Quest Martial Arts Raleigh

Scott Paul Johnson is one of the best guitar teachers I’ve found online. A few days ago he posted a video (link in comments) exploring the relationship between art and humanity called "AI and the future of music."

He says:

“To me one of the coolest things about being a human is learning things and seeing progress over time and developing skills and developing understanding and just having a deeper connection with the things I do and the things I care about.

And so for me, the joy of playing guitar is not to perfectly replicate someone else’s song, or really to do anything perfectly. It’s more about the experience of making progress, the experience of exploring my creativity.

I love trying to figure things out. To me that is the joy, that is the essence of what it means to be human. To be curious and to figure things out and to test yourself and develop skills. All that stuff to me is so, so fun!”

-

Similarly, the benefits from practicing martial arts go way beyond one’s ability to fight.

Like music, our movements and techniques are a language that allows for new understanding and expressive possibility as we gain fluency.

Like music, martial arts training creates opportunities for mind and body to experience flow states—that highly focused (and highly satisfying) state of skillful awareness.

And, like music, martial arts can be wonderfully frustrating! We get to practice digging deep and overcoming challenges, which builds our resilience and determination. We become more courageous and less resistant to change.

In addition to connecting us with our personal human potential, martial arts is a unique way to connect with other humans!

We carefully attune to our training partner's needs, so that we can provide the right amount of intensity—the amount that will help them grow and build skill.

And with all that time spent attuning to each other and building each other up, it's only natural that we'd become all the more committed to each other's success and enthusiastic for each other's wins!

In our results-oriented, commercialized, consumption-driven, quick-fix culture, this video is a great reminder that the reward of art isn't just the end product. Riches are strewn all along the path from novice to expert (or white belt to black belt) as we build the skills required to unleash our creativity and provide deep experiences of our humanity.



This post written by Bryan Griffin.

The dojo is all cleaned and ready for another great year of training. ⛩️

Thanks to everyone who helped spruce up our space at yesterday's o-soji "big clean" and new year meditation. We're primed to start 2026 with powerful and positive intention!

We are enrolling new members. If you're interested in a self-defense practice that is enjoyable, detailed, intelligent, and effective - try To-Shin Do at Quest Martial Arts Raleigh!

Happy holidays from QMAR! 🎄

Dojo closed 12/24 - 12/28
OPEN Mon 12/29 & Tues 12/30
Closed for New Year's 12/31 & 1/1
OPEN 12/2 -
O-soji "big clean" after classes Saturday 12/3

Some highlights from the Mid-Atlantic Black Belt Conference!

We want to extend our gratitude to Scott Bragg, Bryan Griffin, Justin Panza, and Kaitlin Voith for their excellent insights, drills, and perspectives on the To-Shin Do black belt material.

And a big thanks to all of those who made time, traveled, and directed their focus and energy into the training.

If you attended, what were some of your highlights or biggest takeaways from the weekend? Leave a comment or send us an email—we’d love to hear from you!

YOU DON'T HAVE TO WAIT.

This is Kaitlin Dantoshi Voith's motto.

You don’t have to get in shape first. You don’t have to hold off until that chronic back pain or knee injury heals. You don’t have to conquer your anxiety or ADHD.

Violence doesn’t wait. If the day comes that you need to protect yourself or others, odds are that you’ll be in the wrong shoes. You’ll have forgotten to eat breakfast. Some part of your body will be hurting.

And yes, “You don’t have to wait.” isn’t just about putting on a white belt. It absolutely applies to advanced students and black belts who take that inevitable break that ends up being permanent, because they aren’t sure how to compassionately navigate new limitations in their time or their body. They keep waiting for things to feel how they did before.

That’s not to say that Kaitlin has a rigid, NO EXCUSES attitude. When people say no excuses that usually translates to IGNORE YOUR ISSUES. Instead, Kaitlin invites students to think of their challenges as important elements in self-defense scenarios that are worthy of being explored in a safe, supportive environment.

Kaitlin Dantoshi Voith teaches full-time at Quest Martial Arts Raleigh (more than full-time...six days a week) and is one of the highest ranking women in To-Shin Do. She is a wilderness skills enthusiast and a certified personal trainer.

Kaitlin is ready to help you re-write the stories that have you trapped in perfectionism, over-training, comparison, unrealistic expectations, and other forms of self-sabotage—this weekend at the Mid-Atlantic Black Belt Conference with Bryan Toutoshi Griffin, Scott Akitoshi Bragg, and Justin Deitoshi Panza!

>> LAST CALL TO GET GET TICKETS!

https://toshindo.online/mac/

Similar to An-shu Rumiko Hayes' story of connecting with pop culture ninja characters in Japan as a child, Justin was inspired by the portrayal of Japanese martial arts in anime and film. As a young man he chose to pursue his passion by signing up for both film school and To-Shin Do training!

Now a 5th Degree Black Belt, Justin approaches self-defense training and taijutsu with the creativity and attention-to-detail of a visual artist obsessed with his craft. He's always looking for new ways to deepen his understanding—new lenses through which to view the ninja arts:

🔸He studied the human body in motion, becoming a certified personal trainer.

🔸He spent significant time working with traditional weapons as tools for understanding movement principles and strategies that can be applied to modern conflict.

🔸He developed an encyclopedic knowledge of the curriculum and techniques, becoming an instructor other instructors call on when they have a question!

-

As martial arts practitioners sometimes it feels like we have to choose instructors who are either MARTIAL or ART.

Modern OR historical. Realistic OR artistic. Effective OR creative.

Justin Deitoshi Panza skillfully weaves all of these threads together—a true MARTIAL ARTIST. He is ready to share his expertise on anything from biomechanics to martial philosophy. So, if you're coming to the 2025 Mid-Atlantic Black Belt Conference this weekend, start to think about your burning questions!

We've got Justin Deitoshi Panza, Scott Akitoshi Bragg, Bryan Toutoshi Griffin, and Kaitlin Dantoshi Voith—what are you excited to dig into?

🔥 LAST CALL + GET YOUR TICKETS

https://toshindo.online/mac/

Dojo community cookout! 🍔 🌭
Great food, great friends, great weather, great day! 😁