Iron Dragon - Lady Lake

12/09/2026

04/09/2026

25 THINGS WORTH TEACHING A KID THAT PROBABLY WON’T BE ON A TEST

1. How to make a phone call and schedule an appointment. Eventually, not everything important can be handled with a text.

2. How to introduce themselves to an adult. Name, eye contact, handshake if appropriate. Basic confidence goes a long way.

3. How to cook three or four actual meals. Nobody needs to be a chef, but everyone should be able to feed themselves without opening an app.

4. How to do laundry without turning one red shirt into an entire pink wardrobe. Some lessons are best learned before college.

5. How to read a pay stub. Gross pay and take-home pay are two very different numbers.

6. How interest works. It can quietly make you wealthy or quietly make everything you buy cost more.

7. How to look past the monthly payment and find the total price. “Only $499 a month” has sold a lot of very expensive things.

8. How to check the oil, tire pressure, and warning lights on a car. You don’t have to be a mechanic to avoid preventable problems.

9. How to write a clear, respectful email. Employers, professors, landlords, and future coworkers will appreciate this more than they know.

10. How to show up on time. Being dependable is surprisingly rare and surprisingly valuable.

11. How to ask a good question when they don’t understand something. Pretending to know is usually more expensive than admitting you don’t.

12. How to hear “no” without falling apart. Rejection is uncomfortable. It is also part of being an adult.

13. How to apologize without adding “but.” A real apology doesn’t need a closing argument.

14. How to disagree with someone without treating them like an enemy. That skill feels increasingly valuable.

15. How to notice the person standing by themselves. Inclusion usually costs nothing and can mean everything.

16. How to treat waiters, cashiers, custodians, receptionists, and anyone else who cannot do something for their status. Character shows up quickly in those moments.

17. How to leave a tip, calculate a percentage, and understand what something actually costs after tax. Math gets much more interesting when your own money is involved.

18. How to compare prices instead of automatically buying the cheapest thing. Cheap and inexpensive are not always the same.

19. How to clean a bathroom, kitchen, and living space well enough that another human being would willingly enter it.

20. How to sit with boredom for a little while. Not every empty moment needs to be filled by a screen.

21. How to carry on a conversation with someone older or younger than they are. Life is easier when you can talk to more than your own age group.

22. How to ask for help. Independence does not mean figuring out every problem alone.

23. How to keep a promise even after it becomes inconvenient. Your word matters most when keeping it costs you something.

24. How to spend less than they make. It isn’t exciting advice, but a whole lot of financial freedom starts right there.

25. How to go somewhere new, talk to someone they don’t know, try something they might fail at, and discover that being uncomfortable for a few minutes usually doesn’t kill you.

A good education isn’t just knowing the right answers.

It’s knowing what to do when life hands you a question that wasn’t on the test.

24/08/2026

There are other reasons why students quit, but I've heard quite a few times
"I wished I stayed with it "
So what's stopping you now?

22/08/2026

Developing Character

Many people look at me sideways when I say character should be part of martial arts training. I understand that not everyone agrees with me, but I will continue to stand behind it.

Remove character from the equation for a moment.

Would you award a black belt to a bully? Would you promote a child abuser? Would you knowingly advance someone who consistently mistreats others, lies, belittles people, or uses what you teach them irresponsibly?

Would you want that person representing your teachings, your school, your dojo, or your honbu?

Certainly not.

So character is already part of the equation, whether we choose to put it in the curriculum or not.

Not to steal Spider-Man’s thunder, but great power comes with great responsibility. I believe the same principle applies to martial arts.

Great skill should be accompanied by great character.

Unfortunately, that is not always the case. I have met remarkably skilled martial artists who were miserable human beings. Their technique was impressive, but somewhere along the way their character failed to develop alongside their ability.

Rank does not make someone a good person. A black belt does not make someone honorable. Neither does being called sensei, shihan, or hanshi. Sometimes the person who has spent decades developing combat skills still needs considerably more work developing themselves.

How do you recognize poor character?

Listen.

Listen to how people speak about others. Listen to how they treat students, beginners, peers, and people who can do absolutely nothing for them. Watch what happens when they are corrected. Watch how they behave when there is nothing to gain and nobody important is watching.

And to be clear, disagreeing with me is not evidence of poor character. Someone holding a different opinion does not make them a bad person. If that were the standard, nobody would stay married. 😆

Character is revealed not by whether someone agrees with you, but by how they conduct themselves when they do not.

Titles such as sensei, shihan, and hanshi carry more than recognition of technical ability. They place someone in a position where others will look to them as an example. If we accept the title, we should also accept the responsibility that accompanies it.

The old warriors understood that learning how to fight was only part of the forging. The weapon and the person wielding it were both expected to be refined.

Skill tells me what you can do.

Character tells me who you are when you have the ability to do it.

Food for thought.

20/08/2026

Older adults have always enjoyed training in Hapkido (focuses on real world self defense) and Kumyedo (Korean Sword Art). Master Kuns also teaches Kimoodo (a Korean art that crosses Qigong and Tai Chi). Kimoodo is offered at Infinity Fitness and Too Your Health Spa Tuesdays and Thursdays. Check out our web page at IronDragonLady.com

18/07/2026

Who agrees with me that Martial arts training is an investment in the health of our body, mind and soul?

04/07/2026

Happy 4th of July! Enjoy your time with your family and stay safe!

02/07/2026

This is awesome!