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🥋 Weekly Warrior #53 A Love Letter to Our Team — Growth Through Competition in Vero Beach Martial Arts
- Dave Tenedorio
- Mar 8
- 4 min read
This past weekend reminded me of something I had forgotten.
The power of competition.
Not the trophies.Not the rankings.Not even the wins.
But the growth that happens when people push themselves beyond what they thought they were capable of.
This is a love letter to the students who represented House of Warriors and our Vero Beach martial arts community this past weekend.
Students ranging from 8 years old to 50 years old who chose to step onto the competition floor and represent something bigger than themselves.
And they did it with pride.
My History With Competition in Martial Arts
When I first began competing in Tang Soo Do, I started as a black belt.
I traveled all over the state of Florida competing with fellow studios, many of them right here in the Vero Beach martial arts circuit.
Eventually I competed nationally within our organization and even had the honor of being selected to represent our region on Team Florida.
Those experiences were incredible.
Competition sharpened my skills, pushed me harder than I thought possible, and gave me memories that stayed with me long after the trophies collected dust.
But after I retired from competition in 2008, something changed.
The tournament scene didn’t feel the same anymore.
I lost the desire to compete.And I lost the desire to coach competitors.
For years, I simply chose not to put my students through that process.
The Moment That Changed Everything
Earlier this year, something unexpected happened.
One of my students — now my right-hand man — came to me and said something that stuck with me.
He said,
"We need to be represented."
He understood that I wasn’t as fond of tournaments anymore. But he believed our studio should still step onto that floor.
At first I explained my hesitation.
When you coach competitors, you have to push them harder than usual.
Sometimes very hard.
And sometimes that pressure can strain relationships between instructor and student.
But his words stayed with me.
And eventually I realized something:
Maybe it was time.
Six Weeks of Preparation in Our Vero Beach Martial Arts Studio
We selected a portion of our newly formed demo team and asked them if they wanted the opportunity.
Every single one of them said yes.
Some were excited.Some were nervous.
But they were all willing.
For the next six weeks, we trained hard.
One of my adult students told me afterward that we completed 37 training sessions in total.
And something incredible began to happen.
I saw growth.
Not just in their techniques.
But in their presentation, confidence, discipline, and composure.
And this wasn’t limited to the kids.
The teens and adults experienced the same transformation.
At that moment, I realized something important.
It may have been a mistake to avoid competition for so many years.
Because I had forgotten how powerful the coaching process can be.
Coaching Students to Their Highest Level With Vero Beach MArtial Arts
When you coach competitors, you see a different side of martial arts.
You push students harder than normal.
You hold them to higher standards.
You demand more precision, more focus, more effort.
But when they rise to meet that challenge, something amazing happens.
They grow.
And I realized how much I missed helping students reach their highest level and beyond.
Representing Our Vero Beach Martial Arts Family
This tournament was never about winning.
It was about representation.
When our students stepped onto that floor, they represented:
• their instructors• their teammates• their training• their discipline• their studio
And they represented House of Warriors and Vero Beach martial arts with incredible pride.
The Results Were Remarkable
Statistically, our team achieved an 88% success rate among our 18 competitors.
Most teams would be thrilled with 50% success.
Our students far exceeded what a team of that size normally achieves.
But the statistics only tell part of the story.
Some students felt emotional when they didn’t win immediately.
But we reminded them:
We prepared for this.
And when another event appeared later in the day…
They stepped back onto the floor.
And cleaned up.
That moment of resilience may have been more important than any medal.
The Real Victory Was Growth
Watching these students compete reminded me of something I had almost forgotten.
Competition isn’t about trophies.
It’s about growth.
It’s about pushing past fear.
It’s about representing something bigger than yourself.
And seeing students discover strength they didn’t know they had.
Now after six weeks of preparation and a full weekend of competition…
It might be time for a little rest.
But one thing is certain.
I remember now just how important competition can be to the development of anyone.
And I’m incredibly proud of every student who stepped onto that floor.
🛡️ House of Warriors – Vero Beach Martial Arts for Kids, Adults, and Self-Defense
Come visit House of Warriors and discover how martial arts can make a difference.
#MartialArtsVeroBeach #KidsMartialArts #KarateVeroBeach #SelfDefenseFlorida #TeenMartialArts #FitnessThroughKarate #HouseOfWarriors #TheWeeklyWarrior
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