Freedom Isn’t Free
Freedom isn’t free. It is earned.
This is true for countries, organizations and individuals.
Our Blackbelt Leadership journey is one towards freedom; freedom from disease, anxiety, fear and complacency. Freedom to live well and freedom to lead well.
Freedom isn’t free or easy, but it is worth fighting for.
I chose the freedom theme for this Blackbelt Extravaganza for 3 reasons:
1. To honor my teacher, Grandmaster Jeff Smith who is one of the patriarchs of martial arts in America. In fact, it was with his permission that I am wearing this uniform- to pay honor to him and Grandmasters Joe Lewis and Bill Wallace whom all wore it together in the World Professional Karate Championships in 1974, a historic event for American Karate .
And they all won by the way. 🙂
2. Because freedom isn’t free and we are as a nation at a crossroads. Of all of the blessings that our great nation provides, this is the greatest- the freedom to prosper, to set and attain worthy goals, to compete in a free market economy and be so bold as to take one’s well being into one’s own hands. Ours is not a promise of equal results, but of equal opportunity. The American dream is based on the idea that anyone of any social class can start, and compete, and create a better future for themselves and their family. It’s the idea that made us the country that everyone wants to come to. And it’s the idea that our current and future leaders need to protect. While we take these for granted, they’re not all that common around the world. As the late great Ronald Reagan said, “freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction. We didn’t pass it to our children in the bloodstream. It must be fought for, protected, and handed on for them to do the same.”
3. So that is one of the great commissions of what we are doing here. We are creating tomorrow’s leaders today, and the protection of freedom in our nation is one of the missions they will be charged with. But there are so many other ways in which our martial arts lifestyle, and particularly our BlackBelt Leadership program and quest, create freedom for us; and that’s what I want to talk to you about today.
- Freedom from disease– today we know that exercise is one of the most important indicators of health and longevity, with nutrition a close second. So the great workouts and healthy eating program of KMMA contribute to your freedom.
- Freedom from anxiety– Generalized Anxiety Disorder affects 6.8 million adults in America, with nearly one third of adults (32.3%) reported anxiety and depression symptoms in 2023. I could go on and on about the problem, especially as it also affects more youth and adolescents than ever before- but I’d rather discuss the solution. Exercise, purpose and goals, association with a positive community of people, breath and mind control… what do all of these have in common? Yes, they help free us from anxiety and yes, they’re all part of our BlackBelt Leadership program here at KMMA.
- Freedom from fear– Human beings are programmed to experience fear. It’s in our DNA and was very useful for us for many years. But most fear is imagined. Most things that we fear will never happen, and we can mitigate the fear associated with those that may by preparing. That’s why we train in self defense of course. The knowledge that we can defend ourselves, should the worst things happen, allows one to walk in peace and freedom from fear.
- Freedom from complacency– I believe complacency to be one of the great culprits of our time, stealing more freedom from most than any of the others we’ve discussed. It robs its victims of purpose, passion and action; the very attitudes and attributes that create the results that create freedom in our lives.
- Freedom to live well– with the development of the 6 Blackbelt Superpowers and the discovery of your 7th, the character traits realized through our character development program, and the qualities of a Blackbelt also empowered through our Blackbelt Leadership Program, Blackbelt Leaders enjoy the freedom to live well, the ultimate goal of every philosophy in the pursuit of human happiness- a life well lived.
- Freedom to lead well– Finally, as the great John Maxwell so famously said, “everything rises and falls on leadership”. So we train our students not only to be confident and competent blackbelt leaders, prepared to survive and thrive in any situation, but also to lead- both where they’re currently at, and into their futures. Our Blackbelt Leaders will be the leaders that their families, teams, community and country need them to be.
For these reasons and more, I am so proud and grateful to lead the KMMA team and tribe, and to get to play a part in all of you becoming the Blackbelt Leaders you are called to be.
I look forward to hearing from you tonight and watching you this weekend as you take your next steps upon that great journey!
Prepare To Live; Empower To Lead!
Grand Master Stephen J. Del Castillo
Founding Master Instructor, Krav Maga Martial Arts
TampaKravMaga.com StephenDelCastillo.com
About Grandmaster Stephen J. Del Castillo: Grandmaster Del Castillo is the founding Master Instructor of Krav Maga Martial Arts and has been empowering lives in Pasco and Hillsborough Counties since October of 2000. He is a 7th degree Blackbelt, MBA, author, mentor and success coach, a US Army Veteran and a proud father and grandfather. He is married to Ms. Barbara Del Castillo who helps him run the school. Grand Master Del Castillo began his training in the early 80’s and has high level blackbelts in Tae Kwon Do, Karate, Premier Martial Arts and Krav Maga Martial Arts as well as experience in kickboxing, Jeet Kune Do and Jiujitsu. He has high level instructor certifications from BBSI, IKMF, and KMG and has been featured in numerous Martial Arts publications and also Success magazine. He was a competitive sport karate and American Kickboxing instructor until he enlisted in the US Army where he served in the 82nd Airborne Division, where he won an Army Green to Gold scholarship and proceeded to ROTC and the University of Tampa. He was commissioned in 1992 and went on to serve in Germany with the 3rd Infantry Division and then in several other posts in the US until he left military service to pursue his dream of creating KMMA in 2000. Today I continue to train, learn, sow and grow under the mentorship of World Champion Grandmaster Jeff Smith, who regularly visits the academy to help sow into my teams and students as well.
The Krav MagaMartial Arts Headquarters is in Lutz, FL at 1900 Land O’ Lakes BLVD and now our new location in 8836 US 19, Port Richey! Krav Maga Martial Arts serves Lutz, Land O’ Lakes, Wesley Chapel, Port Richey and surrounding areas.
See stephendelcastillo.com for more information and to order my book, Developing Your Superpower, Meditations on Mastery, Volume 1.
Also, check us out on Fun4TampaKids & on Go2Karate.com