03/17/2024
There’s a quote by C.S. Louis that rolls around in my mind often, and I feel like it applies to every aspect in our lives, but really drives home the point of martial arts being a lifelong training commitment:
“No one can teach riding so well as a horse”
Until you have really decided to set foot upon path, dig your heels in stubbornly invested your mind, body, and energy into your training day in and day out, through all the starts and stops, through injuries and set backs, through the distance of physical miles between you and your instructors, and find personal growth and breakthroughs in your knowledge base, perhaps just then you begin to embrace all that your journey in martial arts can and will teach you.
The path isn’t easy. It’s not always clear. It’s going to be frustrating and difficult to follow sometimes, but much like the spirit within, the path doesn’t end. You learn to move with it, to blend and flow, to accept that at times it will be an unpredictable aspect of yourself that you must learn to nurture and handle gently. And just when you think you have a handle on it, it will surprise you, humble you, and make you realize that you are still and always a student, if ever a master.
That all being said, there’s something really special about being a part of a student’s martial arts journey, watching them grow and develop outstanding skills throughout years of passion and dedication to their personal development and knowing they trust in you to give them the tools, support, and knowledge they seek.
Though these past few years have been challenging with miles between us, and with injuries to heal from, it was a pleasure to test and promote our student Nathan Barbey to both his green belt in Kanda Ha Kamishin Ryu Aikijujitsu, a requirement set forth by SGM Alemany for any of our Quest Academy students to be recognized as Shodan in our Kenpo art. Meeting his green belt requirement, Nathan has also passed his 8 hour extensive Kenpo exam and has joined the ranks of Shodan (1st degree Black) at Quest Academy of Martial Arts Colorado.
Through thick and thin Nathan has been on his path with us since 2012, and has explored many arts along his continual journey, currently training and developing his skills by competing internationally with his Kyokushin team in Washington state while calling Quest his home. We couldn’t be more proud of his dedication and commitment.
This truly is the way. 🙏🏻
