Get to know martial arts instructor, Braselton resident Sean Dawdy

BRASELTON, Ga. — If you grew up in the 90s on Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, you might have envisioned becoming a karate pro yourself. A young Sean Dawdy had those daydreams as well. “Leonardo was a boss,” Sean remembers with a chuckle. He started taking Tae-Kwon-Do lessons at 11 years old in Melbourne, Florida.

By 16 Sean had earned his black belt and was working at the gym. “I was working there mostly so I could have a key, stay late, and train more,” he says. At age 20 he was ready to teach full time, went online, and found a job in Georgia. Sean worked at The Dojo in Braselton for six years and briefly at Dojo 400 before opening his own facility in 2018, Karate RX.

Now in his 15th year of teaching martial arts, Sean encourages his athletes to cultivate consistency. He states, “Finding different ways to improve the same technique over a long period of time creates great results.” Another key for Sean is setting detailed expectations. “You cannot hold your athletes to a standard that they do not know about or that does not exist. It’s important to consistently communicate what you expect and lead by example.”

When failure strikes an athlete, Sean approaches it very practically, “I explain what we need to work on to pass the test next time. We create our strategy for meeting the standard and we hit the ground running,” he states.

Sean admits that when he was a young coach, he was very strict. As he has matured, Sean has learned how to keep order and discipline in class with a lot more grace. He notes how important it is to think about the experience others are having if you want it to be a productive session.

His demeanor as a coach has not gone unnoticed. The parent that nominated him said, “My son has moved a lot and never really settled into an activity. Coach Sean became family and an amazing mentor.”

Says Sean of the humbling feedback, “I want to be remembered as someone who cared more about his athletes than the money he earned from coaching them.”

Last February, the Karate RX students competed in their first tournament. Everyone is looking forward to additional competitive opportunities this season and Karate RX welcomes your interest in martial arts.

Visit www.rxkarate.com for more information.

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