Karate Kid Rising Fast Through the Ranks

Joshua Kennard wishes he hadn’t quit taking martial arts classes at the Penn Hills YMCA when he was just three or four years old, but the 12-year-old Verona boy is clearly making up for lost time.

A year and a half into his classes at , he’s excelling in all aspects of the discipline. He’s also helping other students along the way.

“It’s not just a sport for me,” he said. “It’s fun.”

Kennard, who takes taekwondo classes to fulfill the physical education requirement of his PA Cyber Charter school homeschooling, said his goal is to achieve first degree black belt by the time he’s 20.

He has moved up to the next rank about every two months since he started. Currently a purple belt, he recently tested for his blue belt.

Belt testing can include performing a series of taekwondo forms, sparring, and board breaks. The components of the testing depend upon the rank.

Kennard went beyond what was required when he tested for his blue belt last Saturday, according to instructor Karyn Graff. He decided to do an extra board break and a series of three elbow strikes.

Graff said she is impressed by Kennard’s maturity and dedication.

“He understands the martial art, he’s not just memorizing,” she said.

Her student takes a practical approach to his commitment to taekwondo.

“I just do it during the day, it’s one of my daily chores, to practice,” he said.

 He has ten more belts to go before reaching the rank of first degree black belt and along the way, he’s helping others to rise in the ranks as well.

He’s a member of the Superior Winning Attitude Team – or SWAT. The team consists of older students who help ATA instructors with classes.

As a member of the SWAT, Kennard helps younger kids in ATA’s Tiny Tigers program, which is for students from ages three to six.

“I just like helping the little kids to become black belts,” he said. “It’s fun.”

Graff said that Kennard is good with the kids he works with and has established himself as someone who sets an example for other students in the SWAT program.

For Kennard, starting out as a member of the SWAT team was interesting.

“I had to talk real loud to all these kids I didn’t know, so that was kind of funny,” he said. “Now, they know me and I know them.”

His mom, Amie Kennard, attributes her son’s success, at least in part, to his instructors.

“I just really appreciate their kindness and patience,” she said. “That just helped Joshua really love it. He really likes it and takes pride in it.”

It’s clear that Kennard is well on his way to reaching the goal of becoming a black belt before he’s 20. And his instructor thinks he may actually end up there well ahead of schedule.

 “I bet he’ll have his black belt by the time he’s 16,” Graff said.