Kaylee Christensen

About Kaylee 

1. Tell us a bit about yourself - e.g., school/work, other hobbies, etc. ("About Kaylee")

 I'm thirteen years old and in middle school. At school, some of my favorite subjects are science and orchestra. In orchestra, I play the violin and have been playing for about 3 years. I love music and have tried several other instruments (although I'm quite bad at them) such as the piano, ukulele, and very recently, the euphonium. In my free time, I like to paint, bake, and spend time with friends from school.

2. Did you have any athletic or martial arts experience before starting at JMAC, and if so, what was it? ("Athletic and/or Martial Arts Experience")

My first experience with martial arts was in taekwondo which I started with my brother when I was about 5 years old and continued until somewhat recently.

3. What brought you to Martial Arts / JMAC? ("Path to Martial Arts / JMAC")

I was first introduced to JMAC by my parents, who thought it would be something unique to try. I began training in Iaido when I was about 9 years old, and even though I had trained in martial arts before, JMAC was my first serious experience with traditional martial arts.

4. What's your favorite thing about JMAC? ("Favorite Aspects of JMAC")

One thing I love about Jmac is that there's always something new to learn. Suino Sensei once told me that in every five checkpoints in a technique there are another five checkpoints, and in those checkpoints there are another five checkpoints and so on. To me, that opportunity to be able to improve again and again is really satisfactory.

Another thing I love about JMAC is the environment. I've never felt unwelcome or uncomfortable at JMAC and everyone there is looking to support you and even though martial arts is most often an individual pursuit, it would never be the same without the amazing community at JMAC.  

5. What have been your biggest challenges since starting at JMAC? How have you been working through these challenges, or overcome them? ("Challenges and Adaptation in Training")

One challenge I have faced at JMAC is trying to not get frustrated with myself if I'm not doing something quite right yet. Whenever I would make a mistake I would think really negatively about it and this definitely took some of the joy out of Iaido. Now whenever I start getting angry at myself for not doing something perfectly I try to remember that mistakes are inevitable in martial arts and that they are essential to being able to get better.

6. What positive changes/growth have you seen in yourself since you started your training? ("Positive Changes & Growth")

I've noticed that since I started Iaido I've become a much more outgoing person. When I first started Iaido I was really scared of meeting new people and going to Iaido could be, at times, genuinely terrifying for me. The fact that I kept at it really helped me get over that fear and has made my life so much better.