Friday, December 29, 2017

Sensei Green's first students, Octavian and Andreas Mosesian!

     Before Sensei Green opened his first karate school on January 17, 1998, he was an instructor for another martial arts school.  This is where he met Octavian and Andreas Mosesian.  The two boys are brothers and not by birth, they were both adopted.  Octavian and his brother were born in Romania.  They were brought to the states by a wonderful family.

     Andreas was a typical little boy.  Full of energy and very focused on his training.  Octavian was not much different in that respect except for a couple of very important factors. Octavian was born with only one arm and one leg.  Green, who wasn't a Sensei at the time was told by his instructor to teach both boys and focus mainly on Octavian because he would need the individual attention due to him missing his right arm and most of his left leg.  Octavian was 6 and Andreas 7 when they started their martial arts training.  

Green remembers saying "Are you serious," he is missing an arm and a leg!  How do you expect me to teach him?"  His instructor said "Figure it out!"  Green then said "Okay, I will teach him!"  Fortunately, Green had a lot of patience with the little boy and would work with him, teaching him the kata and combinations to for him to earn his first belt. Octavian had prosthetic's for his missing arm and leg. 

Octavian, just hanging out! 

                                                                              Octavian, as cool as can be! 

Green did exactly what he was told and he taught Octavian all the way to his first belt, yellow.  His brother Andreas earned his yellow belt as well.  At this point in time, Green went off and opened a brand new martial arts school for his instructor in another city. Green lost contact with Octavian for the next 12 years until Octavian Googled his name and found that Green was talking about him being his first student this entire time. Green and Octavian as well as his brother Andreas haven't seen each
other since the spring of 1997. 

                                               
Octavian stands by a Lamborghini Gallardo! 

When Green finally spoke with Octavian and Andreas via email and Facebook, Green learned that Andreas had served in the U.S. Navy and then become a professional fire breather, and has impressed many with his A-M-A-Z-I-N-G abilities in the the art of fire breathing.  (Do Not Try This At Home Kids!)  He even successfully completed an amazing feat while the Guinness Book of World Records were present but they didn't see what he did would qualify in their record books but all the peers in his world did!  Maybe, one day, Guinness can come back to see Andreas perform his "world class" performance again to ensure that what he did was truly a feat that is for the record books.  Andreas continues to raise the bar in his profession and has and will inspire millions with his amazing talents. 

Thank you so much for your service Andreas!  We are so proud of you!  

 Here is Andreas wowing the crowds as only someone with his talent can! 

This is one of Green's favorite pictures of Andreas! 

Both boys, now men, went through high school and graduated. Octavian went off to college to further his education.  Octavian he has pushed the bar, like Andreas, to what is undeniably and equally inspiring.  Octavian earned his master degree in Political Science at the University of Dallas, Texas in 2016! Who would have knew a boy with only an arm and leg would accomplish this in his future?  Adversity is an understatement about what he had experienced.  He overcame so many obstacles!  

Way to go Octavian! You did it! 

This goes to show you never know how someone might end up and how you can be an influence on their life and vice versa.  Octavian and Andreas are two incredible men that have became both two incredibly different people in life but are both successful in their lives nonetheless.   Cheers to both of you for your grit, determination, perseverance, focus, and most of all being YOU! You are both an inspiration to the world!  
Octavian smiling as he should for what he has accomplished! 

As this blog comes to a close, you can hopefully see that this journey of Green and his incredible students is just getting started.  Stay tuned for more inspiring stories!  Remember, you never how someone will turn out!  Hopefully you can be the positive light in the person's life that sparks (Andreas lol!) someone's fire inside them to help them pursue what they were meant to be. 
Green cannot wait for the day to come where he can finally be reunited to the very first two students he ever taught.  Maybe that day will come sooner rather than later.





     

Wednesday, December 27, 2017

How Green's Karate was started on January 17th 1998!


Nineteen years, eleven months and twenty days ago, Sensei Green went to the bank to see about getting a loan for his new business. He was told that he could not receive a loan because he didn’t have a business. Sensei Green then asked what would he have to do to receive a loan and the bank said they he would need to try to qualify for a signature loan. Sensei Green then responded “What’s that?” The banker official then said “It is like if you were going on vacation.” Sensei Green then replied “Well, I am on vacation then!” The bank official then said “Here you go!” Sensei Green took the $1,500.00 and purchased a sign for the road for $300, paid for the rental space ($718.00 to have class out of a gym 5 days a week, paid for an office space in the same building to sign people up ($200.00) and paid for insurance for the dojo which was a little over $200.00. In two weeks, he made $3,000.00.

Sensei Green then realized what being a entrepreneur was all about. It wasn't ever about money for Sensei Green however what he felt for the first time was freedom. Sensei Green went back to the bank, paid them off and the rest is history literally. Below is more of the story and the pictures to show the very beginning of the journey of Green's Karate (GK).













Without taking the financial risk, GK wouldn’t be known for whom we are today!

GK is a prominent martial arts school not only in the heart of Chattanooga, more so a more well known and recognized martial arts school "outside" of Chattanooga. Olympic Karate schools from New York to California to Florida and Chicago know of Sensei Green’s passion for teaching those with special needs and everyone else that is willing to learn.
One of the main ideas of GK was to teach those with special needs alongside those without needs. He has been teaching those with special needs for 20 years (as a footnote: Sensei Green taught before he opened GK) and has the first American with autism to ever win a medal in International Competition. This man, Ryan Rogers is also the first American with autism on the U.S. Karate Team. Rogers is on the U.S. Para Karate Team and is the first person from Chattanooga on the U.S. Karate Team!
People along the way inspired Green to do what he does and his unique upbringing was key to his ultimate success in the Olympic Karate world. You won’t find Sensei Green discussing this information with anyone in casual conversation. In only one month from today, the world is really going to know who Sensei Green is. On the 20th anniversary of GK, Sensei Green’s second book (Finding Karate, Amazon, 2013) Karate Wise will change the world and will teach people how to teach others with specials needs how to defend themselves. The reference manual, Karate Wise, has over one thousand pictures, fifty thousand words and is over three hundred pages. You will find "Karate Wise" on Amazon.com.
About the pictures: The patch was the original design of the Green’s Karate logo that Sensei Green designed on a students computer in 10 minutes. Since then, the logo has only had one change and was designed by Sensei Green’s multi-talented wife, Michelle Young. The empty gym room is the exact room that was leased for the amount mentioned above. The students picture were the original students to partake in GK's classes. You see a young Sensei Green teaching outdoor classes to a small group of students.
GK will not have classes on Wednesday, January 17th, 2018 and will instead have a celebration of success that has encapsulated many great memories, great performances in competition, the lives that have been saved through the self-defense techniques taught and in remembrance of the students that once trained and have moved onto the next life.
This celebration is dedicated to the passing of Darby Rouswell (29), Henry Babcock (22), Danny Cunningham (52), David Leach (15), Joesph Kershaw (39), Greg Kohn (44), Robbie Saxton (11), Warren Statts (17) and Josh Girves (17). Without these students in Sensei Green’s life, they wouldn’t have made the impact they did on him. May they all rest in peace.
Please come to the dojo from 4p.m. to 8p.m on Wednesday January 17, 2018 for our celebration. We will have a slideshow showing many pictures over the years! You are welcome to bring your own non-alcoholic drink. There will be some refreshments and horderves. Thank you for coming to this excellent time in history for Green’s Karate! See you there!