Resilience Week 3... The Kobayashi Maru

This week opens the New Star Trek in Theaters. So we have incorporated Star Trek themed concepts into this weeks lesson. This week we're doing our own version of the Lesson learned from the Kobayashi Maru in the Star Fleet Academy.

For those who don't know. The Kobayashi Maru is a test in the fictional Star Trek universe. It is a Starfleet training exercise designed to test the character of cadets in the command track at Starfleet Academy. Rescuing the civilian vessel Kobayashi Maru is the notional primary goal in a simulated battle with the Klingons. The disabled ship is located in the Klingon Neutral Zone, and any Starfleet ship entering the zone would be in violation of the Organian Peace Treaty. The approaching cadet crew must decide whether to attempt rescue of the Kobayashi Maru crew – endangering their own ship and lives – or leave the Kobayashi Maru to certain destruction. The test was designed to be a no-win scenario in which the cadets learn that sometimes things are out of their hands. However, The creative Captain Kirk sets a virus into the system causing the game to be changed. He destroys the evil Klingons and rescues the ship.

What originally was supposed to be a lesson in Humility turns out to be a lesson in Resilience on the part of Captain Kirk. The character attempts the simulation several times in order to figure out a way to beat it and fails. But instead of giving up, He comes up with a Creative Solution to the problem by thinking outside the box.

Here is a low res version of the scene if you like:








No, How do we incorporate this lesson with out the aid of the USS Enterprise? Simple, with Party Ribbon...

Before class will have party ribbon strung up across the mat, resembling Laser Alarm Triggers we see so much in Spy Movies. The children will be instructed to maneuver their way to the other side of the school with out "Tripping" the sensors. If a child touches, The Sensei will sound an Alarm of some sort. Forcing the child to take the open walk way back to the beginning. Children will have 15 minutes to attempt this as much as the want. However, Much like the Kobayashi Maru... the Task will be impossible to accomplish the way the parameters are set up.

After the 15 minutes time limit, Sensei will lecture and praise the children for they're resilience in attempting to complete the task. He will then ask if the class if they would like to see "Him" complete the Kobayashi Maru. When the class agrees, Sensei will walk down the open corridor the children formally used after they failed to return to the begining. As this corridor is not laced with the Ribbon, the Sensei will have a clear leisurely stroll to the other side of the class.

At this point, the Sensei will lecture briefly on the importance of Resilience of the mind, and if at first you don't succeed... Don't JUST try again... try again a DIFFERENT way. And learn to think outside the box.

Hopefully this will be a fun way to learn a different aspect of resilence. If there are any questions come see us!

Respectfully in the Arts,

Mike O'Laskey

O'Laskey Martial Arts is Located at

1312 W. Magnolia Blvd

Burbank, Ca, 91506

Phn 818-480-7810

www.olaskeyma.com