Please
tell our readers about your area of expertise.
I have trained in the martial
arts for over 30 years and hold advanced Black Belt ranking in 6 different
martial arts. I have taught seminars in Europe, Canada, and across the United
States. I have operated martial arts schools in the Evansville and Newburgh
area over the last 14 years, and my wife, Nancy, and I own and operate The
Evansville ChunJiDo Academy on Evansville’s eastside.
What
prompted you toward coaching and mentoring?
I love to see someone dedicate
themselves to a worthy cause, work hard, and succeed. I feel there is no better
builder of character and self-esteem than working towards a goal and meeting
that challenge. In martial arts we teach that we are not competing against
anyone else, we are dedicating ourselves to being the best that we can be. Also
the nice thing about martial arts is no one sits on the bench, everyone is a
participant. We teach every child not to worry about being as good as the person
to your right or left, just focus on giving your best effort and being the best
that you can be. The goal is not winning, the goal is teaching them how to
develop the confidence and belief that they have what it takes to be a winner
in sports and life.
Who
are/were some people you look up to in the coaching/mentoring world?
One
of my all-time favorite coaches was Jimmy Valvano, the coach of the North
Carolina State University Basketball team that won the 1983 NCAA Basketball
Tournament. He coached with so much passion and love for what he did and truly
cared for every player. I feel as a coach you have to be devoted to the
improvement and success of every individual, no matter how talented they are.
Every participant plays a role and contributes to the success of a team or
group.
My favorite mentor in the martial
arts world is Chuck Norris. He has dedicated his life to promoting martial arts
in a very positive way and is a true patriot. He cares about our country and
what challenges our children will face. Early in my martial arts career I had
the wonderful opportunity to attend his Kick Drugs Out of America seminar in Chicago; he is truly an
inspiration!
What
- to you - is the most important thing for young competitors to have in mind?
Always believe in what you are
capable of. We are all created equal, and if you believe in yourself and
dedicate yourself to your goals, you will succeed and the old saying, “You only
fail when you stop trying” is definitely true.
What
are some of the first things you try to instill into young people's heads?
I
try to focus on what they can do, not dwell on what they cannot do. If a child
sees success, even small successes, their confidence and self-esteem grows,
which helps them to achieve even more. Also, WORK HARD! Success and achievement
are accomplished through sweat and effort. Success is so much better when you
know you have earned it every step of the way.
What's
been your most proud moment?
One
of the wonderful realizations for me as a coach or mentor is that I am now
coaching and mentoring children whose parents went through my system. These
parents started in my program and went on to see various successes in their lives.
Some became soldiers and law enforcement that protect our country, others went
on to college, earned degrees, and all have become contributing members of
society. Now they are bringing their children in and telling us how the martial
arts and our program played such a vital role in their success and they want
the same thing for their children! It is very gratifying to know you have
played a part in someone’s growth and development and they now believe enough
in you and what you are doing to bring their children to you.
I recently received a wonderful
letter from a mother whose sons went through my martial arts program. I had not
seen her in a number of years, but she wrote to thank me for being a role model
in their lives. One son is in the military protecting our freedom and the other
is an electrical engineer. It is an amazing feeling to receive a letter like
that.
What
is the most satisfying thing about helping young people achieve their goals?
Seeing
the look on their face the first time they accomplish something they did not
think they could for the very first time. One of the things we do in our
program is breaking boards. The board represents a hurdle, a challenge, just
like those we face in life later. It is amazing to see the student light up
when they break a board for the first time! From that moment on they know they
can accomplish a difficult task if they just apply themselves. It may sting a
little, but they walk ten feet off the ground days after. They cannot wait to
rush home and tell all of their Family and friends what they did!
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