The Pit Black belt summit 2023

Every year, the first week in November, we go to Hawaii for our black belt testing and promotion ceremony. We didn't have any black belts this year, but we still wanted to make our yearly trip to Hawaii with our Pit Ohana.  We decided to take the trip, and instead of promoting new black belts, we brought some of our top, ranking black belts. and instead of a promotion ceremony, we decided to have a summit where we could brainstorm how to make The Pit a better place. We spent the first day walking from our hotel through Waikiki, around Diamondhead, and down Kahala Avenue and ended up at the Kahala Hilton hotel, where we had a fantastic lunch, and we had a meeting about what things were great at The Pit, what things we needed work on at The Pit, and even what new things we could implement to make The Pit a better place for all of our Ohana.

We had Pit Ohana from the Pit Malibu, The Pit, Idaho, The Pit, Arizona, and the rest of us were from the Pit headquarters in beautiful Arroyo Grande California. We came up with some great new ideas to implement into our Ohana. We had some great meals, went to the beach, sat by the pool, and just hung out, relaxing. We still have a few days left here, and it's turning into a great R&R.

We wrote some of the changes out, and we will be implementing them in all of The Pit affiliates. This was a great idea, and I think I'll make it a regular thing. Maybe not always in Hawaii, but this pit summit really helped open our eyes on what was really working well what we could tweak a little bit to make it better, but for the most part, it opened my eyes to finding out what was really working in all of our Ohana. It also was a big eye-opener to hear how our pit Ohana felt and how closely we all aligned on our mentality towards Hawaiian Kempo and our training.  I saw what a brotherhood (and sisterhood) is and how closely we all aligned on our goals, our mission, and our purpose.

It was also great that the Pit affiliate owners all brought our wives, and it was great to hear them. Talk about their goals and experiences in training and owning a martial arts school. Like I said, this was a great idea, and I'm going to plan on having it as a regular way that we can all stay in tune and aligned.