A journey of 1,000 miles begins with a single step

[Emil Ramos]

         July 1^st will mark my 5^th year anniversary as a student at Zen Martial Arts. I can vaguely travel back to my first class in the Little Dragons. I can remember graduating the Little Dragon’s class and how Sensei had Luca and I break a board without any practice beforehand (I still have the board I broke). I remember learning Seuchin Kata and winning my first tournament with it. I remember Saturday classes when I was the only junior there and Ms. Scott’s throbbing workouts which I always looked forward to. Then sometimes we all went out to eat afterwards.

          What I am implying is that I cherish the family we have created here at the dojo and all the friends I have made from adults to the Little Dragons. I am honored to be the first junior to be given the chance to graduate under our sensei.

          Over the last few weeks I have been working out my schedule and making it correspond with my family’s schedule. In these past weeks the thing I have struggled with the most is how to organize. With many different things to do each day, it is hard to fit them all in and still get a large amount of free time (give me a break, I’m 12).

          I have created an Excel spread sheet for my every day regimen. I do mostly everything in the morning. After waking up, I read, do my act of discipline, then exercise. I do two repetitions of kata, 100 push-ups, 100 sit-ups, run at least one mile a day (I have to add up to 10 miles every week or I will fall behind). I can either run or bike but I must be mindful while I do it and I can’t be listening to music or giving my attention to something else. I can do 100 sit-ups in one sitting but push-ups I will do as many I can all at once and then break them up all throughout the day.

          After the morning is done I have free time to do whatever I want (play video games and dance!) but I will need to do some push-ups or sit-ups in-between. On week days I have a class every night except Friday. Each evening I will need to read some more.

          So my days are very packed and it’s kind of VERY scary. Starting my black belt challenge is a great honor but it comes with pressure, expectations, stress and some fun. Black belt is more than a belt or an accomplishment, it’s becoming a new, better person. 

[Katrina Smalley]

You are a wonderful role model for the current group of Little Dragons - Ethan really looks up to you and is inspired by all your hard work and dedication, as I'm sure the other students are as well.  We look forward to following along on your black belt journey.

[David Wiest]

Mr. Ramos - Keep up the great work.  You are an inspiration to a lot of the current Little Dragons and Juniors - often it is hard for kids to find a role model that they can relate to, but you letting these kids know you started as a little dragon, just like them, is a big deal!  You carry your self with a lot of poise and humility and I will say for a lot of us parents seeing how you lead helps keep our kids inspired.  I know we will be sharing your posts with Casey and Carsten, who both look up to you and your achievements!

[Chrissy Scott]

Mr. Ramos! I'm so excited for you and looking forward to reading your posts! Training with you is always awesome. Testing with you is bonus!

[Mike Oliver]

Next post, I'd like you to experiment with adding a relevant picture in the post as well, preferably of yourself doing the work that you are sharing. In a pinch, something from a Google Image search will do.

[Mike Oliver]

Mr. Ramos, you are already writing with a level of clarity that all of our students can look to as an example. I look forward to sharing in your challenges and triumphs in the coming months. Your blogs will serve as a record, proof if you will, of the hard work that you have put in--not just in the dojo, but outside of it as well.