Editor's Note: This month, student reporters from the Get and Give after-school program sat down with Steven Musuko, who teaches mixed martial-arts-which includes karate, boxing, and kickboxing among other forms-at the West Bronx Recreation Center, in addition to running his own school , Musuko’s Pure Intense Training School , on West Burnside Avenue. Musuko was a state champion as a teenager, and by the age of 19, he was already teaching for the city Department of Parks and Recreation.

These days, in addition to teaching martial arts, Musuko teaches programs designed to help children-especially girls-protect and defend themselves. His "Stranger Proof Your Child" program teaches children to ward off potential attackers or abductors .The Women Against Mistreatment (WAM) program educates females ages 10 and up about the dangers of domestic violence and rape, and teaches them self-defense.

Angelica: When you were starting to learn karate, did you get to compete with other kids?

Musuko: Yeah, I got to compete. I wasn't really good when I started. I used to get beat up by everybody, you know. It was kind of hard. So my moms was like "Why you goin' back? You always coming over here all beat up." But I just kept at it. I believed in myself. My teacher always used to tell us nothing's impossible for the willing mind. That was one of our philosophies. Meaning no matter how hard things are, if you put your mind to it, you can do it…. And all the sudden, I started taking first and.. my teacher once told me you could win all the time and not learn how to lose. But if you learn how to lose, you learn how not to lose no more, you know what I'm saying?

Renee: How do you make time for all that karate?

Musuko: It's kind of rough. Because right now I work a day job. My schedule's crazy. And the martial arts to me is part of life now. You know how y'all wake up and brush your teeth and all that? The martial-arts is like that to me. It's my slice of heaven, meaning it's something I like to do. If y'all like reporting, no matter how school gets and how everything else y'all do gets, you always find time to do the reporting, 'cause it's something that y'all love to do. But it's not easy because I work a day job, and then from here, in another half hour I gotta run and start teaching at my other school. And then tomorrow's the same thing, and all the way to Saturday. So I really have like one day actually to stay home with my family or go to the movies with my son. It's kind of hard, but when you love to do something, you make time for it.

Tia: What hours do you work?

Musuko: I teach over here at the center from 4:30 to 5:30 every Wednesday. And at my school, I teach from 6 to 7, the little kids anywhere from 3 to 12 years old. And I also teach private classes. So it's not only just teaching classes, I also got clients and people that come up to me that's just one on one. So those are the three days- Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, and Saturday I teach from 6 to 9 o clock at night.

Briana: What moves do you like best?

Musuko: I know like a million different moves (laughs) .. I always say it's better to keep everything basic and simple… I teach basic and I keep it simple. Cause basic and simple you'll always remember. And it's like second nature. So I know a lot of pretty moves and fast moves but I always keep it basic. I make sure that I always keep my hands up. The only thing that's not meant to take punishment on your body is your head. Your body can take punishment, but your head can't, so my favorite move is to keep my hands up. And my favorite move is not to get into something that I have to make a move, you understand.

Stephanie: How do you learn to do karate?

Musuko: To learn martial arts and karate, first you gotta find a good instructor. And back when I started, I was fortunate, because we had good instructors in the neighborhood. Now, there's really no instructors in the neighborhood no more... Or most of the really good instructors are downtown, and it's not like before. A lot of people don't have 220 to pay monthly, or 300 to pay a month. First of all, you gotta research what kind of system you like. If you're more of a wrestler, you want to get into some type of Judo or Jui-Jitsu program. If you're more like standing up kicking and punching, you're gonna get into a kickboxing or a Muay thai program….

Renee: So if you have [ages] 3 to 12, do you do hard exercises or easy?

Musuko: No, they do hard exercises. They start off with 100 jumping jacks, 100 sit ups, they do three sets of 20 push ups. They run in place, they do circling movement, lateral movement. They do suicides [a fast-paced running exercise]. They do trampoline drills. They do their break falls.

Angelica: Have you ever needed to defend yourself by fighting?

Musuko: (laughs) Yeah, I had to defend myself a couple of times. But I never look for trouble. I'm the type that never starts trouble or looks for trouble. Once you know what you're capable of doing, you don't want to do it. I always say wow, I know 100 different ways how to -how could I put it a nice way - to destroy the body. Break an arm. Break a leg. Do stuff to the body. But I probably only know two ways to save a life, meaning I know how to do mouth to mouth, CPR, and stuff like that. Which is bad, when you balance it out. So once you know what you're capable of doing, you don't wanna do it. I know what I'm capable of doing, so if somebody bumps me or pushes me, I say "sorry." I'm like the bamboo, I just bend… like I tell the guys, if you're approached with a problem, walk away. If you're followed, you run. And if you're cornered into a situation, then you have no other choice but to defend yourself.