Day 2 and 3 of Nationals

Waking up today felt great as I knew I wouldn't be stuck at the convention center for a ridiculous amount of time. Today was Kevin Pilcher's day to put in work and I woke up the way I always do for events...on 3 hours sleep, coffee, and music! The day ended very quickly as Kevin was eliminated in the first fight by an opponent who could have been easily beaten had Kevin listened better. On a high note, he looked very fast and strong so I really believe he had a chance to advance. I am sure he will do better next year in San Jose!

Day 3! Our final day of competition we had our older gunners going for hardware and I was excited! Jobe, Kathy, and Gabby were set to compete and the day started off horribly! It started raining on the last day of competition so I couldn't even get to the venue without a ride. I was picked up late and I got a call from Kathy Lee's mom saying that she has been called to the holding area! Luckily, Master J.K. Kim from Yorba Linda was already at the tournament venue ready to fill in for me if I did not arrive on time. Good thing I was there on time for Kathy's first fight, she won...easily and she advanced to the semi-final round! Then Jobe was up and the intercom called for me to get to ring 12! I ran there as fast as I could and I see Jobe and her opponent getting ready to test their chest protectors. My heart dropped as I ran to the ring to see the girl that had beaten her by over 11 points at qualifiers sitting there, waiting for her turn. I told myself to focus and take it one fight at a time. Jobe destroyed her first opponent with kicks to the face and at one point, I saw the girl who destroyed Jobe at Qualifiers stare at her coach and give him the "Oh crap" look! Kathy fought at the same time under the guidance of Master Kim and both of our girls were in the FINALS!! Kathy's final went scoreless for 3 rounds causing them to go into sudden death. This was due to a technical problem as Kathy ripped the other girls body with kicks that failed to register. They went to sudden death which again points she earned failed to register. Then the fight went to the judges who decided the opponent won the fight. LoL, I love it when judges choose the winners of fights. It is always what you least expect. Then it was Jobe in the finals against a fierce fighter whom we had been preparing for since April. Honestly speaking we were unprepared for that fight. Jobe has been so used to dominating fights that I think I got complacent with her level of training. That day at Qualifiers I literally went into a state of panic because I was not used to watching what was happening and my coaching ability went to poop. For 3 months following that wretched day we drilled and drilled! Finally, the day of rematch had come. We went in knowing the score was 2-13 in their last match. Again...those dang electronic chest protectors denied Jobe of at least 2 points but registered her opponents 1!!! I was flipping out!!! I called out the plays we had been working on and still no points!!! Her opponent proceeded to score 2 more points making it 0-3...I called for a Back-Kick which landed making the score 2-3! We were back in the game! In the final round, Jobe's nerves got the best of her and her opponent ended up winning 2-4. I saw disappointment in Jobes face and I had to immediately reminded her to look at the score!! 2-4 as opposed to 2-13! All the hard work payed off and the PMAC family was very proud of both Kathy and Jobe for making it to the Finals!!! Last up was Gabby. She fought hard and never gave up! Although outclassed, she showed a true spirit of a fighter and for 3 rounds went toe to toe with her opponent.

Well thats a wrap! We took a total of 9 athletes and 8 of them place top 3 in the Nation! We fought some epic battles and I proved to myself again for the 3rd year in a row, I have what it takes to produce a National Champ. Thank you parents, and athletes for enduring your training sessions and allowing me to be the Coach that I need to be to produce these results. My promise to you is that I will continue to teach you how to win, my only request is that you follow. Don't look to me to be your friend or counselor. Ask me to teach you how to win...and I will. God bless you all!!!

TEAM PERFORMANCE!!! FOREVER!!!!!!!

Day 1 of the 2010 US National Championships!

YES!!! After a year of having roller coaster emotions about whether or not I was capable of bringing back another National Champ for a third consecutive year is officially....OVER!!! Team Performance was born 4 years ago in March of 2007. That Team, although in its infancy state, battled the toughest schools in the country and successfully brought home a National Champ, National Runner-up, 1 Semi Finalist, and 1 Quarter Finalist! The beautiful thing about that year was that it was my first time taking a Team to Nationals. And yes, I actually threw up because I was so nervous.

4 years prior to going to my first Nationals I was able to dominate the State circuit with a rag tag bunch of kids who were unable to afford going out of state for a competition. Man...those kids were so tough and talented. I still remember their names til this day:

Christian Franco

Christian Nieves

Geno Foster

David Silverman

Mark Belandres

Jobe an Belandres

Maeann Gulmatico

Kutch Gulmatico

Daniel Ethridge

Jonathan Wolf

This wolfpack would have done SO WELL at the National events of the past. But what can you do? If you can't afford to go, you can't afford to go! So we made our rounds at all the local tournaments and did our thing.

Fast forward to today...After taking a one year hiatus from elite level competition due to the expansion of the school we returned to our first competition in March 2009. Quite frankly, I ate a big piece of humble pie that day. I remember walking in to the venue saying to myself "Look whos back suckaaas!" I was so confident and cauky that I was laughing inside as the coaches whom I faced in the past were greeting me. Every single team one of my team member lost that day. Vincent Guerrero was the only one who medaled and I was very proud of his 2nd place finish out of 8 competitors. It was the first time in 6 years I have tasted defeat..and it was NASTY. Was it ring rust? Was it a lack of talent? Was it my fault for not pushing them hard enough during the training sessions because I had become so complacent? YES! ALL OF THE ABOVE. Til this day I still have nightmares of that wretched day.

Since then I haved stepped up the practice intensity back to borderline psychotic and we have done very well since then. The Team has became solid both physically and mentally and we returned to the winning ways we were once accustomed to. However, due to that day that still haunts me..I ended up losing a lot of sleep leading up to this years National Event. Would I be able to do it again? Was I still as good as I used to be? We don't have the new electronic chest protectors to practice with! Etc. These thoughts and many more would plague my mind when I would close my eyes at night. Some might say these are doubts of a Coach who is incapable, I say these are the thoughts that a coach must consider a reality to keep him sharp and on edge. These are the doubts that drove me to conduct the practices and not give any slack to the athletes because I might hurt their feelings. These thoughts kept my skin tough when I would see the athletes break down during practice, and gave me the ability to say AGAIN, as opposed to saying THATS ENOUGH. My doubt caused me to say to myself "I have to get this done!" It was caukiness that gave me the result of losing. Realizing that there was a possibilty that I may not bring back a medalist was the best thing that could have ever happened to me. I went back to my first year of putting pressure on myself to deliver! Luckily for me...I didn't throw up this year :)

Here is a breakdown of what happened in Florida:

Aanayah kicked off the competition by facing a former US National Team Members student. Her opponent was very small, but for those of you who have been to tournaments...you know the small ones are some of the most vicious ones. Just goes to show...the world of coaching is completely different from the world of competing. There is a certain amount of self-sacrifice that coaches must make to raise champions that many athletes are unable to give. Aanayah mopped the floor with this girl and won her title with ease.

Sandeep went next. He too, fought a smaller opponent but after sizing the boy up I knew Sandeep would do well against the kid. Sandeep imposed his will for 3 straight rounds for an easy win, and he advanced to the Semi Finals. After a 20 minute wait he was up again against one of the top teams in the Nation. Sandeep fought very well but the effort was not enough to battle his opponent who looked very calm and composed in the ring. I could tell this wasn't his first time at a National Event. Sandeep lost in the semis earning himself a #3 ranking in the country. His opponent went on to win the whole division.

Next up was Simran! Simran has improved drastically in the last couple of months. She was once very passive and nice, now as aggressive as a gamer can be. She too won her first fight advancing to the semis where she fell against an opponent who did not throw a single kick! ALL PUNCHES!!! That to me is a sad display of what future TKD matches are going to look like. Its TKD not boxing...but rules are rules and I am figuring out a way to adapt to these changes. I am proud to say Simran also earned the right to be ranked #3 in the Nation. You go girl!

Now that our munchkins were done it was time to focus on my GUNNERS! First up was Jessica Rosales who almost did not even get to fight! The ring managers thought she didn't show up so they disqualified her very early on. I caught this mistake while sitting in another ring on the opposite side of the convention center. I ran over to the ring after noticing the mistake to bring it to their attention. They were trying to figure out how they were going to make this work as her division already fought and they were in the quarter finals. Their answer, have Jessica fight 3 fights back to back against the opponents who won their fights in the round of 8. Jessica battled her way into the finals and fell to an opponent who was much larger in size and literally looked like a 20 year old. Regardless, she fought like a champion and only fell by 3 points in the finals. Jessica is now ranked #2 in the Nation.

Now every competitor who fought earned themself a medal and I wonder if Christian had some added pressure. Christian is like a son to me and has been working very hard for this event. I spent a lot of time prepping him and now the time had come. He had 16 fighters in his division and he and I both knew the only way to get a National title was to battle 4 times. I did my usual scouting of the group and I only saw 2 potential threats. One of the boys whom I knew would give us trouble was a member of the Team Sandeep fell to and the other was from a school in which I could not figure out the name. All I saw was "Jesus is my Lord" on his back and I said, "GREAT!! JUST GREAT!! WE ARE PRAYING TO THE SAME GOD!" These two looked really good during the warmups. Agile, quick, and skilled. Well the first one got knocked off his first fight and although he was great at hitting the pads, he could not deliver during the match. Christian fought his round of 16 fight and won with ease. We had to face the 2nd threat in the round of 8 match and I can honestly say both Christian and I were both nervous. Actually everybody that was there to cheer was nervous. The boy was quicker than Christian and took it to him early on and scored two points by the 2nd round. As Christian ran back to get his instructions for the third and final round I sensed he was in a state of panic. So, I did what any great coach who was scared of losing would do...LIE! "Christian, you're only down by two...thats nothing. But listen to me carefully, you have to throw a nadaban and land it. It's our only chance! If you don't land this we are done. Can you do this for me?" He nods yes. So the round starts and he waits for me to signal for him to throw the kick. I waited and waited for the right time...which never came, so just like a quarter back throws a hail mary pass...I signaled for him to throw it and he did. BOOOOOOOOM! He landed it with just 15 seconds left in the fight giving him a tie score of 2-2. He then proceeded to throw another roundhouse that scored another point giving him a 1 point lead with less than 10 secs left!!! By now I was jumping up out of my chair and the crowd went wild. We escaped a loss because he listened so well and we were now in the Semi Finals! The semi-finals wasn't much of a semi-final because the kid was outclassed by Christian. However it was still a day of remdemption for me as I lost a quarter-final match to the same coach in 2007. Now we were in the Finals. His final opponent was a very awkward fighter who masterfully trapped all his opponents by having them chase him while he picked them apart running from them. He blew them away by point gaps in excess of 8 points. I honestly thought we would get this win however, Christian fell by a score of 5-8. The boy he fought in the finals was a boy that my yellow belt beat in 2007. Thats right, in 2007 Moussah, was a yellow belt and today...3 years later was a blue belt. Christian has been competing for about a year and a half. He was fantastic for his first time fighting at a National Event.

To wrap things up for day 1. I can easily point out all the mistakes that were made on our athletes part which caused them to lose, but its not about that. This was there very FIRST National event. I guess thats the difference between a coach who has been in the ring and a coach who has not. Aanayah, Sandeep, Simran, Jessica, and Christian...ENJOY YOUR GLORY :)

There is no reason to tell someone that they should or could have done better at a National Level event. Especially if they fought their heart out and listened to their coach. Enjoy it guys...I know what it felt like to be out there. I AM SO PROUD OF YOU GUYS!!!

2010...YES!

Wow! All I can say is WOW! Towards the end of 2009, I prepared and organized myself for success with hope that 2010 would be a better year. I believed that 2010 was going to be great because I took major steps to improve my system and I had faith that God would provide. Yes, there was a recession, and there still is a recession going on. But I will not allow myself to use that as an excuse to say things aren't going so well. I have fully realized that the 6 months of horror in 2009 was not because of the recession, it was because I sat on my behind and made excuses. I was merely asking God to do all of my work for me while I sat around and waited. Recently my Pastor has been delivering some great sermons that really spoke to my heart. As believers, we have the greatest gift man can ask for..HOPE! During the bad months, I did not work as if I had hope...I worked like somebody owed me something and that I deserved something. No body owes anybody anything, nobody deserves anything! We should go to work with an appreciation for what we have been given. Are you unhappy with your work situation? Do you feel you are being over worked? Taken advantage of? If so, GOOD! Because your true test of character will show during your most difficult times. Are you going to quit your job? Stay in your job and rebel? Complain on a nightly basis about how bad things are? It's even worse when you own your own business and you fight with yourself about whether or not this is worth it. No health insurance, constant collection calls, knowing that our rent was going to increase by 2x! We've even had our lights shut off! LoL Remember that day Mrs Kim and Kratzner :P! I couldn't even enjoy my cruise 100% because I was so worried things might not work out! It was not a fun time in my life. Although at times I may have been weak, I always had hope and stayed positive. I knew a better day was coming and I knew my God was allowing me to go through what I was going through to teach me some valuable lessons. 1 very important lesson...to trust in him! He feels my pain, he sees my tears, and he hears me when I cry (well not outwardly but inwardly...I'm too macho for that). But with him, theres always light at the end of the tunnel. Thank you for pulling us out of our rut for now!

Here are some other lessons I learned during that dark period of May-Oct 2009
*In order to reap your harvest you have to actually go out and sow your seeds!
-I sat around keeping my nice chair warm wondering when people would come in?
Since then my staff and I both know that marketing is 24-7! FLIERS, CALLS, EVENTS, AND WHATEVER ELSE IT TAKES! Then ask Him for some help with the results :)

*Be organized! I need to know who's coming in, who's going out, why they are going out, and why they aren't coming in!

*I need to be VERY careful about who I keep around me! Psalm 41:1-13.

*I need to be wise with what He has given me. Proverbs 10:15-16

*I also know this won't last forever...so I really need to be wise with what He has given me :)

~FIGHTING~

Your Network is your NETWORTH!

When was the last time you conducted your FRIENDS assessment? For the past 2 years I've had to the opportunity to be around several different groups of people. Some were groups of friends I've known for a very long time, others were groups of friends that I have met recently. After doing my research I've come to realize that the phrase "Your Network is your Networth!" is ABSOLUTELY TRUE!

Think of your 5 closest friends that you speak with, eat with, or even hang out with at least 10 times out of the month. What kind of lifestyle do they live? Successful or Unsuccessful? Married or Single? Kids or No Kids? Happy or Depressed? Healthy or Unhealthy? Take each one of the 5 and see what category they fit into. Then decide for yourself, what category do you want find yourself in. I've decided that I want to be very successful, have a great family, be as happy as possible, and keep fitness a big part of my life!

Now the road to success is a path less taken by this world. Everyone says they want to be successful but not many put forth the action, take the risk, or flat out work hard enough to become successful. They watch the clock like hawks and the moment it hits 5pm, a trail of dust is left from the speed of their exit. These friends talk about how they hate Mondays, and do not appreciate the fact that they have another week of making some money in this horrible economy. SPOILED! Another important aspect of success is having people around you that will listen to your goals and not feel any negativity nor jealousy towards you. For instance, I would love to live in a nice house and drive a Porsche one day. My friends who fall in the successful category, or friends who share the same goals as myself would probably say something like "Then keep up the hard work, be smart, and give yourself a time frame...Go for it!" My friends who still live at home with their parents, or really have nothing going on would probably say "Don't be greedy" "I just want to live a chillen life...that will make me happy!" Your friends words pierce your heart, and if you are around people who don't share your same interests...they will eventually get to you and you will find yourself saying exactly what they say. So for me, I choose success. Living a chillen life is too easy for my taste. I want a CHALLENGE! I don't want to go through the motions of life....I WANT TO LIVE!

Now for those of my friends who are married, you know darn well its not like a Disney movie! Its more like an episode of "I Love Lucy!" Marriages are not perfect, because we are not perfect yet we expect our spouse to be perfect! There are times we need to vent or talk about problems and those who believe in marriage will tell you what you need to hear to get you through whatever problem you may be facing. One day, the role will be flipped and you will find yourself encouraging either the man or woman that was encouraging you just 5 months ago! Lets say you go to someone who is single or divorced. What advice would they give? Something to the note of "You don't need this stress in your life!" "You should consider moving on." If not at first, eventually they would. I could be wrong on this one...but I'd rather be safe then sorry.

KIDS.....enough said! There is no Gray area when it comes to KIDS. You either love em or hate em!

Recently, I've made my goal of getting my six pack back! Luckily for me I found a gym called Crossfit Rancho Cucamonga. At this gym, I have been pushed to limits that I haven't experienced since I used to compete in Taekwondo. I am surrounded by Coaches and Athletes who make physical fitness a priority in their lives and they have inspired me to watch what I eat and work my butt off during workouts! Because of Crossfit, I have completely removed all white rice, white bread, and anything else that is not whole grain...out of my diet. However, things got so busy at the studio that I haven't had the been opportunity to Crossfit for over 5 months now. I can honestly say I have been side tracked. Aside from my students at PMAC, I don't have any friends who live close enough to me to keep me accountable. Luckily for me, one of my former Coaches has become a student at PMAC and he allows me to go to his house and Crossfit in his garage!!! What would I do without you Mr. Murray!

Finally it comes to this...I learned that honesty is the best policy. I've surrounded my life with so many fakes in my life during my youth. There is no reason to go into detail as it would be inappropriate, but there is no denying that I have EXPERIENCE with people. I know, and you know that there are so called friends who do not have your best interests in mind. Think about the friends you talk about to your husband or wife. The one who made a comment about you, or has ill feelings towards you and doesn't have the guts to say it to your face. But deep down you know whats going on. If you find yourself talking about how so and so did such and such, you should quickly remove them from your circle of friends and see instant results! My trustworthy network of 5 is way stronger then anyones fake network of 30. Food for thought :)

Learn To Love Mondays!

If you are on Facebook, then you would probably agree that the majority of posts on Monday pretty much look like this:

"Ugh Monday, Its going to be a looooong week!"

"Work on Mondays SUCK!"

"Waking up after a weekend of partying SUCKS......(usually that sentence ends with either a body part or a profanity word not appropriate for this blog)!!"


I want to encourage my PMAC family members to learn to LOVE Mondays! With the recent devastation of Haiti in mind, I woke up very thankful that I had another week of life to be able spend time with my wife, play with my daughter, and be in contact with the people that I love. Whenever you feel like complaining about another long week, just remember all those who have lost their lives. Remember the parents of those who have lost a loved one who would give away ALL of their possessions just to have 1 more day with their loved one so they could tell them "I love you" just one last time.

Be thankful that you even HAVE any work to finish on Mondays! There are so many horror stories of families who have lost their jobs, their homes, their cars, and even marriages due to the current economic conditions. Some have been out of a job for over 2 years and they have lost hope. I guarantee those people would do your job BETTER, at a lower pay rate. So please don't be ungrateful for the job you have and do well with the opportunity that God has blessed you with! Make sure you work hard and smart, to ensure that NO ONE takes your position!

If you've partied too hard to wake up for work on Monday thats YOUR fault, and you are headed NO WHERE...FAST! I have no tolerance for irresponsible adults, who can't make good decisions. I have no encouragement for you if you don't have any common sense. I hope you lose your job so that it is freed up for those who will not take that work opportunity for granted! Maybe, just maybe, our service might be better if the majority of jobs were filled with those who really needed the work!

Learn to love Monday's family! It's God's blessing for you all :)

Why will 2010 be GREAT for me!

Here we go! Testing is right around the corner and the essay prompt for the Belt Testers is: "Why will 2010 be great for you?"


Reason #1
2010 will be great for me because I am ready, and well prepared for this up coming year. I spent the last 2 months of 2009 educating and strengthening myself to enter this new year strong! I have a renewed spirit and my mentality has changed drastically. My skin is a lot tougher now, and no weapon formed against me shall prosper (Psalm 23)!!! This is the first year in my life that I am going in with absolute faith in God, more confidence in myself, and of course I have the best fans (Jane and Jordy), who will encourage me throughout the year :)


Reason #2
2010 will be great for me because I have a STRONG circle of friends and mentors! Notice I said I have a STRONG circle, not a LARGE circle. The current friends that I have share most of the same values as myself, and my mentors are always there for me to lift me up when I am down. They say it takes a village to raise a child right. That doesn't really change when we become an adult. I have my village :)


Reason #3
I am going to make an EFFORT to have a great year! I am going to make better choices for my life and for my business. I will remove or fix problems very quickly this year preventing myself from having unnecessary stress in my life! I put myself through TOO MUCH worried about making changes to improve MY life because I was afraid I might disappoint some people. My time is my time and I work very hard! I owe it to my wife, my daughter, and myself!

My Village that I am thankful for! They got me through 2009 and look forward to growing with them in 2010:
God/Jesus
Jane Ahn Kim My WONDERFUL STUDENTS AND PARENTS
Jordyn Alexis Kim My Coaching Staff!
(actually she gave me more stess :P ) Delano Rioux (My investor)
Pastor Jack Hibbs Master Jae Kwon Kim
Susie Ahn Master Derrik Kwak and Connie Kwak
Raymond Ahn
James Ah Master P. Ferrer
All my My Cuzzzzzinz! Master Ulysess Marcelino
(esp. Burnt out Star, for having good times Master Eddie Cha
with me when I really needed a break from life!)

New Years 2010!

Wow~

I haven't updated this blog since June! My apologies. Well since my last blog, a lot has gone on in my life. We ran into permit issues with the learning center so that is currently still on hold. But, I am still thankful for the experience because I now know I can be a killer real estate negotiator! I now have 2 locations in the city of Claremont, California and they are growing at an incredibly slow rate. Is it because of the recession? Nah, it's because we really haven't put any energy into marketing in that city. We are just relying/piggy backing off the city's recreational book that is sent out to 40,000 homes in the city. On a bright note, I started with just one location in Claremont in June and now I have 2...I can't complain. Our Rancho location is growing steadily and I am very happy with the marketing efforts! Rancho signed up students until the very last day of operation for the year :) So to sum things up, 2009 wasn't too bad!

I can say I was a victim of a GREAT economy in the beginning months which caused me to be lazy, and paid for it from May through October 2009. Lucky for me, I had a chance to network with another successful school owner on Halloween day! He really kicked my tail, and let me know why I was having such horrible months. I implemented everything I learned from him and that is why the months of November and December have been PHENOMENAL! Most would say, "If only you met him earlier!" I say, "Thank God I met him!" Yea it would have been great if I met him earlier, but I can't go back in time. However, I can change my future and that is what I will focus my thoughts on. :)

Jordyn is strong, healthy, and very smart! She is already starting to train in Taekwondo! Yes, she only lasts for 15 minutes but hey...do you know someone who started Martial Arts at 16 months? DOUBT IT! Also, today marks the first day we are going to get her off her bottle. She is already screaming like she has seen satan himself and I have no idea how I am going to sleep at night. Jane says I have to stay strong, I say "ahhhh dang it!" But you know what they say, moms always know best...right?!? So I will stop complaining and try to get through this new struggle in my life. Wish me luck!

So here it is! My New Year's Resolution/Goals:

1. Spend more time with God!

2. Truly dedicate every Sunday to family! Whether it be playing at the park after church, or even heading down to Cerritos on Saturday nights to have dinner with my parents and sleeping over (which we have done for the WHOLE month of December, and quite frankly I feel like I am sleeping at a 5 star hotel when I am there)! I promise I will not work, think, or even try to create on Sundays!

3a. WORK HARDER AND SMARTER! I have learned that I can't just sit around and expect business to be good. Monday through Saturday I am going to become a MACHINE!

3.b I will continue to be a student of Marketing!

3.c Get my real estate license!

4. Lift weights at least 3 times a week. I LOVE CARDIO! I love knowing that if I were to get into a fight with a larger opponent, all I would have to do is last for about a minute and a half before he would have the strength of a 7 year old child. However, I do want to have some knock out power early on. So, Weight training it is!

5. 5 is just as important as #1. I am going to remove the snakes from my life. You know, the ones who give you empty compliments about how you are so great...blah blah blah. The moment you turn your back, the smack talking begins! Snakes. They come in all sizes and all ages. I truly thought I found the boy who would run my empire one day only to realize...the lil boy is a snake. I am removing all snakes from my life. If I don't contact you anymore...oh well. I suggest all of my PMAC family members to take part in this exercise as well. I've dealt with several snakes this year...snakes are poison, and you need to cut them off by their heads.

May God bless you with an AWESOME 2010! But remember...you have to take some action for yourself, he won't spoil you.

Master, Daniel Kim

www.performancemac.com

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