My name is Deion Pagaduan. I want to share a little of my background with you, as well as my involvement with karate. I have been doing the sport for 9 years, and am a 2nd degree black belt. I have been to a number of tournaments, from Laguna Hills, to Japan which I have many enjoyable moments and experiences. I like karate because it teaches discipline, integrity, and respect like no other sport. Sure, football and baseball teaches the same things, but karate brings those teachings to a whole ‘nother level.
It has become very easy to apply things like discipline, integrity, and respect wherever I go. Also, the conditioning provided has made me athletically capable of many things. In fact, when I was younger, I was able to do things such as push-ups and sit-ups while others seemed to have trouble doing them and didn’t realize that it became natural for me because those were the routines that we do in the Dojo. Karate has helped shape my self-confidence.
Without karate, I would not have been able to stand up against pressure and handle situations involving my peers. I’ve had such great times in the dojo because, not only do I have the chance to spend time with other students my age, but I also am able to spend time with the smaller kids, and assist them as they progress to the next belt color. I enjoy helping every student, because it’s a challenge to teach everyone, but it is also an experience that only few would be exposed to. As of now I may have one of the higher belts in our dojo, but I am always learning new things, whether it’s a new kata, or even something as simple as learning someone’s favorite ice cream.
Even though karate has helped develop the serious side of me, it actually has made me an even nicer person as well. Because I am one of the oldest in the dojo, I am constantly working with the smaller kids, and I have learned that, even though they need to learn self-discipline and respect, I have to be very tolerant and develop a likeable attitude in order to gain their trust and attention. It is not easy to constantly show a good example to the other students, but I am always willing to show my best effort when I am in the dojo. It has been a great honor to be a part of the Wado-Ryu karate do, and I hope to continue it for as long as I can.
