Why I Train
People practice martial arts for many different reasons. Personally, I have two primary motivations for training; improving myself and to more effectively help others train.
I am an instructor at Buzz Durkin’s Karate School and I teach children, teens, and adults Uechiryu karate. When I am teaching someone, I strive to help them improve their karate and get stronger. It is unbelievably rewarding to see the transformation in my students from shy or uncertain to confident and assertive. I can only do this if I keep up with my own training and self-improvement.
Though I train to better my skills at teaching, I also train to improve my own karate. It is always a moment of success when I learn a more effective way of performing a certain technique or find a more practical approach to a series of techniques. When training at Buzz Durkin’s Karate School, I work alongside people I would never have a chance to meet in other circumstances. I have trained with judges and police officers, school teachers and stay-at-home moms, and everything in between. All these people have a unique perspective to offer – and I value their friendships.
Even after a dozen years of practice, I still strive to further my training and continue learning new things each class. I have learned many helpful things from my martial arts training, but I have also learned important new skills through working with people of such varied experiences. I have achieved a better self confidence through my martial arts training and it has helped me at the dojo, at school, and at home. My interpersonal abilities to meet and interact with different types of people have improved beyond what I ever imagined. Karate has better prepared me for my future.
Stephanie Rodenhiser is a 4th Degree Black Belt at Buzz Durkin’s Karate School, having trained since she was eight years old. She teaches students of all ages and especially enjoys teaching kids and adults who work hard and develop great outlooks on life.