by Marjorie Mckinstry-Miller

Created on: January 15, 2007   Last Updated: April 18, 2007

There are two words in the English language that often overlap, though their meanings are quite different: hero and mentor. A hero performs amazing feats of courage and is willing to risk her life to save another. A mentor spends his life guiding, teaching, and counseling others, always seeking to bring out another's inner strength. Both of these people may have a powerful impact upon others, but for my money, I'd rather my child have a mentor than a hero, because, as Kwan-Tzu proclaimed, "If you give a man a fish, he will have a single meal. If you teach him how to fish, he will eat all his life."

If you've never met an honest-to-goodness mentor, then step inside Odyssey Martial Arts (OMA) in Central Garage, Virginia, and introduce yourself to John Simons, a serious young man who spends almost all his waking hours inside the OMA gym. As a seven year old, he wanted to learn martial arts and quickly became enamored of the sport. By the time John was 16, he had designed and opened his own martial arts studio and begun teaching students of all ages.
How does all this make him a mentor? Well, for starters, he built his business by himself, using money he earned cutting lawns while attending and graduating from King William High School. Interestingly, he never boasts about this or any of his other accomplishments (for those facts, you need to talk to his family and friends), but you should hear him talk about his students, who range from four years of age to members of the military who may train at OMA for free. That's right, free. John figures that's one small way to payback our American heroes; are you starting to see why he's an awesome mentor?
Need more convincing? Then go visit OMA during a class and watch John teach children; he's patient but not a pushover, a disciplinarian but not cruel, and supportive but not one to mollycoddle. The children adore him. An acute observer will note that many of the young men sport John's signature hairstyle, a military flat top with buzzed sides. If you ask John about his influence on his students, he'll tell you that they attend not for him, but for what he can teach. Over the years, John began to notice that standard martial arts training was "more about teaching individual moves" which weren't necessarily appropriate in a realistic combat situation, so John teaches a more "realistic" fight strategy that encompasses striking (punches, kicks, knees and elbows) and grappling (contact fighting).
In addition, John teaches strategy:

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