Posts by Rick

Samual PetersonI was born and raised in Ahwatukee and started karate at Mountainside Martial Arts at the age of 5 years. I graduated from Desert Vista and then attended both Northern Arizona and Arizona Stat for Criminal justice. I currently am employed with Foothills Pool Service and work for Sensei Damien Ludwig who also trains…

Samantha ArceSamantha Arce started karate at Mountainside Martial Arts Center in early 1998. Studying karate and being guided by strong personalities turned this once shy child into a confident, capable adult. Who knew that testing for her black belt in 2003 would lead to another of the great passions in her life: teaching! Samantha graduated…

Abhinav GoyalAbhinav Goyal was born and raised in Phoenix, AZ. He earned his first degree black belt in 2007, and 4 years later received his second degree black belt. In 2008, Abhinav was awarded the Dojo Spirit Award that he was honored to share with Sensei Tyler Miyasaki. Throughout his time at the dojo Abhinav…

Anshu GoyalAnshu Goyal is a PhD student at the University of Southern California in the Department of Biomedical Engineering. He received his Bachelor’s of Science in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology with a Minor in Computer Science from the University of Arizona. He received his black belt in the Fall of 2011. Through karate, Anshu learned…

James “Jamie” AlexanderJamie began his Wado Ryu Karate training under Sensei Rick Savagian in 1986. For Jamie, Karate was more than just a sport, it was a way of life. Facing adversity at a young age, and needing a foundation to build from, Jamie embraced the principles of Wado Ryu as a way of life.…

Layton MalmstromLayton Malmstrom began his Karate career in 2006 and earned the rank of Shodan Black Belt in 2012 before ending his training in 2015. He has always maintained the humble yet fierce attitude that comes with martial arts training to tackle the tribulations of life. Layton is currently studying Business Management at W.P Carey…

Paul Nico LunaPaul Nicolas “Nico” Luna is an investment banking analyst in the California K-14 Education Group at RBC Capital Markets in Los Angeles, California. Born and raised in Phoenix, Arizona, Nico started practicing karate at the age of 6. He continued with karate throughout his high school years at Brophy College Preparatory and, as…

Marco De LeonMarco began practicing karate at Mountainside Martial Arts in 2002 and received his Black Belt in 2007 at the age of thirteen. This achievement played a significant role in instilling a strong sense of confidence that he can accomplish anything he sets his mind to. Karate taught him the importance of respect and…

Alec ChavezAlec began training at Mountainside in 2000. He earned his first-degree black belt in 2009 along with his six teammates. Karate taught him not only toughness and grit but the importance of never giving up. A common saying in the dojo was “die going forward” and he tries to live by that every day.…

Alexandra SiegalChildren can be our guides in so many ways and I am particularly grateful for the fact that my oldest son, a child at the time, guided me into the study martial arts. One evening, in 1984, while watching him in his class, it occurred to me that rather than just sit and watch,…