Yong Studios Instructors - Interview with Mr. Khorami

Mr. Khorami earned his Black Belt at Yong Studios. He assists in teaching several of the children's classes and is always around to help students on an individual basis.

Q: What inspired you to start studying martial arts?

Martial arts, as depicted on TV, are flashy, showy, eye-catching wonders that any child or adult should find captivating. As a kid, I saw it in Power Rangers and on cable in old Jackie Chan movies. The TV made it look easy and like something that I would want to do. The start of my martial arts career didn’t come for the desire to gain self-discipline or to be at inner peace with myself. Plain and simple, I wanted to be able to kick someone’s butt. The rest of the benefits would become apparent later on.

Q: How has the study of martial arts changed your life?

Before beginning my study, I was un-athletic and had no real direction. This is partly because I was young at the time, but tae kwon do gave me a definite outlook on life and a better perception of myself. I started seeing myself as a stronger person and in turn, became a stronger person. The way we were trained early on created a stubbornness that I would not let go of. I wanted my kicks to look a certain way and I wanted to stretch an exact way. I could will myself to do things, an attitude that carried on to different parts of my life. When Ms. Pucciarelli brought in different types of practices and ways to stretch, I learned to be more aware of not only my outlook, but my physical body and how energy flows through it. This second type of study taught me to be aware of myself and gave me more control over my body and mind.

Q: What do you enjoy most about teaching martial arts?

Nothing makes me happier than when one of the kids listens to what I say, keeps listening to what I said, and actually continues practicing what I have taught them. From what I can recall, I only remember three or four students who have actually done this, but their parents have been grateful, telling me how much of a help I am and how their kid is up before their bedtime practicing. Though it is probably more dependent on the kid’s own self-motivation, it is still a good feeling to know that I have contributed at least a little to that inspiration.

Q: What keeps you here?

It's true that what we do includes multitudes of unnatural movements and awkward positions. For many, those movements continue to be unfamiliar. Thankfully, I've learned to make roundkicks, sidekicks and other strikes a part of my natural movements. At the same time, there are still small things to correct about these moves. There are always ways to make them more natural and more efficient. It's my desire to keep my movements sharp and to keep improving them that lets me keep training. If you don't practice walking, you'll forget to walk well. If you don't practice writing, you'll forget to write well. If I don't keep training, I'll forget and lose an entire part of my life.

Instructors