Local karate kids prove martial arts take dedication, focus
HOLLISTER
Without anyone asking him, Noah Fort routinely walks out into the front yard of his Hollister home to practice martial arts. It could be as early as 6 a.m., school hasn’t even started yet, and Fort will be on the wet grass, practicing with his bowstaff.
Yes, martial arts takes a high level of dedication.
“First it’s practice, then school,” the 6-year-old Fort said. “I want my forms to be really good.”
His father, Nathan, who was recently named Grand Champion at both the California State Championships in Oakland last month and the Golden Gate Internationals in Santa Clara on April 11, said Fort dedicates 80 percent of his time to weapons, which is one of the disciplines in martial arts.
“That’s something he’s really gifted in,” Nathan said.
And practice — from his early-morning routines on the lawn to his after-school sessions at the dojo — is paying off.
Fort, a blue belt, which is the midway point to first-degree black belt, was awarded first in weapons at both the state championships and Golden Gate Internationals earlier this month; the remaining 20 percent of practice time he dedicates to other disciplines has not gone to waste, though.
He’s placed first 35 times in his young career, in everything from traditional forms, open weapons forms, sparring, self-defense demonstration and board breaking, and was recently first in forms at state as well.
At Golden Gates, though, which is one of the largest and most prestigious tournaments in the world, with competitors hailing from Canada, Mexico and Europe, Fort was fourth in sparring and second in traditional forms.
It was only the second time in his career that he’s finished second in traditional forms, which are a series of moves that test one’s focus, concentration, balance and power.
“For his age, that’s pretty phenomenal,” said Mark Preader, a fifth-degree black belt and master instructor at West Coast Martial Arts under master Ernie Reyes.
“You see a lot of students at a higher level do what he does,” Preader added. “In terms of dedication, skill and overall knowledge, he’s at a very high level.”
Fort’s goal remains first-degree black belt by the age of 10, which would be a “great feat,” Preader said, as only 1 in 5 people who train in martial arts ever achieve that status.
Black belt is also the goal of Cristian Correa, 7, who recently took home several honors at both state and Golden Gate. A purple belt, Correa was second in traditional forms, third in weapons with a bowstaff and fourth in sparring at state, and second in weapons, first in forms and third in sparring at Golden Gate.
“I get to do the cool kicks, the cool moves,” said Correa, who has been training for two years and practices roughly two hours a day.
“We do quite a bit of training,” said father, Art, who used to compete in martial arts. “It’s just a matter of opening them up and getting them interested.”
Just last weekend, Correa boasted a trio of top spots — he took first in sparring, first in forms and first in weapons at the Best of the Best in Tracy.
Martial arts isn’t just for the boys, though. Kai Dickens, 7, pleaded with her father to take up the sport after West Coast Martial Arts conducted a presentation at Ladd Lane Elementary. The fact that she was competing against mostly boys didn’t hold her back either.
“I get to beat boys,” said Dickens, a green belt. “I knocked them down, 6-0, two of them.”
Competing at a West Coast Martial Arts tournament in Santa Clara earlier this month, a tournament that includes the association’s 15 to 20 schools, Dickens was first in sparring and defeated all male competitors in the 5- to 7-year-old pee wee division.
“She’s no pee wee, though,” Preader said.
Noah Sabarez, 9, also competed at the association’s tournament in Santa Clara, where he finished in first place in both forms and sparring among 8- to 9-year-old brown belts. He turned 9-years-old the following day.
Sabarez has been involved with martial arts for the last two years, and even trained with two studios in Monterey. Nothing clicked until he joined Preader’s dojo, though.
Now, his mother, Kathy, often jokes that if he could live there, he would.
“They made an instant connection and he’s loved it ever since,” Kathy said. “He just needed to find the right instructor.”
At the California State Championships last month, Sabarez finished third in sparring. When asked what his goal was in the sport, Sabarez said simply, “To get good at it,” as if he’s not where he wants to be just yet.
“Always a student, right?” Preader said.
Preader’s Hollister studio has been in high demand of late. West Coast Martial Arts had to move within the last year after it filled capacity at its Airline Highway location, and its quickly doing the same at its new location on Tres Pinos Road, where its churning out dedicated and focused individuals.
Some are even displaying their talents to other schools, in other states. In an effort for instructors to teach traditional forms properly, an affiliated studio in Tucson, Ariz., recently watched video of Noah Fort conducting a set routine.
Said Nathan, “He knows what he wants and he’s working for it.”
