Thx to Dr. Beachkofsky, Colonel Beachkofsky, KMMA Blackbelt Beachkofsky and all the rest…

KMMA Family,

Yesterday I spent most of the day at the VA having a small squamous cell carcinoma removed from near my eye.

     Thankfully, it was caught early.

What struck me most wasn’t the procedure itself. It was how it happened.

One of our KMMA Black Belts, Dr. Thomas Beachkofsky, is also a VA dermatologist. After class one evening, he quietly told Barbara that I needed to come have something checked. I made the appointment, they performed a biopsy, and we discovered it was something that needed attention sooner rather than later.

That experience reminded me of something important:

   Great tribes make us better.

When you surround yourself with good people, amazing things happen. You receive encouragement, accountability, wisdom, support, and sometimes even life-changing advice.

At KMMA, we often talk about the Law of Association:

    You become like the people you spend the most time with.

That is one of the greatest benefits of martial arts training. You’re not just learning self-defense. You’re becoming part of a community of leaders, achievers, and people who genuinely care about one another.

The second lesson was equally important.

In self-defense, when a threat appears, you don’t ignore it. You identify it and deal with it quickly.

The same principle applies to life.

• Health issues.
• Business issues.
• Relationship issues.
• Personal issues.

The sooner we address them, the better the outcome tends to be.

Finally, I was reminded that service never ends.

As we grow older, our roles may change. The way we serve may evolve. But our mission remains the same: to help others.

Thank you for being part of our tribe.

I am proud of you.
I am grateful for you.
And I look forward to serving you for many years to come.

Osu,

Grandmaster Stephen Del Castillo
KMMA