Jayden achieved his black belt (Sho Dan) in July of 2012 giving him his rank of 1st Dan in Shotokan Karate.  He has won or placed in kata competitions, self defence, sparring, grappling, and sport Jiu Jitsu.

Jayden’s favorite story:

“When I first started karate, I obviously wasn’t old enough to drive myself, so either my mom or dad would drive me and they would sit and watch the class for the hour. Whenever dad took me, I could see him watching and making faces (sometimes good, sometimes bad) whenever I would make a move in a kata let’s say. So after class, he would say “You know, it almost looks like you are just going through the motions and not really trying or giving any effort. It’s the same as when you play hockey, you have to give it your all or you will be beat.” So being young, I didn’t really understand what that meant. But overtime, I started to see what he meant and why what he said was so important. And to this day, he has never stepped foot on the mats. My point of this story is, in anything, whether it’s karate, hockey, school, a relationship, a job interview, you always have to give your best effort and not go through the motions because it won’t get you anywhere. I will always remember what he said to me that day because that is how I live my life. With my best effort in everything.”