Category: All Posts

1st Dan Speech, by Ryan Makkas, 9 years old

I’m Ryan and I’ve been doing taekwondo four years.  It feels great that I am finally a Black Belt. I have been practicing a lot between a white belt and a black belt.  I had to work very hard for a five-day long test.  I was so tired after that week, but it was worth it because I got my Black Belt.  I’m very thankful for the instructors for helping and showing me the correct movements for everything.  If they never helped, I would never have passed. My goal was to be a Black Belt, but now it’s to be a 9th Dan Black Belt. I first found out about taekwondo from my friend, so I have to give him thanks too.  My experience with taekwondo is pretty big. I am very excited to get my Black Belt now.


1st Dan Speech, by Veronika Hoelscher, 11 years old

The journey to my Black Belt has impacted me in many different ways. One of the ways is that it has taught me self control. I am now able to control myself better when I am angry or frustrated.  The journey has also taught me what it means to be a Black Belt. Being a black belt means you have mastered all the basics.  You can defend yourself or someone else if needed.

Another way my journey has impacted me is it has taught me that it takes time, education and self-discipline. If you want to make good grades or get better at a skill, it takes all of the above. You need to practice, study and work harder on your homework. The dedication is when you practice your skills frequently.  My journey has also taught me self-discipline. Now I go outside and practice my Taekwondo, soccer and other sports without being reminded.

Another thing my journey has helped me realize is that there are many different needs in my community.  To get my Black Belt, I had to do a community service project. I chose to help with a battered women’s shelter by providing meals. Now I know that I need to continue doing community service projects to help my community in the best ways possible.

Upon the completion of my Black Belt, I am thankful to have had the opportunity to learn all these things and many more.  This journey has made me a better person all around, and I plan to continue to use my knowledge to benefit others.


1st Dan Speech, by Nathan Boyce, 10 years old

My martial arts journey started when I was five. Two weeks after I turned five, I went to an open house at a martial arts school in Potomac, Maryland. I liked it and joined the little ninjas program. I went twice a week. I was a good student and progressed easily.  Sometimes I faced challenges. For example, I was sparring once and my partner chipped my tooth.  I did not quit and got the tooth repaired. When I was brown belt, “The belt before black belt in my old school,” I moved to Ohio and resumed my martial arts journey at the Asian Arts Center.  This was very hard, but fortunately they gave me credit for my karate belts. This meant I had to learn all the forms sharp enough to test for black belt. Mr. Matt started me off at a navy blue belt.  I took many private lessons, and I worked very hard and advanced to first gup.  All my instructors were great!  Who knew, that when my journey started out about five years ago that I’d be testing for black belt?  I learned from my journey how to reach my dreams and control anger, and become more focused at home, school and in daily life.  My journey has also helped me physically too.  The journey has made me MUCH stronger and taught me how to defend myself.  It feels great to reach my goal.


2nd Dan Speech, by Maya Reyes, 10 years old

Hi, my name is Maya Reyes.  I would like to thank all the instructors for helping me with this journey to become a 2nd Dan.  I would also like to thank my parents for their help.  A challenge for me was the 3-mile run. It encouraged me when everyone ran the last lap with me.  Thank you for your support.  I learned that even though something is hard, you can do it if you push yourself and keep trying. The push-ups and crunches were easy for me. I felt prepared for the black belt forms because I have practiced them a lot on my own.  This process has taught me to keep trying even when things get tough.


2nd Dan Speech, by Parker Reyes, 13 years old

I am Parker Reyes.  This journey has been both challenging and enjoyable.  A challenge for me was the 3-minute plank.  As a personal goal, I went home and accomplished the 3-minute plank without touching the ground.  I enjoyed the format of this testing schedule.  When I tested for my 1st degree Black Belt at my Knoxville karate school, we did it in one exhausting day.  Testing throughout the week allowed me to rest and review for the following days requirements.  I feel that testing for my 2nd Dan I am physically stronger and more mentally prepared.

I have learned how important breathing is for self-control and relieving stress.  In our Black Belt class Mr. Matt taught us that our body cannot tell the difference between physical stress and emotional stress.  When you breathe while under physical stress, you will train your body to breathe under emotional stress.  This will help me control my actions and be able to act in a more rationale way while under stress.  I would like to thank the instructors for the time they took to lead me through this journey.  I would like to thank my mom and dad for their support and helping me achieve my 2nd Dan.


What Angela Taught Me by Dennis Schaefer

This week is our second week of summer camp here at the Asian Arts Center, and it’s a hot one. We decided to take our daily hike in the woods this morning to avoid the heat of the afternoon. So we headed to a new park that we hadn’t hiked yet, one with a lot of hills.
One of our campers is a girl named Angela. She has been at the Asian Arts Center for awhile now and has worked her way to 2ndGup; that’s two steps below Black Belt. Angela has some challenges that the other campers don’t have. Of course, we all have our challenges. But she has a lot to teach if you pay attention.
For example; this morning as we were hiking up and down the hills and through the woods, most of the other campers hurried ahead, anxious to be first, chattering about everything except the cool green forest surrounding us. Angela assumed her usual position at the back of the group, taking her time. As I brought up the back of the pack to watch for any stragglers, the rest of the group rushed ahead, out of sight around a bend. Suddenly the woods were quiet. I heard a woodpecker and the gurgle of the creek flowing close by.
I suddenly realized why Angela always dropped back. Well, of course, some of it had to do with her stubborn insistence on setting her own pace. But I also liked to imagine that she had other reasons. My conversation with her was necessarily simple but pleasant.
I thought about my realization at some point in my life that everyone had something to teach me, even if it was their uncluttered view of life. Angela was not complaining unless someone tried to push her along at their pace. She was enjoying the woods in her own way. While the other campers seemed to be in a hurry to get somewhere, anywhere other than the place they were, Angela was mindful and taking her time; being where she was.
Taekwondo, and Angela, have taught me to be where I am, to have “Choshim”, a “beginners mind”. To never think that anyone is not smart enough, or successful enough, or wise enough, or old enough to teach me, even if it is done just by watching. There is always a lesson. Sometimes I have to drop back from the noisy crowd, pushing ahead, striving for whatever lies ahead.
Sometimes the lesson is to just enjoy being in the cool, shady woods.
Dennis Schaefer is an Instructor at the Asian Arts Center Taekwondo School in Dayton, Ohio. www.aacdayton.com


Old is New Again by Dennis Schaefer

Master Matt Pasquinilli and I were evaluating our adult Taekwondo program and one of the issues we discussed was how to integrate modern wants and needs into the traditional martial arts study. Matt noted that “in the old days” when he started, there were mostly teen and adult males and they trained for multiple hours on multiple days of the week. It was a huge commitment of time and effort to get to the Black Belt level and that had been the tradition from the beginning.
The time and commitment required to maintain a strictly traditional program would preclude a lot of potential adult students these days. There is so much focus on multi-tasking, on finding the quickest, most convenient way, on the staggering number of options for exercise and fitness. Our mission is to find the balance between maintaining the integrity of tradition and acknowledging the realities of everyday contemporary life.
From the traditional side come the history, culture and mystique of the martial arts. Martial arts were originally developed for practical reasons: resisting oppression, defense of property and family, making the most of whatever was available. There was honor among the practitioners and the sacrifice it took to become a Master was seen as a necessary initiation. For the serious martial artist those traditions, in some form, should and do remain.
Now to the present day. We compete with work time, family time and leisure time to find reasons for adult students to start their martial arts journey. The benefits we offer are self-defense skills, the confidence and knowledge that come with being physically, mentally, and emotionally fit, and the satisfaction that comes with accomplishing goals that are sometimes difficult to pursue in our modern culture. Who couldn’t use some boxing skills; some additional self-esteem and a wicked round house kick to deal with the crush of modern existence?
Martial arts are a link with the rich tradition of the past, but they are also a way to find a new path, one you perhaps had not considered.
Dennis Schaefer is an Instructor at the Asian Arts Center Taekwondo School in Dayton, Ohio. www.aac.com