Wiping Back a tear...

  This is a pic of one of my very first belt promotions. EVER! And to say the least, what I was told by her Saturday will stick with me for a lifetime.
  I had the opportunity to teach classes at one of our former affiliates, Dirty Bay MMA several years ago. It was an opportunity to train and teach people what I wanted and how I saw fit for the first time. What I didnt know was this experience would help forge my way to a future I am living today.
  I would travel to Baytown after work and prepare the training area for the evening classes. The training area was small, had no A/C or heat, and little ventilation. But, it was the opportunity to teach is what appealed to me.
  I had been teaching no gi and beginner classes with Alvis, but this was my chance to do my own thing, under the SMAA logo. Classes were small, but he friendships I made will last forever.
  Mrs. Debra was a whitebelt at the time and trained on a regular basis. Her daughter Emily was dedicated to the art as well and they are the dynamic duo that makes you happy to come teach and train.
  So, I was talking with Mrs. Debra and she tells me I am the reason she kept training. I was like,WOW!!! Man, did it touch my soul. I could feel my head swell a little, then I could feel a tear coming on. I asked what she meant and she said that at the time I started teaching at Dirty Bay, she was at a point where she felt she wasn't growing and felt unmotivated to train. She said that my style of coaching and teaching helped pull her back in. And that I was the reason she is still training today.
  Now, I am not sure about all that, but the one thing I can say, for whatever reason, she is still training today. And that's enough for me. I am glad to have been a part of her life. I am even more proud to have made such an impact on someone and didn't even realize it. She is now a purple belt training under my good friend Anthony at Combat Nation.
  What we don't know in life is how our actions and teachings may affect people around us. How what we say and do can alter and change the future of individuals everywhere. Being an instructor has really opened my eyes to this.
  At Davis Martial Arts we look to inspire individuals. To help people grow and be the best they can at whatever they do, not just Jiujitsu. I am very thankful to Debra for those words. I am forever in her debt, because this has truly opened my eyes to the effects we have on each other.

                                   DAVIS MARTIAL ARTS ACADEMY
                                                   Humble Texas

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