Student of the Month

KinteBarnesOur Student of the Month for April is… Kinte Barnes! Kinte trains in Kung-Fu, Karate, Muay Thai, and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. He often comes to three classes a day!  Kinte (who is a very physically fit individual) told me that he got tired of the “gym” and decided to do the martial arts. He found it was a lot harder than going to the gym, and he decided to stick with it.

Kinte originally started his training with Judo, and he had done about two years of that prior to starting his training with us. He’s been at Plus One for about eight months now, and he expressed that the training is calming for him. It helps him think more clearly and be more focused. He says that he has been surprised at how mentally challenging martial arts training really is. Kinte really loves that the arts are both physically and mentally engaging. He’s absolutely hooked, and in fact, during his interview he described his training desire and said, “You gave raw meat to a shark. Now I’m hungry for a lot more!” (Kinte, I think that’s probably one of my favorite Student of the Month interview quotes of all time.)

When not training at the dojo, Kinte enjoys spending time with his girlfriend and his kids. Kinte also works out a lot at his house.

Overall, Kinte says that the martial arts have helped to boost his confidence levels and diminish the level of fear that he has in everyday living. He says that knowing he can defend himself, if needed, “is an awesome thing.” He describes the dojo as his second home and comes to about 15 classes a week.

Keep up the awesome work, Kinte! It’s a pleasure to have you in class, and I know all your fellow classmates feel the same. You bring a warm smile, a great attitude, and a hard work ethic to every single class. I look forward to your continued growth in the arts!