The Beliso Karate School by Sydney Sweeney

 

My name is Sydney Sweeney. I started taking karate lessons at Beliso Karate School when I was around eight years old. After spending time in another karate school,   earning orange belt at the first dojo, I had to start over as a brand new white belt student in the beginner’s class.

 

I want to learn real Kata routines and sparring.  I enjoy doing the group classes as well as the individual lessons.  I get training from Sifu‘s who take a personal concern to my training including my health and welfare. My katas will never be perfect, but I am learning more as I teach them. My highest katas are Kata seven and counter-punches Kata. It is quite a marvel to compare myself now to what my katas used to look like, years ago.

 

At competition time in the dojo, once a month, I get to compete in front of a large group of people. These people consist of students, parents, Sifu’s, and judges. This competition prepares me for our Grand Championship in December. Our annual December Championships are an amazing event. At the December Championships, there are ten times as many people as there are at the monthly competitions and Sifu’s from other karate schools come to judge us. Everyone takes this competition very seriously, and we train for it all year. There is always the pressure of competing, but being there with your friends and family makes it easier to bear, and definitely much more enjoyable. Everyone goes home happy, and no one leaves without at least three trophies. The December Championships is also when the older students get their new belts, after having taken the Big Test. 

 

I have had a lot of fun as I have worked up from a white belt through the ranks to brown-black belt, where I am now.  This has taken a lot of time and hard work but it has been worth it as I will someday earn my black belt. The thrill of climbing up another step on my personal ladder of achievement comes every time I get a new belt.

 

And as I progress, I am teaching younger students what I have learned. Teaching has given me patience that I did not have before, and a larger respect for the younger students. They are capable of much more than I expected, and I shall no longer underestimate them. In addition to this, doing a Kata with a student is a way to help remember your katas, and correct them further. I also enjoy teaching them sparring and self defense. There are some students that look at me as more than a teacher or mentor, the way I used to look up to my teachers in the past.

 

In a short time I will earn my Black Belt.  This will be a seven year project from start to finish.  I look forward to the day when Professor Beliso presents me with my first black belt. A moment to cherish and a lifetime memory.