is critical to the success also, as it was for me, however our Factor10 programs have the potential to deliver success beyond the Factor of 10.
At Factor10 Martial Arts Brisbane pathways to success are possible for all our members through our 10 colour belt grades; they can all go on to explore the amazing journey through the 10 black belt grades; build friendships and relationships that are 10 times better than they imagined possible; develop into a person with the confidence, academic ability and interpersonal skills that provide access to vocational and other life pathways 10 (or more) times better than ever imagined.
