Darien Martial Arts Looks To a New Year Without Star Seniors
NEIRAD enilno edition
With a big group of seniors graduated, the high school group at Darien Martial Arts is going to miss the presence of several accomplished masters.
“They are friends, they really help with training, and they are always open to questions,” senior William Yuan said. “We lose a lot of seniors, but we have college kids and former graduates like BMHS 2009 graduate Austin Kays-Henry and 2007 graduate Eddie Malecki still here; a lot of college kids keep coming even after high school.” The graduating seniors include DHS 2010 graduates Brian Geraghty, Connor Gregory, Wesley Morehouse, and Alex Palmer.
The fact that guys keep coming even after they graduate shows how close knit the group is, and how dedicated they are to martial arts. Sensei (a teacher) Andrew Scala says the guys will sometimes get together after a class and go out for some wings. One of the philosophies for Darien Martial Arts Scala is to involve students in the training of one another. This practice allows the guys to get close knit, but it also means when a big group of students leaves it can change the whole atmosphere of the class.
“Some students are invaluable to others in that they serve as great role models for the younger generation,” Mr. Scala says. “And the younger students can have a glimpse of themselves a few years from now.”
“Martial arts has helped me to become a more disciplined, and wiser person,” Geraghty said. “I’m going to Skidmore University next year, I’m going to study medicine, and find myself a dojo and probably take it over and charge less than it was charging before and keep on training.”
A lot of credit can go to Mr Scala, who backs up his teaching with lots of experience. He trained in Japan, and what he brings is a way of instruction that is different from many other modern martial arts schools. He teaches several different martial arts and goes in depth with each particular discipline. One week they will train in karate, the next week they will train in Aikido, and every Friday they train in the use of bo staff. The most advanced students can even have a chance to train in sword and chain.
The way Mr. Scala trains his students may be confusing to someone walking in for the first time: one might ask, why aren’t they fighting one another? Isn’t the best way to practice to gain fighting experience? Mr. Scala spends a lot of time instructing his students in the principles behind the different martial arts through practice of forms and going through the motions. (check out the video!)
“Many schools spend very little time understanding the forms arguing they have no practical application. I disagree,” Mr. Scala says. “The forms condition every muscle, they teach the practitioner not to rely on their physical strength but develop true power through finesse and understanding of movement, and the forms train the mind by building the power of extended focus and concentration.”
One thing that separates Darien Martial Arts from other places may be the devotion its students show to practicing the art. Geraghty has been training with Mr Scala since 5th grade. Now, Geraghty is the most advanced in his group with three black belts in Aikido, Karate, and Bojitsu (bo staff). When he was younger he trained with class of 2007 DHS graduates Chandler Hill, Trevor Nelson, and Eddie Malecki.
Geraghty can distinctly recall the personalities of all three guys. He could look at Malecki and start laughing and he’s a good guy, very solid in martial arts. Hill was calm and collected and always ready to smile and work hard. Nelson had a lot of hurdles and stumbled along the way but he had the strength of character within. Each was a role model in his own way for the younger students, but an important part of martial arts is being able to follow your own path.
“I hope to have the technique of Eddie, the mentality of Chandler, and the durability of Trevor,” Geraghty said. “But in the end I have to be my own black belt.”
