John Nottingham's USA Martial Arts Scottsdale

My kids had a great experience at Takewando they had grown so well as students and they are still learning but still have a long journey to go through and be a better person in life.

I first started at USA Martial Arts in the summer between 2nd and 3rd grade. I was in the children's classes for a while, or the "Tiger's" class. I had so much fun, jumping over invisible pools of lava, ducking fun noodles, kicking pads, yelling, and running around barefoot. Now don't let me give you the impression that Tiger's class was an hour of chaos or that it was like those dog parks that people bring their pets to to run around like maniacs so that they zonk out for the rest of the night (although I'm sure this was a benefit my parents gained from these lessons). The lessons were so much more than that - it was learning in disguise. In school, often kids unfortunately come to know learning as a chore, a brush your teeth kind of activity. But at USA Martial Arts, learning was fun! It was actually.. fun! And so began my journey. As I grew older, martial arts remained fun, but it became more challenging as I took on new responsibilities, new concepts, new things to learn. I never doubted that my martial arts experience was serious, more than a hobby, despite the fun environment. I was excited to use words/phrases like "courtesy," "perseverance," and "indomitable spirit" in school. I don't think my parents ever anticipated martial arts also being an advanced vocabulary lesson, but like I said - learning at USA Martial Arts is fun! And martial arts at USA Martial Arts is so much more than kicking, punching, and running around barefoot. I soon learned that martial arts was a way of life, a way of thinking, that involved discipline and honesty in not only the things I did, but also in the things I said, wrote, shared and thought. In high school, as a black belt, I had the opportunity to teach little kids in the Tiger's program. I couldn't help but see myself in a lot of the students I was teaching. I discovered a passion that would ultimately help me in discovering what kind of adult I wanted to be - one who taught, who gave back to the community, one who inspired little kids to grow up to be people who gave back to the community. I'm still living up to this aspiration, but I feel it guiding my everyday life. Master Nottingham and his staff were there to guide, mold, and inspire me. Even still, as a senior in college getting ready to graduate, I hear their voice in the back of my head: "Have a dream. Write it down. Take massive action. Review and renew." When I tutor kids today, I notice that they're missing confidence in themselves, the belief that they can learn, that they are smart and capable, and that they have control over their future. I never doubted these things as a child, and I realize that much of it had to do with the way USA Martial Arts instilled this growth mindset in me. I highly recommend USA Martial Arts for anyone who wants to challenge themselves to be the kind of person they've always wanted to be, for those who believe in the ultimate pursuit of truth, and for those who want to experience the fun in learning.