U.S.C.A. Award for Best Martial Arts School in Flagstaff
"Water Mountain... is a very supportive place to train. The instructors really understand how to work with you to achieve success, and to continually build upon and reinforce your successes. Everyone, students and instructors, work together to form an extremely positive environment. When I walked into the studio for the first time, I immediately felt at ease--sometimes I come in early just to relax in the calming environment. I feel sincerely respected by everyone I've met here. WMMS is like a supportive family, always encouraging me to new levels...."
--Alan Kaufmann, East Flag
"Water Mountain has improved my health so much-sometimes I can hardly believe it! When I first started coming here I was having so much pain, I was just about disabled. Now I'm energetic, feel younger, and I'm nearly pain free. Water Mountain has changed my life for the better....You can come here to handle stress, have a more balanced life and receive lots of positive support both from the staff and from all the friends you make here."
--Maureen White, West Flag
"Water Mountain Martial Arts has been a huge asset for my sons now ages 11 and 13. They not only benefit from the strength and skill building, but also are learning self-defense and discipline. They have learned that it takes a lot of hard work to accomplish some goals in life, but also that it is worth it all in the end."
--Judy Stratton, Upper Greenlaw
"Master Steenrod, I am writing you this letter to thank you and Water Mountain Martial Society for providing martial and lifestyle programs that have been part of my life for several years now. WMMS allowed me to achieve success, and continually build upon my successes, by reinforcing my positive frame of mind, and by cultivating the processes that move students toward imminent objectives using a clear agenda."
--Josh Edwards, East Flagstaff
"Water Mountain Martial Society is a great place to train. Besides the beautiful facility, every instructor is professional, respectful, easy to get along with, and concerned with your progress. The lessons are always very useful and practical, and techniques are demonstrated in a way that makes them quite easy to learn and do, often with surprising results.
A question I've often found myself asking after a class is: "Was I really just able to do that?".
Training at Water Mountain has also improved my health in a long-term and lasting way, both physically and mentally. After training there I find myself with much less stress, as well as an increased drive to do well in life, with the skills and confidence I need to do so.
I would encourage anyone interested in training to try it out. You won't be sorry!"
--James "Bolt Cutter" Patton, West Flagstaff
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The Door Way to Super Performance
Master Mikel Steenrod here with Water Mountain Martial Society. I wanted to take a moment to thank you all for your continued subscription. I hope you had a fulfilling Thanksgiving or at least a filling Thanksgiving. You have my best as we all enter this holiday season.
I spend a lot of time on helping people through their performance issues. For some, this means getting through the basic pile of excuses that blocks them from doing what they really want. For others, that are past that initial pile of excuses, I spend a lot of time teaching them how to get a handle on their own brains, so that they can really open up the the throttle on their personal development. Sometimes a small road block is just as effective as a major road block at keeping you from getting anywhere.
The rock-solid foundation of you being able to do any of that is as simple as becoming aware of your drives and habits.
If there is single, super door way to performance, it is coming to know why you train in martial arts or qi gong.
I’m not talking about the reason you use to justify training. For example, you may tell others that you train in Arnis, because it is effective self-defense that can be learned in a short period of time. Is that true? Yes, that is a truthful description of Arnis. You may tell others that you train in Qi Gong, because it keeps you from getting ill when everyone else is sick. Is that true? Yes, that is a truthful description of Qi Gong.
These are truthful descriptions of the effects that you gain from training. They are vitally important effects. You should tell as many people about those effects as you can, in order to benefit them. After all, don’t you want the people around you to be safe and healthy?
However, these effects are not what you feel when you are training. It is what you feel when you train that is the super door way to performance, because it’s what’s motivating you at the gut.
How many times have faced a task that you knew was good for you, maybe even necessary for your day to day living, that you avoided? You avoided it even when you knew all the positive effects that that task could provide to you?
You avoided it because effects are not as motivating as feeling.
When you know what feeling is motivating your training, you can build your training to favor that feeling, both in your self-training and in the class environment.
Martial arts, taught properly, have a unique ability to trigger the flow of endorphins, keytones, and other reward hormones within the first ten minutes of a work out. In Water
Mountain, classes are deliberately designed to cause this release, because it motivates the training. The precise combination of activities that taps this feeling varies by the person, and it’s up to the person practicing to determine what part of a training regimen is tapping that. When a person is having difficulties with excuses or other roadblocks, it is because his or her behavior is either not triggering a release OR THERE IS A COMPETING FEELING.
Qi gong also has an almost immediate relaxation feeling, and in advanced practitioners produces an intense euphoria and sense of confidence.
Work on finding the driving feeling, and new doors will simply open to you!
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