what people say about us

Kristin Wichniewicz

I began training in martial arts at a very young age of 7 and continued to train for about 8 years thereafter Received my black belt at 13 and participated in the leadership program for young adults at my karate studio I stopped training for about 11 years before I got back into training again and most recently I really began to reflect on how much karate has shaped me into who I am today Most people when they think or hear martial arts they think of the physical aspects training has on a person being fit learning self-defense flexibility and balance these are all great things but what most people don t see or understand is the impact martial arts has a person let alone a child growing up At the very start of my martial arts career I learned how to focus fairly quickly I could look at a task or sit in a classroom and have the ability to focus on what it was we were working on I was a quiet shy kid when I was young so maybe this wasn t that hard for me to learn but it helped me later on in my education and other aspects of life I learned some core values such as respect self-discipline and self-control These values taught me how to hold myself accountable for my own actions and to have the courage and strength to stand up for myself and not give in to the different peer pressures you face growing up These are all things people learn throughout life at least one would hope but to learn them and being able to understand them at a young age allowed me to leverage these qualities and learnings to get me through difficult times These are just some of what I had learned in my training up to black belt Training and taking that black belt test and then training after black belt taught me even more values that most people today still don t know how or understand within themselves I was able to learn this at the age of 13 Black belt training and taking the black belt test is more than demonstrating physical technique It s about having breakthroughs within yourself When you think you can t continue you keep going When it hurts and you want to give up your body will continue to do what you tell it to So from the age of 13 I knew I could break through any glass ceiling that I or others had placed for me I knew if I tried hard enough I could do or be anyone I wanted to be I am able push myself out of my comfort zone to try to new experiences or meet new people My many years of training as a young martial arts student has significantly shaped me into the person I am today Its taught me how to push myself and go after what I want in life even when I might fail I would pick myself back up and try again until I got it right I knew I could have big dreams and would be capable to making those dreams true one day I have many experiences and memories now that I likely wouldn t have if I didn t have my karate background because I can step out of my comfort zone I use to be fairly quiet and shy today I can speak in front of groups of people hold business meetings and voice my ideas with confidence I am able to face some of my fears and push myself to limits I would have shied away from otherwise My point is because of training so young I am very proud and confident in who I am today This isn t to say I don t still face daily struggles or hardships in life because I do but I know that I can work through those struggles and hardships I strongly believe that if I didn t have my martial arts background at such a crucial age of growing and defining who you will become I wouldn t be the strong independent confident woman capable to doing anything she put her mind to today