Teaching people martial arts has been one the most incredible things I have done with my life. It is both so fun, and very rewarding. In my own experience, I have found that seeing students progress, compete, and develop as martial artists fills me with so much pride and joy, that I couldn’t ever imagine myself stepping away from my role as an instructor. I love this job, and I constantly feel so unbelievably lucky, and grateful, to have had the opportunity to be involved in this community.
My martial arts journey began when I was five. My parents had been trying to get me involved in some kind of activity for almost a year, but nothing ever really caught my attention. After attempting a handful of other sports, I was signed up for a trial class in Karate. I had no idea what to expect, and honestly I didn’t think it sounded very interesting. However, the day for my class came, and I loved it. I was completely hooked, and I have been training at Arashi-do ever since then.
Over a decade later, I am still obsessed. Since then, I’ve been training in both Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, and Muay Thai for years. On top of that, I have learned how to use a wide variety of weapons, including staffs, nunchucks, and swords, to name a few of my favourites. I have been to numerous competitions in all three disciplines, from smaller local tournaments, to province-wide events. I have been trained by many incredible martial artists across Arashi-Do, and I am grateful for all of it. Every experience I have had in this journey has been amazing, and has helped shape me into the person I am today.
I stepped into the realm of teaching at a very young age. I began as an assistant instructor in my younger sister’s karate class. Initially, I started helping because my sister had been anxious about training, and me being on the mats helped her feel more confident. Renshi Logan saw some promise in me as a helper, and asked me to help him with the rest of the classes, until my own class. I kept this schedule for years, assisting whoever the head instructor of the night was. I learned a lot about teaching by helping under a variety of instructors, with a variety of different teaching methods. My own experience was also supplemented by running my own six week courses on various weapons for Arashi-Do. Officially, I began teaching in April of 2024, however by that point I’d had eight years of experience as an assistant, and six years as a head instructor for smaller courses. As of July of 2025, I am a lead instructor for both Karate, and Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, and I love my job.