My 1st Degree Black Belt:

My name is Tomer Sheelo, and I attend El Camino Real High School. My journey at Team Karate Centers started when I was only eight years old. I was so happy to begin taking martial arts classes, and the energy filled instructors made me passionate about karate. After earning my Blue Belt, at ten years old, injuries held me back from continuing to take karate class. A few years passed and I was still interested in martial arts when I was thirteen, and I came to the studio with my mom and sister. My mom signed my sister up for karate and Master Fariborz convinced me to sign up too and continue my journey. I was very excited to join the teen classes taught by Master Fariborz himself. Learning directly from Master Fariborz was a wonderful experience as he made classes fun and memorable. A few months into my training, I was suggested to move to the Adult Class taught by Mr. Terry. In his class I was surrounded by adults more than double my age and experience, and this pushed me to try even harder. Mr. Terry trained me and coached me in such a wonderful way that no words can explain. I was then committed to martial arts more than ever before and even knee surgery did not stop me from attending classes. I trained countless hours under Mr. Terry and Master Fariborz as they got me ready for this point of my Black Belt Journey. My journey to achieve Black Belt Excellence has opened my eyes to see what undiscovered potential I have within myself. I am honored to be a part of Team Makoto; my team inspired me and pushed me to succeed. I would like to thank my family a million times for pushing me to succeed and for allowing me to go through such a wonderful experience of earning a Black Belt. Learning Hapkido Blend at Team Karate Centers has taught me more than only martial arts, but it also gave me self-confidence, and a set of values and principles to run my life by.

My Red and Black (Qualification) Belt:

My Red Belt:

My Brown Belt:

My Blue Belt:

My Yellow Belt:

My Orange Belt:

My Mission Statement

I am determined to use what I learn in martial arts and to practice it in order to develop myself in the best possible way. I will use the focus and determination I learned in karate in order to help me succeed in every aspect of life. I will stay truthful to myself and to others in order to make the best of any situation. I will not put down any challenges and will approach them with the strategic thinking I absorbed from martial arts.
I am determined to use what I learn in martial arts and to practice it in order to develop myself in the best possible way. I will use the focus and determination I learned in karate in order to help me succeed in every aspect of life. I will stay truthful to myself and to others in order to make the best of any situation. I will not put down any challenges and will approach them with the strategic thinking I absorbed from martial arts.

My Essays

When I was six years old, I was watching a Bruce Li movie with my grandparents. After the movie I was so astonished that I started to attempt to copy Bruce Lis perfected moves. I was uncontrollable. My parents promised to take me to karate and I was so excited. My journey began as I started to slowly work up the ranks. Now after all these years I have arrived to what feels like the hardest point of the journey, but I know that this is just the beginning. A Black Belt is not meant for everyone to achieve. It is for the committed and hard working. The prestige that comes with a Black Belt represents the difficulty of achieving such a big goal. Over the course of my journey in TKC, I feel that I showed the commitment and hard work necessary for becoming a Black Belt by committing to my class schedule and taking every piece of advice my instructor and mentor, Mr. T, and my master Mr. Fariborz have given me. I think I deserve the opportunity to earn a Black Belt because I present myself in a respectful way and always help when it is within my power. I keep myself on task and take any necessary actions to help achieve any goal I have in life. For my goal of achieving Black Belt excellence, I will do the same.

To me a Black Belt signifies an accumulation of all the hard work put in to achieve all the previous belts. For me it shows commitment to oneself, excellence, and hard work. A Black Belt represents the type of attitude a person has. An attitude that will never give up no matter what the circumstances are. An attitude that is humble and positive in every situation they come across in life. It shows the mentality of a person, to always want to achieve a bigger goal and continue to excel, use their art for defense and not violence, and to represent courage and determination. Because of all these qualities that a single belt holds, one must present this type of behavior as a Black Belt. This is my ultimate goal.

My Letters of Recommendations

We are excited to recommend our son, Tomer, for the 2009 Black Belt Exam.
Our recommendation is based on qualities that Tomer developed during his years of training in Martial Arts and his journey to become a Black Belt.
Tomer is committed to his goal to become a Black Belt and overcame obstacles on his way.
Tomer started Karate at TKC at age of 7. He enjoyed the fun classes given by great instructors and also joined TKC Demo team instructed by Mr. Fariborz. After 3 years, Tomer was injured outside of TKC and needed to stop all sports for few months which actually ended his Karate practicing at that time. Tomer joined again TKC in 2007 as a teenager thanks to the warm, gentle, and welcoming approach of Mr. Fariborz. After short time and thanks to Mr. Faramarz"s recommendation, Tomer joined the adult class of Mr. Terry. In November 2008, Tomer had a knee surgery and with the help of Mr. Terry he was able to return gradually to his classes. Quit was not an option this time!
Tomer is proactive and gives his best effort in all he does. He enjoys his classes with Mr. Terry who knows how to challenge his students. Tomer is giving his best effort during classes to a point that Mr. Terry is asking him to stop and rest. Tomer manages to fit all his activities in a very busy schedule and he does all with great dedication. In addition to practicing Karate, Tomer also volunteer once a week in the West Hills Hospital and represent his school, El Camino, in academic activities.
Tomer has great respect and appreciation to TKC, to his instructors, to his classmates, to his family and to his friends. We consider Tomer to be very lucky to have this opportunity to experience Martial Arts training in TKC, where Black Belt process combines Physical and Mental stimulations.
From a family stand point, we all gained from Tomer"s wish to practice Karate and to become a Black Belt. He is a role model to his sister, Odelia, and he helps her to practice Karate at home. As observing parents to most of Tomer"s Karate classes, we learned that those qualities that we see developed in our son are valuable and that becoming a Balck Belt is a life-changing experience.
THANK YOU!
Claudia and Yalon

Dear Mr. Fariborz,
I think Tomer should be in the Black Belt Exam because my brother is polite, smart, serious, and for my brother being in the Black Belt Exam is very important. Well, it"s important for my whole family.
And, he"s one of the best brothers a sister can have.
Your Karate Student,
Odelia Sheelo

Dear Mr. Fariborz, Tomer is the right candidate for the Black Belt for the following reasons:
He knows that Black Belt is not a title or prestige. It is a symbol of honor, integrity and a lot of love for the entire nature.
He understands that the Black Belt is building a strong body along with a strong personality. Reacting and analyzing a situation and not reacting by feelings.
Tomer understands that the knowledge he captured during the study of the Art-Defense is the last instance to use for Self-Defense.
During his training, Tomer developed a very strong self-discipline, passion and love to humanity.
Tomer is ambitious and devoted to his goals. He is the right person to deserve the honor of a Black Belt. I am proud to be his grandparent.
Thank you for your excellent training,
Lazar Hersko