I first discovered Thousand Waves when I attended a belt ceremony for Mario; he was receiving his yellow belt.  I loved the non-threatening energy of the place and vowed to look into it further at a later date.  Needless to say, I got distracted with other things.  A few months later, he suggested that we take a weekend-long self-defense class together, and my interest was piqued.  Once we started learning how to break holds and throw a few well-placed punches at our attackers, I was hooked, and I signed up for classes shortly afterward.  In the spirit of full-disclosure, I'm still the lowest level of white belt, but I now look forward to attending classes three times a week, and I absolutely ADORE the mental, physical, and occasionally spritual workouts. Karate has helped me focus my mind and body in such new and inspiring ways that I never dreamt possible. I also love that this dojo, in particular, focuses more on avoiding violence than embracing it.  The best fight is always the one you can avoid!