Submitted Photo From the left are Grand Master Jim Galati, Sensei Matt Benware, Junior Sensei Jesse Sack, Junior Sensei Cameron Matteson and Sensei Ken Charles. Missing is Master Sensei Matteson.

Sensei Jesse Sack advanced to his Shodan Junior black belt last month through the Fudozen Shorinji Kempo Karate organization, officiated by Grand Master Jim Galati.

Sack, a student at Fredonia Middle School, has been a member of The Family Martial Arts Center since 2013. As a role model and inspiration to many, he has proven to assist with bright futures in students. He has been involved in all our outreach programs to help families and he participated in several of our demonstrations.

Sack’s progression has been exciting and adventurous. The training consists of mental and physical endurance and challenges. One may think the martial arts is all physical, but most training is actually mental, including reading one’s body movements, telegraphing body placements, awareness of surroundings, confidence to make a wise choice, socializing with groups, ability to teach his own individual knowledge to students with precise accuracy, becoming a role model, using the skills learned in other life obstacles and skills, and to persevering as a young adult. Sack’s training consisted in punches, kicks, ground defense and offense, balance in the mind and body, grappling, weapons training and many other aspects of defense.

Sack, the son of Gino and Robin Sack, has been active for nearly seven years in the Kempo Martial Arts.