(¯`·.¸ Success Martial Arts ¸.·´¯)

What Karate Has Done For Me
Dylan Roberts

I started karate in the "after school program" when I was 8 years old and in the third grade. I really had a lot of fun and knew I wanted to keep going to karate. After my school graduation my parents and I decided that I would become a black belt. At the time I didn't really know what that meant. I just knew I was having fun and wanted to keep having fun. It made me feel important to have something special, that just I was doing. I didn't know how much I would learn besides just kicking, punching and doing really cool moves.

One thing Success Martial Arts has done for me is I have learned to treat people how they should be treated. It has taught me to respect others no matter who they are or if I like them or not. I am courteous to every person around me. I use "yes sir" and "yes ma'am" all the time. It surprised my school teachers in the beginning, but now they know to expect it from me. I have even gotten a few of my friends to start using these words. I think it even took my parents a while to get used to being called sir and ma'am.

To go along with respecting others, is learning to respect myself. Success Martial Arts has taught me is to respect and have faith in myself. If you don't respect your self, it's harder to respect the people around you. I never thought I would be able to do a lot of the things I have learned in karate and especially in prep-cycle. I didn't even think I was going to live through that first Saturday at Red Rocks. Now I can look back and see how far I have come. I still don't think it is easy, but I know I can do it! All I have to do is have faith in myself and keep trying. I can do anything I set my mind to and can push myself past anything I ever thought I could do.

I have also learned to pay attention to all directions before I start doing something. This has helped me at school, home and at Success Martial Arts. It is amazing what you miss when you don't pay attention and how much more you can get done when you do.

Another thing I've learned from Success Martial Arts is self-discipline and how to motivate myself, even when I'm not in a very happy mood. Also I've learned to control myself, strength and emotion. I still get frustrated sometimes, especially with my older brother, but now I can control myself and not fight with him as much. I've learned what integrity is and am very proud of myself. Especially when given an assignment that you know nobody can check on, but you do it anyway.

I have even learned to be aware of my surroundings at all times. I have never had to use karate to protect myself, but I know I have the skills if I need them and I hope I never have to. I have made friends with people of all ages that I would have never met without Success Martial Arts. I've learned to be a leader and lead followers, but not be a follower. I have a lot more self-confidence and I'm a lot more comfortable speaking in front of large crowds, even if I'm teaching. I used to be pretty shy and afraid to look people in the eye, especially if I didn't know them, but now I can.

Success Martial Arts is preparing me physically and mentally for anything that life can throw at me. I am on the right path to becoming a black belt and can't wait to join the black belt family.

What Karate Has Done For Me
Andy Rumer

Success Martial Arts has been a truly wonderful experience for my family and me. The benefits of Karate have been truly countless. I have built relationships with the other wonderful people at the school. I have improved my health. While I really enjoy studying the martial arts, the benefits go beyond just working out and learning to punch, kick, and defend myself. I am a better person in my community, at the office, and most importantly in my family.

The instructors and the other students at the school are wonderful friends. By learning the martial arts, self- improvement, and leadership skills, we have a basis for creating great bonds between us. Because the knowledge we gain is applicable so far beyond just self-defense, and that we work so hard to achieve our goals together, I believe building great friendships in this positive environment is inevitable. It's a bonus that I will be healthy enough to hopefully share these experiences for a long time to come.

My health has improved immensely since starting karate at Success Martial Arts. I have lost 20 pounds, but also gained a lot of strength and flexibility. My family often comments about how much better I look, or how they never remember my being as limber as I am today. I have also reduced my cholesterol by 10% and my triglycerides by 20% since starting karate. Even though karate is certainly a contact sport, I do find that I am far less often injured than when I play soccer or softball. I feel better than I have for a long time. This feeling extends beyond just my physical nature, but mentally as well. I credit my training at Success Martial Arts for shaving 10 points off of my golf game due to my increased ability to focus.

The improvements to my life go far beyond my athletic ability as well. I am more confident at work. I understand myself and other people better. I find creating and maintaining relationships easier because of this understanding. The most important relationship change that has occurred through my training at Success Martial Arts is with my daughter. Caroline started karate through an after school program when she was 5 years old, and loved it so much she wanted to continue on directly with the school. She had played other sports and participated in other activities ranging from ballet, to gymnastics, to soccer, but karate is the one that has really stuck with her. She had often mentioned that she couldn't wait until she was old enough to play with me on one of my adult sports teams. One evening the instructors asked the parents to join in a class and I was hooked as well. Since then we have maintained the same belt level, and actually help each other with the curriculum. She really enjoys that there are skills, techniques, and curriculum knowledge that she can actually help me learn better. We also have a great opportunity to share time together that we otherwise would have likely piddled away to much more mundane activities. We are much closer because of the experience, and that bond in our relationship cannot be valued highly enough on any scale.

Starting my training at Success Martial Arts has been a life changing experience for me, and I wouldn't trade it for anything.

What Karate Has Done For Me
Cailyn Gasser, High-Brown Belt

Karate has done a lot for me. I joined when I was 5 years old. I am currently 7 years old and testing into my First Degree Black Belt Prep Cycle. Since I began karate, I have learned so much. One of the major things I have learned is what to do if a bad person or stranger tries to get me to go with them. If this happens, I say "Stop, leave me alone!" If they try and take me, I say "Stop, leave me alone, he/she is not my dad/mom and they are trying to get me to go with them!"

I have also learned to have more confidence in myself. I used to be really shy and karate has given me the confidence to talk to people and have a lot more fun. Karate has also made me a better gymnast. I am gaining strength and flexibility in both gymnastics and Karate. My Karate classes are getting me into better shape too.

In school, karate has helped me to be able to focus better on my work. I am also not afraid to ask questions in front of the class. I did my school's talent show this year with my good friend. We sang a song called "Our Flag". We did this in front of our friends at school at in the evening for a lot of other people.

I am really glad I am in karate. I love to show off all of my forms. When we get together with family, I am able to show them what I can do. They really like it and I am very proud of myself.

What Karate Has Done For Me
Caroline Rumer

Success Martial Arts has been a great adventure for me. My favorite thing about karate is all of the friends I have made that are kids like me. All of the adults are really nice too. Most of them are funny. It's like we've practically made another family.

I have a lot of fun doing karate. I like that it is good exercise. It gives me more energy. It gets me excited about testing because I get to show all of the things that I have learned, even though sometimes I get a little bit nervous. Especially I like the warm-ups and sparring.

I like that I get to do karate with my dad. Since we have the same belt, I get to help him learn things. I like that we get to spend a lot of time together when we're doing karate at the karate school and when we're practicing at home. I like even though my dad is older and bigger than me there are still some things that I can do better than him. I am more flexible than my dad. I have really improved on my flexibility. I can do the full side splits now.

It has helped me to be better at other sports too. Because of karate, I am pretty good at kickball now.

Success Martial Arts has been a good place to make new friends. I am more athletic now. I also like that I can do it with my dad.

What Karate Has Done For Me
Ibrahim Tigrek

Karate is a sport I have been doing for more than three years. I am always looking forward to going to karate. I started Karate when I was seven. The rest of my family, (father, mother, two brothers) are also in the organization with me. We have all benefited from karate.

Karate teaches self-discipline. Being able to do something that's right by yourself is a big part of the program. It also teaches integrity. Integrity is being trusted for telling the truth. These are only a few of the Black belt principles. The black belt principles are what we learn in class, to reach our goal. Our goal is to reach our black belts.

Martial Arts is more than just being able to defend yourself. A true fighter also has a respect towards others and is trustworthy. Winning black belts also need to be able to control their technique, in any case. By doing this, they show that they can not only win, but by the rules.

We train hard every day at the karate school. If we are not putting one hundred percent effort while we are training, it shows that we really do not want our goal. During my karate period I have developed a respective attitude towards others. I also don't think about the negative anymore, by advancing towards the positive. I assume that I show my positive attitude in public. In places like home, school, outside, etc

Karate not only helped me in my fighting. It also helped me in other thing, like school or playing soccer. Martial arts include positive self-projection. This means that you also look what you are doing and how you are doing it. Seeing your reaction to it. We believe that, to reach your goal you need to be working towards it, believing in it.

With years of working, karate has guided me in turning my thoughts into the right state of mind. One of the most important things about martial arts is overmastering your mind. Once you have overcome this task, you may accomplish anything you desire. Minds are a so powerful source that not everybody has the power to control their emotions. Emotions always have a big effect on what we do.

Another important thing that we need to keep in mind is our goals. Anyone in the martial arts did not join without any goals in mind. Our goals are our desires. Our desires are what we follow for most of our lives. So, if we want to achieve our goals, we need to show it. karate also helped me overcome my fears.

Over the years, karate has helped me with my struggles. Ever since my family and I moved to Colorado I haven't been under that much stress. I have learned and developed a way to fight. This essay is about my karate period and what it has done for me.

What Karate Has Done For Me
Ismail Tigrek

Karate has done a lot for me. In this essay I will try to explain the various things karate has done for me. It will be a difficult matter though, because karate has helped me in so many ways that there is basically no way to explain everything. I will do my best to expound everything and I hope you enjoy reading this.

Karate is a very nonpareil martial art. In other words, it is very unique. It doesn't just teach you how to fight. It doesn't just teach you to defend yourself. It teaches you control and patience. So I will begin by telling you how karate has affected my body. Karate is a sport that shapes your body. Before I started karate I wasn't in good shape. I was lazy, and ate a lot of junk food and couldn't control how much I ate. I didn't like sports that much. But thanks to karate, I was slowly getting better. Now I'm in better shape than I would be if I wasn't doing this. I would be a fat, lazy couch potato. I'm not even close to lazy now. And now I know the bad effects of a lot of junk food and even if I do eat some bad stuff, I know I'm going to work it out in a little bit of time.

Karate also has now gotten me to like and do sports. Before I started karate I couldn't even run right. When I first started running miles, my time was around 9:50. Pretty close to 10:00. Now my record is 7:48. I think that's a big amelioration.

Now I want to talk about how karate has affected my mind. There is a lot of psychological thing in karate. All the things we do about positive thinking have really affected me. Positive thinking helps me in karate and in life. When I first started karate, like when I was one year into it, I didn't like karate that much. I was doing it without wanting to. Part of the reason was because when we had to do train hard, it was really hard for me even though it was an easy thing. It was hard for me because I didn't know such a thing as 'positive thinking.' I didn't know there was such a thing as 'ignoring pain.' I didn't even think it was possible. But now in prep cycle when we do something hard, I can ignore the pain most of the time. I don't look at things as "Oh, we still have five hours!" but as "Yes, we only have five hours!" or "Yes, two less hours to go!" Similarly I don't say "Why do we have to do 100 push-ups? This sucks!" I say "These push-ups are good for me. They are going to make me stronger."

So this is my essay on how karate helped me. As you can see, karate helps in everything. It helped me in school, home, family, life and much more. I am proud to be a martial artist. Thank you for reading my essay.

What Karate Has Done For Me
Carlton Moeller July 2009

When I started Karate 5 years ago this summer, I was still very young. So Karate has been a part of my life as long as I can remember. I think it has done one thing. It has made me strong. Being strong in my mind helps me think and be confident.

Karate helps me with my activities outside of Karate. As I have said before, Karate helps me with my body and my mind. If I can think it ... I can do it.

Karate is helping me achieve my goals in life. My goals are:

To get a black belt
To do well in school
Become an Eagle Scout.

Karate has done for me what sports could not do. Karate I do with my Dad! We are high Brown Belts TOGETHER! I love that this is better than having him coach me and other kids. He is by my side (except when we break off into age groups for testing. How many other boys spend time like that with their Dad? It's awesome!!!

What Karate Has Done For Me
Rick Moeller

Well I really struggled with the positive self awareness essay; however, the question "what Karate has done for me" is quite simple and even a bit profound. Karate has improved my health. Not just getting me in better shape, mind you, but nearly saving my 40s.

Just as I started Karate back in 2004, I had a blood test done. The routine kind that many people talk about around the water cooler at work. They would say hey what's your HDL or some God awful interaction statement. Yet, I gleefully respond today with numbers that I know would be much worse had it not been for the Karate and the strenuous aerobic exercise that we do at Success Martial Arts.

The most important thing that Karate has done for me goes beyond the health benefits mentioned above. Although the health benefits are great. What is greater is the glorious and painful relationship with my son Carlton. Glorious ... time together (10x more time than I had with my father in the 1970s). Painful ... time arguing about what stance is correct or what punch comes next or whether Master Galloway is even doing it right in the video.

You see, Karate ... more specifically Success Martial Arts Karate has REINSPIRED me.

I am ready to work with my son on getting what we want. Black Belts.

What Karate Has Done For Me
Ty McMillen

Karate has allowed me to be more active in my work and social life by giving me confidence in what ever it is that I am doing. Such as during school I've become more out going with my friends and I have also been more courageous with making new friends. With my work its allowed me to get in a decent workout and it has made me stronger physically and mentally; II have been able to lift heavier things when I'm helping out around the house or doing jobs. Its also helped my reaction time to things if its from throwing things to or from me. My mind has been able to comprehend more information faster and I can remember more things. Karate has also taught me how to show respect for my peers and everyone around me. I enjoy being respected by everyone there including my higher belt peers, it also inspires me to do great things with my life. I can now keep my temper down when people are trying to annoy me or just make mad and now I can shrug off any insult like it was water off a ducks back. By coming to karate I have been able to me so many supportive and nice people who are always willing to help me with my lessons especially my instructors. Many of these karate artists in training have become my friends that I always look forward to seeing each time I come to karate class. When I'm working out my state of mind changes from what was happening before class to a happy and always enthusiastic state of mind. When I am helping out with the lower belt ranks its allowed for me to be more tolerant of little children and understand them more. I love the feeling of being able to know so much knowledge of a very dangerous form and turning it into an art that is very beautiful to perform and watch.

What Karate Has Done For Me
Kim Gasser

Karate has been a part of my life for many years. It started when my son, Matt was 5 years old. That was 6 years ago. Karate had an impact on all of our lives. We saw Matt go from a little boy without much coordination to a boy with a lot of confidence and great technique. I remember watching the higher belts and thinking "Matt will never look like that." How wrong I was. I has come such a long way and is very fun to watch.

From all the benefits we saw with Matt, when my daughter Cailyn wanted to join, I was very happy. Along the way I figured that it was better to join her on the floor and get a good workout than sit on the bench. That was 2 years ago and I haven't looked back. I have enjoyed all the friendships I have made along this journey and they have shown to be amazing support.

I am amazed at how my flexibility and conditioning has improved. When I started, I could barely get through a level 1 class. Now I can make it through a level 3/Black Belt class. Don't get me wrong, these classes are not easy by any means to get through, but it is a huge sense of accomplishment after each and every class.

I am also very proud to be a martial artist. My friends, family and people I meet are all very impressed that I am a High-Brown belt in Karate. I am also impressed. I never thought I would make it this far. My confidence in myself has greatly improved. I am looking forward to the opportunity to join the Black Belt Prep Cycle so I can continue to improve my conditioning, sparring and forms.

What Karate Has Done For Me
Tuba Tigrek.

I feel very lucky to be involved in martial arts. Knowing that martial arts in general have thousands of years of background gives me a lot of confidence in my training. It may be hard to believe but there had been so many great people who had devoted their almost whole life for the perfection of this art throughout the history. So it makes sense to me benefiting from their expertise and I really enjoy doing so, that is, training karate.

Karate has helped me improve my life physically, emotionally and spiritually. I can push myself to my physical limit and benefit from it by improving my conditioning, reflexes, shedding extra pounds - I hope, I try, I will!-, etc. Nowadays I am having trouble with my breathing, and I know that only continuing training will help me overcome my problem, God willing.

Emotionally I feel better knowing that I am doing something very beneficial for myself and my family. The confidence, self-respect and self awareness that I get by continuing my training are huge bonus for me. Also, since karate training is big part of my family's life, we all benefit from it by having something subtle to share as a family. We all had learned planning, thinking ahead, sharing, pushing our limits, using time wisely...

In summary, training karate has helped me shape my life towards more energetic, more tolerable, more patient, and definitely healthier life. I would advice it to anyone and everyone in a heartbeat.

What Karate Has Done For Me
Stephanie Enright

I have been in Karate for almost five year, and in those five years I have changed tremendously. Karate has helped me in many ways; one of these ways is that I have developed myself physically. First, my flexibility has improved tremendously by doing splits and stretching almost every day. Self discipline has been on of the numerous life values that I have learned from doing this great sport. Also, I have become much stronger in my legs, arms, abs, and hips. This has helped me when I'm doing other sports in and out of school. Karate trains you to develop and strengthen all the muscles in your body including your heart, and your mind. By staying active I am healthier and can run for a longer amount of time than I would have before. I have learned that you always should give 110% effort and that I should always do the best I can no matter what. Lastly, by learning self defense I can protect myself if it is necessary. Although, one of the rules I have learned, is that you should always use karate as my final option. As you have seen in these examples Karate has helped me physically, and not just with kicking and punching like karate is thought of by some.

I develop myself physically and mentally based on the SMA spirit. Karate has helped me improve myself mentally. By using positive self talk and positive self esteem, I help myself reach all the goals that I set for myself. I have learned to not make excuses and just do what needs to be done. Now, I do not waste as much time as I did before I learned this in Karate. By believing in myself and respecting myself, I have learned that I can accomplish anything I am willing to work to achieve. I understand now that with discipline, I can reach my goals faster. We learned in Karate to have respect for everyone no matter their age, size, or color, especially those with a higher belt rank. Karate will be a part of me for the rest of my life.

What Karate Has Done For Me
Matt Fike

Karate has helped me to increase my self-discipline, self- esteem, and self-confidence. This has helped me both at school and at home. Karate has helped my family to grow closer together and it has helped me to grow into a better and stronger person. The prep cycle has actually helped to further increase all of these abilities especially strength.

My family means the world to me and karate has given my family an activity we can participate in together. Recently, my dad and I worked as coaches for my mom as she finished her black belt preparation cycle and black belt certification. We made sure that she had food and water handy, as needed, and that her asthma medicine was near-by. If she ever over did her workouts, we would take her to the hospital and we tried to cheer her up as she would need to get special medical treatments to improve her breathing.

I have also made a lot of friends through karate. There are many kids that take karate at Success Martial Arts. I made another set of friends in my prep cycle. It is sad when any of my friends are told that they need to come to the next prep cycle. All of us work so hard together and try to help each other during prep cycle. I have also met lots of kids and made friends with the kids from my dad's and my mom's prep cycle. All of the friends I have made are one of my favorite things about being in karate.

For me personally, it has improved my personal discipline level and increased my confidence in myself. Karate has helped me work out a lot more then when I was not taking karate because I had no reason to, but now that I take karate I know that working out and eating healthier can keep you in better shape. Regardless of the task at school, at church, or in life, I believe that I always do my best and accomplish my goals as a result of studying martial arts. The improvement of my self-discipline can be noticed by how clean I keep my room and perform my chores each week. Martial arts have helped me improve my mind, body, and soul. My mind has improved from the reading all of the required books, memorization of forms, combinations, and words of the month, and studying each of these that I have done. By exercising my mind and brain, it grows stronger and stronger. My body has improved from the increased regular and routine physical exercise. I am now able to run much further and much faster; I have greatly improved my pushups as I continue to practice pushups everyday. I have also noticed vast improvements in flexibility and agility from my daily stretching program; I often perform my slow kick practice and stretch while I watch television before school in the morning. My soul has improved from the increased levels of self-esteem and confidence in my abilities. I have been able to push myself beyond limits I had previously set for myself. Prep cycle has demonstrated to me that I can accomplish anything that I am willing to work to achieve. I have improved my ability to appropriately react to difficult and trying situations; to improve my character.

I look forward to continuing my study of the martial arts with my family and my extended Success Martial Arts family.

What Karate Has Done For Me
Sherri Fike

Karate has taught me to focus on excellence in all areas of my life - physical fitness, intellectual pursuits, spiritual commitment and relationships.

As I have gotten older my asthma and kerataconus have worsened and have limited my physical abilities. Karate has helped teach me that even if I have physical limitations, I still can achieve a high level of physical fitness through rigorous workouts and determination. I have also learned that through practice and constant attention to proper technique, physical excellence in any sport can be obtained.

Determination to achieve black belt has strengthened my determination to achieve intellectual intelligence at work. My work peers are brilliant engineers who challenge my intellectual capacity every day; karate has taught me that if I am determined enough I can accomplish anything.

I draw much strength from my devotion to God and my belief in Christianity. Karate has taught me during the most difficult moments of black belt training that I can rely on my faith to help pull me through.

Finally, the principles taught in Success Martial Arts - respect, honesty and honor, just to name a few - have helped strengthen my relationships with others. I try very hard to treat all individuals, not just martial artists, with the utmost respect.

What Karate Has Done For Me
Jeffrey Bennett

When I first started karate, I was in Kindergarten. Mr. Stites came to my elementary school and introduced the kids to karate. I had a lot of fun, so I talked Mom and Dad into signing me up for karate. After checking out several different karate schools, we decided on Success Martial Arts in Louisville. The school had a lot of positive energy and the classes were fun. I also liked Mr. Stites as an instructor.

At first I had a hard time with all the physical stuff like jumping jacks, pushups, mountain climbers, etc. My balance was also really bad. Karate has helped me improve my stamina, balance, and other physical abilities. I still need to keep working on some things, but I am much more coordinated than I used to be and I keep improving on my physical fitness.

Now I'm in 5th grade and sometimes I can't believe that I've stuck with karate all this time. Most of my friends try new things, but get tired of it after only a few months. I've had to give up doing some things that I really wanted to do. But it has been worth it. I know that my perseverance will pay off and someday I'll earn my black belt. I've learned that setting goals is important and that you can't reach goals without setting them first.

I've never given up in karate and it has taught me how to achieve goals. I know that with a lot of hard work, I can reach any goal. It does not matter if it is a karate goal, or some other goal for school or work, because I know as long as I focus and keep trying, I can do anything. Karate has also helped me gain self-confidence. I am not afraid to answer questions in school or karate, and I'm not afraid to try new things. I even was in the school musical last year for choir and I wasn't afraid to stand up in front of the audience. I'm not afraid of anything or anyone at school.

Karate has taught me a lot about being kind and respectful. My mom is always getting compliments from other parents on how well-behaved I am and how polite I am. I even show kindness and respect to my little brother's friends. They all wish they had a big brother like me. I know that if I treat people with kindness and respect, they are more likely to treat me with kindness and respect also.

Karate has also shown me what it is like to work as a team and how to support each other. Especially during prep cycle, we are encouraged to help each other do a good job. It is really nice to have encouragement from my team members. We all care about each other and we all want everybody to pass prep cycle.

I can't imagine what my life would be like without karate. It would probably be very dull. I would probably sit around all day after school playing video games. I wouldn't be in very good physical shape either. I also don't think I would have any real goals set. I would just want to play all the time. I keep doing karate, not from my desire to win, but from my desire to be a black belt.

Karate has done a lot for me!!

What Karate Has Done for Me
Kendrick Crowfoot

In the fall of 2005, my younger sister started taking dance classes at a studio in a strip mall. My mom and dad would take me with them to dance class, as I was only five years old at the time and couldn't stay home by myself. Two doors down from the dance studio was a karate school. Every time we would go to my sister's dance class, we would walk by the karate school. I kept telling my mom and dad that I wanted to join karate, but they kept telling me we would check out the school some other time.

Finally, in December, my dad took me into the karate school while my sister was at dance class. When I went into the school, I knew I wanted to start taking karate classes. The people in class were doing really cool things, including practicing with a variety of weapons. Because my dad is a Marine and in law enforcement, I have been exposed to weapons from an early age. So, when I saw that I would have the chance to learn how to handle these weapons, I wanted to sign up immediately! While the weapons were the initial reason I wanted to sign up, I quickly realized that what I was learning would help me to defend myself if I needed to at some point in the future.

Karate has helped me to become a better student. Because karate requires an ongoing commitment to improvement, I don't give up. Because I don't give up at karate, it has taught me not to give up at school. If I am struggling with a school topic, I keep working on it until I can understand it. It has also helped me to be one of the better-behaved students at school. My teachers always compliment me on my good manners, respect for others, and willingness to help out others. My physical education teacher told my primary teacher that I am a good role model for other students at Cherry Drive Elementary. He complimented me for my maturity level at age eight.

Karate also has helped me to be physically fit. I have a high degree of stamina as a result of doing karate for more than three years now. My friends in Cub Scouts are always amazed at how strong I am. I think the reason I have a lot of strength is from all the pushups I do, especially during prep cycle!

My confidence level has also improved since I began karate. When I first started karate, if I had to get up in front of other students and do something by myself, I was very self- conscious and nervous. Through the process of testing and participating in tournaments, I have become much more comfortable performing in front of others. I don't even get nervous like I used to before.

Karate has taught me how to set goals and work toward achieving them. I've learned that the goal has to broken down into manageable "parts." When I first started karate, if someone told me how much work it would take to become a black belt, I might have quit. By just focusing on a day or week at a time, I don't get overwhelmed. Looking back, I can see how far I have come. That makes me feel better when I am going through a difficult time. It keeps me motivated to keep working on my goal of becoming a black belt. My mom also feels better knowing that I know how to defend myself. Last summer, a group of older boys were harassing me. One of the boys tried to put me in a choke hold. Since it is okay to use karate to defend oneself, I punched and kicked the kid, and he let go of me so that I could go home and tell my mom what happened. My mom was relieved that I was able to defend myself and not get hurt.

While my dedication to karate was up and down at the beginning of this journey, I am fully committed to achieving my black belt. The reward of earning my black belt outweighs the sacrifices and challenges I have had to overcome to get where I am today.

What Karate Has Done For Me
Mark Richards

In one sentence, Karate has changed my entire life. On October 10th, 2008, I had gastric bypass surgery. Before the surgery I was 298 pounds, and was on the road to a short and miserable life. I was 37, a major couch potato and just walking up a flight of stairs was difficult. I had the surgery, and started losing weight quickly. Six weeks after the surgery they encourage you to start exercising, because you are healed enough by then. I had always been interested in Martial Arts, but never had the courage to try it. On December 7th, 2005 I started with my first martial arts class, and I remember the instructor asked us to do 20 pushups, and I managed 7 awful ones. I thought my arms were going to fall off. I remember the instructors encouraging me after class, telling me it would get easier. I came back the next day, sore and wondering what in the world I was doing. I managed 10 pushups that day, I figured that was almost a 50% improvement overnight. I started enjoying the class, not thinking about how hard I was working. A week later I brought my then 4 year old daughter with me. The instructors did a couple private classes with her, and the next week she and I were in basic class together. It was a blast, and we both loved it! Pretty soon I was coming 5 days a week, and I couldn't get enough. Then I moved up to level 1, and started learning forms, that changed everything, and I loved it even more.

From a personal perspective Karate has changed me physically and mentally in so many ways. Where I could barely make a flight of stairs before, now I can workout for hours at a time, and even though I am 40 years old, I am in the best shape of my life. Physically, I feel there isn't anything I can't do. Mentally, my whole attitude has changed. I am more positive, more self -confident, more self-assured. I have more patience in all I do. I now not only understand what "ready alertness" is, but I actively live it. I now walk proudly with my head held high. Before Karate, I was always looking for self confidence outside myself. I cared more about the vehicle I drove, and what it said about me, than I did about how I looked. Now I drive a 6 year old truck, and I love it. I don't feel that need to have the latest and greatest and biggest vehicle, instead I feel confident in who I am.

If someone had told me 3 years ago I'd be working out 16 hours a week like we did in prep cycle, I would have thought they were insane. There was no way that a 298 pound couch potato could even dream of something like that.

A lot of people ask me what I will do now that I have earned my black belt. The answer is easy for me, I will work to earn my 2nd degree black belt, and beyond. I can't imagine life without martial arts in it; it has become such an integral part of my life.

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