Kim Elliott- Mother of a 10 year old

“The benefits of National Karate are endless! My child is getting better grades, finishes tasks, and his batting average went way up after only 6 months of classes.”

Kathy Stebbins - 1st Degree Black Belt, age 41

"I started out in Karate as part of the parents of kids in karate program. They said, “You’re never too old.” I thought to myself whom are they kidding; I was 37 years old and feeling like 50. So I talked it over with Mr. Mazzola who said, “try it and if you don’t like it at least you’ll have a great Halloween costume”. So I decided to give it a shot. I had every intention of just putting in my time and getting out after 30 days.

That was 4 years ago. Now I am testing for my 1st degree black belt. I fell younger now than when I started and I am physically doing things that I never thought were possible. The encouragement and support from my classmates and instructors (particularly Mr. Mazzola) is what got me where I am today. I cannot imagine my life without National Karate."

Sue Bolster - 1st Degree Black Belt, age 47

"If anyone had told me 5 years ago that I would be testing for a Black Belt, I would have snickered. Anyone, who knows me, knows that I have never been one to be in any kind of a sport. That all changed on 10/2/01. National Karate was present at lifetime Fitness in Bloomingdale, IL. Mr. and Mrs. Hutson run the program. We wanted to get our daughter involved in some physical activity and Karate was suggested. It only took watching one of her classes to get me interested. And as the story goes, not only did I stick with it, I have achieved the goal I started with, which was to test with my daughter for our Black Belts together. This goal will be reached on 6/5/04.

National Karate has such a positive impact on my life. It not only has helped me with staying in good physical shape, built my self-confidence in participating in a sport, but also has taught me to defend family, friends and myself. It has also opened the door to many new friends. It was the skill and interest in me as a person by the Hutson's (JR and RC), Ms. Alba (Diana), the Siegrist's (Jane and Jeff) along with the support of my husband (Jim) that kept me going these past few years. If it wasn't for them, I don't believe that I would have stuck it out. They constantly challenge me and for that I thank them very much."

Stephanie Voules - 1st Degree Black Belt, age 11

"Who I would be if I weren’t in karate is a LAZY BUM, because I probably be sitting on the couch eating bon bons on all karate days. Also I wouldn’t have the discipline to do certain things and unfortunately I’d be a very shi person, just like I was like before I started karate. Not only that karate has shown me to have confidence in myself. Lastly, I can’t forget how to defend myself if I were to get attacked by a stranger. THANK YOU FOR ALL YOU HAVE DONE FOR ME!"

Zach Losch - 1st Degree Black Belt, age 10

Karate has helped me in so many different ways, in discipline, agility, and hand eye coordination. In karate, discipline teaches you to never give up and be patient with yourself. Running up to line and all of the stretching we do has really improved my quickness and agility. In addition, my hand eye coordination has also improved and has helped me in baseball both in my hitting and my fielding. Since beginning karate I am hitting the ball way more. Thank you so much for giving me this opportunity and guiding me through out my journey.

Luke Janaes - 1st Degree Black Belt, Age 10

"What a black belt means to me is respect, self-confidence, self-discipline, courage, and honor. All great things to practice in every day life, but what I think it means most is being able to reach any goal possible as long as you really want it."

Kyle Baran - 1st Degree Black Belt , Age 10

"Karate is a very important activity in my life. I can't wait to be a black belt because I have worked a long time for this. I started karate when I was five years old. I didn't know that it would be so much fun and that I would actually be good at it!

I feel proud that I have competed in many tournaments, some in Minnesota, Kentucky and Florida, and I have done well in them. I have met many new people and have made a lot of friends. Knowing all of my karate friends is almost like having a second family. I hope that I can get even better and try many new things as a black belt. I think I will probably do karate the rest of my life!"

Lizette Matos - 1st Degree Black Belt , Age 34

What my Black Belt means to me, is that with dedication and self-discipline, I can accomplish not just this challenge but also the many others that I will face in my life.

I have learned by enduring long hours of hard work, staying focused and believing in myself, all things are possible. There were times I doubted myself during my journey, but because of the guidance and confidence taught to me by my instructors, I was able to grow and become more and more confident to strive for the goal of Black Belt.