Demo! at Oneida YMCA - Healthy Kids Day

A great day for a demo! On Saturday, April 29, 2023, the American Martial Arts Institute perfomed at the Oneida Family YMCA's Healthy Kids Day. Healthy Kids Day is a full day event was a FREE family fun day, featuring demonstrations, community vendors, special guests and more! Special guests included U.S. Olympic Archer Melody Richards, Meet & Greet with The Little Mermaid and musician Leah Shenandoah, and the American Martial Arts Institute.

Grandmaster Crandall and Headmaster Stalloch brought 12 students (ages 6-12, green belts and above), two red tops, and five instructors for the 45-minute performance which included a mock class, ippon kumites, hanzas, self-defense sparring, board breaking, and a meditation demonstration. We also gave out books and prizes to the audience.

One of the exciting moments of the demonstration was the board breaking. Board breaking is not a normal part of class, but is available in our school. One of the main opportunities for students to break boards is at our public demonstrations. Four students broke their first boards! They did a great job.

Also, Headmaster Stalloch performed a meditation demonstration of walking barefoot through broken glass in a demonstration of the power of the mind and the discipline that martial arts can help to build.

The demo ended with the announcement that the recent colored belt testing results would be posted later this weekend, and two students present who had tested were presented with their blue belts.

We are looking forward to coming back to the Oneida YMCA on June 15th to teach a Women's Self Defense Seminar, and we will be at the Masonic Home in Utica on July 8 at 2 pm for another public martial arts demonstration.

Thank you to Rebecca Rahauiser, Health and Wellness Director for the Oneida Family Y for organizing the event and hosting us.