Competitor Spotlight
Spotlight Archive (By Last Name)
Patrick Crouch
Competitor: Patrick Crouch
Rank: 1st Degree Black Belt
Age: 19 Years Old
Team: Non-Aligned
Base Style: Shorei-Ryu
School: Groves Karate Studios, Eureka Springs, AR
2006 AKA Titles: Southern Region: Traditional Forms and Traditional Weapons Northern Region: Traditional Forms, Lt. Wt Sparring and Traditional and Creative Weapons.
Patrick was a victim of bullying at school and at the age of 12 began his martial arts training as a necessity to help his self-confidence. After his first class he knew he had found a new path. Patrick signed up for classes and became an AKA member and he attended every class that was available to him. He was at the Dojo from after school until the Dojo closed in the evening. Everyday, Monday thru Thursday, he attended regular classes and on Fridays he had a one hour private lesson after school. Even in the summer he kept up this schedule, increasing the private lessons to several days a week. All this hard work paid off by advancing belt levels at a regular pace. Along the line he started competing in tournaments and, even if he came home with nothing, he still kept working to improve. With every tournament he learned something new and he would go back to the Dojo and practice it over and over until he had it perfect and he was prepared for the next tournament. He even attended training camps to experience other styles of martial arts and observe champion martial artists. He has had private lessons with World Champions Mike Chat, who is the creator of XMA and also Matt Mullins, the creator of Sideswipe Performance Team. All of these things lead Patrick to become more proficient to win not only first places, but grand championships. Needless to say, Patrick had no more trouble with being bullied and his confidence greatly improved.
At tournaments Patrick has competed in every division from musicals, creative, etc. His expertise is traditional forms and weapons. He has had to work hard at the XMA, but the traditional aspect of the martial arts has always come naturally. For example, as part of his requirements in advancing in belt levels he was to develop a traditional weapons kata. With this kata, he has won numerous first place, grand champion and national champion trophies and honors. More than the accolades and the winning of all the trophies, that was overshadowed by Patrick’s goal to earn his black belt. That goal was achieved six years and two days after he first walked into the Dojo .
Patrick, besides his competition in tournaments, is also an instructor for all ages and levels within the Dojo. He teaches classes three nights a week and attends college one night a week to become an electrician. He has frequently been working eight hours a day helping to build a gymnasium and class rooms at his church.
His future plans are to have his own karate school to teach others and give back what martial arts has done for him. He wants to instill in others that “Martial Arts is not just a hobby or a sport, but a Way of Life”.