Episode 1040 - Sensei Karen Chandler
In this episode Andrew sits down and talks with Sensei Karen Chandler about her training in TKD, Shorin Ryu, Jiu Jitsu and Superfoot Kickboxing.
Sensei Karen Chandler - Episode 1040
SUMMARY
In this episode, Sensei Karen Chandler shares her inspiring journey in martial arts, discussing her transition from Tae Kwon Do to various other disciplines, including jiu-jitsu. She emphasizes the importance of community, personal growth, and the empowerment that comes from training.
Sensei Chandler also reflects on her experiences testing under Bill ”Superfoot” Wallace, her competition history, and her aspirations for the future, including teaching and continuing to learn. Throughout the conversation, she encourages listeners to embrace challenges and step out of their comfort zones in their martial arts journeys.
TAKEAWAYS
It's important to have fun and enjoy the process of training.
Transitioning between martial arts styles can be a smooth experience.
Exploring different schools and instructors can enhance your understanding of martial arts.
Training in jiu-jitsu can be empowering and improve fitness.
The camaraderie in martial arts is a significant motivator to keep training.
Teaching martial arts can be rewarding and fulfilling.
Never underestimate your ability to learn and grow in martial arts.
Martial arts can provide valuable self-defense skills for everyone.
Maintaining a balance between hobbies and martial arts is essential.
Setting future goals in martial arts can keep you motivated.
CHAPTERS
00:00 Introduction
01:53 Starting the Journey in Martial Arts
05:08 Transitioning from Taekwondo to Current Training
08:57 Exploring Different Training Opportunities
12:53 Training Under Bill Superfoot Wallace
16:41 Preparing for Competition
21:52 The Journey of Competition and Training
24:31 Understanding Fusion Fighting
25:22 The Joy of Training and Physical Engagement
27:25 Balancing Life, Hobbies, and Martial Arts
29:16 Future Aspirations in Martial Arts
30:07 Influences of Martial Arts in Media
32:59 Looking Ahead: Goals for the Future
35:10 The Art of Teaching and Sharing Knowledge
36:00 Connecting with the Community
After listening to the episode, it would be exciting for us to know your thoughts about it.
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Show Transcript
Andrew Adams (04:47.148)
Welcome to the next episode of Whistlekick martial arts radio. And today I'm joined by friend Sensei Karen Chandler. Karen, how are you today?
Karen L Chandler (04:57.897)
I'm doing pretty well, how are you Andrew?
Andrew Adams (04:59.838)
I'm doing great. really excited to get into our chat today because I know we have all kinds of stuff to talk about. But before we get there, I want to make sure that you, the audience, whether you are listening, maybe you're in your car listening, maybe you're watching on YouTube. If you are, please go to the like and subscribe button, hit the notification bell. All of those things really help our algorithm. In fact, even if you are listening to this in your car, maybe later today, go to YouTube and help us out.
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a great thing to do to help support this and help us connect martial artists, traditional martial artists of the world. That's a mouthful. Karen, it's so great to see you today. It's been a while, so I'm excited to sit down and chat.
Karen L Chandler (07:07.081)
Yes, it has been a few months anyway.
Andrew Adams (07:09.344)
Yep. Yep. we've known each other for a number of years now. but I would love, and I know you've been training a long time, but I'd love to chat about how you got started in training. Cause I know where you train and what you train, but I don't know how your journey started. let's go rewind. This is my rewind right now. And let's go all the way to the beginning. How did you start training?
Karen L Chandler (07:17.778)
you
Karen L Chandler (07:39.529)
Well, my kids were lucky enough to Fall Mountain High School very briefly had a gentleman who volunteered to come in and teach taekwondo. It was the 2010 when his daughter started at the high school. So my oldest boy, he had a few times mentioned wanted to try boxing or checking out the school in Claremont. So we just we don't have the money. I didn't want to be into boxing anyway, but.
didn't have the money to check out karate either. So this was free. The only thing he would just, I mean, we'd pay his cost for the gi and that was it and sparring gear. Very generous guy. after Jeremy had been training for a little while, one of his former students, because he'd had a school over in Springfield, Vermont, right across the bridge, one of his former younger students
because her older brother was doing it he was in Jeremy's class, my son Jeremy, and then...
I'd be there sitting, watching, trying to... I didn't want my younger one to take away from the bigger class. So of course, I'm there like, no, straighten up, just picking up. And I don't know if it was jokingly enough, but Mr. O'Brien said, so when are you starting? It's like, after the holidays, starting January. So January 2011, I...
was doing taekwondo at Fulton Regional High School with mostly high schoolers, a couple of the younger kids, did that for, went through that school year and partway through the next school year. And then he had some health issues and there was some political stuff with the school. were making it really hard to find a spot.
Andrew Adams (09:18.67)
Mm-hmm.
Karen L Chandler (09:40.848)
I did not have a favorable opinion of them or the athletic director of the time, but Jeremy once again said, well, my friends that train over at National Institute of Modern Martial Arts in Claremont, we'll check it out. We'll check it out. There's no way we can afford it. It's just not happening, but go there and meet Sensei Mike and he'll give you your first month free. Just come in and try it.
He offered me the choice of having my younger sons stay with us with the adult class or join the youth class. I figured he'd be better off just peer-wise with the youth class. was only...
How old was he? Nine? Ten? At the time. So he did that. Jeremy and I did the adult class and just stayed there. Or I stayed there. He grew up, I mean, graduated high school and had jobs. So Jeremy left the dojo for a while. He came back, finished, his black belt, but adult stuff, moved on. My younger son stayed till...
I think through the beginning of senior year, but stuff just got too big. He was well on his way to becoming Sanda, but just so many things. He had responsibilities at school and he didn't. it's just me. And for a while he was doing the jujitsu program with me, which was a lot of fun.
Andrew Adams (11:15.66)
Now, I know the school that you train at now. I've been there a number of times and your time spent in Taekwondo was not insubstantial. I mean, was a couple of years, you said, right? Yeah. That's not insubstantial. It's a decent amount of time, certainly long enough to really learn about what it is you're doing.
Karen L Chandler (11:32.061)
It was about a year and a half.
Andrew Adams (11:43.342)
I'm curious what that transition from Taekwondo to your current school was like back then. So it would have been, you know, probably 2013. So, you know, we're looking 12 years ago or so. What was that? What was that like?
Karen L Chandler (11:58.579)
I mean, a lot of it was similar. The classes were longer, a little etnema, more strenuous. We two-hour classes, and I think we were only doing an hour, an hour and a half of taekwondo. And most of it wasn't. I mean, there were a few techniques done differently. Names of techniques were a little different, but just kind of follow along. it's like, yeah, it's not that different. It's just a different name.
were just slightly different instead of doing a high block with my forearm out. I high block with the back of my arm out. So, wasn't huge differences.
Andrew Adams (12:42.382)
Mm-hmm. And you are someone that I know now is very heavily involved, trained multiple times a week. Were you always like that?
Karen L Chandler (12:56.913)
I started just in the karate program and that was really enough. mean, I was not in great shape when I started Taekwondo. I lost some weight, got a little more fit. Started the karate program, got even more fit, but I was having trouble with some of the groundwork stuff that we did as part of the karate program. And my older boy, Jeremy, said, we should try the judo and jujitsu program, the no-gi on Sunday. It's like, errr.
Last thing I wanted to do was be rolling around these sweaty people I didn't know. So I did it. We went a couple times and then I stayed.
Andrew Adams (13:38.479)
Why? Why? What was it about it?
Karen L Chandler (13:41.031)
I think part of it was it's empowering being able to get out from under somebody or resist being armlocked or choked. And it just, I mean, it certainly added to my fitness, my cardio, I lost a lot of weight.
I think it just, and I mean, they welcomed me. That's one of the things that the school has always been good about. Gender was not an issue. It's you do what you do. If there's something you can't do, then all right, you can't do it. I was told early on in one of the karate classes that, oh, if you can't do this, don't worry about it. And it's like, no, that's not me. So I practiced and practiced until I could do it. It's like that.
It didn't matter if I was old or out of shape, I was gonna do as best as I can. And the Jiu Jitsu program was just more of the same. just made me try harder. And I'm still, I'm second oldest and one of the smallest, but it's all right, it's fun.
especially fun if sometimes you'll get somebody who's bigger and stronger, but you can kind of lead them into something and put a good choke on them.
Andrew Adams (15:09.014)
Yep, I could see that. You know, just because you're bigger and stronger doesn't mean you have the technique. So, you know, that makes sense.
Karen L Chandler (15:14.759)
Right. And the very least, when I have been held down and felt like there's no way out, I could always look at it from a self-defense aspect and say, I see the eyes. I mean, I could bite, could pull, I could scrap, I could... I knew in a self-defense scenario, it wasn't be all end all, I could do something.
Andrew Adams (15:39.406)
And I know that that obviously you mentioned and I know the school NIMA National Institute of Modern Martial Arts has their karate program. They had their judo jujitsu program. They do a lot of different things. It's all under one roof, but it's definitely different disciplines. That's hard to say fast. And you go out of your way to seek out other training.
Karen L Chandler (16:07.123)
I do.
Andrew Adams (16:07.822)
Talk, talk a little bit about that as I see this big, huge smile on your face.
Karen L Chandler (16:13.979)
I mean, I've always liked learning. And I've also noticed that even within the same school, having different senseis teach me even the same kata, if one of them, if the teaching just didn't get through, somebody else would say something and it's like, yeah, I can do that. it's just a matter. And so,
by going and checking out other schools, get that, you get to learn how different approaches or even different thought processes. it's just a lot of fun and just seeing how different body types go get into a position or just, I mean, all the differences, but I mean, ultimately they're all the same bodies only move certain ways.
Our joints are all designed to move one way or the other.
I just enjoy it. And I was never a very social person, but the general mindset of most martial arts practitioners I've met, they make me feel comfortable.
Andrew Adams (17:32.812)
Now talk a little bit about some of the outside, like outside of your school training that you've done, the things you've gone to. again, I know you go out of your way to look for these other opportunities to do training. talk a little bit about, you you talked about the why, but talk a little bit about the how and what you enjoy the most about that.
Karen L Chandler (17:57.129)
I think I've gone, I want to say it started with, it went to a couple super shows in Vegas and just got to be in different, I mean they're short, hour and a half or two hour segments of somebody teaching something, even if it's simple routines or just things to get classes motivated. You can always pick up little tidbits here or there.
We have Arneese Linada as part of our karate program. And so going to some of the sympos- like the martial arts symposiums that Terry Dow puts on, there's almost always practitioners doing Filipino stick fighting. So you get to kind of see, and I mean, the approaches might be slightly different or the explanations might be different. And the movements, it just, it gives you a little bit more of a feel and then you can go and play with it when you get.
to your own school or even some of the drills can be fun. I don't know, it's like to branch out, learn stuff. Some of it I don't, it doesn't feel like it gets in cause you're getting like, it's like getting fed information from a fire hose, but then down the line it's like, yeah, I remembered he showed me this and you can do a lot from that position or.
Just so I do, I go to symposiums, I've gone to several super foot things. I've gone to, when I visit my daughter in Virginia, I've gone to some of the schools near her. I've gone to, when COVID hit and we weren't doing BJJ at our school for a while, I to a place in Enfield, I went to for a few classes. And I was going down and just down south of us in Bellows Falls.
I was for a while I was doing jujitsu class there, going up to the dojo and finishing my day of the jujitsu class. It's like, why not? Can't hurt. Just having different instructors is you get to learn a little bit more, a little bit differently, I guess.
Andrew Adams (20:10.286)
You know, certainly having an instructor with an open mind allows you as a student to have an open mind and learn lots, is great. You know, I know you mentioned training Superfoot a few times, and I know from some of the photos that you submitted and from our personal connection that you recently tested to get certification rank under Bill Superfoot Wallace.
Talk a little bit about why you decided to do that because you already have, at this point, your fifth on, is that correct? Under Sensei Mike, what made you decide to start training under Bill Wallace and what was that like?
Karen L Chandler (20:49.779)
Yes.
Karen L Chandler (20:59.879)
I think what got me interested in it was partly all the seminars that I'd been to with him. I just get such a kick out of him and he amazes me at how fluidly he moves. In many ways I want to be like him when I grow up. just, mean, almost 80 and he moves like somebody 50 years younger. He's amazing. And I had never even thought much about
getting rank until I saw like Jeremy Lesniak. I remember he posted something about, think, getting his fifth down under Bill Wallace. And then I heard you and our friend Abby got your show down. I was like, I could probably do that. I wonder if I know anybody who could be my instructor, because I knew Terry Dow's two hours away. And then our good friend Dennis came up as an option. was like, oh, yeah. So I made a lot of virtual sessions.
Andrew Adams (21:55.276)
Nice.
Karen L Chandler (21:58.717)
Lots of coaching and time on my own, but it just felt good to do it.
Andrew Adams (22:03.726)
Sure, sure. And I'll clarify. I know Jeremy would want me to correct this. He does not have a fifth Don under Bill Wallace. I'm fairly certain he's a third Don. But and so I don't want anybody to send hate mail to Jeremy. Send all your hate mail to me, Andrew at Whistlekick.com.
Karen L Chandler (22:09.799)
Next one.
Karen L Chandler (22:14.291)
Third done.
No. no. No hate mail to Jeremy.
Andrew Adams (22:26.348)
So yeah, so talk a little bit about what that was like getting ready for it. And, you know, as you mentioned, I tested under Bill Wallace as well. And my test was, was close. It was at Terry Dows down in Manchester, but yours was not. So talk a little bit about what it was like getting ready for it and then having to go to the test itself.
Karen L Chandler (22:49.981)
Getting ready for it was a little, I mean, it felt odd training virtually. mean, yeah, we had done that. We had taught and trained virtually during COVID. But I mean, think Dennis Campos, a great instructor, he was able to watch me, correct me, hopefully work some stuff out. Because some of the stuff is a little counterintuitive to what I've been taught. So it's a matter of trying to get my brain.
in the mindset, okay, this is for super foot testing, I need to do it this way rather than the way that I know and I'm comfortable with. And a lot of it was endurance, a lot of practice, just keeping my leg up, kicking and kicking and kicking and kicking. And a few months before testing, I ended up dislocating a shoulder and pneumonia and slowed me down. wasn't sure I'd...
make it to the July 5th testing down in Florida, but I did. I mean, I couldn't, I was out of my brace at that point, but I could not, there was some strength issues. I really couldn't fully extend on my left, holding the pad on my left. I couldn't hold it out. I'd have to keep it in just to keep the muscles where they needed to be. But I went down.
Florida, Sensei Todd from my school, he came down and kept me company and we made sure we did little bit of Disney and Universal.
had a good time and he sat there for the test and it was nice to have him in my corner.
Andrew Adams (24:33.57)
So he sat there and watched you sweat.
Karen L Chandler (24:35.537)
Yes. And then our friend Darrell Belasiewski, he was down there at the same time. He sat and watched us. So it was kind of cool to go down there and not be alone. I knew a couple people.
Andrew Adams (24:50.904)
Nice. Now, the other thing that I've seen recently that you entered a competition fairly recently, how big is competition for you personally and then in your school?
Karen L Chandler (25:03.601)
I haven't actually competed for a while. I supported, was one of the support people for WhistleKicks 2025 Showdown, not Showdown, in Concord back in March, but I haven't actually competed I think since pre-COVID. I used to compete a lot, I used to really enjoy it, but it also took a lot of time.
Andrew Adams (25:18.702)
Mm-hmm.
Karen L Chandler (25:33.007)
may do it again someday. And I don't know. I enjoyed it when I was doing, I did fusion fighting for a while shortly after it started with Twin State Martial Arts. But I was old. I was already in my late 40s at that time. And so why aren't women in their 25s and 30s, why aren't they doing this stuff? So I did it for a few years.
There wasn't often competition. I retired from it. I was asked to come back because a young lady was back from her USMC bootcamp and she really had wanted to have a fusion fight and I all right, I'll do one more.
Andrew Adams (26:21.6)
Mm And that was recently.
Karen L Chandler (26:24.231)
That was probably 2019, 2018, 2019.
Andrew Adams (26:26.807)
Okay.
Okay, okay. For some reason, I was thinking it more recent than that.
Karen L Chandler (26:33.746)
No.
Andrew Adams (26:36.152)
Okay.
Karen L Chandler (26:36.329)
I had fun with it. It just seems like there should be younger women.
Andrew Adams (26:44.878)
Now, you brought up women fighting. Was that an issue at all? Could it be just that there weren't as many of those competitors? mean, we all know that they are less common. What were your experiences like going up to the ring?
Karen L Chandler (27:04.585)
There weren't very many. mean, the few, the times that I did have competitors, they at least were younger women, but they didn't have, like I one was in my peer group. I'd say she was right around my age, but there typically were younger women, I don't, I mean, you'd see them once, maybe twice. And it's like, I don't know what, I mean, it feels like it's a lot closer to a self-defense,
scenario than regular sparring. In there you get some grappling involved. It's certainly not the same as being in a street fight, but it feels better. In three minutes to infusion, there's pretty intense cardio.
Andrew Adams (27:49.742)
So we may have listeners that are not from the New England area, may not be familiar with Twin State Martial Arts Association. So explain a little bit about what fusion fighting is so they understand.
Karen L Chandler (28:02.761)
They always referred to it as Gentleman's MMA. We had head gear at least while we were standing. We specific weight gloves. to have shin and foot coverings. basically it was three minutes and they're looking for takedowns, controlling the fight, controlling somebody on the ground, submission if possible. Once you got to the ground, if you...
You could have your helmet off, you only allowed three open-hand strikes. Everybody, mean, none of us were professional fighters. We all had regular nine to five jobs to go to. So no joint locks, nothing where somebody should get seriously hurt, but it meant it was still pretty good.
Good workout. One of my rounds I ended up only winning by decision. So after that, I was like, no, it's always going to be submission now.
Andrew Adams (29:08.846)
What's your favorite thing about training? when you go into class, because I know you still take class, right, from your instructor, and when you get to class, what are you hoping you work on that day?
Karen L Chandler (29:17.181)
Yes.
Karen L Chandler (29:24.681)
It really depends. I really enjoy the physical aspect, the heavy work. I want to break a sweat. I want to know that I'm engaging as much of my body and my brain in it as I can. I really, I mean, as far as our karate days, I prefer the ones that we focus on our sparring techniques because I'm the oldest one in the class. if I could...
If I can hold my own against these teenagers, it feels really good. In our Judo Jiu Jitsu class, I think I look forward most to our Sundays when we do our no-gi practice. It feels more realistic. It's New England, so yeah, we might have a heavy jacket on in the winter, but we're not always going to have a heavy jacket. And pretty much most no-gi techniques.
transition, transfer pretty well to gi techniques. So, like to get in there, choke people out, especially the bigger younger ones.
Andrew Adams (30:34.83)
And what keeps you going today? Well, you know, you've been training a long time now. What keeps you going back to the gym?
Karen L Chandler (30:44.585)
I think the camaraderie as much as anything and I like the workout. had tried, mentioned before I had lost a lot of weight through martial arts. I had tried lots of other things. I used to go to the gym and I'd swim over a mile or I'd work out in the weight room in the ellipticals and it didn't ever seem to make a difference. Martial arts, I mean, it really did.
I mean, I'm sure it put me in better shape for the martial arts, but this is where I found that I'm able to move better, feel stronger. And I love to bake and I love to cook. So if I burn enough calories, I get to eat more. So that's a bonus too.
Andrew Adams (31:35.81)
That's definitely one aspect I haven't thought of and I definitely haven't heard. but yeah, I could see that, you know, the, more you train, the more you get to eat, I guess. That's really funny. So, I mean, you're into baking and cooking. You you train a lot. Do you have much time in your life for other hobbies or other endeavors? What else do you do?
Karen L Chandler (32:32.389)
Not a lot. I I used to like snowmobiling. When my older son was in Boy Scouts and before we were in martial arts, we'd be out hiking or camping and doing a lot of outdoorsy things.
Unfortunately, I don't have as much free time because I'm spending it all at the dojo. like, I have dogs that, well, one of them loves to go for walks. The other ones go once in a while. So spending time with them and with my family. Occasionally get up to, like out to the seashore. My mom loves the ocean, so I'll take her out there once in a while or hit.
hit up a museum or a movie, but we have time to do housework too, even if we share it, it's always there.
Andrew Adams (33:31.47)
It never goes away. And what do you what do you what have you not done in the martial arts that you want to do? Like you've already mentioned going to the Super Show out in Vegas a few times. You've been to Florida. You tested under Bill Superfoot Wallace. What's on your bucket list of martial art wise that you haven't crossed off yet?
Karen L Chandler (33:57.097)
I don't know, we had a guest instructor several years back come and do some salat scarf techniques. And some of that stuff, I wouldn't mind getting more. So more of the Filipino.
I just, I watched some of them and it's like they move so fluidly. It's like, I don't know if I could do that. But I think just learning more about what I can do. I mean, using stuff within your environment, like the scarf techniques they translate to just a t-shirt. can make sure, I mean, we could use them to defend, to choke, to just get a...
kind of disable a weapon arm or it's like just a lot of fun stuff. I probably wouldn't mind doing something like that. Capoeira looks fun but again I'm not the gymnast type.
coming up on 60 next year, I don't know, maybe. Maybe I'll try it anyway.
Andrew Adams (35:05.078)
Doesn't hurt to try, right? And let's talk, you know, books and movies. When you were, you didn't start training until much later in your life, right? You just, I didn't ask your age, you gave out that next year you're gonna be 60. So, you know, when you started training in 2011, you were, you know, you were already long into your adult life.
Karen L Chandler (35:06.376)
No.
Andrew Adams (35:33.206)
So I'm curious what for you as a younger person did, you know, martial art movies or whatever make their way into your psyche and how much did that have to play when you started training as an adult?
Karen L Chandler (35:48.297)
I think it was in the background. I remember watching Kung Fu when I was young with David Carradine and thinking that was pretty cool. And I do remember being, we lived down in Massachusetts and there was a, I want to say it was a Fred Valari school in the Chumps Red Mall. And I remember telling my mom I'd like to try it. And of course, taking care of five of us, wasn't money to do it. And so I never,
I just figured, it never really occurred to me a whole lot. I remember watching The Karate Kid. I remember watching movies with Jean-Claude Van Damme and Steven Seagal. I mean, that was not something I could do. It just was one of these things that I knew I'd never do it. And then kind of got forced into it.
Karen L Chandler (36:45.949)
And I've loved every minute,
Andrew Adams (36:48.47)
And what about now, now that you're training books, movies, media stuff?
Karen L Chandler (36:54.321)
I wish I had more time for books and movies. mean, I do listen to the Whistlekick Podcasts. I will occasionally go looking up reels for BJJ stuff or just happen upon them. Master Ken's a favorite. Might not be realistic, but if you can't laugh at yourself, then you're living a boring life.
Andrew Adams (37:21.496)
Absolutely.
Karen L Chandler (37:22.875)
And I mean, I've bought a number of like, especially like the BJJ handbooks. I'm not naturally athletic.
So I tend to have to overthink things. So I've bought the books and skimmed through them, but I haven't really done much in the way of martial arts reading. It's certainly not as much as I'd like. By time I come home, I pretty much get ready for bed and crash.
Andrew Adams (37:54.594)
Yep, I get that. Now, where do you go from here? Right. I know you just recently tested for your fifth on like just a couple of weeks ago as of this recording. If we were get if you and I were get together for a follow up interview in 10 years, you'll be almost turning 70 at that point. Maybe a little scary to think about, but let's go there for a second. What?
would you hope to be talking about 10 years from now in your training?
Karen L Chandler (38:28.891)
I think, I mean, I hope to be, to feel more confidence in my BJJ. I think I should be able to do that into my seventies. By then I should be looking at testing for seventh on. So that should be fun. And I used to work with one of our senseis, Brian Dillon with the women's self-defense classes and they've
Maybe we'd have a fun, lot of fun teaching them and I felt it was useful information. I would love to find way to find time in my schedule to try to do that again, do something. I mean, it just seems like it's an important thing. And I mean, not even just for women, I'd like to do just basic self-defense. I know a lot of men that are, that could use just the basic, how to get away, how to.
just deescalate and break away out of a simple grab. I've known some men that have been attacked and weren't really sure how to protect themselves.
Andrew Adams (39:41.666)
Now, something you haven't brought up a lot is teaching yourself. Is that something you have a lot of much experience doing a lot? Is that something you want to get into?
Karen L Chandler (39:51.941)
I taught kids classes for, I want to say about nine years.
That was all right. I mean, as part of just with my, because we're considered wrenching, Jessica and I that tested together for our go down, we had to fully teach the classes for the, like the rotation leading up to our test. And this time, so I'll be in and I'll teach bits and pieces of whatever, especially if it's stuff that I feel very comfortable with or.
In our Judo Jiu Jitsu program, there's times when there's higher available. So then I'll be the one helping run the class and usually just base it off of who's there, what they do, and do a little rolling and find out, okay, well, how do I get out of this or how do I get into this and work it from there? Tend to keep it pretty free flowing, but try to keep an eye on what specific techniques we're working on that.
that month too.
Andrew Adams (41:03.392)
And do you enjoy teaching?
Karen L Chandler (41:07.496)
I do.
I have fun with it. More so adults. Well, I shouldn't say it. I like teaching anybody that's there to learn as opposed to there to fill time or get rank or somebody that wants to learn and wants to take it in and is willing to think about and practice and not just be there. I guess it's like the adage with
for school where a student goes to school to learn versus a pupil who learns to go to school. I'd much rather work with the student than the pupil.
Andrew Adams (41:52.142)
Hmm, that's interesting. I have not heard that quote. like that. If people listening or watching this episode, you something you said really resonates with them and they'd like to connect with you, how could they do that?
Karen L Chandler (42:08.649)
I am on Facebook, not always. I don't really have any other big social media things. Email, guess, Chandler Sensei dot Nama at gmail dot com. I don't check that as often as I should probably either, I'm busy.
Andrew Adams (42:31.982)
Um, so this has been a lot of fun where, know, I'm going to throw it back to you here in J just a minute, but I just want to reiterate to people watching or listening, check out all the stuff that we do at whistlekick, uh, whistlekick.com. can find all of that stuff. I didn't mention it at the beginning, but you could, um, learn about our, if you're a school owner, you can learn about whistlekick Alliance, which is our program for school owners. Um,
You can also, if you're interested in teaching, know, Karen, we talked about teaching, you know, Whistlekick has their martial art teacher training certification program. You can find information about that at whistlekick.com as well. And then Whistlekick Martial Arts Radio is where you're going to go to find out information on this episode and every other episode that we have. 1040 episodes as of this recording coming out. So.
There's certainly stuff there for everyone on pretty much every topic. If you have a guest suggestion, you can do that at whistlekick.com. But whistlekickmarchelarchradio.com is where you'll find show notes on this episode, pictures, transcripts. Maybe you didn't get a chance to write down that quote that Karen said about students and pupils. You can go online and search for it on this episode.
All of that stuff you'll find www.marshallarcherato.com. You'll also find the subscribe button at the top so that you can subscribe to our exclusive newsletter. We're only going to tell you about stuff about this show. We're not there to send you spam or junk. It's always, you'll find out about all the episodes that we have. And so please, I encourage you to do that. And then if you enjoy this episode, one of the best ways you can do to support us.
costs nothing, which would be to just share this episode with a friend or any one of our other episodes that you think they might enjoy. It costs nothing and it really means a lot to us to help spread the word so that we can connect, educate and entertain traditional martial artists. And maybe you do have a little bit of extra income that you'd like to help support the show financially. You can do that at patreon.com forward slash whistle kick and help support this show so we can continue.
Andrew Adams (44:52.172)
to happen. So, Karen, thanks so much for being here. How do you want to end today? How do you want to close? What do you want to leave our listeners with today?
Karen L Chandler (45:04.315)
I guess just make sure you, people should not underestimate themselves. I never thought I would be able to do any of the stuff that I've been doing. I was not in great physical shape. Just try, get a little bit better every day. Keep trying things, get out of your comfort zone and push yourself to do better. You never know where the path will lead you. I've made many friends I would not know otherwise.