Mihir Joshi’s Statement
Karate has had a positive impact on my life. Learning an art form such as the Martial Arts has built my confidence, developed my leadership skills, improved my focus and taught me perseverance. Growing up, I was always the smallest and thinnest guy in my classes, not only at school but also at Karate. With my size came an irresistible wave of shyness. Over the years, through Karate, I found that my confidence and self- esteem levels had sky rocketed to heights I never thought it would go.
Through my years of learning karate, I have come to a realisation that there is always someone better than you. I soon understood that that doesn’t matter. It is always about improving yourself and pushing yourself to be as good as you can be. This has always been my motivation to continue learning Karate and never giving up. If there is anything that Karate has taught me, it is that even the smallest of us can rise and soar to heights that they never think they can go.
I thank Sensei Matt, and all those who have helped me in Karate, for helping me understand such values in a fun and social learning environment.
Statement from Yogendra Joshi, Mihir’s Father
Mihir started attending Australia’s Youth Self Defence Kenpo Karate class at 5 years of age. Initial year or so, it did not demand much of Mihir’s input outside the weekly class. Regular Kata competitions during class provided him with an opportunity to compete against class mates and present his karate skills in front of tutors. At that level, achieving first place or winning was not that important. Such competitions had built Mihir’s mindset. He started to enjoy karate. In order to excel, Mihir began paying closer attention to Sensei Matt’s demonstration of techniques and Katas. He started to enter into tournaments and soon he began to self-analyse his performances. His overall confidence was growing, which was clearly reflected in his school captaincy & leadership speech a few years ago. It’s amazing how learning the Martial Arts helps build confidence and improve overall personality.
Friendly yet disciplined approach towards karate at Australia’s Youth has helped enormously. It enabled Mihir to build a sense of belonging and improved his motivation to excel. This sense of belonging promotes happiness, which in turn encourages any lifetime student of karate like Mihir to put in efforts in pursuit of goal. As Mihir’s parents, we would like to take this opportunity to express our gratitude towards Sensei Matt. We also thank all tutors for their guidance all along.
Statement from Sensei Matt Klein
Mihir is one of those rare students that come along and just go flat out to be their best. It was obvious to me at an early stage in his development that he would go far. He would come into the class so prepared you could tell he was spending hours practicing in his spare time. His forms are some of the best, most crisp I have seen in a long time. He naturally excelled in tournament competition due not only to his ability, but most important, his work ethic. He has been an absolute pleasure to coach, as he takes everything on and therefore improves immediately. He has also excelled as an assistant coach, and has become a great leader in our club.