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An exercise in self-confidence
By SHERYL KAY
© St. Petersburg Times, LUTZ -- It's a long way from Luque, a small village in Paraguay, where Greg Diaz grew up, to northern Hillsborough County, where he now lives and works.
"I was raised on the poor side of town, and if you weren't strong over there, you better stay home," Diaz said. "I was very shy, and I was teased very much." The media introduced Diaz to martial arts when he was about 8 and the bullying was at its peak. "They didn't teach kids back then, but I started watching movies, and then a friend started to teach me," he said. Eventually Diaz enrolled in formal training in tae kwon do. "At first I just wanted to fight, but then I started to understand the discipline," said Diaz. "Based on that, when people started to make fun of me I would walk away. I learned to control myself. I knew my potential, and I knew I could kick them and hurt them." Diaz received his black belt at age 18 and then became an instructor. Today a sixth-degree black belt master, he is the owner of the Number One Karate studio at 14837 N Dale Mabry Highway, teaching adults and children a form of tae kwon do called Songahm. But his experiences as a youth didn't only shape his career ambitions; they also gave him great compassion and understanding for the underdog. Today Diaz, 41, offers a class at the studio that meets every Saturday morning at 9 a.m., for challenged and handicapped children. The class is free. When the class began in 1997 there were five students. Today 23 are registered. "We have kids who have trouble paying attention and following directions," said Diaz, who lives in Lutz. "We don't treat them like handicapped. We treat them like regular kids. We teach them everything, but we do it slower, give more personal attention. "We also use a lot of body language because these kids need to see it to follow us," he added. Diaz believes that martial arts not only exercise children's bodies, but also help shape their self-confidence and the way they act with others. "The first thing they do when they get to school is say hello sir or madam, and they have to bow to each other," Diaz said. "We teach them how to listen, how to follow directions, and our goal is to get them to behave like that anywhere else they go." Ivan Valentin, 14, of Citrus Park, was the first student from this special class to receive his black belt one year ago. Ivan suffers from a muscle disorder called mitochondrial myopathy, and so the feat was nothing short of a miracle. "Its given him so much pride and confidence," said his mother, Neli. "When he started lessons he could barely run around that little room, and now he cannot only run, but he can kick and do the moves like regular kids." As for holding a class for up to 23 children and not charging any of them, Diaz says he would not do it any other way. "The only way to get something from community is to give something to them too, and this is our way to give," Diaz said. "We want to give to the special kids because its motivating for them, and that makes it rewarding for us."
 © 2006 • All Rights Reserved • St. Petersburg Times
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From the Times |
