Learning life lessons
By Johna Strickland - Argus Observer
Sunday, August 12, 2007 2:47 AM PDT
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| Kaden Jenkins, 10, Payette, practices a karate kick Wednesday with his martial arts instructor A.J. Caviness. This fall, Caviness will teach a freestyle form of karate once a week at Synergy Performing Arts Center, situated at 214 S. Oregon St., in Ontario. |
Ontario - Martial arts instructor A.J. Caviness said he believes the easiest way to win a fight is just avoid it altogether.
“I realized a long time ago that using your fists out of anger is not the best solution to a problem, nor any way to earn respect,” Caviness, 31, Payette, said. “A lot of them (my students) say they do it for self-defense, but our primary goal is not to have to fight.”
If you must fight, let it be to protect someone else, Caviness tells the students of his dojo — a studio for the study of martial arts — called N Style where he teaches freestyle karate.
For Caviness, karate started as entertainment 14 years ago, then he moved to competing in tournaments.
“My friends were doing it, so it’s an extended family now,” Caviness said. “A lot of my friends I grew up training with are instructors now. The practitioners in this area know each other and they help each other out.”
Caviness, a defense tactics instructor at Snake River Correctional Institution who holds a first degree black belt, said he sees sharing his passion for martial arts as a community service. N Style is his kick back to sedentary youth pastimes like video games.
“I just really enjoy instructing. I do it for myself to stay in shape,” Caviness said. “I do it for my children. (There’s) not a lot of money in it so it’s basically a community service to be an instructor.”
The average student at N Style is 6 to 10 years old, Caviness said. They come for a variety of reasons, the most common being self-defense.
“I just felt like learning better ways to defend myself,” Zach Ramseyer, 14, Payette, said, adding that he feels more confident and has continued the sport for a few years because, “I like it ... getting the exercise, learning how to fight better.”
Kaden Jenkins, 10, Payette, said he likes “the moves, coming here” and watching martial arts on TV, then telling his friends, “I can do that.”
Both Jenkins and Chelsea Richert, 15, Fruitland, came to karate to defend themselves, though, Richert first saw it as exercise. Now it’s just fun, both said — and good life training, Richert added.
“If you ever get into a situation and you don’t know what to do, you can look back in your past to karate,” Richert said.
Seven-year-old Bobby Keltz, Fruitland, said he isn’t sure what he likes about karate, aside from punching. Caviness’ son, Garrett Caviness, 9, Payette, agreed with Keltz.
“You getta punch stuff,” Garrett Caviness said.
To A.J. Caviness, though, karate isn’t just about punching and kicking. It’s about a new way of life, a rebalancing as the yin-yang symbol on his dojo’s T-shirts show.
“It’s pretty much a life-changing thing,” A.J. Caviness said. “It’s taking negative energy and reforming it into a positive product and sharing it with others that makes this life a better experience for all ... you can be a bully and (in karate) really channel your energy. ... You can apply the principles taught by martial arts to handle any obstacle life throws at you. Martial arts is basically a way of life. It’s like another religion.”
To study martial arts with A.J. Caviness, contact Alicia Ward at (208) 405-5177 or attend registration from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. Sept. 3, Sept. 4 and Sept. 5 at Synergy Performing Arts Center, situated at 214 S. Oregon St., Ontario. Cost will be $45 per participant for a 90-minute lesson.
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