“What we have seen is the little kids have been training with the parents,” Mejias said. “We've seen lots of moms, and we also have seen little siblings in class. Parents seem to be happy, which makes us very happy. That's something we don't see a lot these days—families training together, which is very powerful.”
Since March 14, the Frisco martial arts school has offered a full schedule of classes for its students, who range from 4-year-olds to adults.
“We have lessons for little kids, beginners, intermediate, advanced [and] all the way through jui-jitsu,” Mejias said.
Program Director Chris Mejias said Samurai Inti Martial Arts has about 100 students in online classes, but those numbers could change as people take advantage of the school's free introductory offers.
“One of the things that we have done is reached out to some of our old students and people who are interested in martial arts,” Chris Mejias said. “[We are] offering them a free month of the virtual classes so they could try them out. We know a lot of kids are stir crazy at home, and hopefully this gives them something fun and educational to do besides their normal schoolwork.”
With all other recreational sports put on hold during the coronavirus pandemic, Sebastian Mejias said parents have been pleased with the at-home training through the online classes.
“This is a great opportunity for people to actually practice on their own and get better on their own because they want to get better,” Sebastian Mejias said.
As experienced martial artists, the Mejias brothers said they are trying to maintain positive attitudes and share those with others.
“We have learned that with this coronavirus, people have to take care of themselves,” said Sebastian Mejias, who was one of 13 speakers at January’s first TEDxFrisco event. “We're doing everything we can for the kids to have a good time and the families to stay together. We’re going to get through this.”
