Some concepts that come to mind when I hear the words ‘black belt’ are courage, honesty, and respect. I want to be a black belt to show younger students how to get to the level I have reached and show them how to defend themselves. I watch the sensei’s teach other children and that is why I practice my katas and my techniques on my brother as much as possible. I want to teach kids just as well as the sensei’s do and have those children learn something new every day. I also do katas on the demo team and I love the opportunity to work on karate individually and with a partner. I am glad I have the opportunity to do sparring, muay thai, and boxing because it makes me stronger and it makes me want to work harder. I also do a weapon in a demo and I have the nicest partner and we are both advancing at nunchucks. I work on my nunchucks routine as much as possible. I also love working with new people because it helps us socialize.
I enjoy doing katas because they can help me learn something new about karate such as a new kick or punch. And by learning katas I can teach others how to do them. I am glad that I am not alone at karate though because I like to have at least one person that I know. That way I can meet people that they know and then I will get to know people better. I personally love to learn new things in karate. When I go into karate classes, I see sensei’s teaching and I ask myself “is this something I want to do?” I think the answer is YES! I am driven to show younger students what I can do so that they know that they can do it too. I want to encourage them to try harder just like other sensi’s do. It has been nice practicing with my brother because I know him the best more than anyone in the studio. I also love when things get challenging because my brain works harder and it makes me stronger. Karate is teaching me to work hard and set goals so I get stronger and sharper at karate. I also love accomplishing my goals because It makes me want to set more.
I pay attention in class so I get every direction. It is important to focus when you are in karate because you can easily get caught off guard and not know how to do something. And if you are a black belt you may not get the direction more than once. I want to be as strong and as patient as sensei Mike because he is an amazing teacher and has been waiting and working hard to earn all of his belts. I’d also like to thank Brad for running the demo team and for being a great role model. Most of all, I want to thank Sensei Sherry and Sensei John for running the karate studio. I want to thank all the sensei’s for teaching me how to be Courageous, Honest, and Respectful!