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How Karate Has Helped Me In My LIfe by Michael Mileski
Posted on 12-17-11 by Charles
Karate has improved my life by making me a more responsible and focused person. It helps me to have more control over my anger and keeps me from getting into fights. I was able to get help with a problem I had when someone my friend knew, held me in a choke hold. During class, Sensei Charles Falk demonstrated how to get out of a choke hold, knowing this would help me, but never let anyone know that I was the victim. That made me feel very good.
Some words of the month helped me with my confidence, because some words I might not know, are defined and explained in class. A few of the words I try to practice in some situations where I need them the most, for everything to end well.
Sensei Falk, Sensei Kennedy, Sensei King, and Sensei Hall all encourage me to work hard and try my best at everything. Sensei Falk tells me when I am doing something wrong or if I'm not doing something strong enough. Sensei Kennedy helps me if I am struggling with a form, combination, or self-defense. Sensei King tells me to put a lot of energy into something that I'm not putting enough energy into. Sensei Hall has devoted a lot of his time to get me ready for my black belt test and helps me with everything I get wrong. I appreciate them all very much and I don't know how I could do karate without them.
When I hear the student creed it makes me feel very confident and proud to be a part of the Innovative Martial Arts Academy family.
Michael Mileski
What Has Karate Taught Me by Jacob Bauldree
Posted on 12-17-2011 by Charles
Karate has taught me so much I don't know where to start. But what I guess is the most important thing that has to do with karate is not the moves, but the leadership and the respect you have for your teachers and everything around you. The main thing I think I have learned by doing karate is leadership. When I first started karate in 4th grade I had been doing it for a couple of weeks and then I went on a field trip to Haw River. When I was there, we had to do so many leadership activities and I didn't even notice I was leading my class half of the time until my teacher came up to me and said, "You are such a leader! Do you do Boy Scouts?" and I said, "No, I take karate." So, karate didn't just teach me how to be a leader but what it means to be a leader. And what it really means is having respect and discipline no matter where you go so you can always be a leader.
Karate had also taught me to have respect. Karate taught me that I need to have respect where ever I go even when I have a bad day. When I got to karate I bow on and off the mat to show respect to the dojo. I also learned that I don't need to show respect only when I am at karate but when I am out of the class and in public or school and home.
Karate is not so much about the moves, but more about the mental thing. But Innovative Martial Arts Academy (IMAA) is a lot about self-defense so we know how to protect ourselves and our friends and family. Also, at IMAA, I was taught that if you can get away from a confrontation instead of fighting, then go ahead so you won't get hurt. But if you need to protect someone then you need to be able to defend them.
Also at IMAA I learned not to try to get yourself in a fight, but to try to get the person that wants to fight to back off before you show any self-defense.
In this last year of karate, I have found out that I have dyslexia, low iron and that I have exercised induced asthma. At first, all of this was shocking to me and my family, but I think that karate has helped me push past all of these things even though they sometimes are still a problem. At karate, I have a safe place where I can just do my thing and have fun. It has always been fun to learn new things and getting my black belt just proves that point.
Karate had done so much for me and helped with respect and get through problems that I might have been having. Whenever I would come to karate when I was having a bad day, it always made my day better and karate has always helped me no matter what I need to help with. So, I want to say thank you for making karate fun, and a great learning experience.
Jacob Bauldree
