My Goal Setting Project

As you may know, goal setting is a huge part of my life. In fact, I practically set goals for everything. I believe that it's such a powerful tool, that I pass it on to all our students. For the past few months, I've been looking at several students goal setting projects. Every year, I am sure to set a goal right along side everyone else.

This year, I'm setting a goal that has created a little bit of excitement. I'm going to share it with everyone. By the way, the format is the exact one that I expect all the students to follow. I've shorten this goal to just phase I of the Bronco Project for easier readability.

Goal-

Restore a 1969 Ford Bronco (302 V8)- Phase I: Rebuild and restore engine and compartment.

Deadline-

Oct. 15th (2 weeks behind schedule)

Benefits-

• Always wanted to restore a Bronco
• Big challenge
• Will learn something new
• Something to be proud of
• The kids will have a blast riding in the Bronco
• Hopes of passing this car onto Isaac and teaching him how to care for it
• No monthly car payment
• Although it's not meant to be an investment, the car will be worth over twice as much money as we put into it (hard costs).
• The project creates an outlet to relieve stress (my therapy)
• Occasionally, the family get's involved with helping me.
• Develop a new appreciation for old engines and the mechanical masterpieces they really are.
• Safe automobile (built like a tank)

Action Plan-

1. Purchase Ford overhaul manual
2. Create parts & price list in Excel
3. Create budget for different phases
4. Line up help
5. Line up tools
6. Schedule days with family to devote to Bronco
7. Determine which tools will be rented, borrowed, or purchased
8. Select machine shop
9. Create invoice folder
10. Create work log
11. Create schedule of work
12. Commence work!

I've double checked and my goal is indeed SMART- Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic, and Tangible. I also think of the T as Time Driven.

Check out the video clip of the completion of Phase I.

Respectfully,

Duncan Richardson
Chief Master Instructor
http://www.freekaratelesson.com

The Secret to Goal Setting

Over the past year, I've had many people ask me about The Secret. I've considered making a blog post about it earlier, but decided against it because it seemed that enough people were already talking about it. Well, right now, in our Taekwondo program, we will be discussing Goal Setting and Self Discipline. So, I thought, what the hay. Let's discuss it briefly, but more importantly I'd rather utilize the internet bandwidth more profoundly by talking about something with more substance.


First, the whole premise to The Secret is the law of attraction. If you believe in something passionately enough, you will achieve it or aqcuire it. The first thing we must understand is that The Secret is not some uncovered mystical magic ingredient we've all been searching for. In fact, there are a whole slew of authors that have been preaching this stuff for years, ie. Zig Ziglar, Harv T. Ecker, and Brian Tracy. Even further back, you'll find authors such as Dale Carnegie, Norman Vincent Peale and Napoleon Hill talking about these very same concepts.


Then you have 90% of all athletes who have used the concept of law of attraction for decades. Quite honestly, I am not a fan of The Secret, but I am a fan of all the authors I mentioned above and here is why. The Secret basically says, do no planning in achieving your goals, just think passionately enough and you'll get there or acquire it. In fact, The Secret says you just need to picture your perfect body and you can eat anything you want. Hmmm... Check this out for real results on the perfect body- http://www.freekaratelesson.com/weight-loss.html


In my opinion, The Secret did so well because it seemed be the missing ingredient in many peoples lives. To add to that, the book or dvd appealed to even more people because you don't have to work for it, but rather think passionately about it and hope that you manifest whatever it is you want. There is one major, major difference between the book/dvd of The Secret and all the time tested classics of the legendary authors and it is this- You Need a Plan!


You don't make it to the Olympics in Taekwondo because you just dreamed about it. Michael Phelps isn't the great swimmer he is because he just hoped. The self made millionaires of the world didn't just think about it. The dad that is involved in his childs development didn't just wish he had more time with his kids. The child that stands up to a bully didn't just pray he would go unnoticed at school. All these people got off their rear end and did something. They formulated a plan and went through with it.


Here is my secret- if it were easy, everyone would be doing it. Okay, enough about secrets. Let's chat about what makes people successful. When I say successful, I don't mean acquiring wealth. I mean accomplishing any goal you or any student might have. I believe 100%, if you teach your child how to accomplish goals now, they're going to be tackling monsterous things as an adult. But... here is the caveat. Goals start from mom and dad.


Suprisingly, I find many people that are content right where they are in life. As a former speaker, I also learned that people actually feared success. I've always heard about it, but never realized that I would meet people who were afraid to venture out and achieve something great.


Passenger airplanes fly 30,000 feet above the ground at 500 mph. When they land, they have all the weight that stresses the wheels, the gears, and the frame of the airplane. The airplanes have large maintenance costs because of the stress it receives from flying. There are literally hundreds of things that could go wrong with that plane while it is flying. All in all, it's dangerous for a plane to fly. Now, aeronautical engineers will tell you that it is significantly more dangerous for the plane to just sit on the runway. The static weight of the plane, and the rust that will form by sitting stagnant on the runway will ultimately wear out the plane faster than the one that ventures the skies.


It's dangerous for a ship to cross the ocean. It might not come back. It's more dangerous for the ship to ride an anchor in the harbor collecting barnacles.

It's dangerous for a farmer to plant crops. There might be a drought, there might be a flood. I think we all agree that it's more dangerous for the farmer to NOT plant the crops.

It's dangerous to set goals... we might not succeed. It might take too much effort. It might take too much time. Years ago, somebody said it would probably take him 5 years to get a Black Belt, and that he would be almost 50. I responded with, "...how old would you be in 5 years if you didn't go for your Black Belt?"


I encourage all parents and students to really take to heart the Goal Setting and Self Discipline homework assignments we will be distributing soon in the academy. I am going to be keeping my eyes peeled for some exciting goals out there. I am also excited to see the goals that our instructors will be setting for themselves.

I'd love to hear your comments on goal setting.

Respectfully,

Duncan Richardson
Chief Master Instructor
The Academy of World Taekwondo
Martial Art Lessons in Boise & Eagle

Sunday Stroll...at 600 MPH in a Fighter Jet

6:03 pm- I arrive with Rachel, Isaac, Reese, and Zoey to the Appleton Hanger, home of the Hawker Hunter fighter jet. Steve Appleton, one of my Taekwondo training clients, invited me to fly with him in his privately owned Hawker Hunter.

The Hawker Hunter is a British fighter jet originally used by the Royal Air Force. Later, it was exported and used by 19 other air forces. Two countries were known to have been the most enthusiastic about the fighter jet, Sweden and Singapore, and always improving the plane. Steve’s Hawker Hunter actually came from the Singapore Airforce.

6:05 pm- Steve’s wife, Dalynn, asks, “So are you ready?”
My response, “I think so.” As I think about the 20 ounce coffee I just had on the way to the hanger. Give me a break! I was camping all weekend and was exhausted. I wanted to ensure that I would be 100% alert for this experience.

Dalynn, gave me some tips, “Tighten your legs, push your feet into the floor, and if you feel sick, Steve will give you a bag to carry with you.”

6:10 pm- “Are you ready?” says a cheerful Steve.
Part of me felt like snapping to attention and saying sir, yes sir! Apparently, I prepared myself too much by envisioning every scene from Top Gun prior to this day. I settled for, “Yes, sir.”
“Have you eaten anything?”
“Only breakfast, then a bowl of cereal at 3 pm.”
“Good.”
“Oh, actually, I had an iced coffee on the way over here.”
“You should be fine.”
I left out the part that it was 20 ounces, and a white chocolate mocha. Remember, I’m going to be flying at around mach 1 in a fighter jet. I think I need to be alert, right?

6:20 pm- We’re waiting for the fuel guy to come gas up the jet. Steve is frustrated. I’m relieved. I can’t stop thinking about how dumb it was to drink a 20 ounce white chocolate mocha just before I’m about to fly. The more time that passes, the better.

6:25 pm- Dang! Fuel guy is here!

6:35 pm- We’re in the flight suit room. For the record, that’s the name I gave this room. Again, visions of Top Gun begin flashing through my brain. All I can think about are the funky helmets that sport the call signs like- Viper, Maverick, and Iceman.

After I suit up, Steve hands me a neatly folded vomit bag to place in a pocket, strategically placed, just 5 inches below my neck. Great. Dalynn must’ve told him what kind of coffee I had.

6:40 pm- The excitement is truly beginning. I climb up the ladder on the glossy black fighter jet. Sitting inside this extraordinary machine was exhilarating. Although, with my tall frame, it was much like sitting in a Miata.

Seated in the plane, Steve remained on the ladder to go over important information. Not your normal flight attendant, seat belts low across the hips, 2 exits, type of spiel either. I’m talking about if you think we’re going to die, eject- type of spiel.

“If you hear me say, ‘Eject, Eject, Eject’, don’t ask any questions because you’ll be talking to yourself.” Now, I know good and well the chances of this situation are slim, but it’s still a possibility, so I paid attention like I never did before. In fact, my Sophomore English teacher would have been proud. At this point, I knew how to eject myself from the plane, should the occasion arise. In fact, I was so intrigued by the ejection seat, I couldn’t help, but to think, “What if I ejected just for fun.” Note to self- Edit this last sentence of the Blog before allowing Steve to see it.

I’m not sure if you’re familiar with G forces, it’s the amount of force one experiences when accelerating. 3 G’s refers to your body experiencing a force 3 times that of gravity. In some cases, pilots can actually pass out during flight.

“In the event that I pass out, and we’re at a high enough altitude that time is not too critical, I would appreciate it if you would eject my seat. If we’re going down fast, then take care of yourself.”

Quite frankly, I could only nod my head. My only thoughts, at that moment, was Steve’s wonderful family. I’m willing to bet, Steve made this request because he too had only one thought, his wonderful family. Steve reassured me that he'll do the same for me.

6:45 pm- Steve climbs in and begins flipping all sorts of switches and pushing buttons. All of a sudden, two screens light up with Window XP booting up. I mean this next statement no harm to PC users, in fact I am a proud PC user with MS Windows. Honestly, I couldn’t stop thinking about how my laptop seems to be having problems with viruses and spyware. I couldn’t bring myself to ask Steve if he had Norton Antivirus loaded on his plane. Note to self- delete this, too.

I’m sure it didn’t have Norton Antivirus, nor did it need it. Steve had this plane 100% equipped with the most amazing, cutting edge, modern technology, built specifically for this plane.

6:50 pm- We’re up in the air. So far, so good! And, the take off was amazing. It didn’t take long before we were really high and going really fast. Really high and really fast is highly technical aviation speak.

6:55 pm- We’re heading into the Owyhee Canyon. Did you notice the time difference? It was about 5 minutes! I believe it takes about 2 hours to drive to this particular part of the canyon.

Literally, before I know it, we are down inside the canyon... the canyon with recreational boaters, jet skiers, etc. I have know I idea how close we were to the water, but I can tell you, I was looking at the canyon walls, and we were below the tops of them. I’ll have to admit, I was mildly scared as we were tearing through there at 500 to 600 mph. At the same time, I was absolutely amazed at how Steve flew this plane so effortlessly and gracefully, carving from right to left. I couldn’t help imagining the awe we must have struck in the boaters below.

The end of the canyon was approaching, and Steve says, “When I tell you to, squeeze your legs tightly.” My response, “I haven’t stopped squeezing since we took off.” Thanks for the tip, Dalynn!

We shoot out of the canyon like a bullet, straight up in the air. Straight up… like towards outer space straight up! Just before we both were about to become astronauts, Steve did a “half loop”. I’m still replaying it in my mind, trying to figure out exactly what we did. All I know is that all of a sudden, the earth reappeared from the wrong direction. Perhaps, I need to go on a second ride just to make sure I know what we did. Note to self- bold last sentence so Steve reads it.

Sometime pm- It’s time for me to fly the jet. The Hawker Hunter is equipped with two “sticks” to fly the plane. Steve says, “Go ahead, take the stick.” Nervously, I grab the stick right in front of me and begin taking the plane up and up and up. “Okay, go ahead and bring it back down.” So I push the stick forward to level us out. I’m trying to get us to 10,000 feet. The slightest push forward makes me feel like an elevator dropping from the 50th floor to 0 in 1 second.

Steve takes control of the plane and introduces me to the “barrel role”. I believe the barrel role is a defensive maneuver used in air to air combat, aka- “dog fighting.” It’s when the plane completely roles sideways 360 degrees and returning to a rightside up position.

“Here, you give it a try.”
“What??? You’re kidding me!”
“Just take the stick and push it all the way to the left.”
Hesitantly, I took the stick and pushed it to one side and sure enough, the plane obeyed the movement from the stick, with what seemed like the grace of a ballerina.
“Can I go the other way?”, but this time, with much enthusiasm.
“Sure!”
I’m hooked! In fact, you can just start calling me Maverick. Wait, I hear Tom Cruise is a little crazy… how about Iceman. (Knowledge of Top Gun required for last statement)

Sometime later pm- I absolutely enjoyed the flight immensely. I am slightly disappointed in the stimulation overload my body experienced. The exhilaration was like drinking from a fire hose. Things happened so fast, I literally had to come home, lay down, and close my eyes to replay the entire flight in my mind. When you experience that much stimulation, it truly is very difficult to take in all at once. Two words sum up the experience- Truly Amazing!

8:15 pm- I handed back the same neatly folded vomit bag back to Steve.

Currently, I have been training Steve in Taekwondo. We've been training pretty intensely since he is determined to get his Black Belt. I could be mistaken, but I believe just as Rachel was snapping this picture, he was muttering, "You're in my world now, buddy!"

Moments before we begin taxing.

The helmet is gray, and it doesn't say Maverick or Iceman on it, but you can clearly see, I'm still happy to be here!

This picture was taken just after a bogey shot out our fuel tanks. Fortunately, the onboard Windows XP is capable of crash recovery!

Thanks for the ride, Steve!

Respectfully,

Duncan Richardson
Chief Master Instructor
The Academy of World Taekwondo
http://www.FreeKarateLesson.com

Taekwondo Master Gone Economist

Not a single day goes by that I don't think about writing in my blog. I'll have a profound thought, a wonderful life lesson, something ironic, you name it and I'll forget to write. Well... I had a profound thought tonight and said to myself, "go bust out the laptop and blog about it."

Now, I don't claim to be very knowledgable about the economy, but I think I can hold my own in a 3 round, 2 minute conversation with someone. I'll admit I don't know too much about how Bush and our next president affects the economy. I mean, I kind of thought I knew, but then I read something that doesn't make sense, or it contradicts itself.

I'm a thinker, actually... more like a dweller. I dwell on things until I can come up with an answer that makes perfect sense. Perhaps, it's my engineering background. Anyhow, let's begin with what I know and what I don't know.

I know that when you're dead broke, you don't go and buy stock on your credit card, just because the company is going to report outstanding earnings.

I don't know why there are so many business coaches that have never created a successful business for themselves.

I know that if you're thinking about selling some investment property, you should do it before Obama gets elected since we'll probably never see taxes this low for awhile (currently 15%, Obama will raise it to 25%). Note: I wish I knew enough about the candidates to be able to bash one or the other. Unfortunately, I don't. So please don't interpret this as a pro McCain statement.

I don't know why people say they don't have time for things. We all have the same number of minutes in a day, including the busiest people in the world.

I know you don't buy United Airlines stock right after terrorist use the planes as weapons of mass destruction. Do you recall when Jack in the Box served burgers with the Salmonella bacteria in it? People made a fortune on Jack in the Box stock from their recovery. Well, United Airlines never recovered. In fact, they were delisted from the New York Stock Exchange.

I don't know as much as I'd like about history. Therefore, I checked out a book on Julius Caesar. Did you know it has been theorized that his namesake was derived from an ancestor who was believed to have been born by a caesarian section? Seriously, I got the book to study the leadership skills of this historical figure.

I know it's possible to buy a 20 year, high yielding bond at 8% interest right now.

I don't know why more people don't enrich their lives with books, exercise, good nutrition, and martial arts (The Academy of World Taekwondo- 381-0587, ask for Kendal). ;)

I know the ancient chinese philosophy of Yin & Yang very well. I know that it can be applied in every situation of life. I dare you to try and stump me:). Taekwondo is a huge part of many of our students lives. For me, Taekwondo is my life. I can't help to naturally think about everything in terms of Yin & Yang, which basically boils down to balance.

Remember when the bottom fell out the stock market in 99'? Or was it 2000? What came next? The real estate market? What happened immediately after that? The economy! Let's look back at history. Do all three things always correct themselves? Of course! The reason why they correct themselves is because we, as in you and me and everyone else driving the market, make the needed adjustments.

I was just watching something on TV about an hour ago. They were basically talking about how to survive in a recession. The financial expert was talking about saving a penny here and a penny there and eventually you'll save quite a bit. She also discussed down sizing and becoming more economical with things.

Remember, I'm a dweller. While she was talking, I couldn't stop thinking about the economic stimulus checks we all received. We all know what those checks are for, right? We're supposed to be buying plasma TV's, stereo's, and clothes with that money. Okay, now we have two very oppossing philosophies. Or, do we??? You see, one is simply Yin (conservative spending) and the other is Yang (liberal spending). The bottom line is, you can't have one without the other. Too much Yang will have to result in an abundance of Yin in order to correct itself.

The US economy will not collapse, because businesses that were Yang yesterday will become Yin tomorrow. The trend will eventually trickle all the way down to the everyday consumer. Once the larger corporations, businesses, and consumers begin adjusting their Yang ways to a more Yin approach will we find everything back in balance, which is essentially the meaning of Yin and Yang- balance.

Remember, I love making lessons out of everything. Here it is. If you're feeling the affects of a down economy, perhaps you have not adjusted your Yang ways. Maybe it's time to throw a little Yin into the mix. Make a list of your Yang and another list of your Yin. Is your Yang bigger than your Yin? I guarantee if you make adjustments to balance the two, you'll still have the means to enjoy those family vacations to Disney Land.

Respectfully,

Duncan Richardson
Chief Master Instructor
http://www.FreeKarateLesson.com

Motivation & Taekwondo Training... Let's Get it Going!!!

The human body is a miraculous creation capable of many great things. Next year at this time, you will be a new person. Literally! All the cells of our bodies are replaced every 12 months. How come we look the same year after year? Maybe even worse as time goes on. It's because our minds get in the way! We start a new regimen with high hopes of achieving our vision. We hit the workouts and the diets hard making it our number one priority. Time goes by with little improvements, but we're determined to finally make a change. More time goes by and we see even less improvements so we begin to slow down a little bit. We start missing workouts and slipping up on our diets. We start saying, "Monday, I'm going to hit it hard again." Somehow Monday seems to have come and gone and now it's Thursday and you haven't trained once. So you settle for mediocrity.

Imagine that you have a vision in your right hand. Hold it up high. In your left hand you have reality. Hold it down low. Connecting your two hands is a rubber band. Peter M. Senge, author of The Fifth Discipline, calls this your creative tension. Your goal is to bring your left hand, reality, to your right hand, vision. The vision hand is up high for a reason. It symbolizes the top, a mountain peak so to speak. The reality hand is symbolic of your present state, at the bottom of the mountain preparing for your journey. Too many times in life do we strive to bring the reality hand to the vision hand, but rather give up, letting the vision hand come to the reality hand. When we do this, we're quitting. We're settling for mediocrity. Mr. Senge says, "Most people's lives are like the food in my freezer. Not quite bad enough to throw out and not quite good enough to eat."

We live in a life controlled by the dynamics of cause and effect. Why do people smoke? Because they're not going to die the moment the cigarette touches their lips. Why do people eat those Krispy Kreme donuts, even though they're so high in fat and partially hydrogenated oils? Because they don't see the effects at that exact moment. I guarantee that if at the moment you swallow that delicious donut your pant buttons pop open with each bite, you'd reconsider. Since that doesn't happen, we continue our eating habits, waiting for Monday to come.

Okay, so how do we get out of this viscous cycle? It's easy! I hope that puts you at ease a little bit. And it's hard at the same time. Unfortunately, there is no potion that will transform you or make you workout. I read a book recently, called Good to Great by Jim Collins. It's about the qualities of a company that make it successful. Many times during the book I kept finding myself thinking about these companies like our bodies. Basically Mr. Collins research shows that great companies are not built overnight, but rather over time. They also experience many setbacks that help make them the great company that they are. When this crawl, walk, run approach is taken, a great company becomes "Built to Last." Our bodies are no different. If your mindset is to transform your body with ease, and be sent on your way, you'll be sadly mistaken.

You must make a new lifestyle for yourself. Not a diet. Not a workout. A lifestyle. Have you ever heard a person in great shape say they're out of shape? Does it make you sick? This person probably hasn't been training in Taekwondo as often as they like or maybe they're in an off season, but an athletic person is never really out of shape because being conditioned and healthy is a lifestyle for them.

You may have made a committment to your Taekwondo training. Make this a priority like you make brushing your teeth a priority. You brush your teeth probably because you know and have experienced the effects of cavities.

You need to supply the personal commitment to start leading a new lifestyle. Diligent Taekwondo training can be a big commitment. It's easy to do if we cancel all of our daily appointments, miss out on family time, etc. Usually, when we do this we're bombarded after several weeks of neglecting the important things in our life. Do not make Taekwondo training a hiatus from the rest of your life. Just like eating steak, cut the fat out. Your day should consist of what matters most. Try using a planner or some other time management system.

Good luck to you!

Respectfully,

Master Richardson
Chief Master Instructor
The Academy of World Taekwondo
http://www.FreeKarateLesson.com

Mia St. John wins WBC Title

We Won!!! Well, actually Mia won, but for the record she couldn't have done it without her "seconds". Seconds, or better put- 2nds, refer to the boxer's team. The team consists of the Trainer- Charles, Assistant Trainer- me, and the Cut Man- Sergio.

Next time you watch a boxing match, pay attention to the coordinated effort that goes into taking care of the fighter. It's absolutely amazing. I'm used to Taekwondo matches where our player (as we call them in Taekwondo), comes back and it's the coach and the athlete. On the other hand, a Taekwondo player is not taking the same facial beating that boxers endure.

If you watched the match on TV, you probably missed my job. No worries... I'll cover it right now.

Click, Click, Click. That is the 10 second warning. At this point, I pick up the stool, double check that I have the jar of vasoline in my pocket. The Cut Man has the ice pack and the trainer has got the water.

DING... In one consorted effort, three men are in the corner, 1 in the ring, and we're prepared to cool the fighter down, temporarily close cuts, bring swelling down, stop bleeding, hydrate, add vasoline, and oh yeah... offer some good boxing advice. It takes about 3 seconds to have all three of us in place.

DING... Mia stands up and we need to be gone! If we're not out of the ring within a few seconds, Mia could be penalized. Prior to giving a penalty, the referee gives us the command, "2nd's out!" At that point, we MOVE and the fight continues.

As I mentioned yesterday, we were a little nervous about the crowd of 20,000 people. Quite honestly, seeing the crowd last night, there was no reason to be worried at all. Mia esta muy famosa aqui. She is a national celebrity. Mia's face appeared in every newspaper and news channel in Mexico. As a matter of fact, the governer of Zacatecas, a state in Mexico, sent her an enormous bouquet of flowers. If that wasn't enough, the governer had her representative- Juan Carlos, make sure we were well taken care of.

Today, Juan Carlos and his chauffeur took us on an amazing tour of the Azteca Pyramids. I took some fun and exciting video while racing my sister to the top. Unfortunately, I haven't converted the video to put in this blog.

After the pyramids, they treated us to an amazing dinner in the historical district of Mexico City, right next to el Capitale. The restaurant itself, Cafe de Tacuba has an amazing history. Once originally a monestary for monks, then converted to a cafe'. It became a famous cafe' in the early ninteen hundreds where many political figures once ate. In fact, some of them were even gunned down in this cafe' because of the corruption in the government in the 1920's and 30's. I'm sure that corruption is all better now.

Tomorrow, I will be heading back to Boise. I really do enjoy the culture and musica de Mexico. I also enjoy walking or riding my bike alone in Boise and not worrying about a thing. There was actually nothing to worry about on this trip, mainly because we were treated like royalty by the state of Zacatecas. It does look as if we will be returning in November, but this time to Zacatecas itself, for one more fight. I do plan on bringing my entire family this time so they can learn more about the culture of my mother. My mother actually grew up in Zacatecas, and her entire family still resides there. It's going to be quite the cultural experience for us.

See you soon!

Respectfully,

Duncan Richardson

Chief Master Instructor

The Academy of World Taekwondo

Ph: 208.381.0587

http://www.FreeKarateLesson.com

Hola, from the La Ciudad de Mexico!

Hola! Que esta' pasando, estudiante's y amigo's? What is happening, students and friends? I am in the Mexican spirit. I have arrived safely en la Ciudad de Mexico. I promised a blog post last night, but had difficulty tracking down some internet service. Esta bien, ahora!

If you haven't heard, I am here for my sister's retirement boxing match. Por que Mexico City? Well, we are half Mexican. Hence, the reason I write half espanol:). Seriously, she chose to accept this fight in Mexico City because she has an enormous fan base here. In fact, they are literally insane for her. The weigh in was like a concert with thousands of raving fans.

Learn more about Mia at http://www.MiaStJohn.com

A little about la Ciudad De Mexico. I wouldn't recommend traveling here for vacation. Stick to Cabo, Cancun, or mi favorito mejor- Puerto Vallarta. Honestly, I'm not into Cabo or Cancun, since it's hardly leaving the United States. Puerto Vallarta still has quite a bit of Mexican culture. Don't get me wrong, it's still for turista's. However, it's also a city that the Mexican people vacation to as well.

Anyhow, we are not here for vacation, so it doesn't matter. My job is to protect my sister and get her from point A to point B safely. A task I'm very familiar with given all her fights in Vegas during her days fighting on Oscar De La Hoya's cards. The big difference is that the population of Mexico City is nearly 9 million people, crime ridden, horrible infrastructure, corupt policia's, and to top it all off... the event tonight is free. 19,000 fans that don't have to pay a dime. Very different from a Las Vegas crowd where tickets are no cheaper than $250 for the nose bleed section and go up to $5,000 for ringside.

Watch for the piratas! That's pirates, in case you were wondering. Have you ever wondered what it would be like to go back in time to see things in history like Christopher Columbus, Magellan, and the pirates. The past is a world that can seem so fairy taleish. Actually, many things of the past are alive and well today. You just have to travel to the right part of the world to see it.

In Mexico City, there are 110,000 taxi's. Of that 110,000, 30,000 of them are not registered. You have no idea which ones are registered and which are not. A common practice in Mexico City is for a friendly taxi cab driver to pick up a tourist from the airport, drive for 15 minutes or so, then at a specific stop light 2 armed piratas will jump into the taxi and the driver will continue driving, usually at high speeds. During this time, the piratas will thoroughly go through the turista's belongings and will rob them of all their valuables, then be dropped off in a remote area.

I'd like to think I fended off a possible attack. When I arrived, a taxi driver was trying to get me to come with him. I tried making it clear to him that I first need to see if I am being picked up by the hotel. He told me to meet him at puerto ocho, door 8. He walked off, briskly. About a minute later, an armed officer told me the taxi's are not for turista's. He made it very clear not to accept a ride from anyone, but rather to buy a shuttle ticket.

My sister's trainer, Charles, had a very different experience. He arrived at around midnight, and therefore, had no driver from the hotel to pick him up. He took the taxi. About 10 minutes into the drive, the taxi had taken, what he thought was an unsual turn into an alley. The taxi quickly came to a stop, and before he could question the stop, 2 people got into the taxi and demanded 500 pesos for the taxi to keep moving. Charles is a large man, who has boxed professional, and trains many top ranked professional fighters. This dude is tough, and he looks tough too! I wish I could say he took on all 3 men with his boxing skills, that would've made a great story. Instead, he did what an intelligent martial artist would have done. He lowered his shoulder, and barrelled into one of the men, bursting the door wide open before the pirata could close it, and ran screaming "policia, help... policia, help".

One thing that surpises me is the amount of policia here. Something that always boggled me was that they always have their lights on. After this incident with Charles, I now have a theory on why they drive with their lights on. The number one crime in Mexico City is robbery, and it mostly takes place in Taxi's and while walking. Fortunately, Charles saw the lights of a Policia and knew if he could get out of the taxi he would be safe.

Here is the hilarious part. The policia had trapped the taxi with it's car and questioned the taxi driver and his "amigo's." The taxi driver explained to the policia that the passenger misunderstood and there is no problemo. The policia then assured Charles that it was okay to ride with them. WHAT??? Well, it turned out alright since the policia followed the taxi all the way to the hotel. Talk about an uncomfortable ride!

That's all for now. I'm going to hit the gym, then we're off to the event. The fight is tonight on TV Azteca. In an email, I announced that the fight will be on TeleVisa, which is actually the station that is in Mexico. El estation en La Estados Unidos (USA) es TV Azteca's.

Stay tuned for more!

Respectfully,

Duncan Richardson
Chief Master Instructor
The Academy of World Taekwondo
Ph: 208.381.0587