Chloe Rattee recently wrote a story on Averill’s Martial Arts Academy. In this story is mention of how “Paul Averill was inspired to study Martial Arts after watching the 1970’s TV show Kung Fu with actor David Carradine.” A similar experience happened to me. I saw the action films Blood Sport and Kick Boxer. I found the cultural aspects of Hong Kong and Thailand depicted in these movies compelling. My first karate school back in the early 1990s was a Fred Villari’s Shaolin Kempo karate school. My mom had enrolled me in classes because I lacked confidence. She wanted me to feel good about myself.

I had to stop taking martial arts classes because of cost. I would not return to a dojo (school) until August 2019. Each person is on their own journey. I made the choice to take martial arts lessons. I wanted to get back into shape. For some of us our primary motivation in training is wanting to fight. I train for health, community, self-defense. I currently practice Uechi Ryu (style of Uechi). COVID-19 did add a new layer to training. One of the great takeaways for me. Those of us who train our self-discipline was tested. As my teacher says, “train smart you don’t want to hurt yourself. Martial arts are about self-defense.”

Eric Robert Miller

New Hampton