My name is Jerome Vella, I started Goju Ru Karate-Do in 2011 and I want to do more Karate and learn more about this style. I think karate has helped me in lots of different ways, physically and emotionally. Here are some of the things I have to say about Goju Ru Karate-Do.

What does Karate mean to me?

Karate for me means, to defend myself if I get in battle, to learn techniques and use them in battle and to have confidence and don't be scared. What it means to defend myself if I get in battle is, if someone wants to pick a fight with me, I would ignore them and if they attack me I would defend myself. To learn new techniques means to learn new things that Sensei has taught us all and use them in battle to defend myself and to improve on those techniques so I can get better at them. To have confidence means to be strong and don't lose your spirit to someone who wants to intimidate you. Stay strong and always be alert on what is going on around you.

What has Karate done for me?

Karate has, made me a better person, physically and emotionally, it has helped me learn new things and to find out more about Karate. It has made me less shy out in the world because I used to very shy but, with Karate I have overcome that. It made me realise a lot of things about life in general, that fighting is not the solution. The people that have helped me in the club have made a big part why I still do Karate today. There have been some hiccups while I have been at the club but, that doesn’t matter because the club helped overcome those hiccups.

What does it mean to me to get my black belt?

It means a lot for me to get my black belt because I know I still need to improve a lot in Karate and there are lots of new things I need to learn when I get my black belt. I have to play a very big role in the club when I get my black belt because I have to help people, maybe run the class and I need to behave like I deserve that belt. So, this means a lot to me and I hope I do get it and I hope I get past the grading.

All in all, this has been a very fun and hard journey in Karate, there have been highs and lows but, this just the start of my journey and I know I will have to face more in the coming months.

By Jerome Vella 26th September, 2015

Jerome Vella began training at Shushin Kai karatedo on 12th June. 2012, at age 9 years. He was graded to Shodan (Junior)on 10th October 2015, at age 12 years.