Posted: October 13, 2025
Building Rituals from What They Already Do Well
Black belts know: success isn’t about adding more—it’s about building on strengths. Kids are more motivated when they connect new habits to things they’re already good at.
Posted: October 04, 2025
The Power of Success Rituals
Turning Big Ideas into Daily Wins
At Personal Best Karate, we believe every child has the ability to grow into their Personal Best—but that doesn’t happen by accident. Big words like perseverance and motivation may look inspiring on a poster, but kids need concrete steps to live them out.
Posted: September 22, 2025
At Personal Best, we often talk about how to receive feedback, but another important skill is learning how to give feedback. Just like listening, giving feedback is a skill that requires practice and awareness. When offering feedback, it’s important to be clear, kind, and specific. Telling someone, “You’re terrible at sparring,” doesn’t help them improve—it only hurts. A better approach is to say, “It would be great if you could increase your intensity when sparring and really connect with your partner.” This kind of feedback points out what to improve without being personal or discouraging.
One of the best ways to give meaningful feedback is by practicing Full Body Listening. When we truly listen with our eyes, ears, body, and heart, we show others that we are paying attention. This respect and focus make our feedback more valuable, because people are more willing to accept advice from someone who has clearly been watching, listening, and caring about their growth. Whether you are giving feedback to a teammate in class, a sibling at home, or even a friend, your tone, posture, and sincerity make all the difference.
Posted: September 19, 2025
At Personal Best, one of our 12 pillars is Listening for Feedback. Feedback is one of the most powerful tools for growth—whether it feels good to hear or not. When someone gives us feedback we like, it motivates us to keep working hard and reinforces that we’re on the right track. But the most useful feedback is also the most specific. “That form was good” feels nice, but it’s much more motivating when you hear, “That form was really strong and powerful—I loved how loud your kiais were!” Specific, skill-based feedback gives us direction and energy to repeat the habits that make us successful.
On the other hand, feedback we don’t like can be harder to accept—but it can also be the most valuable. The key is to pause and consider: is there something to learn here? If yes, adjust and grow. If not, let it go without letting it upset you. For example, if someone says, “You’re so annoying,” it may feel harsh. But maybe you were doing something distracting or unkind—if so, you can correct it. If not, you can choose to release it, recognizing the other person may just be having a tough day. Either way, you’re practicing the skill of using feedback to your advantage.
Posted: September 08, 2025
At Personal Best, we believe that to be a great teacher, you must always be a great student. One of the most important skills of a student—and of a leader—is the ability to listen for feedback. But listening isn’t just about hearing words. It’s about using your whole body to notice what others are saying and not saying.
Think about martial arts training. When your instructor gives you a correction, it’s not just your ears that should be paying attention—it’s your eyes, your posture, your focus, and even your attitude. We call this Full Body Listening.