Our red belts performing jump round kicks 🥋 #jumpkick #roundkick #roundhousekick #karatekids #martialarts

15 years go by fast. When Susan and I started Pandas Karate in 2009, we were juggling full-time jobs and parenting duties. Picking up our kids from school, then rushing to PK by 6pm for the first class of the night– it was a chaotic but rewarding journey. Our kids grew up at the studio, doing homework while we taught classes. But around year 3-5, we realized they needed a less hectic life. So, we hired our first employee, took a leap of faith, and built our staff. In this picture, you’ll see the faces of our incredible team – original instructors, college students who returned to work during winter break, and Ms. Jocelyn, a friend for almost 20 years. As our studio turns 15 this year, it’s a reminder that building Pandas Karate truly takes a village. 🥋 #PandasKarate #15YearsStrong #smallbusiness #smallbiz #karatedojo

Thinking about the wild ride of running our small biz post-pandemic. A big shoutout goes to our awesome students, instructors, fam, and friends – couldn’t have done it without you! 🎉 Big love for making the chaos fun! In 2023, our small biz hit some major milestones: 🎓 7 black belt seniors rocked high school graduation and headed to college! 📚 Launched our 1st after-school program at Judith Resnik Elementary. 📺 Lit up the screen on Great Day Washington. 🚺 Broke barriers with a record-breaking 75% female staff – a win in our male-dominated industry! 🛡️ Spread anti-bullying vibes with our Sticks & Stones show in Baltimore County and the Eastern Shore of Maryland. 🐢 Teamed up with the Ninja Turtles in the Mutant Mayhem movie. 🌐 Got hired to create social media ads for the global marketing agency Ogilvy From all of us at Pandas Karate. Happy New Year! #YearInReview #karatedojo #smallbusiness #smallbiz

🥊 Before throwing your first self-defense maneuver your body language can speak volumes to those around you. #selfdefense #antibullying #selfdefensekids #karatekids #selfdefensetraining

When your kicks are just that strong 💪🏽 #karatekicks #kicking #karatekids #roundhousekick

Can you name this form? 🤔 This particular group is special in many ways since all of them have trained during the pandemic. Some of them had to relearn our curriculum after returning to in-person classes. Some of these students have been training at our studio for over 10+ years! You’ll also notice a few PK instructors in the back. This group also has several female students who went on to complete at local and national karate tournaments. We are excited to see where they go on their martial art journey. #karate #martialarts #karatekids #karatetraining

When I was 12 years old I was standing in line about to receive my black belt when I whispered to my fellow classmate that I would one day open a karate studio. 🏫 At the age of 15 a friend of mine encouraged me to create @mcps_md first martial art club at Northwest High School. From my sophomore to senior year I trained high school students on how to defend themselves. My club grew so popular that even teachers wanted to take my class. 🥋At 19 I became the youngest head instructor of my former karate studio and tested for my 3rd degree black belt. 🐼When I was 23 my wife suggested to follow my dream and open Pandas Karate in a small warehouse in Gaithersburg, MD. 🛑During each of these moments in my life I had doubts, worries, and challenges. It’s easy to listen to that little voice in our head that tells us to stop and not try. Our brain loves to create these mixed feelings which can possibly turn into fear. But I’ve always been the type of person that asks “what if”. I guess you could call that my sense of curiosity. But I’d like to think of it as my superpower. #karateclass #karateclasses #karate #martialartsclass #karatekids #kidskarate

Swipe to see our Halloween costumes 🎃👻 #halloweencostumeparty #halloweenspirit #halloweenseason

Sofia stopped by the belt test and had to show off her “speed breaking” skills 🥊 #karate #punches #boardbreaking #breakingboards #martialarts

🤔Are your kids ready to stand up against bullying this school year? 🔈Listen to my best anti-bullying tips from our Sticks & Stones program featured on @greatdaywash 🏫 With many schools dealing with teacher shortages and a lack of resources we strive to empower kids and teens on how to deal with bullying head on without the use of physical force. 🍽 We also believe that the best way to combat bullying begins with the conversations we are having with our children at the dinner table. If we take the time to teach empathy and lead by example our children will learn from what they see. ♥️Like and share the post #antibullying #backtoschooltips #bullyingprevention #bullyingawareness

✨ Today, Sarafina and I teamed up to share some powerful anti-bullying tips for parents on @greatdaywash Teaching self-confidence and respect through our Sticks & Stones program is our mission. Let's stand together against bullying! 🙅‍♂️🙅‍♀️ #KarateForConfidence #AntiBullyingHeroes #EmpowerKids #antibullying

**🚫 Stand Up Against Bullying! 5 Tips for Parents 🚫** 1. **Open Conversations**: Start a dialogue with your kids about their day. Encourage them to share any concerns about bullying. Let's keep those lines of communication strong! 💬❤️ 2. **Be Empathetic**: Teach empathy at home, so kids understand the impact of their actions. Empathy helps create a kinder and more inclusive school environment. 🤝💕 3. **Digital Etiquette**: Guide them on responsible online behavior. Remind them that kindness should extend to social media too. Let's build a positive online community! 📱🤗 4. **Report & Support**: Teach them to report bullying incidents to teachers or school staff. Supporting each other is the key to a safe and happy school year! 🙌📢 5. **Lead by Example**: Show kindness in your actions. Kids learn from what they see. Let's make the world a better place, one act of kindness at a time! 🌍✨ Share these tips to spread awareness and create a stronger, more compassionate school environment. Together, we can make a difference! 🌟 #antibullying #backtoschool #kindnessmatters #antibullyingawareness #backtoschooltips

Many years ago Abby and Sofia entered a karate tournament and had to verse each other for 1st and 2nd place in sparring 😮 They trained together all of the time, but never imagined to verse each other at a karate tournament. As a coach I am supposed to help them during their match, but even I had mix feelings about the outcome. They both knew each other’s strengths and weaknesses and were willing to fight no matter what. Can you guess who won first place? 😁 I’ll let you decide in the comments. 🥲 But I’ll miss these two greatly as they go off to college. Enjoy this short clip of them demonstrating a 2-person form called Yuk Suk Dae Ryun (Promise Sparring). #karate #karategirls #martialartgirls #martialarts #karatetraining

Our PK instructors are leaving soon to college 🎓🥹 If you would like to bring a gift for Mr. Ishi, Ms. Abby or Ms. Sofia please bring it by Monday 8/21. 🎁 #pandaskarate #employeeappreciation #staffappreciation

Today was a long day day for me and Ishi at the @uscapitolclassicschinaopen 😮 For his first karate tournament he competed in the continuous sparring lightweight division. Today he had to face up against one of the tallest fighters in his division and from a popular martial art studio which I will not name 😁. 🥊 Ishi fought 3 rounds against him and won the match allowing him to fight for 3rd and 4th place. I’m very proud of how he represented PK and what he accomplished at this nationally ranked tournament. Comment to congratulate him🥳🏆 #karate #karatetournament #sparring #martialarts

Our karate girls putting in the work 🥋 #karatekids #martialartskids #karatetechniques #kidsselfdefense #karate

🎂 Happy 14th anniversary to Pandas Karate! 🥳 In celebration all PK merch is 14% off in-store and online for today only! 🛒 Use promo code “FOURTEEN” online. *sale excludes century martial art gear. Expires 7/7. #smallbusiness #smallbiz #smallbusinessowner #moco #marylandbusiness #karatekids

Got a chance to teach an old school karate drill to Candlewood Elementary students 🥋 #karatekids #karatetechniques #karatedo #martialarts

Meet our class of 2023 senior graduates of Pandas Karate 🎓 This is the biggest group of high school seniors we have ever had at our studio and we are so proud of their martial art and academic accomplishments. Many of these students have been with Pandas Karate for over 10+ years. Several of them have competed in regional and national karate tournaments. 4 of them became assistant instructors. And 6 of them hold the rank of 3rd degree black belt. These group of students have committed to attending the following schools: University of Maryland College Park, Emory University, Penn State University, Montgomery College. 🥳 Drop a comment to congratulate them! #karatelife #karatefamily #karateteam #martialartist

Testing with Bo Staff #bostaff #bostaffskills #karatekids

Our Little Panda students breaking boards at their belt test! 🥳 These 3.5-6 years old are tough! #karatekids #belttest #belttesting

Congrats to my student Maya for competing in her 1st point sparring tournament and winning 2nd place in the 16-17 year old division 🥳 #pointsparring #karatetournament #kumite #karategirl

Nunchaku for Beginners vs Advanced🥋 #nunchuks #nunchaku #nunchakus #centurymartialarts #kobudo #xma

Board breaking demo with @jackandjillinc #karate #karatedo #boardbreaking #karatetraining #martialarts

What do you do if a bully makes fun of you? 🤔 One quick strategy is to “agree” with the bully. Instead of being a sponge let’s try being a rubber band. To book our anti-bullying show for your school visit us at www.pandaskarate.com/bully for more info🥳 #antibullying #schoolassembly #antibullyingweek #antibully #pta #bullyingprevention

How to use knee strikes from the clinch 🥊 #muaythaitraining #muaythaigym #muaythaidrills

How to use a chair to improve your martial art kicks 🪑🥋 #karatekicks #martialartstraining #karatekick #karatetraining

Here’s a Dojo Tour of Pandas Karate 🥋 #karatedojo #dojang #karateschool #gymtour #martialartsgym

What I learned from my 2011 injury 🤕 #heavybagtraining #heavybagworkout #heavybag

As we say goodbye to 2022 I want to thank all of you for being a part of our journey at Pandas Karate. Some milestones we’ve achieved this year are: 1. Proud to have 80% of our workforce identify as female 2. Worked with brands such as Samsung, Paramount Pictures and H&R Block - which bring attention and awareness to Pandas 3. Our children’s book was featured at the Gaithersburg Book Fair 4. For the first time our anti-bullying show Sticks & Stones was performed out of state (NY) - which means our exposure is growing 5. Our virtual karate classes are still going strong with students training from as far away as Texas and still receiving virtual interest from other states Thank you again for being a fan, we can’t wait to share with you the next chapter of Pandas Karate. #karatedojo #karatelife #dojang

How to do a Jump Side Kick 🥋 #jumpkick #karatekick #karatekicks #tkdkick #karatedo #flyingsidekick

Can you name all 3 side kick variations? 🤔 #karatekicks #karatekick #sidekicks #karatecombat #karatedo #centurymartialarts #yokogeri

How to kick like Wednesday Addams 🕸 #wednesdayaddams #wednesdayadams #karatekick #karatekicks #tkdkick

Use promo code: TURKEY22 for free shipping on all online PK merch 🦃Click the link in bio to shop 🦃 Exp: 11/27 #shopsmallsaturday #momandpopshop #shopsmallbiz

Thank you Shady Grove Middle School for inviting me to speak to their 6-8th grade teens about Entrepreneurship and showing a couple of karate moves 😁🥋 #entrepreneurshiptips #businesstalk #hispanicbusinessowner

This week was Ms. Theresa’s last time training at Pandas Karate as she moves with her husband to Europe 🥳 While we’re sad to see her go we’re also happy to see her embark on this new adventure. I have trained Theresa for over 15+ years, but this past year has been one of my favorites! After being retired from competing Theresa and I worked together to train for her comeback on the karate tournament circuit. Comment below to wish her well 🥲 #karate #martialarts #pandaskarate

The frame made so much noise in the store 😅 Love @dickssportinggoods for boxing and martial art gear tho 🥊 #speedbag #dickssportinggoods #boxingdrills

Can you name all 3 kicks? 🤔 #karatekick #karatetraining #heavybag #martialarts #karate

Swipe to see who we were for Halloween 🎃 #halloweencouple #halloweenparty #encanto

Can you name all 3 kicks? 🤔 #karatekicks #karatekick #heavybag

Congrats to Ms. Jocelyn, Ms. Theresa, and Mr. Ishi on passing the black belt test 👏🏽🥋 #blackbelts #belttest #karatetraining

How would you want to break your first karate board? 🤔 #karatelife #karatetechniques #karatedo

3 Tips On How To Deal With Cyber Bullying 😮 #cyberbullying #cyberbully #antibullying #bullyingawareness

My 1st time trying the punching arcade game🥊 #arcadegames #punching #punches #arcadegame

What’s your best advice for someone interested in competing in a karate tournament? 🤔 #karatetournament #karatetraining #karatelife

Got to collab and learn some Muay Thai moves from @genoquintin 🥊 More content coming soon on our TikTok page. #muaythaitraining #muaythaifighter #muaythailife

Clips of Team PK at the @uscapitolclassicschinaopen last weekend 🥋 #karatedo #sportkarate #karateteam

This weekend Team PK competed at the national martial arts tournament @uscapitolclassicschinaopen and won 1st and 2nd place in forms. Our whole team trained really hard for their events and competed against the top competitors in karate. The day was long and we learned a lot together. I am so proud of these guys and all that they have accomplished. Comment below to congratulate them 🥳 #karatetournament #karatecompetition #karateteam

How To Tie A Martial Art Belt 🥋 #karatebelt #whitebelts #whitebelt

One of my favorite techniques that I learned while training at @tckmodernmartialarts sparring seminar was learning how to cut angles when point sparring. There are so many variations to it that finding one that works for me was invaluable. 🥊 #sparringsession #karatetraining #karatetechniques

13 years ago Susan and I had this crazy idea to open a karate studio in the air park area of Gaithersburg while working full time jobs and raising 3 kids. We boot strapped the entire business and built it from the ground up. At times we had no idea what we were doing, but we leaned on to each others strengths and put together our resources to keep PK afloat. The pandemic in itself was one of our greatest challenges and to this day it still effects us behind closed doors. We hope to be here for another 13 years even if it’s not in the same capacity. We are grateful to all of our past and present students for you are the reason we are still here today. Happy 13th anniversary PK! #karatedojo #karatestudio #karatedo

Back when I tested for my 4th degree black belt and my 1st time breaking cement 🥋 #karaté #belttest #blackbelts

FREE shipping on all PK merch ends 7/4 by using our promo code at checkout 🎆 Promo Code: FOURTH 📸: @madeformore_ #pandaskarate #merchsale #fanmerch

Theresa winning 🥉 in the Womens Forms/Kata Division @thebattleofbaltimore #karatetournament #karatekata #karategirl

Winning 🥇in board breaking at the 2007 Eagle Classic Karate Tournament hosted by Kim Studio #karatetournament #karatedo #karatekas

Kylie Winning 🥈 in Womens Forms/Kata Division @thebattleofbaltimore #karatetournament #karatekata #karategirl

Got invited to perform along side my gold belt student Nora at her schools talent show! 🥋 Comment below how she did👇🏽 #karatekids #karategirl #talentshow

After several months of training Team PK finally competed today @thebattleofbaltimore karate tournament!🥋 Theresa and Kylie both represented our studio and competed in the Womens Forms/Kata division this morning. For Theresa she hasn’t competed in years and for Kylie this would be her first karate tournament. Theresa won 3rd place and Kylie won 2nd. Leave a comment to congratulate them! 🥳 #karatetournament #karategirl #karatekata

Maybe I shouldn’t have eaten @genossteaks before running up these stairs 😅 #rockybalboa #philadelphiamuseumofart #rockysteps

“Back in 2017 you sent me an email asking if I could choreograph Mulan Jr. which was a little out of my skill set but I said yes anyway. Who knew 5 years later that I’d still be working along side you at SGMS choreographing dance numbers in your wonderful musical productions. I have learned so much from you and the amazing team you surround yourself with that I never wanted to let you down. If anything I pushed my own creative boundaries to give you my very best. Working on the show for these several months have been amazing and I will miss you greatly. Thank you again Judy for allowing me to be a part of Mulan Jr, Lion King Jr, and now Frozen Jr.” - Daniel A. #frozenjr #frozenthemusical

Which Shirt Do You Have? 🤔 Free Shipping All Week Until May 8 with promo code: MOTHERSDAY 🌸 Click to shop🌸 #merch #karategear #fanmerch

How to Avoid Getting Slapped In The Face 😮 #selfdefensetips #selfdefensetraining #slapped

“This past Thursday was my very last time teaching our virtual class at our studio. After 2 years of instructing virtually every single week to students from all over the country it was finally time to say goodbye. None of us were prepared to teach this way, yet we were up for the challenge. A big thank you goes out to our virtual team who were instrumental to the success of our virtual classes. Without them we wouldn’t have been able to do it.” - Master Daniel ➡️ Swipe to view some moments from our online classes.

“Life is meant to be a challenge, because challenges are what makes you grow. “ - Manny Pacquiao #wildcardboxing #boxingskills #boxingsession #everlastboxing

Board Breaking With My 1 Hand Round Kick 🥋 #karatekick #roundhousekick #roundkick

“These two pictures were taken of my final lessons coaching the martial art club at Northwest High School in 2004. I’m pictured wearing a yellow Noodles & Company hat from a part-time job I used to have during high school. Growing up I never fit into “normal” school sports even though my whole family lived and breathed soccer. So starting this club began for selfish reasons. But little did I know how much this club would really mean to my students. Some shared with me how their parents had no money to continue their former training and were so happy to learn from me for free. Girls would join wanting to learn self-defense to better protect themselves. I had a young single dad join looking for a way to relieve stress from home. Athletes who got cut from the football team joined my club looking for a sense of belonging. I’ll never forget these moments that would help shape and foreshadow my own future. I hope my lessons are still with them today no matter where they are.” - Master Daniel #karateclub #martialartsclub #karatelife

Happy Holidays from all of us at PK! ⛄️

Find out how to book our anti-bullying show “Sticks & Stones” for your school 🤩 #antibullying #antibullyingassembly #schoolassembly #bullyingprevention

Breaking with a downward elbow strike 🥋 #boardbreaking #belttest #belttesting

Swipe To See Our Halloween Costumes 🎃 #karatedojo #karateclass #karatefamily

Happy Wednesday! For some of our pandas, this weekend was the black belt test! Drop a 👏 to congratulate everyone who participated! #belttest #belttesting #karatetraining

Belt Test is this weekend! 🥋 #belttesting #belttest #whitebelt

Happy National Small Business Week! In honor of this celebration, heres a promo code for free shipping!! *SHOPLOCAL* Link in Bio!💗🥋 Exp: 9/19 📷: @madeformore_ #smallbusinessweek #shopsmallbusinesses #nationalsmallbusinessweek

Waiting To Compete in 2007 🏆 #karatetournament #karatelife #karateka

Goodbye 🥲 #karate #karatedo #karategirl

Free shipping ends this Sunday 8/15! Use code: BACKPACK at checkout from our online store 🎒Link in Bio🎒 #pandaskarate #karatelife #karategirl

Today marks Pandas Karate 12 anniversary! While our studio looks slightly different now our memories will be with us forever. A big thanks to all of you who continue to support our small business 💚 This picture was taken of our first belt test in October 2009. #karatedojo #dojang #karatedo

Which Kick Was Stronger? 🤔 #karatekick #roundhousekick #karatekicks

How To Tie A Belt #whitebelt #whitebeltproblems #karategi #martialartist

3 Mistakes When Throwing a Cross Punch #boxingtips #punching #boxingtechnique

Happy b-day to my amazing wife, best friend and business partner! No matter what comes our way I love how we always do it all together. I wouldn’t want it any other way. ❤️

“In this 2003 pic I was testing for my 2nd degree black belt at the age of 17. Before that moment I had wanted to quit karate several times, but it wasn’t because I fell out of love for the sport. It was because my home life was in disarray. I had barely passed high school, I had gained weight, my parents struggled financially, I lost friends, and my motivation to continue training in martial arts was pointless. As my home life spun out of control I went back to the only thing that was consistent in my life and that was karate. So I bagan to wake up at 5am every day before high school and ran. I began reading magazine articles and books at the library on fitness and nutrition. I threw myself into any karate tournament I could as unaffiliated and without a coach. I got a part time job to not rely on my parents. I would train at home after I had finished homework and then train a 2nd time at night at my karate studio. I continued this every day in high school. I look back at this picture and wish I could tell the 17yr old version of myself that everything will be ok.” #karatetraining #blackbelts #karateclass

Congratulations to all of our virtual/in-studio students who are taking our 2nd outdoor black belt test in April 🥋 #karatetraining #karatedojo #karatekids

Click the link in bio to donate to our studio ❤️ #pandaskarate #mocomd #rockvillemd

“In 2018 I had this idea to create a children’s book about my life navigating through adolescence. I took several of my darkest moments in a public school setting to create something positive to share with the world. As many kids across the country are going back to school I hope our children’s book “Not So Bad After All” creates open dialogs at home to express any fears they may have about returning. Thank you for your continued support of our new book. I am excited to see the next chapter of my life.” Make sure to write an online review for us on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Target, and Google Books. 📷: @madeformore_ #childrensbooks #picturebooks #childrensbookauthor

Comment the name of this kick🤔❄️ #snowdays #karatekicks #karatekick #spinkick

Johnny from Cobra Kai highly recommends this place 😅 #golfnstuff #karatekid #cobrakai #datenightideas

2007 pic of Master Daniel performing at JW shot on Kodak disposable camera #disposablecamera #disposable #karatetraining

Basic Kali Stick Sinawali. Who’s got them in COD? #kalisticks #escrima #arnis

What our #karatedojo was like before COVID-19 🥋 #karateclass #dojang #dojolife

3 #selfdefense Tips (part-2) #selfdefensetraining #selfdefensetips #selfdefense

3 #Selfdefense Tips #selfdefensetraining #selfdefenseforwomen #selfdefense

Happy New Year 🥳

Follow us @danielsbookclub to stay in touch of our new children’s book “Not So Bad After All” 🙂 #amazonbooks #kidsbookstagram #childrensbookstagram #barnesandnoble

After 1 year our children’s book “Not So Bad After All” has been finally published! The story is based off of real childhood events that I lived through while navigating school. Available for pre-order on Amazon and Barnes & Noble. Featuring DC local artist @honestsnob

After 1 year in the making our children’s book “Not So Bad After All” has finally been published! Watch as I unbox the book for the first time and reveal details about its upcoming release. #childrensbookillustration #childrensbookstagram #kidsbookswelove

Breaking In Midair🥋 #boardbreaking #karatekick #karatekicks #hookkick

How many karate belts do we have?🥋 #karatedojo #martialartslife #blackbelts

Happy Thanksgiving from the PK family🦃! This year, we are beyond grateful that we were able to open with everyones support, and wishing for safer times in the future so we can see everyone back together again, like in the video!! ❤️ What are you thankful for this Thanksgiving?🥋 ⬇️

“As virtual learning became universal, an optional rule of keeping your camera on during class was growing in popularity. When I heard about it I immediately smh. Even though some school districts make it optional many teachers are enforcing their students to keep their cameras on and call you out on it for not doing so. What I don’t think schools/ teachers consider is that not everyone likes to be on camera. Many teens don’t even post on social media. Why would they want to keep a camera on for a virtual class? The rise of teen depression and suicide during the pandemic isn’t being talked about since other news topics are much louder atm. You wouldn’t know this, but I was a shy kid with a stutter. I also shared a bedroom with 2 other siblings in a 2-bedroom apartment filled with 2nd hand furniture. If I had to leave my camera on during an entire school day I’d rather not show up to class. Teachers should reconsider their video camera policies and not place more pressure on students then it already is.” #cyberbullying #bullyingawareness #cybersafety #teendepression