Please join us in congratulating Alex Hamilton, Justin LaFavor and Emily Frieze for achieving the rank of 1st Poom.
All three students have been training for over three years. Mr Alex has been training at Alliance since 2014, Mr Justin started in 2013 and Ms Emily first started training in 2012; after years of training, they have all undertaken the exam for their jr blackbelt. Mr Alex is looking forward to middle school next year, Mr Justin will be heading into his freshman year and Ms Emily is just finishing her freshman year.
Mr Alex completed his exam for first degree jr blackbelt on January 13th, 2018. Mr Justin completed his incomplete breaking technique shortly thereafter, completing his exam on the evening of January 25th, 2018. Ms Emily completed her final outstanding technique to earn her promotion on the evening of February 22nd.
Blackbelt testing is demanding, requiring the candidates to be accomplished in empty-hand technique and requiring the candidates to be able to perform under pressure. The exam took about two hours, wherein the candidates displayed nine patterns and one hundred empty hand techniques, displayed additional self defense techniques and action sequences, and performed nearly twenty breaking and candle techniques.
Testing for blackbelt ranks is a privilege and an honor; only 2% of people who start training in martial arts make it to blackbelt. It requires years of practice and dedication, and comes only after a student has accepted and done well with added responsibility, and has the recommendation of their instructors and Masters.
