Sep 16, 2026 | Latest News
Another reason I love the martial arts is the power of knowledge over brute force. I was small as a child. I’m small as an adult. I’ve always been slight. The only time I was ever larger than normal was at birth. My earliest memories always include me as...
Sep 8, 2026 | Latest News
The next thing I love about the martial arts is the fact that a proper school is called a dojo. Although I had seen martial arts performed in movies, had been exposed to martial arts schools, and had even trained in one before I understood the word, my earliest memory...
Aug 31, 2026 | Latest News
The belt test itself is only half the story. What comes after — the graduation ceremony — is where the transformation is made official. After the sparring was over, after every candidate had been put through every phase of the test, we lined up just as we had at the...
Aug 27, 2026 | Character, Latest News
One of the most exciting times after I began training in the martial arts was the prospect of taking my first belt test to earn my Yellow Belt. I was awarded my White Belt before I began taking group classes, and this test was my first real challenge after having...
Aug 26, 2026 | Latest News
Another aspect of the martial arts that I love is the philosophy — that there is a special code to live by, important tenets that outline the responsibilities that accompany martial arts skill. All of my childhood comic book heroes had some type of code, lines they...
Aug 16, 2026 | Latest News
From Little Dragon to Black Belt: A Student’s 14-Year Journey at Scornavacco Martial Arts Academy Every so often a student writes something that reminds me why I do this work. Lex Lomanov started in our Little Dragons class at four years old and just...
Aug 12, 2026 | Character, Choosing a School, Latest News
A Veteran’s Perspective: What’s Really Happening on the Mat at SMAA Last week I had a conversation with one of my adult students, Steve Burczyk, that I thought was worth sharing with you directly. Steve is a former Army Drill Sergeant and school teacher...
Aug 4, 2026 | Latest News
One martial arts ritual I have come to love is the opening and closing — the bowing in and bowing out — of each class. In each class, students line up according to their earned rank, by belt color, highest to lowest, with the instructor facing the class. Everyone...
Jul 15, 2026 | Latest News
Before I ever set foot in a dojo, I already knew two things about martial arts: masters wore black belts, and beginners wore white. Brown belts were almost black belts. And somewhere in between were various colors that nobody outside the school could quite keep...
