Here is what we are doing

It is an absolute pleasure working with your children.

In the coming winter season we wanted to post our School Closing Policy so that no one is ever left wondering if classes are canceled. Safety is ALWAYS our number one priority. If for any reason the roads become unsafe to drive then We cannot in good conscience ask for you to put yourself and your family at risk to come to class. Therefore, we are implementing this School Closing Policy effective immediately:

Family First Martial Arts Training Centers of Middle TN will cancel classes for the following reasons:
1. If Williamson County Schools AND Franklin Special School District Close due to weather related issues such as snow, flood, tornado etc.
a. 2 Hour delays do NOT classify as a school closing therefore Family First Martial Arts will conduct classes as scheduled.
b. Mid-Day cancellations of Williamson County Schools AND Franklin Special School District for the reasons of weather will result in Family First Martial Arts CANCELING Classes.
2. Holidays.
a. Memorial Day
b. July 4th
c. Labor Day
d. Thanksgiving
e. Christmas Eve – Christmas
f. New Years Eve – New Years Day
i. Family First will close Christmas Eve through New Years Day. For the 2011 – 2012 Year we will be closed Thursday Dec 22 through Sunday January 1. We will reconvene on Monday January 2

Whenever Family First cancels classes for school closing please feel free to make up your classes on any day that is convienent for you.

Parents, I can not stress the issue of safety enough. The above policy is in place and is the guideline that will be followed by Family First. If you ever feel that it is unsafe for you to come to class and we are still having classes, don’t feel obligated to come in. Your judgement will always be the best judgement. You can make up your class if you desire.

Family First Martial Arts Sick Policy.
If you or your child is sick, may be getting sick or just getting over being sick, please stay home. If your body is fighting an illness, the stress of classes can weaken your body causing injury. The risk of spreading illness is greatly increased due to heavy respiratory activities as well as close contact with other students. Make sure you are well enough to come back to class.

About The Author

Sensei Larry

Sensei Larry is a 27 year veteran of the martial arts with over 15 years of professional teaching experience. Larry holds black belt ranks in multiple styles including a 1st degree black belt Judo and Japanese Jiu Jitsu, 2nd degree in Goju-Shorei Weapons and a 5th degree black belt in Goju-Shorei Karate. Larry is the current Director of Goju-Shorei Karate and Co-Founder of Family First Martial Arts Training Centers located in Franklin TN with his wife Sensei Dani.

Through the Open Door

It’s within this ideology that the Goju-Shorei System, Family First Martial Arts and myself finds strength. When amazing people walk through the open door of your life, do all that you can to honor them and keep them. Personally, I am a habitual family collector. If I like you enough… I keep you and you become a part of a growing group of amazing people who I now call my family. They all add to my life in unspeakable ways, ways that make every day a pleasure to live. I have added brothers, sisters, aunts and uncles. I have clung to two that I now call Mom and Dad and I treasure them as if they were my own blood. I have even collected that cousin that you don’t talk to much… but he’s twice removed. The point is that family is a gift. God has brought many into mine, and I am so very thankful for everyone of them.

So as you celebrate today and all that you are thankful for, I simple ask, who has walked through your open door? The people in your life that are worth the most are the ones that bring you the most joy. Surround yourself with people that make you smile often, laugh out loud, cry only tears of joy and on occasion make your milk come out of your nose. Its these special gems that make you a better person, hold you accountable and will never let you fall.

Happy Thanksgiving!

The Power of WHY

Ok, so I was 8 and really didn’t know the point of the story and clarification was needed but for some reason the story just stuck. It wasn’t until I was older that it really started to take hold of me. I realized the power of “Why”. The simple act of a question yields returns that are invaluable. I think of all the amazing things in our history that have come and gone and how they could have only started with a question. Imagine if the original 13 American colonies never questioned the Stamp Act of 1765, which imposed taxation without representation from the King of England and brought on the Revolutionary War. Would we still be a British Nation? What if Susan B. Anthony never questioned the rights of a woman or Martin Luther King never questioned if all men could indeed be equal? The point is that some of the greatest achievements in our society have been brought about by a simple question and then the conviction to find the answer and if no answer was available, they made one.

Questions inspire action. In fact they demand it. It requires one to be proactive in the pursuit of self-improvement and has the power to change the world. I was 8 and afraid to ask questions because to ask implies that I didn’t know. I think back now and wonder how much further I could have been, who else may have grown from my questions and what profound impact I may have had on my school, city, state or even the world if I would have just had the courage to ask the questions in my mind.

As a Martial Artist I live and breathe in the realm of “Why”. Without questions we are all simply followers trusting methods designed centuries ago by others who asked questions. We have to find our own answers and reasons today so that we may have something of substance to pass on to those who ask questions from us. It’s a responsibility of every student to ask our own questions and stay educated and informed about the world around us. Karl Marx said it best when he said “Question Everything”. But don’t stop until you get your answers!

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