Acknowledgement

Assalam Alaikum Parents of the Islamic Society of Akron and Kent, 

My name is Senpai Johanna Hiner from Zahand’s Martial Arts. I am a black belt and I will be the teacher for the girls martial artist classes on Sundays from 2:30-4 pm. I am very eager to get to know you and your daughters and I decided to send this little message ahead so that you have some idea of who I am and my goals for the class. 

I am 29 years old and have been training at Zahand’s Martial Arts under Hanshi Larry Zahand and Doshi Matthew Zahand since 2021. I earned my black belt in 2025 and am continuing training to earn my second degree black belt in the next couple years. I love music, crafting, reading and cooking when I’m not training. And if there’s anything I love more than martial arts and my students, it’s my family. 

Now, for the classes. My goal is to teach the girls registered in the class several skills I have learned over my years of training. As this is a year-long program, my end goal will be to teach the girls enough so that if they went to Zahand’s, they could earn their blue belt. For those who may not know, our belts in Zahand’s go white, yellow, orange, blue, green, purple, third qu (level) brown, second qu brown, first qu brown and finally black. After earning a blue belt, that is when Zahand’s students begin to learn sparring, which I will not be covering in my classes. 

These skills learned will be aimed at being used in practical, everyday situations as needed, although I know we all hope these young ladies never need use these skills. What I will be teaching will range from the basics of forming a punch, a kick, heel palm strike, how to fall safely, how to off-balance an opponent, how to roll as well as kata and more as we progress. Kata is basically a series of pre-determined moves used to showcase expertise in various techniques. I have been asked if parents need to buy any equipment or specialized clothing for their daughters in advance and to that I will say: Only if you wish to. My goal is to get the girls used to these skills in practical settings. To me that means letting them learn to throw a punch without gloves and learning to hold their own in their own clothing. 

All that being said I want to make some assurances. My goal is to teach your daughters to protect themselves. My intention is not to scare them, but to give them the skills and confidence that if they must defend themselves, they know that they can. 

During class, I myself will be wearing my proper uniform (called a gi) and my belt. Your daughters may wear whatever makes them most comfortable to work out in. I would recommend against anything super flowy. If you feel you would prefer your daughter have punching gloves on while training, that is perfectly fine but not required. 

All that being said, I am very eager to take part in the development of these young ladies and I hope to see you all very soon. Thank you for allowing me this opportunity. 

Sincerely,

Senpai Johanna

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