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Sensei Keith Tubman currently holds the rank of 4th
Degree Black Belt in Kempo Karate. Keith's informal martial
arts training started in 1993. In 1995 Keith began to formally
train with USSD. In 1998 he received his 1st Degree Black Belt. Keith
has cross trained in several other styles of Karate, Kung
Fu, and Jujitsu.
In 1996, at the rank of blue belt, Keith began teaching at USSD by assisting his instructor with children's classes. Keith enjoyed teaching so much that he continued to teach at USSD until 1999 when he decided to found his own school, Valley Shore Martial Arts. Since 1998, Keith has taught many self defense classes at various schools throughout Connecticut including Valley Regional High
School, Old Saybrook Middle School, and Mitchell College. Keith also taught at the YMCA from 1998 to 2003, spending three of those summers working with kids at the YMCA Summer Camp. Sensei Keith has even had the privilege to give classes to the Middle Town Police Department Auxiliary officers for their self defense requirements.
As Keith was growing up, he was often the smallest and shortest
boy. When Keith first started training in martial arts, he
saw it as a method for him to defend and protect himself.
What Keith found as he started training more intensely was
that the martial arts both gave him confidence and taught
him numerous ways to avoid conflicts. The arts also instilled
a sense of discipline in Keith.
To this day, Keith believes that the self defense aspect of
the martial arts is extremely important. "Self defense
could be what saves your life someday if you are targeted
by an assailant. Everyone is a potential victim, and lessening
the chances of something negative happening is crucial. Self
defense doesn't just teach you how to punch and kick your
way out of a fight; it can also help teach you how to detect
harm before it's too late. Learning both how to get out of
a situation before damage occurs and being able to perform
the actual self defense techniques could help to save you
from both serious injury and in fact could save your life."
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