Miguel Beleno gets his Jr. Black Belt in Pankration/MMA. Here is his required essay for Kids MMA Vancouver

Miguel Beleno gets his Jr. Black Belt in Pankration/MMA. Here is his required essay for Kids MMA Vancouver
Martial Arts have greatly impacted my life physically, mentally and spiritually. My great journey in martial arts started in the year of 2006, as a skinny, shy and asthmatic 7 year old boy. Stepping in the dojo at Posener’s Pankration was very nerve-wracking and at the same time terrifying. At that age, seeing rows of wooden staffs, bins of twin sais and arnis was overwhelming for me, since the idea of participating in “contact sports” was never in mind.  It turns out my first class at the dojo was not as bad as I thought it would. My nervousness quickly simmered down after 3 weeks of classes. After a few months, walking in the dojo was quite easy, since confidence was gained in me.
Confidence is a very essential trait in life and I strongly believe that it can be practiced and gained. Through my years of martial arts/ Kids MMA Vancouver I have built a strong foundation of confidence that is incredibly useful in many fields such as self-confidence with regards to my physical body, (Considering that Pankration is a very rigorous sport that involves immense exercise and training.) confidence in my social skills, (for example not being shy when talking to others) and most importantly confidence in my potential. The result of this confidence, now places a permanent mindset of mine; the right amount of confidence = increase in potential, which leads to a greater outcome/benefit.
I would like to touch base with the 5 tenets that I have said out loud with certainty for over 5 years and also have gotten out of from martial arts.
Although, courtesy is developed at home, it is also developed in martial arts. Being courteous in general, plays a great role in our daily lives. Bowing to our partner before sparring, raising our hands up when we have questions, applauding after a demonstration, and bowing to our instructor before entering and leaving the dojo, are all positive examples I have attained over the years of Martial Arts. Having pleasant morals or integrity, is the second tenet that was taught to me. These morals are very important to have since it helps us make wise and exemplary decisions, making us unsusceptible to today’s generation of peer-pressure, drugs and other unethical subjects.
I admit there were times when I was orange-purple belt that I felt like quitting. I knew deep down, quitting was never an option to me or my dad, but I assume that we all get distracted sometimes. Martial Arts taught me to always have goals because when you have goals, it assists us to stay focused in what we need to achieve. With this being said, I made the decision to persevere for my black belt. Perseverance is a certain quality that is needed to be successful and happy. I believe that quitting or giving up will get you no where in life which is something that I don’t want to be in. From Martial Arts, I have acknowledged the fact that the harder you work towards a goal, the more you are fulfilled when you achieve that goal. And even when you do not achieve that goal, you are a better person. Also, you are closer to achieving that goal than before.
In my opinion, there will be many times in life when you just want to punch a wall or burn a house down. When these feelings come up, the first thing in mind is to attend class. To me, MMA has been the greatest stress reliever of all time since punching bags or being the punching bag distracts us from our daily problems. Sometimes, I do not have problems outside the dojo but may have some inside. There were a few occasions through my times of training that I faced someone that was going too hard during sparring even though I have told them to tone it down a bit. Naturally, a human’s typical instinct is to strike back harder but through breathing techniques and the understanding that the opponent may be a beginner, helped me to be calm when it came to those situations, resulting in an overall positive benefit.
The fifth and final tenet that I have developed through Martial Arts is indomitable spirit. Indomitable spirit can be applied in many various ways, especially when it comes to facing fear and doubt. I like to look at indomitable spirit as “invulnerable” spirit. Meaning that no matter what barriers or situations we face, they will not stop us from striving to complete our objective.
Being involved in Martial Arts is not just exercise and having fun. For me, it is a lifestyle. I can never be able to remove it since it has become a part of me and has changed me into the man I am today and will continue to change me to a better man in the future. All of these teachings and tenets I now understand, helps me become more disciplined, therefore leading me to success in the future. Through God, Sensei Posener, the other wonderful instructors, my dad and the great training partners (family) the skinny, shy and asthmatic 7 year old boy is now a fit, brave and healthy 15 year old boy that succeeds in competitions and now has a goal to win more in the future.
** This is an inspiring testimonial by 15 year old Miguel Beleno as he supplies his essay for his Jr. Black Belt requirement for Kids MMA Vancouver.

Kids MMA Vancouver

Kids MMA Vancouver

For information on our school, check out our website: Posener’s Pankration/MMA, Muay Thai, Submission Wrestling, Cardio Muay Thai Kickboxing and Weapons