December 23, 2014
. . . or at least how this story started!
To start, my ancestry links me to these martial arts and we have some really cool history. So for those of you that don’t know, I am half Japanese and half Filipino. My Japanese family are descendants of samurai. I mean, just that . . . how cool is that all by itself?!!!
our family crest – Maeda:
I am also related to the man that taught the Gracie family jiu jitsu, which resulted in what we know today as Brazilian Jiu Jitsu. You can read it for yourself on the Gracie’s website: http://www.gracieacademy.com/history.asp under “The Gracie Connection” – Esai Maeda.
I also found out that my Filipino grandparents were good friends with Danny Inosanto, a student of Bruce Lee. When my grandmother found out that I had started training in the martial arts, she said that Danny had just been in town and taught a seminar. If she had known, she would have talked to him and I could have attended. Man! Missed that one big time! I would have loved just having her introduce me to him.
These connections, however, did not really help me except to be really fun to share and have something to be proud of sharing with my kids.
Martial arts actually entered my life when my oldest son was still four years old and his friend’s mom asked if I would be interested in starting him at Kovar’s mixed martial arts with her son. We decided to try it out. I instantly felt at home and like I was talking to family – or at least someone that to someone that cared. Oh, that would be thanks to Renshi Paul Duarte. I watched the transformation of my own son (that continues to this day) and was amazed (and I still am). We not only found an activity that my son really loved, but we made friends and felt like family.
Aden was only four when we started him in the program. He was as smart as could be but so shy. I was surprised that he even went out onto the mat with out me. However, once out there, he didn’t do much but stand there (no bows, no “yes sir’s”, no moves). Once he was home, he would do everything that Renshi Duarte taught in class . . . he would even recite the entire student creed. So frustrating for me.
(on time out because he just refused to participate in class)
With a whole lot of patience on Renshi Duarte’s part, a little bribery from mom and dad, and TIME . . . he started to come out of his shell. I think once he realized participating wasn’t so bad, the floodgates opened for him. He was ALL IN!
Aden with Renshi Duarte (being shy)
That was over 11 years ago. He’s now 15. He’s a second degree blackbelt and training hard so he can test for his third degree next summer. He takes his classes regularly and occasionally adds on a jiu jitsu class. He’s also on the demo team – no not shy anymore. He spends quite a bit of his time in the dojo. This is his passion.
(This is him a few months ago having fun with one of his instructors)
This journey with Aden has been phenomenal. He was always smart . . . straight a’s, honors, GATE . . . I know that a lot of that is just him, but Kovars has definitely had a hand in teaching him respect, focus, perseverance and, definitely, self-confidence. The transformation has been incredible to watch. No longer the shy boy he once was, he is now independent, confident, outgoing and growing into a very nice young man. It’s so nice to have the guidance and back-up of Kovars to help him along and to help me survive his teenage years.
If you want to see how the martial arts had an influence on my life. Please stay tuned. That post is coming tomorrow!
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