FREESTYLE UNITED ARTS

My many years as a Martial Artist has been a roller coaster of emotional trauma and psychological victories ranging from the death of students to the return of students after years of absence.   From the early years as a struggling young Black Belt with a chip on my shoulder to the birth of Freestyle United Arts.   From the years of thinking the most important part of Karate was to be rated the highest I could be on the tournament scene to understanding that helping others succeed paid much greater rewards.

One of the greatest lessons I learned was that following a rigid path leads to confinement, but to step into the unknown is true freedom and this freedom allows us the mental flexibility to explore new things and each day life becomes more fulfilling., As we force the extremes of yin and yang, we become much more in balance and our spirit becomes “one” with the natural laws of nature bringing us true inner peace and harmony so we can experience life to the fullest.   Your Art is your servant, treat it with honor and it will serve you well.

-Master Bernie Fritz

 Sometimes it only takes a small incident to give you insight.

One night I arrived at school to teach.  When I opened my bag there was a white belt with my gi.  I forgot that I’d put it there to give to a new student who didn’t have a belt.  My first reaction probably should have been panic, since I had two classes to teach and my Black Belt wasn’t in sight.  But I didn’t feel panic.  Seeing that whit belt was like seeing an old friend.  In the seconds before I realized why I had a white belt, the last twelve years of martial arts training quickly ran through my mind.  I thought of what it had taken to get here, to the beginning – a circle.  It was a comfortable feeling.

As we travel along in our training, we find our way.  Study in the martial arts is a journey.  Don’t wish your time away by yearning to be a higher belt while ignoring your accomplishments along the way.  The higher rank will come with time and the time will be well spent.  “When one eye is fixed upon the destination, there is only one eye left with which to find the way.”

-Sensei  Lisa Heitke

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