When I first got into martial arts, I was about 16 years old. I was influenced by watching Bruce Lee movies and wanted to be able to kick like Bruce Lee. Luckily, my mother put me in Isshin-ryu karate and my martial arts journey began.
I stayed in Isshin-ryu for a couple of years and continued doing martial arts when I went to college. I joined the Isshin-ryu club at Ohio State and I also trained in Aikido. After college, I moved to California and wanted to continue in martial arts training. I wanted to stay in Isshin-ryu but it was hard to find it on the west coast so I ended up at a mixed martial arts school called John Barrett American Martial Arts. John Barrett was a movie actor and martial artist who starred in many movies with Chuck Norris and his own. I remember when I first started training in his style, I had trouble adapting because my “glass was half full” (with my previous experience). I felt like I was dishonoring my prior training and didn’t want to adapt to the new style. I suddenly realized I was holding myself back by not “emptying my cup.” Once I did, my martial arts skills, technique and understanding of myself increased exponentially. I also learned much more about discipline, respect, character, hard work, confidence and humility. I not only grew as a martial artist, but as a person.
After many years in California, fate drew me to Arizona where I found Kajukenbo. I instantly fell in love with the warmness of Ohana and the deadliness of the martial art. Like my prior training, Kaju AZ helped me focus on my skills and the Ohana brought me back. Today, I don’t think so much about being able to kick like Bruce Lee but what martial arts has done for me as a person both mentally, physically as well as spiritually. People have said “I make it look easy,” but remember I have been working for years to “make it look easy.”
Whether your focus will be martial arts or something else, by always sharpening your skills, working hard and keeping humble (your glass half empty), then you too have the same ability of achieving greatness. I have achieved my greatness through martial arts…martial arts means everything to me!
-Sibak Jonathan Hedden
No comments:
Post a Comment