Wow! What a very very busy April and May. I am so lucky to have the opportunity to share the martial arts lessons that have been handed down to me! Each week I get to spend time with the instructors of Essential Martial Arts and often times I get the privilege of traveling far and wide to share with folks in other states.
During April I taught a session on jeet kune do trapping at Master Thomas Gordon's Korean Martial Arts festival in Crestview, Florida. I also had the opportunity to train with my Taekwon-Do Grand Master - K.S. Hwang - while there. What a bonus!
May has been off to an exciting start and I've already been to Mr. Bill Kelly's HapKiDo School (Shield HapKiDo) in Richmond Virginia to teach a session on on HapKiDo finishes and pins. Special thanks to HapKiDo instructor Mr. Jason Howell for his assistance at the seminar!
Visit our Facebook page to see pictures of these events. 
Plus, Master Cheryl Weston, Master Ellen Hendrix and I have a quick day trip planned to go hit some serious Tai Chi training in Chapel Hill with one of our Sun Style Tai Chi mentor - Mrs. Caroline Demoise.
Additionally, things have not been boring on the home front either as we've had several outstanding students promote to various black belt ranks at Essential Martial Arts over the past month. We also had several students successfully compete at Master Neill's tournament in Chapel Hill. Plus we got another great 8 week session of our "Parent and Me - Pre Li'l Dragons" class off to a great start with a crew of enthusiastic two and three year olds. Master Ellen Hendrix is amazing with this group. She absolutely captivates them for the entire class!
Also, coming up this Saturday (May 21st) I will have a HapKiDo training clinic followed directly by a Contemporary Jeet Kune Do training clinic. I'm sure we will have some super students and instructors attend !
We've also had some great friends come to visit EMA during the month of May. My good friend Master Will Schneider who owns a WHA charter school in Kentucky made a special trip from the blue grass state to check out our HapKiDo classes and see what is making our HKD program so exciting.
This weekend Master Derrick Harris who is also a member of the WHA will be coming down from the North East to attend our HapKiDo event and get some training in as he keeps working toward his HapKiDo 4th Degree black belt.
Next month, I'll be attending a special seminar in Clemmons that my friend Master Joe Needham is hosting where Helio Gracie's grandson - Ryron Gracie, will be teaching.
The very next week we will have our first summer camp session of this year. As Master Ellen Hendrix wraps up the camp, I'll be heading up to Pittsburgh, PA, to help my good friends Joe Cosetino and Michael Aloia prepare for their World HapKiDo Association 3rd Degree black belt test. Then WHA president Grand Master Tae Jung will be flying in to Pittsburgh and I will assist him with the black belt test and a day long seminar.
However, the fun is only beginning on that trip. On the way home, I'm going to deplane during my connection in Washington, DC. I'm going to rent a car and head over to Baltimore, MD so I can get in a training session with my good friend and Paul Vunak's right hand man - Sifu Harinder Singh in Contemporary Jeet Kune Do.
Once I get home, I'll be back in town a few days and then Grand Master Jung will be arriving in Greensboro and we are going to hold a WHA Black Belt test and seminar at Essential Martial Arts!
What a June !
On a personal note, I enjoy traveling and teaching. I love staying at home and directing Essential Martial Arts - seeing students and instructors continue to blossom in the arts. Basically, I just enjoy all things martial arts.
However, none of that would be possible if I didn't have such a supportive wife and children. She's my best friend and number one training partner. I can't thank her enough for putting up with a person who was lucky enough to turn their passion into a career. She just stays back in the shadows and keeps me glued together. She is truly a master of "Life Balance."
-Master Hendrix
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