Might As Well Jump
I came of age as a Paratrooper in the 82nd Airborne Division.
I didn’t realize it as much at the time, but this was an extremely formative time of my life.
And I didn’t always realize the blessing that start was either…
and I don’t just mean the fact that I won an Army Green to Gold Scholarship and the Army sent me to college, though that was indeed a blessing, or even the blessings of traveling and seeing the world; Europe during my time with the 3ID in Germany, Honduras and Panama with the 82nd.
Many great memories and some not so great… but all formative and educational.
What I am especially grateful for, growing up over these years, is the strong foundation that the Army gave me:
- The Focus, work ethic, Discipline, resilience, “sense of urgency” and grit that I learned as a young paratrooper in the 82nd Airborne Division.
- The love of learning that I began to develop as a cadet in ROTC at The University of Tampa, where I studied Philosophy and Communication in addition to warcraft, military science and leadership.
- The love of leadership that continued to grow in me and with me as I developed as an Army Officer.
- The moral character I developed, first as a Paratrooper and later as an Officer.
The neat thing is that this foundation played a large part in the creation of my Blackbelt Leadership Program at KMMA.
So it’s no small coincidence that the program creates the same type of foundation in our students.
The Blackbelt Leadership Program develops character through our award winning character development program, instills a love of learning that will serve the student well for their lifetime, and develops Focus, Respect, Discipline, Confidence, Gratitude and Vision- as well as leadership and communication skills.
Oh, and we also get students in great shape while they learn the most practical self defense.
But don’t take my word for it, come see for yourself.
Already a student, well then you know.
Please tell a friend.
Prepare To Live; Empower To Lead!
Grand Master Stephen J. Del Castillo
Founding Master Instructor, Krav Maga Martial Arts
TampaKravMaga.com StephenDelCastillo.com
p.s. KMMA has an amazing Spring Camp for while you’re on break! If you’re in town, check it out:
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
