United Martial Arts tests 102 for black belt and beyond

WARWICK — United Martial Arts Centers in Warwick recently graduated 102 students to the rank of black belt and higher. (The martial art of taekwondo has nine degrees of black belt.)
All 10 of the school’s locations gathered at a retreat in Greeley, Pennsylvania, for a weekend of testing, culminating with a black belt graduation.
The weekend comprises specialized martial arts seminars, personal development workshops, a ropes/obstacle course and more.
A highlight of the graduation was Master Edmund John Ciarfella testing for his 5th-degree black belt. Ciarfella has been training for 27 years and started his martial arts journey at age 3. He now runs the newest UMAC location, in Middletown.
“Earning a black belt is really the beginning of your martial arts journey,” he said. “I consider white belt-black belt to be preparatory. The analogy I like to use is that it’s like going from kindergarten and graduating high school. You have learned to read, write and do arithmetic, and now you can go on to higher learning.”
For information about UMAC, visit www.umacenters.com or facebook.com/umacfans. or call 845-987-1853.