My
career as a martial artist started at the young age of six. My father was one of the Taekwondo instructors at the local youth
center, and he had me join. I remember always being really excited to go to class and, quite often, leaving with a tremendous
feeling of accomplishment.
That degree of
enthusiasm about Tae Kwon Do remained with me until my early teenage years. During that time, a wave of complacency hit me.
Being that my father had always been teaching, I took for granted how accessible the martial art was to me. I would sort of
roll in and out of class and would frequently be absent. This culminated in me eventually quitting the martial arts for a
several years.
As I reached my later teenage years, I began to realize
what a valuable opportunity I was missing. I started to attend classes with a renewed enthusiasm. In addition to learning
Taekwondo and Hapkido from my father, I had the privilege of training with Master Barry Cohen, who spent many rigorous years
in Japan studying the art of Koeikan Karate.
Finally, about the same time I graduated High School, I received my first
degree black belt from Grandmaster Hwang. I felt a tremendous sense of excitement and relief upon completing this tremendous
milestone, and began to realize that I could share what I know with others. I started becoming more invested in the progress
of other students and occasionally substituted teaching for my father. It felt good to help others improve their technique,
but it also made me a better martial artist. Having to dissect different techniques in order to teach them, made me more conscious
of my own technique.
After getting my feet
wet in the teaching pool, I started teaching children on a more permanent basis. I started to realize what a tremendous influence
the martial art had on this age group. I would see uncoordinated boys walk into the Dojang who would get teased or even beat
up at school and, after some time training, they would feel more confident about their abilities and themselves as a whole.
It would always feel good when a parent would tell me how the martial art completely changed his/her child’s life.
This teaching on a more frequent basis facilitated the desire in me to
keep training and perfect my technique. Although I was really busy with college, I made an effort to find time to train because
I knew how important it was for me and my students. I strongly believed that a teacher must be current with his training in
order to execute his job optimally. My perseverance finally paid off when I received my Second Degree from Grandmaster Hwang
about the same time I received my bachelors in psychology.
During the following year, I wasn’t exactly sure what I wanted to do for a career. With the tentative plan of going
to physical therapy school, I decided to take prerequisites in natural sciences. By the end of that year, I had pretty much
canned the idea of going to physical therapy school. My background in the martial arts, coupled with some personal experiences,
prompted me to investigate eastern medicine. The following year, I enrolled in a master’s program in acupuncture and
oriental medicine. As part of the requirements for this program, we took classes in Tai Chi and Qi Gong. I also took classes
in Aikido at the New York Aikikai which was only blocks away from my school.
Currently, I continue to maintain an active role in the teaching and the increasing growth of Human Weapon Taekwondo of Rockland
County. In addition to being involved with the martial arts, I work as an acupuncturist building my private practice and working
in a pain management clinic. I also give private lessons in drumming, torah reading, as well as for the martial arts. I think
what I can offer as a teacher, is a unique perspective based on my eclectic background in different forms of martial arts
and in other related disciplines. I also possess the desire to always invent new and more effective ways to perfect one’s
technique and training.
What makes this school unique is the warm camaraderie
that exists among the students and teachers. While still placing a strong emphasis on perfecting technique, the members of
our school are always willing to lend a helping hand without that competitive edge that you see in many martial arts schools.
Additionally, our school has been growing at a nice pace that has students on practically all levels ranging from white belt
to Fourth Degree Black Belt. Recently, I was proud to receive my Third Degree Black Belt from Grandmaster Hwang in a promotional
exam that saw several other black belt promotions of members of our school. It was a true testament to how far we’ve
come as a school. I look forward to continuing to teach and helping shape the exciting future and growth
of our school.