Ian Beardslee

Ian is a 5th Degree Black Belt in Zen Do Kai, with the title of Shihan. His Falcons Martial Arts 'family' consists of clubs in Wellington and Masterton, teaching Zen Do Kai and BJC Muay Thai.

Ian says ... "I've been training in Zen Do Kai since 1988. As well as training in BJC Muay Thai, I have also 'dabbled' a bit in Judo and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. All this started way back when I was 16 and wanted to get a bit of exercise, the plan was to go along for a couple of weeks to find out what 'those karate types' did to get fit and then leave ... sigh ... sometimes things just don't work out as you expect."

"Considering why I started, I still find it disconcerting that I am here where I am now. A couple of times at things like out of town Black Belt classes, I've looked around and realised with an element of shock that I was the highest rank in the class. A reminder that you have to believe in yourself and commit yourself to continue trying, then whatever you choose to define as success will happen."

"There have been a couple of glitches over the years, I lost my first kickboxing fight and I failed my first attempt at my 4th degree grading. But the successes from getting back up again far outweigh those temporary setbacks. My 3rd Degree grading was a highlight, I felt my 5th Degree grading made up for things after my 4th degree grading. It's not just my successes that have created value for me, seeing my students achieve goals, seeing them grow as martial artists and people."

"For inspiration I look to my students who remind that me that because they are getting better I need to make sure I keep one step ahead of them. We all must remember that there will always be people that we can learn from and people that we can help learn, everyone has their own strengths and their own weaknesses."

"Ultimately I'm trying to learn and understand concepts that I can bring to build the knowledge and understanding of my students, which in turn can help build the knowledge retained within the Zen Do Kai system. I'm wanting to be able to have a positive contribution to the further development of our organisation. Be part of the direction of where things go and how we get there."