Noah Fort, 5, has taken several firsts in karate and is already
eyeing black belt status
It’s perhaps no wonder why 5-year-old Noah Fort is a step ahead
of the competition.
After watching the U.S. Open Martial Arts Championships on
television last year with his father, Nathan, Noah began to take to
the sport of karate with more passion and intensity, mimicking the
loud kiai cries of competitors, wanting to mimic the thumb-breaking
power of the black belt’s on TV, even if his test in black belt
wasn’t for another five years.
Noah Fort, 5, has taken several firsts in karate and is already eyeing black belt status
It’s perhaps no wonder why 5-year-old Noah Fort is a step ahead of the competition.
After watching the U.S. Open Martial Arts Championships on television last year with his father, Nathan, Noah began to take to the sport of karate with more passion and intensity, mimicking the loud kiai cries of competitors, wanting to mimic the thumb-breaking power of the black belt’s on TV, even if his test in black belt wasn’t for another five years.
“It was the turning point,” Nathan said of the U.S. Open. “He saw that and turned it up a notch. He said that’s what I’m gonna be.”
It is funny the effect visuals tend to have on kids, though. Prior to watching the U.S. Open, Nathan and Noah were at a Hollister McDonald’s, peering across the street at a local martial arts school. Wanting to get a closer look at the action, the Forts walked across the parking lot to the school and snuck a peek through the large, open windows.
If watching the U.S. Open was the turning point, watching a class at West Coast Martial Arts was the starting point.
“It looked really awesome,” Noah said simply. “I get to train with my dad. I like to compete. I like to do sparring and do forms.”
A kindergartner at Ladd Lane Elementary, Fort remembers his first lesson of more than a year ago as if he were taught the moves just last week, going through the motions of attention, ready position, sparring stance, up block and front kick with particular ease.
Of course, when you’re as good as Fort is in forms, it’s almost second nature.
A series of moves that test one’s focus and concentration, forms is essentially defending yourself against multiple attackers, said Mark Preader, a fifth-degree black belt and master instructor at West Coast Martial Arts under master Ernie Reyes.
“As far as technique skill, [Noah] is very far ahead of some adults,” Preader said. “But the fact that he’s 5 shows anyone can do it.”
Fort took first in forms at a recent tournament in San Jose that welcomed some 20 schools and 800 competitors. Said Nathan, who joined West Coast Martial Arts the same time as Noah did, “He dominates in forms and the scores aren’t even close.”
In fact, Noah has taken first in forms in each of the five competitions he’s competed in, each time defeating approximately 10 other kids in his division. And just in this previous tournament, Fort also took first in sparring, which awards points for punches and kicks.
“I felt great,” he said.
Having never taken first before – Fort normally finished in second or third place – Noah said he had been working on offensive combinations, including the back-fist-roundhouse-reverse-punch combo.
And it’s Noah’s front kicks that have many impressed. Fort’s front kick appears to be a simple kick at first, but Preader says the leg is extended and held still for a split-second in order to show strength, form and technique.
“I don’t think any of the adults can do it like him,” Nathan said. “He’s locking his kicks at his chest. I’m having difficulty at my waist.”
Nathan adds that Noah doesn’t know what it is to be shy, which is evident in the way he trains. At a class earlier this week, Fort knew each and every drill and handled it as if he were training for the U.S. Open. He bowed on and off the mat, delivered the loudest kiai’s and answered everything that was asked of him with a, “Yes, sir!”
Currently in the black dragon belt group, Noah has every intention of reaching black belt status before he turns 10.
“The main focus of our program is to character build,” Preader said. “It’s about being the best person you can be in every way.
“When they start young and progress through the training, they’ll understand what it means to become a black belt. If you have the skill, the drive and the determination, it doesn’t matter what age you’re at.”
Engaged within some friendly karate competition with his father, Noah is determined to reach that next step and stay one step ahead of Nathan.
When Preader asked what exactly a black belt is, Noah didn’t hesitate.
“A black belt is a white belt that never gave up,” he said.
