ABOUT US
Sensei Aziz has been teaching at TFNC since the program began. His teaching style—passionate, precise, perfectionist—reflects 42 years of intense dedication to the field of martial arts, which Aziz began studying at the age of eight, under the tutelage of his brother. “I was from the beginning obsessed with the martial arts,” says Aziz. “I would practice four to five times a day, in parks, projects hallways, on roofs, anywhere I could find that was quiet and deserted. My early training was not for competition, it was for survival in the South Bronx, where I lived. And in fact, martial arts did save my life. There was a period in my teens when the streets really had me, and my martial arts teacher at the time, Master Bilal, was there for me and helped me to get on the straight path. “But eventually I did begin competing, in the 1970s. I have won hundreds, probably thousands, of tournaments. I don’t keep track any more. And I am still competing, and winning, on the national level. But at this point in my life the most important thing to me is saving children by training and teaching karate.
I have over 300 students at TRUCE Fitness and Nutrition Center. I know I have a gift, I have a lot to teach. But I also have a lot to learn. My technique must always improve both mentally and physically. If the instructor improves, then the student improves. The skill of an able teacher lies not necessarily in the transfer of information, but rather in awakening the mind of the learner. My dream is to inspire others, particularly young people, so that we may all work not just to better ourselves, but also to better the world. Remember, karate is not only karate, it is life. ”For Sensei Aziz, students and teachers alike get the most out of life, and out of the martial arts, only when they put their best into it. And everyone’s best can be achieved only through discipline, focus, effort. That is what he demands of himself and his students in every class, and that is what he gets.
Before entering the TFNC dojo, students remove their outer clothing, such as coats and hats, and take off their shoes. Standing in their gi, or training clothes, at the threshold, they bow and say, “Onegaishimasu,”which means “please help me,” and receive a welcoming nod from Aziz in return. One entire wall of the dojo, and much of the floor space in front of it, is completely covered with trophies won by Sensei and his students in martial arts tournaments. With its dark mats on the immaculate floor, and gleaming trophies catching the overhead lights, the dojo looks more like a shrine than a classroom. And that is how both students and Sensei view and treat it.
“Ebony, Emmanuel, are you part of this class?” Sensei asks as the lesson begins. The two youngest members of the martial arts class, both five years old, nod solemnly. “Then straighten your gi!” At that sharp command, not only Ebony and Emmanuel, but all the students quickly check the belt that holds the jacket of their traditional martial arts uniform. Although the dojo is crowded with more than 30 karate students, there is no sound in the room except for the voice of Sensei and the soft thud of feet as the first six students demonstrate the katas, or forms, of the basic exercises while the others watch, sitting erect on their mats.