Resilience in Action: Never Giving Up When Things Get Hard

I almost didn’t test for my black belt. A Team Chip Black Belt is highly respected in the martial arts world, so earning one isn’t something you can just show up for and expect it to be easy. One of the major requirements—outside of memorizing the curriculum—is mastering the 3 splits. Flexibility was my biggest challenge when prepping for the test.

I knew my forms, could throw 50 roundhouses, and had my one-steps down both forward and backward, but flexibility was my weakness. I spent countless hours in private lessons doing nothing but stretching. Gym 2 has enough of my tears to fill a swimming pool. But no matter how hard it got, my family never gave up on me. My parents and my Team Chip family pushed me beyond what I thought I was capable of.

The greatest people in history didn’t achieve greatness alone—they had a support group. The people who supported me and held me to a high standard helped me rise to the challenge. It wasn’t easy, but when you choose resilience, fight for your goals, and have the right people in your corner, anything is possible.

Zeke Merchant

3rd Degree Black Belt

Traditional Martial Arts Instructor & Head Parkour Instructor