By By NICK JOHNSTON, Hartselle Enquirer
On the wall of Chappell's Family Karate, a motto, or goal, stands out brightly.
"Our goal is black belt excellence," it says.
Maybe more intriguing is what is painted beside it – Three crosses.
"We emphasize Christian beliefs here," instructor Donnie Chappell said. "We look to God for help, because he is our strength."
Or, God strengthens us – not our muscles.
Chappell has been a karate instructor for five years now, and started his march toward black belt excellence at 15.
Chappell is now a third degree black belt in karate and a second-degree black belt in a form of jujitsu.
But, that's not important – it's his family and his students that are important.
"This place is very family oriented," Chappell said. "We do have a lot of parents involved with their kids here."
Self-discipline is also a key player in karate. In fact, a part of the student creed reads: "I will develop self-discipline in order to bring out the best in myself and others."
Chappell said he believe most who walk into Chappell's Family Karate have a difficulty with a certain aspect of life, like self-discipline. See KARATE, B-2