Driven to learn about a new sport, Americans Adrien, 10, and Leonard Normand, 8, decided to practice karate in El Salvador, motivated by the idea of learning self-defense and, at the same time, investing their energy in this sport. discipline that requires resistance, coordination and balance.
The Normand brothers are karate fighters who come from a culturally diverse family, as their father is of French origin and their mother is American. They currently reside in the country due to the work of their mother, Jeannette, who works as a Natural Resources Management Officer for the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) in the country.
They practice this martial art from Monday to Friday at the Kai Aka dojo, in Santa Tecla, La Libertad. They attended, together with the Tecleño dojo, the El Salvador Cup organized on Saturday, February 10 by the Salvadoran Karate Federation in the Cuna del Mágico.
“I started practicing karate here in El Salvador because it helps me have discipline, to concentrate better on my other activities and, also, because it helps me learn self-defense and I like it because I have a lot of fun practicing it,” commented Adrien, from the children’s category.
During the day, the youngest of the Normands, Leonard, was very excited prior to his participation in the kata modality. Then, with the help of his mother and brother, he put on his shoes because it was time to demonstrate his skills in combat.
“I felt very happy to participate in kumite (combat). It’s the first time I’ve done it in front of many people. At first that made me a little nervous, but then I focused on the fight and I feel like I did well, the opponent was also very good when it came to fighting,” said Leonard from the children’s category.
Adrien won a bronze medal in his category after beating his opponent Joseph Martínez in kumite. This was cause for celebration for his mother, who watched him with pride as he received the tanned medal.
“This is a sport in which my children have learned discipline and how to manage their bodies and for me this is an art that they can truly perform for their entire lives. Furthermore, they really like this discipline since they also practice it at home,” said the American.
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