I tested for 3rd Degree Black Belt in 2009 at Master Balon's school. It was there I met another one of my mentors, Master DeJesus. He was testing for 4th Degree. For the self-defense portion, he asked me to be his partner for his portion. It was there that I experienced (as the dummy) Haganah for the first time. I was amazed and loved what I saw and said to him right there, that very day "You're going to teach me this!"
Anyone who knows me well knows when I saw I'm going to do something, I do it. And everybody says things like that. "You gotta teach me that!" "I wanna learn that!" Blah blah. Well I follow through. When I was testing for 4th Degree myself, this was the challenge for me, to learn Haganah. I would train once a month and practice on my own and come back and do a little more and I did that for I think a year before he told me I was going to test o_O.
Quite honestly, I loved learning it, and it was a challenge for me to push the envelope in the next level of what I called "self-defense" training. I never thought I would ever rank in the system. But when the mentor says that's what you're going to do, that's what you do. I remember watching a Haganah test and wondering if I could do that. I had my doubts. SO as any good mentor does, Master DeJesus pushed the envelope and I did it. I was very proud. It was a year later I think that he recommended I go and do the Haganah Gun Disarm Certification to become an Instructor. Yet again, something I never thought I would do. But if Master DeJesus thought I could do it, then I guess I could do it.
I loved it, and enjoyed it so much! Then I was invited that March to the annual Haganah Conference where I fulfilled the Empty Hand and Knife Disarm to become a full fledged Gen 2 FIGHT Instructor! I never thought I'd be an instructor for this system! Then I went to Mike Lee Kanarek's school last May for his Battle Ready Kickboxing certification. I never thought I'd ever be training with Mike Lee at his own school! Then I spoke to Mike and Master DeJesus about me doing a Haganah FIGHT program at my own school. And sure enough TMAFC has become an Authorized Training Center and I began the FIGHT program in July.
I remember when I first went to a Mike Lee seminar. So you can imagine my thrill to have my very own FIGHT students go for the first time to a Mike Lee seminar then! Mike Lee Kanarek was at Hudson Valley Haganah school, a Tiitanium status level school run by the newly appointed regional director Ed Du Pless. I brought seven people to the seminar and I was so thrilled for them to meet him, see him instruct, hear his philosophies, enjoy his cadence and humor, listen to his stories, and to learn hands on from the founder of the system himself. They also got to meet MY Haganah instructor, Master DeJesus and his own students from his school. It was the first time I wasn't just there as me, but as TMAFC.
I am proud of be a part of this system, and proud of my students pushing themselves and opening their horizons. I was also happy for Master DeJesus to meet my own students. I hope he's proud of me. And I owe him so much. These are all things I never expected and planned on. And I am very grateful. Last weekend I was at Mike Lee's school in Florida training for my Blade Warrior Certification with him (future blog). There is always something new for the next adventure! (BOWS)
Yours in service,
MASTER A TRENTO
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