Mr. Sanil Gandhi Talks About His Training, What Matters To Him, And Where He Is Going
I get to read lots of inspiring stories about martial artists and schools when I put together the weekly Positivity Posts. While all have their merit in one way or another, some stories stand out in a more significant way. An article about Mr. Sanil Gandhi was one of those stories. I knew I had to reach out to him to get a deeper look at him from a martial artist’s perspective!
Let us start with a little background on yourself. How did you get started in the martial arts?
I started doing taekwondo at the age of 6, continuing until I received my first-degree black belt at the age of 14. My training in taekwondo consisted both of traditional martial arts techniques as well as self-defense, which made my transition to Krav Maga, an Israeli self-defense form, very smooth after earning my black belt.
And where are you at right now with life and training?
Currently, I am training as a student in Krav Maga Level 3. I have also been an instructor of the Jr. Black Belt classes for the last 2 years. Although I will be going off to college at Boston University in the fall, I hope to continue my training in Krav Maga and start a club similar to the one I started in my high school in order to empower my peers with the knowledge of self-defense.
Has the martial arts changed your life? If so, in what way?
Martial arts has definitely changed my life and who I am as a person. From the very beginning, an emphasis was always placed on being respectful, perseverant, and having integrity. These qualities were integrated into who I am as a person from a very young age and have shaped the way I interact with people today. It has also strengthened my self-confidence because training with adults who are much bigger than me and being able to successfully defend myself gives me a sense of security that I would be able to defend myself if the situation ever arose.
In a previous Positivity Post, an article about you teaching a self-defense seminar for teens was featured. What made you want to do that?
Volunteering at a women’s sexual assault prevention seminar was the defining moment in my martial arts journey because seeing the profound effects of the traumatic experiences on those women’s lives inspired me to do something beyond just learning self-defense for myself. I started a YouTube channel and founded a Krav Maga club at my high school in order to reach out to people in my community in order to empower them with the knowledge of self-defense. It was through this club that I was able to organize the workshop and outreach to teens at many of the local schools. Seeing the transformation of the teenagers over even those 3 hours was really encouraging for me because I realized that the idea that somebody can defend themselves is very emboldening for those people.
What kind of feedback have you received from that seminar?
I received a lot of positive feedback and many of the students that attended felt like it was the most impactful experience that they had ever had. There was an overwhelming amount of gratitude and people felt like even though this was merely an introduction to the realm of self-defense, it was something that they might be interested in pursuing in the future as a useful skill to retain.
Do you plan to do more of those seminars?
I am planning on holding another seminar in June, which will be targeted towards teenagers and specifically, the seniors like myself that will be going off to college in the fall.
Who are the people that have been influential in your training and progress in the martial arts?
My parents have definitely played an integral role in martial arts, driving me to classes 3 times a week from when I was very young. They always wanted me to succeed and pushed me to work harder each time and without them, I would never have been on this amazing journey. My instructors have also played a pivotal role in my development over the years, guiding me along the martial arts path and giving me various opportunities to broaden my horizons. They treated me like one of their children and have played a big part in inspiring me to spread my knowledge of self-defense to the community after seeing the incredible work they engage in on a daily basis.
What are your goals, martial arts and beyond, going forward?
Going forward, I hope to start a similar club in college and hold self-defense seminars for both kids as well as adults in order to continue having a positive impact on my peers and even the greater community. I would also like to continue training in Krav Maga and eventually become an instructor in Krav Maga.
If anybody wants to reach out to you, how should they do that?
Email: kravklubtphs@gmail.com
Youtube Channel: emPOWER me
Phone Number: 858-255-9089
Final Thoughts
While martial artists and schools putting on seminars in their community is nothing new, Mr. Gandhi has quickly gone far and beyond putting on a simple seminar. I found his goals and drive for achievement to be very inspiring. I hope you did as well.
If you know of someone who is deserving of the Martial Journal Spotlight, let me know in the contact form just below, or the comments section at the bottom of the page!
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