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The Martial Arts Family
by Mr. Mahlon Hallam
TMA Martial Arts Director
Sensei Bert Haynes of Mount
Vernon, IL recently promoted my youngest son, Anthony, to brown belt in Shotokan.
Only a martial artist can imagine the pride I felt when he agreed to wear my old
brown belt. This was one of the proudest moments of my martial arts life. It has
been said that a father is never prouder than when his children grow taller. I
have no doubt that someday, if Anthony keeps training that he will be taller,
stronger, and faster than the ole man, and I will once again be proud.
I have chosen a photo of Anthony and myself for this site. I did so not only out
of pride for my son, but to illustrate a point that is sometimes missed or
overlooked in the arts.
When you enter a Traditional Martial Arts Association school, you will be
entering into a family. A martial arts family. The longer you stay and train,
the stronger thisbond will become. The instructor is the parent, his
instructor(s), the grandparents, there are big brothers and sisters and little
brothers and sisters and so forth. Each family member has certain
responsibilities to the family.
You will not find over-inflated egos in the TMA; we are all humans? first and
then martial artists. We all have tons of improvements that we work on each day.
Our instructors are taught from day one the role of the instructor and the
impact they can have on others.
For the next several installments of this section, I would like to discuss the
roles of the instructor, the senior students, and the junior students.
In the mean time, keep training and never give up.
Nana Korobi Ya Oki.
-Mahlon
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