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Articles About Diane Reeve

World Black Belt October 2002 Martial Artist of the Month 

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PLANO PROFILE - MARCH 2003: HEALTH & FITNESS diane reeveand herkarate kids

Martial arts entrepreneur Diane Reeve (right) gets a kick out of going to work, literally. She calls her switch from nursing to martial arts the “best career decision I ever made.” And in a field still dominated by men, her mother’s perspective brings a welcome insight to teaching children karate - a fact not wasted on the moms of her pupils. At right, young black belts-to-be take a breather following a Saturday morning “mini tournament” at Vision Martial Arts.

Touching young lives with martial arts training

Former registered nurse Diane Reeve found her life’s calling on the 1980x television show “Kung Fu.” When Kung Fu’s star, David Carradine, strolled onto the dirt road set, a reed slim, martial artist dedicated to righting wrongs, he displayed a serenity that impressed and inspired Reeve. “He was so calm and collected. Nothing ruffled his feathers and I really admired that. I wanted to find out what is mystical and magical in martial arts.” Today, the five-foot-tall woman with wine-red hair and saucer-round eyes has a 5th Degree Black Belt in Tai Kwondo, a 2nd Degree Black Belt in American Kempo Karate, a 1st degree Black Belt in kabudo (a weapons use form), and a 1st Degree black Belt in ju jitsu. She is a member of the National Association of Professional Martial Artists and is certified to teach martial arts, including aerobic kickboxing and cardiac karate. In 1999, she was voted into the World Karate hall of Fame. Katrina Ngo shows her stuff during workouts. In 2002, she was voted Martial Artist of the Month by the World Black Belt Association. The association was founded by martial arts movie star chuck Norris and Masters bob Wall, Pat Burleson, and “Big Foot” Wallace. Reeve began martial arts training while a registered nurse. As he began to rack up black belts, she started teaching martial arts. “For nine months I did a full-time and a part-time job to get my school off the ground. Within nine months, I had a hundred students,” said Reeve. She began her teaching career at Garland’s YMCA. Later, some students followed her to Vision Martial Arts at Alma and Spring Creek Parkway, her school - or dojo - in Plano. Since 1995, Reeve has been owner and chief instructor at Vision. She is unique in her new field. Nationally, about one in nine practitioners of martial arts are female. The same ratio holds true for female martial arts instructors. “Switching to full-time work in martial arts was the best career decision I ever made. I can contribute more to people’s lives this way than through nursing,” she said recently. Nothing came easy for Reeve in a city where karate schools are on almost every corner. And being a female martial arts entrepreneur had its difficulties in what is generally considered “a man’s world.” During an after-school class Reeve helps students (from right) Nathan Lindsey, Seth Lindsey and Ashley Contreras work on their form. Chuck Norris, Bruce Lee and other male martial artists who knock their opponents five feet into the air have made machismo a martial arts signature. When Reeve began her foray into ju jitsu, kabudo, tae kwondo and kempo karate, few female names were on martial arts competitions or movie marquees. However, her gender soon became an asset. “When mothers come to see about enrolling their children, they see a mother just like them. They see someone teaching self-defense in a way that is based on good solid self-defense techniques but seems safe to the mom. They want their kids to learn karate but they don't want to have them get hurt,” said Reeve. About 70 percent of her students are children and about two-thirds of her students are family members who train together. Reeve, who has a master’s degree in education from the University of North Texas and a bachelor’s degree in nursing from Baylor University, believes parental involvement helps kids stick with the disciplined training. She includes life values in the courses she teaches youngsters and uses the Socratic method of teaching - asking students to provide answers to questions she poses them. Although Reeve takes her karate seriously, the fifth degree black belt still keeps things light during class sessions, sometimes joking with the audience of parents and students like Eric Bradshaw (above). One evening, she tells them, “The value of the week is focus. What does that mean?” “You concentrate really hard on what you are doing and how you do it,” they tell her. She uses her own ability to concentrate on goals to regularly expand her business. “The interesting thing about running a business is that it’s easy to open a business but it takes certain characteristics to keep it going,” said Reeve. Being able to analyze and project her school’s needs as it grew was a necessary skill. Martial arts in Plano is a seasonal business with youngsters dedicated to other athletic pursuits throughout the year, she said. That meant that Vision had to have multiple markets in order to succeed. To diversify, she has added corporate clients and other group courses to her roster through Action Self-Defense.  Plano’s Computer Associates (CA) is one of ASD’s corporate clients. CA was voted “One of the 100 Best Companies for Working Mothers” by Working Mother magazine in October 2002. The Plano company, with 700 employees, scored high with the nationally distributed magazine for its family-friendly policies of new parents’ leave, work schedule flexibility advancement of women, an on-site Montessori school, and the summer and fitness programs they offer employees’ children. Theodore Sadowski, the company’s fitness manager, said Reeve’s course there has 30 students and is growing. Reeve’s youngest CA student is Ryan Snell, a whooping age three. One morning, Reeve lines up her five youngest CA students, from three-year-old Snell to five-year-old Soumya Mandava. She leads them in thrusts, jumping jacks and defensive stances. This is their third class with Reeve. Tiny Snell occasionally puts forth the wrong foot or fist. “Which is your left foot, boyfriend?” asks Reeve as she gently taps the proper appendage. Snell beams at the attention and tries harder. Later, Reeve is asked, “How can one tell children violence is wrong yet teach them martial arts skills, which teaches them how to put down someone else?” She thinks for a few moments before answering. “That’s a very good question. I’ve never learned for sure what it is about martial arts that makes people more gently but it works. Of course, self-discipline is part of martial arts. Maybe it’s having to practice this and be good at it and then practicing something else and getting good at that, too. “One thing we do is give them confidence so they don’t have to prove anything,” she said. One 18-week course is aimed at helping youngsters deal with bullies. The course teaches self-defense skills and how to defeat a bully without using violence. Vision distributes laminated “Kids Pocket Power” cards to their students that list appropriate responses, none of which involves physical violence. They include: make friends with the bully; use humor to deflect the bullying; walk away; use your creative imagination to resolve conflict; agree with the bully; refuse to fight; stand up to the bully; scream or yell loudly; ignore the threat; be like the bamboo, bend in the wind; call a proper authority to defeat the bully; reason with the bully; use a martial arts stance and throw in a full practice kick to show what you can do. Her martial arts courses for youngsters include life balance components. At CA, she asks her youngest students: “Do we ever use karate to be a bad guy?” Kids Pocket Power or how to deal with a bully Without Violence Make friends with the bully Use humor to turn away a threatening situation Walk away Use your creative imagination to resolve conflict Agree with the bully Refuse to fight Stand up to the bully Scream/yell Ignore the threat - be like the bamboo, bend in the wind Use a proper authority to defeat the bully Reason with the bully Take a martial arts stance to demonstrate what you can do “Nooooo, maam,” they answer in unison. “What would be considered being a bad guy with karate?” she asks. “Hitting others.” “Starting fights.” “Being mean to others.” After the tragedies of September 11, Reeve added a third market to her company’s diversification program. Certified by the WBBA as an America in Defense self-defense instructor, she teaches American Airlines pilots and cabin crews how to defend themselves in close quarters. The WBBA course is expected to be taught to airlines worldwide in the near future. At Vision, two of Reeve’s students tell why they study with Reeve. Eight-year old Samantha Shelton, a student at Plano’s Shepard Elementary School, said, “I’m really soft-spoken and people in school have been pushing me around and telling me what to do. I feel less scared now because I know that I can do really good karate stuff.” Rachel Townsend, 19, student at Collin County community College, has joined Vision’s Black Belt Club, designed for students who are dedicated to earning a Black Belt. “My friends joke with me about it thinking I could hurt them but it’s for myself. I feel empowered and I like feeling empowered. I’m joining the black belt club because I like to set goals for myself. Besides, Ms. Reeve says a black belt is only a white belt who keeps coming to class,” said Townsend. Reeve, who has fulfilled a small mountain of goals in the last nine years, has three more, she said Christmas Eve. Warm-up time is an important part of each class session. Cameron Varnau completes his calisthenics. “I’m going to help my youngest daughter, Megan, graduate from college. In addition, “I’m working on a book. The working title is A Test of Will. I’d like to see that published and finally, I want to continue to touch as many lives as possible through martial arts.” Asked if she ever takes time to sleep, she grinned and said, “Not much – but sometimes.”

Diane Reeve Birthplace: Dallas, Texas. Her age? Reeve says, “To a tree, I’m a baby; to a baby, I’m a tree.” Family: Two children, Megan, 19 and Stacy, 24. Occupation: Owner/instructor, vision Martial Arts Center, 909 West Spring Creek parkway, since 1995. She is also President of Action Self-Defense, a traveling training program. Education: M.Ed. degree, University of North Texas; B.S. Nursing, Baylor university. Holds four black Belts in martial arts and is a member of the national Association of professional Martial Artists. Certified by NAPMA to teach aerobic kickboxing and cardiac karate. Voted into World Karate hall of Fame 1999. Voted “Martial Artist of the Month” October 2002 by the World black Belt association. Certified by the WBBA in 2002 to teach America in Defense courses to American Airlines’ pilots and cabin crews. Contributing author of The Ultimate guide to Tae Kwon Do; has appeared twice on “Good Morning, Texas.” Community Involvement; Uses her martial arts skills and dojo (school) to raise funds for St. Jude Hospital, Make-A-Wish foundation and March of Dimes. Hobbies: Reading Mentors: Pat Burleson of Fort Worth. One thing learned from her career change: “You gotta do what makes you happy.”

 

 

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