It’s a Family Affair
It’s a family affair
The video above is of two of my kids doing kickboxing set 9. KMMA students learn seven kickboxing sets on the way from beginner to Black Belt, of course with many drills and skills attached that cause them to actually get the essence of what the set is meant to represent. You can watch the video and tell that these two sons, Shihan Harley and Shihan Diego, are incredibly skilled.
What you don’t know is the uber cool story of how kickboxing set 9 came to be.
A little more than half a decade ago, I turned 50.
I threw an awesome get together at my dojo (our Blackbelt Leadership Academy) for all of my black belts of all generations. As I have been teaching for a living for almost 25 years, it was pretty awesome.
My active blackbelts were there, and so were many of many generations who came to honor me, and I was very grateful.
Three of these amazing black belts happen to also be my sons, the two that you’ve already met in the video, and the one that is currently the head instructor of My Land O’Lakes location, Sensei Winston. They are all amazing martial artists, sons and brothers, black belts and amazing men.
I am proud and grateful for them all too.
So, at the party, they asked me what I wanted for my birthday and I gave them a challenge.
I wanted them to create kickboxing set 9 and assigned each of them to create one combo towards it. They did and the set is now part of the black belt leader curriculum for our second degree and above.
I am proud and grateful that all my kids grew up in the martial arts and that they are such incredible blackbelts, and each successful in their lives and their own particular Calling.
As we always say, becoming a black belt leader prepares you for success in anything.
I am also proud and grateful for all of my blackbelt leaders and the great work they’re doing, both in the dojo and out in the world, as well as all the great families training together towards that goal today.
For those of you I’m speaking to, keep up the great work!
And for those of you that aren’t part of our tribe yet, join us!
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 an 8th 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
