Assistant Instructor Harold Mapes
Harold Mapes - 1st Degree Black Belt, Dan No. A14505 / DS97-A4-07 - Assistant Instructor
Harold Mapes began training under Master Robert Torres at the Robert Torres Karate Club in Denham Springs, LA.
He has been at American Karate Academy since 2003 and serves as Assistant Instructor in some of our classes.
Primary art is Tang Soo Do.
Specialty: Hand Strikes
AKA: Hong Kong
A resident of Denham Springs, Harold also likes other sports such as boxing and wrestling and of course martial arts - more specifically, Tang Soo Do. When not practicing his martial arts techniques, you can find Harold working with his hands, practicing archery or weapons training with the sword. Or doing push-ups on his thumbs! Check out the picture below!
Fake Side Kick, Backfist, High Punch combination. I like to catch my opponent off guard and distract them with a fake and move in with hands.
Favorite Technique:
Bruce Lee. He is the original and the one who started it all. Something about watching his techniques, even though they look old, they seem SO pure and practical. And I love his intensity!
Favorite Karate Movie Star:
Enter the Dragon. Bruce Lee shows a lot of diversity with the fighting in Enter the Dragon and his intensity is radiating from him through the whole movie.
Favorite Karate Movie:
I love practicing and working out. It gets my mind clear, yet focused, and keeps my body healthy.
My interest in martial arts goes back as far as I can remember. I developed the desire to learn Karate some time ago when I was a child and it wasn't until I was grown did I get the chance to begin lessons.
When did you first want to learn Karate?
I would go to my grandparent's house and two of my uncles would try to show me some kicks and tricks. After that, I guess that you could say that I was hooked. Just seeing it performed captivated my interest.
Why did you want to learn Karate?
For me, it's not been something that has ever gone away. Even though I couldn't start when I was a child, I wasted no time when I got the chance to begin training. There was a karate school down the street from my work owned by Robert Torres. After work one night, I went there and joined up and I've been taking Karate ever since.
Personally, I want to inspire people to believe in themselves and never give up on their dreams. I'd like to be remembered as a good teacher and someone who lead by example.
One day I hope to build a home with my own practice area so that when I retire I can workout all the time.
Other:
Something You Love About Karate:
Excellence in Martial Arts
