The reason why I have stayed at Mudo after all this time is because "my dad made me come here." Just kidding, all jokes aside, Mudo has been a great place for me to self improve and refine my skills at this establishment of learning. Discipline, Determination, Perseverance, are examples of the many skills that have been developed here.

While one still may ask what is different when comparing Mudo to other taekwondo schools. Mudo has provided numerous learning opportunities whether we are talking about the black belt seminars, competing in tournaments or board breaking seminars. Master Iacobucci helps each student build character, confidence and strength. No matter how many problems you face in the outside world, I have always found Mudo as a great place to help discover who you are.

Even when the whole pandemic hit, Master Iacobucci still managed to continue his teachings so it prevented me and countless other students from becoming too rusty away from his teachings. During the online zoom classes, Master Iacobucci was able to focus on each student's flaws in patterns, kicking and blocking techniques. Making each student better in their poomsae, striking and defending.

I have also enjoyed the competitions that I have gone to where I have competed in poomsae and sparring. It was always a great way to display the skills that you have worked on in the competition classes. It was always a great experience to do those classes because the competitor classes have been different from the more traditional classes since you learn more different types of teachings beyond specifically formal taekwondo.

In my first year of competing, I faced a tough opponent in sparring and lost by many points. That match was always in the back of my mind while training after that tournament. I found myself training harder and making my kicks and punches sharper. The following year, I found myself facing the same opponent in competition. This time I was ready. During that sparring match it was pretty even and came down to the golden point. I saw my opponent was coming in for a roundhouse kick, I remembered one of the counters I learned in competition class. I gave my opponent a back kick and won the match.

From age 7, I have been here at Mudo and one thing I have learned is when you fall down, you get back up again and continue. This has been a major learning experience from these teachings. No matter how big the challenge may seem, the important thing is to continue. This has been something I have applied to in life and I will continue to apply it to life later on. At Mudo Academy, I have a place where I can continue to aspire to get better. Success never comes before work except in the dictionary. In order to give yourself the best chance to succeed, you need to visualize your plan to achieve your goals and you need to put in the serious work. Being at Mudo has shown me how to put in the hard work to help achieve my goals.

That was a big difference between Mudo and many other schools is the knowledge that was learned throughout each class. At Mudo, I also have the opportunity to develop leadership skills. While I have been helping teach the younger generation in the AI classes, I found it beneficial for me to help learn how to teach and to help fine tune my understanding in taekwondo. It has also helped with school, whenever I have had to prepare for tests or exams, Mudo has helped my focus stay on track answering difficult questions. The leadership experience that I have gotten from here is something you cannot get from many jobs that are out there. After being at Mudo Academy after all this time, it has improved my well being all around and has helped me become a better person. I wish to continue to learn as much as I can while being here so I can continue to get better as a martial artist. The knowledge and experience that I have received from here is the reason why I have stayed at Mudo after all this time.