After 5 Years of Training, Young Residents are Awarded Junior Black Belts

Succeeding in martial arts takes not only physical and mental strength, but a great deal of dedication and determination.

And on Saturday, two residents from Eastchester and one from New Rochelle proved that these qualities can be demonstrated at any age.

The three, who are between 12- and 13-years-old, received their junior black belts from the Eastchester-based Westchester Martial Arts Academy (WMAA), a process that took five years to complete.

"We say it to the rest of our students all the time. These three young men, when they first came in, were not the most physically talented, were not stand outs by any means, and they all overcame really intense emotional things, as far as mastering their fears and anxieties for different levels of the test," said Chuck Giangreco, owner and Chief Instructor of WMAA.

Giangreco worked extensively with 13-year-olds Jonathan DiSanto from Eastchester and Nicholas Belotti from New Rochelle and 12-year-old Robert Martin from Eastchester, over the last few years. 

In order to achieve black belt status each student is required to complete a two-mile run, a maximum push up exam, an entire curriculum break down. They also have to finish an oral question and answer session, a reading of a 250-word essay of "What Black Belt Means to Me" and finally, a sparring of 15 three-minute rounds—which is almost equal to the adult level black belt.

WMAA is the only school in Westchester and outside of Queens that is certified to teach Bruce Lee style Jeet Kune Do concepts directly from Lee's protégé and successor Dan Inosanto. The school has been open since 2003 and has seen over 5,000 students of all age ranges and levels.

And Belotti, DiSanto and Martin join a small group of the school's five junior black belts and three adult level black belts.

"We really want to cultivate the warrior in each student. The warrior has very little to do with fighting," said Giangreco. "When you define warrior from our point of view, it's someone who overcomes and triumphs over adversity. And if they can get through a test like this at 13 years old, then they can do anything they set their mind to. It teaches them that their biggest obstacle is overcoming their fears and anxieties."

And that mindset will no doubt help the boys as they continue through life and look towards future goals and careers.

For Belotti, his sights are set on the medical field and becoming a doctor, while Martin has expressed interest in becoming an entrepreneur and owning his own business.