Watch the overview video for “Tie” Sabaki:

“Tie” Sabaki is an immersive, interactive program that teaches martial arts concepts and techniques, then applies these concepts to leadership, conflict resolution, overcoming fear, and team building within an organization. 

Tai Sabaki is a principle of body management that positions oneself in an advantageous position. Instead of force, it typically applies the concepts of redirection, anticipation and harmony.

Program Description:

Participants take part in martial arts activities and discussions that practically demonstrate:

  • Body control and positioning
  • Use of soft vs. hard forces
  • Ways to efficiently generate both internal and external power
  • Karate terminology such as mushin, kime, kiai, maai, and tai sabaki
  • The practice of empathy by putting oneself in the place of another (literally)
  • How size and strength are not the biggest indicators of power
  • How organizational rank is extremely important and irrelevant at the same time

All demonstrations and discussions are designed with an end goal in mind and are not just team building for the sake of activity.

Program Outcomes:

Participants will:

  • Conduct individual self-assessments of leadership skills, professional fears, and effective means of conflict resolution.
  • Develop a post-program action plan for applying newly learned concepts in order to improve in these areas
  • Garner a deeper understanding of organizational structure and interdependence of personnel
  • Discover unique talents and abilities and learn how to apply them in their professional life

Frequently Asked Questions

Will participants actually be punching and kicking?

Yes. Tie Sabaki is a hands (and feet)-on program.  Participants will be learning and applying real karate techniques.

Is the program safe?

Absolutely! The facilitator has over 18 years experience training and teaching karate in a group environment. All activities are supervised and controlled.

Does body size, shape, or athletic experience matter?

Not at all! In fact, one of the things the Tie Sabaki program demonstrates is how each individual has their own unique talents and abilities that can be applied in real-world situations.

I sit at a desk, how is this relevant?

Tie Sabaki is as much — if not more — about mental and emotional learning as it is physical activity.

Our organization gets along great, why do we need this?

Tie Sabaki is not necessarily about self-defense and conflict resolution; it is about finding internal balance and power, recognizing each individual’s specific strengths and assets, and aligning collective objectives towards a common goal. That’s something all organizations can benefit from.

What if our organziation is struggling with deep rooted conflicts?

Then Tie Sabaki is for you! The program can be tailored to meet your specific organizational needs, and if conflict is an issue — whether because of aggressive behavior or conflict avoidance — then this program will help address that and forge an action plan to overcome it.

Who should participate?

Ideally, participants would represent multiple departments in the organization, including the C-suite. The Tie Sabaki program demonstrates the importance of proper leadership and how each individual contributes unique talents to the organizational whole.

We are not a creative organization, why would we do this program?

Experiential learning has been proven to increase the absorption, retention and application of information. It also engages multiple learning styles (visual, aural, verbal, physical, logical, social).

Tie Sabaki is not just a fun exercise, but a tangible manifestation of the problems the organization is looking to solve. Participants will come to view their particular corporate culture in an entirely new way, including corresponding shortcomings and proposed solutions.

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