“I have seen such an improvement in my health and weight since joining Z-Ultimate Karate.

I was over weight, blood pressure climbing, and my health in question. For years, I have had problems with my inadequate lung capacity. I was worrying about how I would ever be able to get my health under control because my job was starting to look at those that don’t take care of their health.

Several individuals that I have known over the years were into the Martial Arts and have always wanted to learn what my friends learned. One day, we were contacted by one of the instructors about trying out this Dojo. I wanted to right away. I knew that this would fulfill my life-long desire to learn some Martial Arts.

Over the past few months, I have lost at least 2 inches around my waist, lost at least 5 pounds, toned my body and have improved my lung capacity, blood pressure and my energy level. My stamina has improved and my willingness to get up, bend down, play and do more because of my increased level of activity and health.

The people that attend the Dojo are like family. They are friendly, happy and feel like family as we all work towards health and wellness. The Sensei’s (instructors) are friendly, happy, insightful and patient about teaching the moves and steps that we all need to not only get us fit, but to help us to protect ourselves.

I recommend this to anyone is interested in getting fit, learning how to protect yourself, and to have a better outlook on life.”

-Arlene Lively
Z-Ultimate Overland Park North, Kansas

Miss Arlene, congratulations to you and keep up the good work.  I am glad to hear the Z-Ultimate and martial arts training is helping to improve your health and quality of life.

Arlene is just one of the many stories that have come in after my last e-mail requesting to hear your stories about martial arts, life and Z-Ultimate; I am getting inspirational stories everyday and will continue to share them with you.

Best,

Master Huff

P.S. – One of the great ways to find out if your level of fitness is competition-grade or not is to put yourself in a competitive situation and see how your body responds.  A great opportunity to do this is the upcoming Z-Ultimate Summer Championship Tournament.  Go to http://www.zultimate.com/zsummertournament to learn more or register online today.

Northwest Region Championship Martial Arts Tournament & Meet Z Masters Seminar”

Z-Ultimate Self Defense Studios of the Northwest is proud to announce the Northwest Region Championship Tournament and “Meet Z Masters” Seminar to be held Saturday, August 18th, 2012 at the beautiful Maydenbauer Center in Bellevue, Washington.

Come join Z-Ultimate family members from around the country as the meet to compete in one the most beautiful regions of the country, the Pacific Northwest.  Men, women and children of all ages and ranks that are members of the Z-Ultimate family are invited to compete in this exciting, one day event, which includes a “Meet Z Masters” Event.

The “Meet Z Masters” Seminar is where students like you get the opportunity to learn directly from the Senior Masters of Z-Ultimate Self Defense Studios, including Shihan Paul Taylor, 9th Degree Black Belt and Senior Master of Z-Ultimate Self Defense Studios.  With over forty years of experience in the martial arts, Shihan Taylor is a walking encyclopedia of martial arts knowledge.

He is responsible for the creation of literally thousands of Black Belts through his martial arts career, as he has the unique gift of being able to take complex principles and techniques from the martial arts and explain them in a simple, easy-to-understand format that allows him to connect with martial artists of all ages.  If you get the chance, make sure you meet and train with Shihan Taylor during your martial arts career – you’ll be glad you did.

You may enroll in the Z-Ultimate Self Defense Studios Northwest Region Tournament ONLINE by clicking the button below.

Good luck at the tournament!

Yours in the Arts,

Master Huff
Z-Ultimate Self Defense Studios

Come join Z-Ultimate friends and family members from across the nation as we get together in Irvine, California for one of the largest one-day martial arts tournaments in the country.

There are many things that make the Z-Ultimate Tournaments a special time.

Pushing yourself to compete develops your character, self image and self esteem.  Everyone gets butterflies when they get into a challenging situation that forces them to grow; it takes a special person to CHOOSE to put themselves in a challenging situation.  Every time you push yourself, you are growing as a martial artist, and a person.

Seeing the different skill levels of martial artists and watching them compete is an underrated part of your martial arts development.  By surrounding yourself with different martial artists of varying skill levels, you expose yourself to techniques, principles and ideas you wouldn’t normally run across if you only stayed inside your home dojo.

By pushing yourself to compete, not only do you grow as a person and martial artist by competing the day of the event, but the preparation that goes into getting ready for the event is where champions are truly made.  The self discipline that goes into preparing to win is arguably more important than competing itself.

Those are all great reasons to attend the Z-Ultimate Summer Championship Tournament – but it is not the BEST reason.

The best reason to attend is that you get to meet and develop relationships with fellow Z-Ultimate martial artists from across the country.  It is rare that you can find events with such a warm, friendly, family environment where your success and achievement is the ultimate goal.

If you haven’t attended one of the Z-Ultimate tournaments before, this summer’s event on June 3rd would be a great one to start with.

If you have attended before, this summer’s tournament is gearing up to be one of our best.

To learn more about how our tournaments works, you can check out our Tournament FAQ HERE.

For those of you looking for secrets to better sparring, check out our 6 Sparring Secrets HERE.

For keys on how to be a tournament kata champion, check out our Top 10 Tournament Kata Keys HERE.

Event Schedule Tournament Guide

BONUS: ONLINE REGISTRATION IS HERE

For the first time, you can enroll ONLINE for the Summer Championship Tournamant – OR - See your instructor to ENROLL TODAYfor the tournament.

DEADLINE FOR ENROLLMENT IS THURSDAY, MAY 31st.

CLICK HERE TO REGISTER ONLINE

Reality Rally is an event modeled after The Amazing Race where teams are driven by Reality Rally Transport only, throughout the city in a competition involving crazy activities, all for the fun and competition of it, the coveted trophy and most importantly raising funds for the charity of choice.

Reality stars from shows like the Amazing Race, Survivor and Big Brother stopped by the Z-Ultimate checkpoint to slip on a white gi top and try their hand at punching bags, mastering front ball kicks and work up a sweat on the rowing machine.

Check this awesome clip of participants showing off their new moves:

Check out these PHOTOS from the event.

Master Diaz and his staff taught a self defense workshop at the Anaheim Family Justice Center for Domestic Violence, Child Abuse, Sexual Assualt and Elderly/Dependent Adult Abuse.

After teaching the class – which was attended by police officers, attorneys from the district attorney’s office and other support staff from the Family Justice Center – California State Senator Lou Correa of the 34th District gave a speech about the dangers of substance abuse.

Companies that have contributed and/or helped support the Family Justice Center include Disneyland, Taco Bell and now, Z-Ultimate Self Defense Studios.

Congratulations to Master Diaz and his staff from Z-Ultimate Self Defense Studios of Tustin.

The Z-Ultimate Rocky Mountain Spring 2012 Tournament is rapidly approaching!

Please come join the Z-Ultimate Self Defense Studios family on Saturday, March 24th, 2012 as we usher in the spring  season with our exciting Rocky Mountain Championship Tournament.

Z-Ultimate students and family members from across the U.S. will travel to compete and test their skills against other martial artists their age and skill level.  Z-Ultimate martial arts tournaments are the best way to test yourself to see how you are progressing as you grow in the martial arts.

You can register online by clicking on this link:  2012 Spring Rocky Mountain Tournament of Champions

Registration deadline is Wednesday, March 21st.

Early Birds can save $10.00 off registration if registered by February 29th, 2012.  Simply enter the code “early bird” in the discount code box for your savings.

See you at the Z-Ultimate Self Defense Studios Rocky Mountain Spring Championship Tournament.

“Our Kempo training really paid off in spades for this event,” says AZ territory District Manager Casey Paiz. The course is strategically designed so that each obstacle plays a pivotal role in breaking you down but also in forcing you to continue on. According to the Tough Mudder website, “Tough Mudder events are hardcore 10-12 mile obstacle courses designed by British Special Forces to test your all around strength, stamina, mental grit, and camaraderie. As the leading company in the booming obstacle course industry, Tough Mudder has already challenged half a million inspiring participants worldwide and raised more than $2 million dollars for the Wounded Warrior Project. But Tough Mudder is more than an event, it’s a way of thinking. By running a Tough Mudder challenge, you’ll unlock a true sense of accomplishment, have a great time, and discover a camaraderie with your fellow participants that’s experienced all too rarely these days”. Sound familiar?????

The 11 teammates of the “Z-Ultimate Mudders” were all Arizona Instructors, students, or parents of current students. “We set our goals early on and trained relentlessly for this day” says Chief Instructor Brad Bennett. “You have to have a goal-oriented mentality of complete victory and accepting anything short of that is unacceptable,” Bennett continues. That victor’s attitude came to fruition because all 11 AZ participants made it to the finish line. What was the worst part? All 11 participants agreed that the worst obstacle was the “ice jacuzzi” which was a 20 foot long by 5 foot deep container of FRIGID ice water that you had to wade across. “It was horrible,” contends Instructor Andy Swart, “Nothing can prepare you for it. It’s like taking a full body punch over and over again and then you`re cold and wet for the rest of the day.” Through all of the pain and suffering, it was important to keep in mind that the overall point of the event was the money contributed to the Wounded Warrior Project. It`s a fun way to raise money for a very noble and honorable cause. “The AZ Tribe really came through and I`m very proud of each of the `Mudders` for their contribution,” exclaims Paiz. “We are already planning our next Tough Mudder for later this year,” he adds with a devilish grin that’s hard to conceal.

The Tough Mudder motto is “probably the toughest event on the planet.” By participating in the Tough Mudder, and showcasing the core Z-Ultimate values of RESPECT, DISCIPLINE, & HUMILITY, the AZ-Ultimate Tribe has proven without a doubt that Z-Ultimate is the BEST and most EXTREME example of its kind!

For more information about participating in a Tough Mudder near you (or to make a contribution to the Wounded Warrior Project) please visit www.toughmudder.com .

Not if you celebrate the Chinese New Year, too; in honor of the Chinese New Year – the Year of the Dragon – everyone here at Z-Ultimate Self Defense Studios say, “Happy New Year!”, or as they say in certain dialects of Chinese, “Gung Hay Fat Choy!”

The Chinese New Year is the most celebrated events by the Chinese and other Asian cultures.  Literally translated to “Spring Festival”, it marks the end of winter.  It is not uncommon for families to gather for an “Eve of the Passing Year” reunion dinner in celebration.

The Chinese calendar is lunisolar, meaning it is based on the moon phases and not calendar dates.  Because the Chinese calendar is based on the lunar cycle, the start and end dates of every Chinese new year changes; this year, Chinese New Year is celebrated today, January 23rd, and it is the Year of the Dragon.

In the western Zodiac, every month has a sign attached to it, like November is Scorpio, and so on for all twelve months.  In the Chinese Zodiac, rather than each month having a sign, there are twelve animals - the Rat, Ox, Tiger, Rabbit, Dragon, Snake, Horse, Sheep, Monkey, Rooster, Dog and Pig.

The Chinese calendar rotates through the twelve animals in order, one animal per year, based on the lunar calendar.  Last year was the Year of the Rabbit, this year is the Year of the Dragon, next year would be the Snake, and so on.  Every twelve years, you repeat the cycle.

For example, if you were born 12, 24 or 36 years ago – assuming you were born within the cutoff dates – you were born in the Year of the Dragon, and this is your lucky year, as it is the sign of the Dragon.  Once you understand that the sign repeats every twelve years, it is easy to figure out by your birth year what animal sign you were born under. (If you Google Chinese Zodiac, you can find more information to study; there are also several great books on the subject as it relates to personalities, relationships and so on.)

In the Chinese culture, the Dragon is considered lucky and the most prosperous.  This is why many Chinese businesses have dragons displayed in their lobbies – to attract good fortune.  The key distinction between Asian or Chinese Fortune Dragons is that they have four or five toes – better to hold onto money!

Happy Chinese New Year to you and yours – may your “Year of the Dragon” be a fortunate and prosperous one!

Best,

Master Huff
Z-Ultimate Self Defense Studios

“Well, I am just not sure this is for me and my family…”

Recently, Z-Ultimate Self Defense Studios just held the Winter Grand Championship Martial Arts Tournament and families – just like yours – flew in from around the country to compete and get to know their fellow Z-Ultimate martial artists.

I put together a video highlighting some of what went on at the tournament and why martial arts classes can be a perfect fit for you and your family.

Enjoy…

Master Huff
5th Degree Black Belt
Z-Ultimate Self Defense Studios

P.S. – There is something special at the end of the video that you don’t want to miss; please make sure you watch the whole thing.  Thank you!

Here’s the video:

Shihan Paul Taylor – 9th Degree Black Belt  and Senior Instructor to the Board of Masters for Z-Ultimate Self Defense Studios – was promoted to the rank of Grandmaster and 10th Degree Black Belt by Grandmaster and 10th Degree Black Belt Shihan Joe Nesta.

This historic promotion ceremony is NEVER seen by people who are not Grandmasters, but we captured this entire event on film, and we want to share it with the entire Z-family.

Enjoy…