Don't forget to get your sparring gear order in by December 15th if you want to ensure delivery before Christmas. We will be taking orders by phone at 512-300-7866 from students and in class through December 15th.

The 4th Degree Martial Arts will close for the holidays from December 18-31.

We will reopen for our annual New Year's Day Powerfit Workout on January 1 at 8:00 AM! Come help us get 2012 off to a fit and healthy start.

Congratulations to all 22 students who tested on Friday, December 9th. This was the final test for 2011 and it was indeed a great way to mark the end of another remarkable year. We were so pleased to see at all the progress demonstrated by our students in both technique, forms, and their overall winning attitude.

We want to thank all the instructors, advanced belts and friends who served on the panel for this test; Edwin Riquelme, Jim Nagle, Chris Burton, Ric Meleschi, Laszlo Valenti, Michael Hermes, Jason Pratt and Mary Payne of PKC Karate. We are so grateful for the full support and friendship of all who helped with the test.

Our next test will be scheduled for mid to late February 2012.

_People start martial arts training at various ages and for different reasons. Some of us start that training during our adult years, but these days, most start training in early childhood.  Mr. Fauth was lucky enough to start his first training in martial arts at the age of 13 under the excellent tutelage of Shihan Phillip Brain in his native Australia. The valuable training he received in Judo stood him in good stead as he went on to the police academy and subsequently started training in Karate and Tae Kwon-Do.

Last week, we were honored to welcome Shihan Brain to Austin and were treated to an awesome week of Judo training at The 4th Degree. Adults and junior students alike learned so much from his skillful training leaving us all hungry for more. For Mr. Fauth, it was an eventful ten days spent reminiscing and training with his very first role model in the martial arts. For the rest of us, it was a way to gain perspective on the impact that Judo had on Mr. Fauth’s development as a martial artist.

Shihan Brain started his Judo training in 1952 and has been inducted into the Australasian and US Martial Arts Hall of Fame. He still remains active in teaching select kata classes today. He has passed on his martial arts legacy to his own son Stewart who now coaches the Olympic judo team from Australia. It was inspiring to meet and train with Shihan Brain and to marvel at the unique bond between him and Mr. Fauth; a bond forged over 40 years ago and still perfectly intact to this day. It was a real privilege to train with a master of Shihan's calibre and we hope that we get an opportunity to train with him again.

Sid and Vic (brothers) competed in the PKC Teams Tournament, Saturday, October 22 in Kyle.This was their first experience competing in an outside tournament and they had a blast!

Congratulations Sid & Vic for getting out there and representing The 4th Degree! We're so proud of you for having the confidence to test your skills in a new environment and for putting forth a great effort. We can hardly wait to see you both compete in your next tournament.

As you probably already know, Steve Jobs (of Apple fame) passed away yesterday.
He was truly somebody that changed the world and has acted as a very powerful
role model for many. 

I thought you'd benefit from this article that Dr. Robyn, our very
own Child Development Expert, just completed.
Check it out here --> http://goo.gl/J0Wti

I'd love to know what you think!
See you in class soon.

The 4th Degree has scheduled a belt test for October 7 for junior and adult students who have either met or expect to meet their class attendance and performance requirements by that date.

Junior students are reminded that both August and September Powerful Word projects will need to be completed and turned in before the test.

Good luck to all potential test candidates!

This month our Powerful Word chats will center on the concept of self-reliance. Dr. Robyn Silverman, child development specialist has this to say about teaching your child to become more self-reliant,

"Building self-reliance takes a partnership between the child,the parent, and other important adults in the child’s life. Let’s face it; it’s often easier, quicker, and more skillfully done if we do it for the child. But when we allow him to accomplish a developmentally appropriate task on his own, he gains confidence and learns that he can do it by himself."

For more valuable information on self-reliance, be sure to check out our Powerful Word bulletin board for September and the complete Parent's Perch article on our student website.

The 4th Degree Martial Arts was proud to receive an unexpected surprise visit from Ernie Reyes Jr., son of the legendary creator of the West Coast Demo Team, Ernie Reyes, Sr. The father and son team starred together in Surf Ninjas (1993) and Ernie Jr. has had a successful career as an American actor, martial artist, action choreographer, director, producer, filmmaker, screenwriter, entrepreneur, singer and stunt performer.

In addition to his Sidekicks TV series role in the late 80s, some of you may remember Mr. Reyes from his numerous movie roles including Red Sonja, The Last Dragon, Rush Hour 2, Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull,Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II, The Secret of the Ooze (1991) as Keno just to name a few. He also performed utility stunts motion capture for Avatar (2009) and was a stunt double in Alice and Wonderland (2010).

Mr. Reyes holds a 4th Dan (Degree) Black Belt in Tae-Kwon Do under his father Ernie Reyes Sr. and has also trained and competed in Muay Thai.

Mr. Fauth and Mr. Reyes originally met in1982 when the Sr. and Jr. Reyes team was conducting an Australian martial arts tour. Mr. Reyes was in his teens then.

Everyone who attended our Saturday class got a chance to meet Mr. Reyes and chat with him or pose for photos. Some even got his autograph on their belts. Hold on to those belts guys! They are special keepsakes.