Little kids are amazing.
I was an extremely overweight kid. At age 11, I weighed 217 pounds and had very low self-esteem.
Kids would bully me, push me around, and call me ugly and other harsh names.
It was hard. At the time, I used to watch my neighbors practicing Karate. They were from Korea, and I was fascinated by their martial arts capabilities. I begged my parents to let me train; I wanted to be fast and in shape like the students I observed.
When I did take the class, however, the instructor didn't believe in me, and told me that maybe I should choose another activity. This of course, was very hurtful. But it made me even more driven to succeed.
I sought to prove my instructor wrong.
I wasn't there just to take a class; I was determined to go all the way, to train hard and eventually earn my black belt.
After six months, my capabilities and confidence grew, and I lost about 40 pounds.
Martial arts taught me the value of discipline, commitment, and the importance of establishing routines.
Martial arts also taught me how to respect and interact with people. The training of my body and mind for self-defense gave me self-confidence, focus, self-control, the ability to set and achieve goals, and it helped greatly in my character development.
I feel very fortunate and humbled to have had the opportunity to guide thousands of kids through the same path that I’ve followed during the course of all these years of training!
Today, I'm a Grandmaster, a nationally recognized expert in self-defense.
My achievements include:
9th-degree black belt in Tang Soo Do.
8th-degree black belt in Hapkido.
5th degree black in TaeKwonDo.
I’m also a certified Krav Maga instructor, a national speaker, and a consultant to the martial arts industry.
I'm the President of FRANSAVE PRO Martial Fit, LLC, Franchiseyourbusiness.com and Scout & Molly's
But, the most important part here is that I have dedicated my life to inspiring, educating, and mentoring thousands of students, helping them to grow their self-esteem and build very respectful characters.
This has been the most rewarding part of my journey, and has made my past and continuing efforts all worth it!
#people #storytelling #leadership