Last Updated on November 11, 2013.
Who Knew Kickboxing Could Change Your Life
Stacey Duck was looking for an activity for her two year old. What she found was a life changer. The call to Sensei Robert Villafane of Tiger Schulmann’s Mixed Martial Arts in Bethlehem didn’t go exactly as planned.
Villafane informed a disappointed Duck that her son was a year too young to even try a class, but told her to come down and check out a free class for herself.
Duck’s immediate thought? This guy is a classic salesman.
In hindsight she is thankful that didn’t stop her from taking him up on his offer to try a kickboxing class. Joining Tiger Schulmann’s Bethlehem has changed her life in more ways than she can count.
Kickboxing Teaches A New Life
“I didn’t know life could be like this,” says Stacey Duck in her Black Belt Test Speech at TSMMA Bethlehem. “I thought being a good fifty pounds over weight was normal. I was a mother of two, it’s just the way it was.”
When Sensei Villafane invited Duck to try class, she didn’t realize there was an outlet for her to become healthy. During her first class she saw the outlet and knew it was going to be a blast.
“I loved every minute of it,” says Duck. “I could only do one sit-up and I pushed out three pushups on my knees, I could not stop smiling.”
Duck made some changes at home, changing her eating habits, while adding exercise to go along with her two hours a week Kickboxing at Tiger Schulmann’s Bethlehem. The results were unimaginable to the mother of two.
“I lost 45 pounds in four months and dropped six dress sizes.”
The 28 year old could now fit into a size two, a size she initially outgrew before middle school!
“It was probably one of the happiest days of my life when I buttoned those jeans. I put on a bikini for the first time at 28 years old and I rocked it!”
Martial Arts Now a Two Way Street for Duck
Initially a student, Duck’s Kickboxing training has gradually added a second aspect. Now she helps Sensei Villafane at Tiger Schulmann’s in Bethlehem, managing the school for him as he teaches classes for six hours a day!
“I love the mission we have here. Sensei truly cares about all of his students. He knows exactly when to be compassionate and when to kick his students in the (butt)!”
“I truly love what I do.”
What Duck is doing is testing for her Tiger Schulmann’s Black Belt. Students must demonstrate a proficiency in Kickboxing and Close Range Self-Defense commensurate with a professional competitor in those disciplines.
Duck has spent years training for this moment. With the help of her amazing training partners and the incredible teaching ability of Sensei Villafane, Duck is ready to overcome her biggest hurdle as a Martial Artist.
Whether she passes or not is irrelevant. Her training will not stop one way or the other and she WILL accomplish this goal. What is truly important is she has taken control of her life. Today Duck is healthy, physically and mentally, a phenomenal role model for her two kids. Someone who is a true example of what a person can do with the “non-quitting spirit” she learned Kickboxing at Tiger Schulmann’s Bethlehem!