My name is Andrew Jarrett and I have had a great experience doing karate over the last year. I started in May of 2017 and it has made a huge impact on me.
For a summer project, my Dad and I have decided to create a website that describes my karate experience to let more people know about it.
When I started karate, I was quite out of shape and Kempo Karate changed me exponentially. Karate is both a physical and mental discipline. For the physical part, I go to the dojo four or five times per week. I do a lot of exercise that build strength and also learn various self defense techniques. I have one small group or private session where I focus on specific rank material to progress to my next belt. The other sessions are group workouts that include exercises, sparring and refining of real situation techniques.
For the mental discipline, there are five principles:
We discuss how our practice in our life influences all of these things.
Karate has been great for me and I would like to see other kids get involved.
We all strive to give our kids a breadth of experiences so that they can become well rounded, and hopefully one or two of the things that they experience will stick and give them a sense of purpose and passion. For our son, that passion has come from Karate and his work with Greg Shariman (students call him Mr. Greg) and his team of outstanding instructors and mentors.
The pictures of Andrew show his transition from May of 2017 to May 2018. While he was great before, his practice has really intensified his focus on health, exercise and nutrition. In the first picture, he has just earned his white belt (you have to show up a few times before you get it). The second picture is from a tournament where Andrew got first place in one of the events. He just earned his purple belt (It goes white, yellow, orange, purple...) which is his third belt promotion since joining.
If your child has any interest, I would highly encourage you try out USSD in Burlingame. Andrew goes three or four time a week (Tuesday and Thursday at 7pm for an hour-long session with a group, Wednesday afternoons for a small group / private where he works on his specific goals with kids as the same level and Saturdays mornings at 10:00 am for an hour-long larger group session). We pay about $220 a month for that, and it is be best money we have spent.
The studio is on Howard Ave in Burlingame, across the street and a block down from Safeway. You’ve probably driven by it a million times.
I spoke with Greg about our plan to get the word out to people as our summer project. He said that he would have a summer promotion where he would take $200 off the normal $295 initiation fee (that covers the cost of the uniform, sparring gear, bag, etc.). I would suggest that, if you have any interest, that you have your son or daughter try out a class or two. Kids can start as young as four (Andrew was 10 when he started).
Go by and check it out. There are classes many afternoons and evenings. You can also call and find out more at 650-343-7717 or check out their website at http://www.ussdburlingame.com