Nidan
“As a teenager I trained in Goju Ryu between 1996 – 1998. My passion for Okinawan Karate was ignited here and I was extremely saddened to have to move to a new area where I could not continue my training. After moving, I trained for a year in JuJitsu, but it did not resonate as well with me as Okinawan Karate had. I departed martial arts for a while to make time for other activities.
From 2003 – 2007 I served as an active duty service member in the United States Air Force. Most of my time in the USAF was spent overseas in Germany and after honorably discharging from my final station in Arkansas I stayed in the mid-west for a few years. I tried various martial arts over the next few years but didn’t settle on any one.
In October 2016 I discovered Maine Traditional Karate in Orrington and it has become my passion to train in OSMKKF’s Shorin Ryu. Almost 4 years to the day, in October 2020 I achieved my Shodan rank and look forward to humbly serving others and learning what I may as I move forward.” – Mikel Leighton