Spirit Made Steel Martial Arts

Congratulations to Sensei Jason on his promotion to sandan (3rd degree black belt) and to Sensei Russell on his promotion to godan (5th degree black belt) at yesterday's ABS seminar!

Also congratulations to our good friend Kyoshi Joe Medlen from Quiet Storm Jujitsu on his promotions to hachidan (8th degree black belt) in Shin Shin Jujitsu and shichidan (7th degree black belt) in Shin Nagare Karate!

Students and parents, as many of you already know, Madison County has now implemented a mandatory facial covering ordinance. How does this affect training at Spirit Made Steel?

I had to search to find clarification on this myself. Here is the answer I've received:

* Facial coverings are required before and after class and in the waiting room.
* Facial coverings are still not required during actual class, as long as we maintain 6 foot social distancing. When class begins, they may be removed. When class ends, they must be put back on.

Thank you for helping us comply with this new law and for helping to keep everyone safe during this time of uncertainty.

Mandatory mask order begins for all of Madison County at 5 p.m. Tuesday This health order has the unanimous support of the Madison County Board of Health, Huntsville Mayor Tommy Battle, Madison Mayor Paul Finley,and County Commission Chair Dale Strong.

Shown in this picture are advanced ninja students Igor Khazanov, Anne Kelly, Micah Pierce, Sensei Russell Newquist, and Andrew "The New Guy" Dubbel.

I've been asked several great questions from students and parents about measures we're taking as we reopen, and I want to address them.

First, I want to state flat out that - like the rest of the state - we're in the early phases of reopening. If for any reason whatsoever a student or parent doesn't feel comfortable coming back to class yet, we completely understand. We have several students in high risk categories or with family members in high risk categories, and there are plenty of other good reasons to not feel comfortable yet. We ALWAYS urge our students to make the best decisions for your own health and safety under your own individual circumstances.

To give further details of measures we're taking (note that all of this is in addition to the steps outlined in my previous post):

* Students will be questioned as they come in about their health condition. Students with recent illness or fevers will not be allowed in class.
* Likewise, students with potential exposure to COVID will not be allowed in class. I have directly spoken to two students and instructors who were already self-quarantining due to potential exposure. We'll miss them until their self-quarantine is done, but we're also glad we have such awesome students who are already on the ball.
* Students will be to wash their hands before and after class. We'll be providing as much hand sanitizer as we can, and we encourage our students to use it often. I'm still having a very difficult time getting my hands on it in large quantities, however, so I'm asking any students who have any bring their own to help us out until I'm able to get more in bulk.
* We will have the doors to the dojo open during classtimes to allow extra ventilation.
* At this time we will not be requiring facemasks. I have concerns about limiting students breathing during intense exercise. However, students will be encouraged to wear them if they have them and if they feel comfortable with them.
* Until I'm advised otherwise by the Alabama Department of Public Health, our water fountain is closed to the public. Please plan ahead and bring your own water.

Please don't hesitate to ask if you have further questions.

Following guidance from the governor and the Alabama Department of Public Health, I'm very pleased to announce that Spirit Made Steel will be able to resume classes beginning on May 18th. To comply with public health recommendations and to ensure the safety of our students, we will be making some small changes to our classes for the near future.

* Until the department of public health advises otherwise, we will be restricting all classes to no more than ten students. Unless it becomes unworkable, class spaces will be apportioned on a first-come, first-serve basis.
* Until the department of public health advises otherwise, students will be required to maintain a distance of six feet or more from other students. This means that, for now, we will NOT be doing activities such as sparring, grappling, and throws that require physical contact. Instead, we will emphasize kata, drill, and other practices that do not require close proximity.
* Until the department of public health advises us otherwise, we're asking students and parents to help us keep the waiting room clear. Parents should wait outside or in their cars during class. Students coming in should wait until the previous class is finished and exits before entering.
* We will be observing one-way entrance and exits. We ask students to enter through the normal front door and exit through the side or back doors.
* Other precautions will be taken as necessary and in compliance with all public health directives.

We have started the work of sanitizing the building top to bottom before restarting classes, and we'll be continuing that throughout the next week before we reopen. We thank all of our students for your continued support, and we're very excited to be able to return to class very soon!

A little bit of quarantine humor to help lighten the mood.

Toilet Paper Tactics | Master Ken Get your personalized Master Ken video message today! https://www.cameo.com/master_ken Master Ken theorizes that the toilet paper shortage is due to it's eff...

As the safety of our students is our prime concern, Spirit Made Steel is following the lead of Madison City Schools and will be closed from now through the end of spring break. As with the schools, our current plan is to resume classes as normal on April 6, but we are, of course, continuing to monitor this national health emergency.

Please help us spread the word to your fellow students.

Be advised that there is a wreck on Slaughter Rd just north of the dojo that is having a severe impact on traffic at the moment. I couldn’t see the wreck directly but there are several emergency vehicles involved. Traffic seems to be moving again, if not we’ll, but parents might want to plan accordingly, especially for the beginning kids class.

UPDATE: Traffic appears to be moving normally again.

Spirit Made Steel will be following the lead of Madison City Schools and closing tonight due to inclement weather. To all of our students and friends, please stay safe tonight!