My name is Brandon Bell and I am a second degree black belt in shotokan karate. I am trained in strikes, blocks, self defenses, and at least 6 different weapons. I started Karate classes when I was 7 years old. In my first year and a half I had several different instructors who all prioritized a different element of karate. The first one seemed to focus on katas. The second one emphasized the importance of stretching. The third one was endurance and stances. Not too long after, Master Jon became my instructor. My first consistent instructor and one who prioritized all factors equally. With the experience from the other instructors, I was able to excel in most aspects. When I was an orange belt (my 6th belt) I went to my first regional tournament. I registered for the fastest punch event and kata event. I left the tournament with 1st place in fastest punch and 2nd place in katas. When I got my brown belt, I was sometimes given the opportunity to run warm-ups and some techniques at the beginning of classes. Later I was able to teach lower rank classes if needed with Master Jon in attendance. I received my black belt in December of 2017 at 14 years old. I continued to take classes and be an assistant instructor after getting my black belt. I became a second degree black belt in May of 2021 and graduated high school the same day. Now, I’m in college at NC A&T, but return to assist in any way I can when needed. If I had to give any advice it would be to set goals for yourself as you go. It may seem slow at some points, but it is a rewarding process in the end.