Last Updated on November 15, 2018.
Congratulations to Joshu Danny Ramirez (TSMA Yonkers) on his recent promotion to Sensei!
Opening Thoughts From Shihan Tirelli
Observing the evolution from student to sensei is a very special experience. When Danny came to the school, he was a tough kid from good family in a not-so-nice neighborhood. As a student, he was meticulous, hard working and somewhat of a perfectionist; there wasn’t anything asked of Danny that he wouldn’t put his mind to in order to get it done – whether at the school, on the mat or in the ring. The relationship between student and sensei is not a one-way street, as much as I taught Danny, Danny taught me as well. When he began working at the school, he wasn’t there to get paid – it was the training and experience that he saw as invaluable. From his humble beginnings on the farms in Oaxaca to the streets of Yonkers, Danny worked hard, trained hard and fought hard.
“Students should always try to be better than the teacher.” – Shihan Peter Tirelli
Danny’s Journey
Danny Ramirez never envisioned himself teaching martial arts, let alone being a Sensei. If you asked Danny, the senior in high school, what his future held for him – he would’ve told he he wanted to be a gym teacher. After graduating high school, and trying college – he quickly realized that it wasn’t for him. He started looking everywhere for work but nothing came to fruition. When he came to train one day, he asked if he could start working at the gym. Expecting another door to be closed in his face, Danny was shocked when Shihan Tirelli told him that he starts tomorrow.
From that day forward Danny never looked back. His love for kids and his ambition to be a gym teacher provided great structure in succeeding as an instructor. Danny also had passions to compete as well. If you ask him how it started out, he’d laugh and tell you it didn’t go so well. He started his career with two losses, but used those opportunities to learn and grow and has not suffered a loss since. He is 8-2-1 in kickboxing and still holds an undefeated record in MMA competitions.
