Simply meaning, the clearer you are on your goals and primary objectives, the better your chances of success and achievement. It’s easy to figure out how to achieve something, once you’ve decided what it is that you truly want. That’s call CLARITY.

Most people tend to have very foggy goals or wander through life day after day dreaming with no real direction. This is why we encourage you to develop S.M.A.R.T. goals in all areas.

Martial Arts training, and life, is a lot more fun and exciting when you have exciting and specific goals that you are aiming for.

Climbing the ranks and progressing in your journey to becoming a great Black Belt Champion is an extremely motivating process.

Learning and practicing your skills, training hard and getting yourself into your best shape ever, has a very positive impact on all areas of your life.

Once you have clarity with your goals and you have very specific targets to aim for, you must keep your goals in the forefront of your mind. It helps to review your goals daily.

You must eat, live and breathe your goals until you’re doing everything possible to move in direction of your dreams. Imagine everytime you enter the dojo, you’re highly motivated and focused to train…ready to take action toward improving your mind, body and spirit.

CLARITY IS POWER! Think about your goals as a Black belt Champion, develop and create a clear vision of your short term goals, set some targets for the next 30-60-90 days…then use them as stepping stones to your longer term goals and objectives.

Train and condition yourself to be your best until you become… the Ultimate Black Belt Champion.

One of the primary purposes that our organization has held true to form since the very beginning is the constant desire to better educate, motivate and demonstrate the values and benefits of leading life as a Black Belt Champion and becoming a successful achiever in life.
Since our humble beginnings in 1975, we have always done our best to raise the standards of the Martial Arts and to develop our instructors to be positive and powerful Models of Excellence.
Martial Arts begins and ends with RESPECT. By treating others in a FRIENDLY and COURTEOUS manner, we set the tone for great long-term relationships that will ultimately bring out the best in everyone.

1. Go to our Dream 100 site at www.theDream100.com (must be an approved member of this site)
2. Go to the Staff Training tab on main menu.
3. Click Master Elite Leadership on drop down menu under Staff Training.
4. Print the worksheet Lesson 4 - Integrity and fill in the "blanks" as you watch / listen the 9-minute video/audio. Print the Worksheet HERE | Access the Video HERE
5. After completing worksheet, go to the Staff Training tab and click on Lavalle's 12 Powers
6. Watch Video, Power #4: The Power of Preparation form Kyoshi Lavalle's 12 Powers of a Successful Sensei

The "Sweet Child O' Mine" video depicts the band rehearsing in an abandoned theater, surrounded by crew members. Several of the band members' girlfriends were shown in the clip. Izzy Stradlin's dog was also featured. The video was extremely successful on MTV, and helped launch the song to success on mainstream radio. 

In an effort to make "Sweet Child O' Mine" more marketable to MTV and radio stations, the song was cut from 5:56 minutes to 4:12, with much of Slash's guitar solo removed. This move drew the ire of the band members, including Axl Rose, who commented on it in a 1989 interview with Rolling Stone: "I hate the edit of 'Sweet Child o' Mine.' Radio stations said, "Well, your vocals aren't cut." "My favorite part of the song is Slash's slow solo; it's the heaviest part for me. There's no reason for it to be missing except to create more space for commercials, so the radio-station owners can get more advertising dollars. When you get the chopped version of 'Paradise City' or half of 'Sweet Child' and 'Patience' cut, you're getting screwed."[7] 

On an interview on Eddie Trunk's New York radio show in May 2006, Axl Rose stated that his original concept for the video focused on the theme of drug trafficking. According to Rose, the video was to depict an Asian woman carrying a baby into a foreign land, only to discover at the end that the child was dead and filled with heroin. This concept was rejected by Geffen Records. 

There is also an alternative video for "Sweet Child O' Mine" with different captures and the footage entirely in black and white. 

The Lyrics
She's got a smile that it seems to me
Reminds me of childhood memories
Where everything
Was as fresh as the bright blue sky
Now and then when I see her face
She takes me away to that special place
And if I stared too long
I'd probably break down and cry 

(Woahhhh) Sweet child o' mine
(Woah oh oh oh) Sweet love of mine 

She's got eyes of the bluest skies
And if they thought of rain
I hate to look into those eyes
And see an ounce of pain 

Her hair reminds me of a warm safe place
Where as a child I'd hide
And pray for the thunder
And the rain
To quietly pass me by 

(Woah oh oh oh) Sweet child o' mine
(Woah oh oh oh) Sweet love of mine
(Woah oh oh oh) Sweet child o' mine
(Woah oh oh oh) Sweet love of mine 

Where do we go
Where do we go now
Where do we go
(Confusing parts with Duff and Axl singing)
Sweet child o' mine

Mine, Mine, Mine. Owning Something. It's ALL YOURS. Advanced Marketing, Your Black Belt Test and Training

• You would have a bully resource website (see www.OurBullyProject.com) where anyone in your community can find the BEST info on all aspects of bullying and bully prevention. This wouldn't be some sloppy website with some "stuff" on it, this would be a solid year (or more) of work (and work that allowed you to self-educate and educate your staff as it was assembled, which is a win, win, win).
• Do this work ONCE --and you'll be 10 miles ahead of the game when you turn your focus on another subject. It's also very likely that due to this work, your competitors will never be able to keep pace with you.
• Not only would YOU be an expert, but you would be in the process of training --or have already trained ---a small army of others to help educate others.
• Yeah, I know YOU'RE on it, but you're not doing your job if you don't "OWN" IT IN YOUR COMMUNITY!!!
• You would be in the process of producing your own SHOW on the subject (see my Youtube Channel about Bullying below). I mean, WHY NOT? It's free. I've over 1000 videos under my belt now --which means I've practiced more than 1000 times, something that makes me FAR MORE eligible for some luck, should my preparation meet opportunity.

• You might have picked up a camera and shot a larger library of anti-bullying and bullying images than is stored anywhere in the world (a VERY do-able goal).
• You might have 10 courses you've designed --from a 7 minute info blitz to a 2 hour workshop, (Stop Bullying Now, ABC's of Self-Defense, Project Based Leadership, etc.). When the opportunity to deliver the message arrives, you're fully prepared to deliver.
• You might develop a teachers tool-kit that FAR surpasses whatever your school district is currently paying for.

I have 15 videos on youtube documenting my Modern Arnis training with Sensie Les Kiersnowski. I recorded these for my 5th degree black belt test in Tang Soo Do with Master Dinoto in Mount Laurel's Dinoto Karate Center.

Thank you Sensie Les! :)


Peter Liciaga is a member of Tom Callos' The Ultimate Black Belt Test (http://www.ultimateblackbelttest.com/), an undertaking of The 100 (http://www.the100.us/), and a part of Dinoto Karate Center's master instructor staff (http://www.mountlaurelmartialarts.com/)

To find out more about Peter Liciaga, visit www.PeterLiciaga.org

My good friend (and fellow team mate in the Ultimate Black Belt Test) S Kai Li (http://elitetrainingsystems.us/instructors/kai-li/), participated in a CBS news piece on self-defense with the founder Wun Hop Kuen Do, Sifu Al Dacascos. Sifu Dacascos' son is Mark Dacascos, the actor on the new Hawaii Five-O.
2 BONUS VIDEOS: Check Out Some Cool Videos at end of this Post
1. Mark Dacascos' action reel video
2. Sifu S Kai Li teaching a quick self defense lesson

"Hi Master Liciaga,
I was just wondering about the dream100 site. There didn't seem to be much activity. This is the site for the Elite Training info correct?"

• Mouthguard - required of all my students
• Men - Groin protection cup
• Earguards - Never wrestle without them
• Wrestling shoes - if you are nervous about your toes
• Wraps - In boxing drills, wrap your hands to protect your hand bones. Your coach can show you how to wrap them. Wraps are cheap and make a big difference.

• Keep your nails short and clean
• Wash your hands and face before class (I'll assume you all wash up after using the potty room)
• Only wear clean clothes to class.
• Always leave your shoes outside the mats. Lots of nasty microbes are on the bottoms of your shoes. If they get on the mats, they can cause problems!
• Shower immediately after class
• Do not come to class if you have any kind of infection (skin rash, common cold, etc.)
• If you see a rash, blister, or sores on your training partner, don't train with them
• Use skin protectant. I apply Derma Plus (http://www.mfasco.com/) on my hands, arms, neck and feet before class. There is a FAQ about this product at http://www.timeless-ent.com/dermashield/faqs.html. I recommend you all buy some (if you find a better product or a better price, let me know).
• Disinfect the mats with an antimicrobial solution at least once per week. We do! We've never had an outbreak at our gym!

1. Bruises - These are most commonly from people grabbing your arms or legs. Most BJJ students will carry their bruises like a badge of honor. The only interesting perspective I can lend to this is that the longer I’ve trained the less I see bruises. I have no idea if that is an indication of my capillaries changing or me just getting harder to grab on to!
2. Scratches - If you keep your finger and toenails short, you'll help reduce the scratches. See below for more prevention tips.

• Bloody lip - If you don't wear a mouthpiece, a bump against someone's knee, head, or elbow will bloody the inside of your mouth. A mouthpiece will reduce the chances of this significantly.
• Torn ligaments - I've never heard of any torn ligaments that required surgery, but plenty of tears occur that require recuperation time. For example, I hurt my elbow a couple of times that required a few weeks off. It took several months for my arm to feel "back to normal." One of my training partners tore the intercostals between his ribs, which is quite painful.

• Cauliflower Ear - Over time, ear injuries can cause cauliflower ear to wrestlers and boxers. I recommend all students buy and wear ear guards during wrestling and any drills which put pressure on the ears. I have one training partner that developed this condition and had to be treated by a doctor when he had some swelling on his ear. He is now a dedicated ear guard wearer!
• Toe Drags - This is an injury where you step on your own big toe as it gets caught under your foot while stepping forward on the mats. It sounds hard to imagine, but it has happened to me. It hurts like heck (especially when you have arthritis) and can really stress out your toe ligament. This took a couple of months to heal. While it healed, I wore wrestling shoes and was able to train at full intensity. I've heard of another couple of students getting toe drags. It is one of the most frustrating injuries, as it is one of the only "self-inflicted" injuries you can sustain on the mats.
• Breaks - The most common bone break I've seen is a pinky toe break. The mats are not kind to your toes. The solution to this is wrestling shoes. Wear them and you'll probably never get a foot injury. In nearly a decade, I've only seen one broken bone (a leg) at a competition -- not during regular training. I've heard about another guy who got his arm broken in the class of another school here in town, but not at ours!
• Dislocations - I've seen one dislocated shoulder in training. It popped right back in, but was a very painful experience for the poor student it happened to. I have also seen one dislocated elbow. Both of these were due to sloppy arm bars or “goofing off”. I have seen several dislocated pinky toes (again, wrestling shoes will nearly eliminate the chance of this).
• Lacerations - I have seen remarkably little blood in my gym other than from scrapes or a busted lip and bit tongue. Since we aren't punching each other in BJJ, it is rare to see split skin. I’ve only seen one serious cut that required stitches, and in that case it was "self-inflicted" in that the student who got cut slamming into his opponent’s knee when trying to take him down. Lesson learned: don't slam your head into someone's knee!

• Choking out - Prevention: TAP OUT! EARLY & OFTEN! To minimize risk here, just TAP OUT!!! It also has to be mentioned that I would NEVER…NEVER!!! let children choke each other in regular sparring. It requires individual adult attention to each match, and without enough sets of eyes on the mats, it's best to only allow chokes in controlled demonstrations. When I teach, children ARE NOT ALLOWED to choke.
• “Tossing your cookies” - This is very easy to prevent. Don't train with food in your tummy! If you train hard in any sport, you really can't have any food in your stomach. Different people have different windows of time they need to make sure they are safe. I won't eat within 2 hours of training. I know others that won't train for 4 hours.

1. Any joint manipulation outside the range that is safe for that joint. All techniques have a safe way to apply them that will prevent injury. If you don't understand the way to perform the technique, ask your coach.
2. Any move that is done at a speed greater than the ability for your partner to react and submit before injury. In other words, give your partner a chance to tap.
3. The heel hooks - Unsafe at any speed above slow. Always avoid sideways torque to the knee.
4. The neck crank - This technique is done from numerous angles, but is never accomplished without unnecessary stress to the vertebrae in the neck
5. Laryngeal chokes - Any choke that puts pressure on the air passage is unsafe
6. Slams - Takedowns where your opponent is dropped from any height above your knees are unsafe
7. Any takedown or sweep where you cannot guarantee your partner will fall into a safe place on the mats. When throwing your partner, make sure they have plenty of open mat space to land in. Other people may be there!
8. Single finger grabs - BJJ is all about control, which requires lots of grabbing. When you grab and pull on a single digit of your opponent, you risk breaking or straining it. Always grab 3 or more fingers
9. Facial cranks - Not surprisingly, excessive pressure on the face will make someone tap, but they'll label you as unsafe and probably avoid you when sparring in the future
10. Most back cranks, as in the case of neck cranks, this is an unnecessary risk of serious injury

• Luma Mufleh was born March 1, 1975 in Amman, Jordan.
• She left Jordan to attend Smith College in Northampton , Massachusetts in 1993.
• Mufleh graduated from Smith in 1997 with a B.A. in Anthropology.
• She moved from Northampton to Boston to North Carolina to Atlanta, while working as a waitress, cook, grocery stock clerk, an office worker for a charity, and a freelance website designer.
• After she arrived in Atlanta, she started Ashton's, a coffee shop and café, and coached girls’ soccer before founding the Fugees in 2006.

Luma Mufleh in Action