Inspriational Youth In The Martial Arts

In this section of USADOJO.COM you will find stories about young martial artists who have overcome great odds to study the martial arts, or who have accomplished great things in the martial arts and in their communities. If you know of a youth who should be honored please email us and let us know!

Anthony J. Cunder Jr. was only 16 years old when he began working on the first draft of The Silver Talon. His great love of fantasy worlds inspired him to craft his own so other readers like him could sit back, relax, and journey to a realm of magic, dragons, and unimaginable reality. He loves anything to do with medieval times (especially sword fighting and knights) and gravitates towards books that incorporate such ideas into their plots. He has a black belt in Tae Kwon Do, and in his free time, he practices sword fighting with his friends to get a better idea of what his characters go through in their own battles.
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By Reshi Trevor
Victoria started training with me in Ishin Ryu Ju-Jitsu back in August 2009 and was a little shy but was a very active student who always really enjoyed her lessons. On the 31st October on a Monday night at the start of the infant class, her parents walked in looking very upset and her dad found it hard to talk to me. When they said that Victoria was rushed into hospital and was fighting for her life with an aggressive strain of meningitis, I was completed shocked and saddened as I remembered only last week she was running around my mats having fun. (Read Article)

Garett Lee earned his Nidan in Shorin-Ryu Japanese Karate which was presented by his Bushiban Family and Godfathers Dr. Maung Gyi and Matshibushi Ward (Mabo).
It had been ten years since Garrett Lee's last black belt test in front of a legendary board, at eight years old. it all seems surreal, but after ten years of in your face fighting and kata, wins at The Battle of Atlanta, five Texas State titles, and PKC and AOK number one fighting seed and U S Open and U S Championships, Garett had the opportunity to prove his abilities and love for true karate do. Garrett's mentor Grand Master Zulfi Amed gave him a birthday present he will always remember!
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Martin J. Azzam was born on April 16, 1990 in Trencin, Slovakia to Dr. Ihsan Azzam, M.D., M.P.H. and Marta Azzam, B.S.N. He came to the United States, to Northern Nevada when he was two years old. He attended both Fritch Elementary and Carson Middle School as an Honor Student. He now attends Carson High School. Martin has been a straight A student since kindergarten. Throughout his academic career he has received many, many awards, such as the Presidents Award for Academic Excellence and the Silver Scholars Academic Award from UNR. (Read Biography)

Eleven-year-old Cody Clark from Heckston, Ontario, is a talented fighter. For six years, he has studied karate and, most recently, Jiu Jitsu and he has a training ethic that younger students admire. However, it is his work outside the dojo that has inspired thousands of people to join the fight against one of the toughest enemies of a child, the fear and loneliness linked to illness. Cody is the founder of Cody's Individual Comfort Kits, an organization he started in 2002 that assembles free boxes of books, blankets, videos, toys, and always a teddy bear and a note from Cody to make a child's visit to the hospital for treatment a little less frightening. (Read Article)

Just ask his friends, family members or fellow Tae Kwon Do students - Jarod Barndollar is not your typical teenager.  On a daily basis, Jarod faces trials and tribulations that most teens would find unfathomable, while fighting a rare condition called Adrenoleukodystrophy (ALD), also known as "Lorenzo's Oil Disease."   

Imagine the heartache he and his family faced when told that Jarod, at a very tender age, would not live to see his teen years.  Try to envision the thought that every day spent must be guarded and cherished, as if each day will be his last.  (Read Article)