Miyamoto Musashi, a famous Japanese swordsman, once wrote: “The true science of the martial arts means practicing them in such a way that they will be useful at any time, and to teach them in such a way that they will be useful in all things.” One summer day I asked my mother if I could do karate because there were many incidents in Egypt where people got kidnapped. I wanted to have at least a few karate tricks so that obviously it didn't happen to me… Again. My mother answered me and said "Yes Mazen, sure." That same day, I called my driver and went to all the karate places, and after two hours of going around Tirana looking for the best place, we finally found one.

Going to karate changed me because it taught me to be self-confident. The karate tricks that I learned helped me stand up in front of everyone and be less afraid. One time in class, back when I was a beginner, coach Erdi asked me to fight one of the people there to see where I was at, and I agreed and played the advanced boy in karate even though I was afraid. While I was fighting the boy, my mom kept on cheering for me and she gave me this sort of confidence and at this point I knew I could do it. From that day on, I learned that self confidence was a very important element for me, or anyone else to succeed in life.

Once my coach told me that everything is possible, believe it or not, this sentence changed me from this point on. It reminded me of when I used to fall off the skateboard and eventually stop skateboarding because I was terrible at it. That same day, after my karate class, I kept on trying to do the skateboard tricks and did not stop practicing until I was more confident to skateboard in the street and go to school with it. Karate helped me both physically and mentally. Now I feel more confident in myself to walk in the street alone and I am also less afraid of standing and talking in front of a crowd.

Karate also helped me be in a good shape and have a better lifestyle. I practiced karate moves every day at home and I took a class three times a week. I had to pass to the next level,  that was always my goal, I even favored practicing my karate moves than playing video games! It is really rare for me to favor something over video games. All this training made me stronger and helped me be healthier because I had to eat healthy food if I wanted my training to count, I can even see my family eating pizza and not take one bite!

Karate has shaped my life in many ways, and thanks to coach Erdi I am not afraid to walk in the streets by myself, I'm not afraid to have a fight with a person bigger and stronger than me, and after what he told me in karate class, I am never going to give up. If I fail I try again until I succeed.