How the lessons on the mat brought a student to Chicago
Posted: May 17, 2019
Chris Bonarrigo now lives in Chicago and works in the architecture field.
Posted: May 17, 2019
Chris Bonarrigo now lives in Chicago and works in the architecture field.
Posted: May 17, 2019
Conrad and Eric Wu have been PBK students for 10 years.
Posted: May 17, 2019
Julia Mulvaney during the Black Belt Spectacular.
Posted: May 17, 2019
Matt Drain was eight years old when he started karate classes at the Personal Best Karate in Foxboro. His father was a martial artist, but it was really a cartoon that promised Matt the life he wanted.
“I saw the cartoon ‘Samurai Jack’ and was amazed that despite his own weaknesses and faults he could overcome both emotional and physical danger,” Matt explained. “I desperately wanted to be like Jack – I was emotional and uncoordinated. I wanted to be stronger and better able to handle my feelings as I was often the smallest and least mature of my peers.”
Matt immediately fell in love with the PBK environment and camaraderie. He also grew interested in the history of martial arts. He recognized the need and simplicity for the movements the students are taught. “For example, forms are not just forms,” Matt said. “They are what people were taught for years to honor their history.”
Posted: May 17, 2019
Avantika Naik is just one Ranger who has climbed the Black Belt ladder. Last January, she was awarded her Third Degree Black Belt at the PBK Black Belt Spectacular.
She has come a long way since joining the Personal Best in Foxboro when she was five. "My parents wanted me to learn self-defense," she recalled."I just loved everything about it."
Her favorite part of her training is the sparring program. "I love sparring because you get to choose the techniques - you have to decide in the moment whether to move forward or find an opening," she explained. "It incorporates stamina, reaction and thought process."