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Testimonials
George & Roseann
I want to just tell you that we appreciate, so very much, what you do for the kids. We can not say enough about both you and George, you are both wonderful. THANK YOU!!!!! One of these days I will get my butt back in there too. Sherry M.
Hello; I just wanted to say thank you.
Anthony and Tyler really enjoyed their time at A.F.A. Karate. I was very happy to watch them. This was the first time they ever tried any sport. I look at karate not only as a sport, but as a life investment. This is something that they will carry with them for the rest of their life. I just wanted to let you know that this was a wonderful experience. Thanks, Theresa L.
Dear Roseann & George: Gary & I just wanted to convey the wonderful feeling we have about you and your school. After sitting through Bryan’s testing and the black belt testing and following ceremonies this past weekend, both of us and my mom and sister really walked away with the utmost admiration for you both. This feeling of admiration is not new; it has just been building over the two and a half years Bryan has been with your school. You are both truly the epitome of patience and understanding with your students and yet you never give yourselves the credit. You are always crediting your storm team and swat team and your students for their hard work. What about the hard work, determination, caring and long hours you both put into this school. You are both truly amazing and deserve all the credit which few people ever voice. We can’t thank you enough for all the time, energy, patience, caring, discipline, and love you give to our son as well as all your students. You have been a wonderful influence on Bryan. We can only hope that when he is grown he will look back on his time with you and your school and realize how truly lucky he was to have been instructed and cared for by two incredible people such as yourselves. Thank you so much for being our friends and
for caring for our child in such a loving and trusting manner.
Sensei George Fusco, Jr. owner & founder of the Assembly of the Fighting Arts/A.F.A. Karate school, (located in North Branford), was inducted into the World Karate Union Hall of Fame on Saturday June 29th, 1996. The induction ceremonies took place at the Chateau Hotel on Camelback Mountain in Tannersville, Penn. The award Sensei Fusco received that evening was for "Outstanding Achievement of the Year". This is truly a well deserved, prestigious honor of recognition. Sensei Fusco is an accomplished and well-respected martial arts instructor, who has dedicated 16 years of his life to the martial arts. He presently holds the rank of 4th degree black belt in Shotokan Karate. Sensei Fusco established the Assembly of the Fighting Arts in January 1988, and was the first and only Martial Arts School in North Branford. A.F.A. Karate still to this day is one of the most reputable and respectable schools in the state of Connecticut. I, (Sensei Robert DeLeon), have personally known George Fusco for over 16 years and there are many reasons why he is one of the most successful and respected martial arts instructors around. Sensei Fusco has a holistic approach/attitude towards Martial Arts, students and the respect in which all should be treated. He is a man of great patience and skill. Students instructed by Sensei Fusco, feel in harmony with his teaching methods and not threatened by his skill and/or attitude. His credentials and accomplishments are impressive, at the young age of 30. He was an instructor for the Municipal Police Training Council, where he taught defense tactics, mechanics of arrest, crowd control, etc. Sensei George Fusco also appeared in Karate International’s, "Who’s who in the Martial Arts", February 1992. In 1993, Sensei Fusco and his wife (Roseann) established themselves as successful tournament promoters, with their annual "Southern New England Karate Championships". Both, Sensei Fusco & his wife are active tournament competitors and are rated Regionally and Nationally! On November 16th, 1996, Sensei Fusco will receive another award for outstanding leadership, at the Metropolitan Club in Bridgeport, CT. Sensei Fusco also established and designed a program called C.A.R.E., which stands for Control, Attitude, Respect, Esteem. This program teaches good etiquette, responsibility and will boost a person’s morale. Sensei Fusco is dedicated to keeping kids off the street and giving them something constructive to do with their time. He believes that by instilling these principles in every youth, it will produce positive and respectable individuals. He also focuses on the importance of discipline, self-respect, and respect for others, the values and importance of an education and good grades. Sensei Fusco also leads talk sessions in which crime, drugs, safety tips and health fitness are discussed. If our youths could have more role models like Sensei George Fusco, of A.F.A. Karate, we would then have more leaders and fewer followers. Without question, the leaders of tomorrow are being well groomed by Sensei George Fusco, Jr. of Assembly of the Fighting Arts. Thank you, Sensei Robert A. DeLeon 4th Degree Black Belt, Shotokan Karate
A.F.A. Karate of No. Bfd. participated in a tournament in Northford. It was an unbelievable show of talent, the champions of A.F.A. Karate took 1st place in every division that they entered, bringing home eight 1st place trophies. When I approached the husband & wife team of A.F.A. Karate, George & Roseann Fusco, I asked them how they were able to develop so many champions? They replied, "A colleague of ours once said that any instructor could have one out of every ten students good, but it takes a good instructor to have 9 out of 10 students good. This saying is what we live by, at A.F.A. Karate of North Branford. We believe that every person has the ability to be a champion, they just need to find the right instructor(s) to guide them." A.F.A. Karate is more than just learning Karate. It is a family offering positive role models, control in behavior, tutors for school, friends, group events & much more! Just stop by their school & see for yourselves what they have to offer. The students of A.F.A. Karate who received 1st place in Kataform were, Josh Hofmeister, Patti Hofmeister, Bryan Brown, Danny Rush & Robert Stillwell, Michael DePaola received 3rd place & Richard Talmadge II received 5th place. The 1st place winners in fighting were Josh Hofmeister, Patti Hofmeister & Robert Stillwell. Michael DePaola received 3rd place & Richard Talmadge II received 4th place. Remember just trying makes you a champion, congratulations to all of you!!! Proud to be a part of A.F.A. Karate, Susan Bedworth
There comes a day when a student of the martial arts reaches his or her goal of attaining the coveted black belt. That day was Sunday, February 15, 1998 for four very talented and dedicated students of A.F.A. Karate, North Branford. Daniel Rush, Robert Stilwell, James DeLoughery & Victoria Conte began that last step that they had trained years for. As a parent of one of them, I feel very proud to see all the hard work and determination culminate in achievement of that goal. Each student has been involved in the karate program from four to five years. So to are the parents as they are the ones that make the time to bring the student to the studio and pick them up or stay for the duration of the class. Most students attend classes three to four times a week. The style of karate they practice is called "Shotokan", this is a Japanese-Okinawan style. As their test was about to begin I could see the enthusiasm and anticipation as the big day had arrived. It was time to demonstrate all they had learned. The test consisted of: striding; three step and one step; self defense; forms; planned and spontaneous self defense and sparring. I felt the testing was a true measure of their abilities to execute all the segments required. They excelled at what they did as reflected by their scores and had fun, especially with self defense. In addition to George Fusco, Jr., owner and chief instructor of A.F.A. Karate and 4th degree black belt, three guest instructor’s from all the Connecticut area accepted the invitation to help grade the black belt candidates. Each of them also have their own karate schools. They are: Matt Jones-5th degree black belt; Robert DeLeon-3rd degree black belt, and Jelendo Wallace-3rd degree black belt. It was very nice of each of them to take time out of their busy schedules to help out with this special event. As I watched the test progress it made me think back to all the training/teaching done by the owners/instructors, George and Roseann Fusco. They are unique people in that they have a genuine love of the art and always display patience that is beyond the norm. I an very pleased to see the caring and supportive roles they as instructors display. But more importantly they both always convey a feeling of family to the students and parents. I believe these four students have not completed a journey but rather have just started the next level that really has no end as they now have begun the next chapter. their roles are not only that of the student but also that of the teacher. George & Roseann Fusco started a creed that the students say at the beginning of classes. One line of that creed is, "A.F.A. Karate is a black belt school", after the ceremony, seeing them all with their new black belts, I am sure they all felt a renewed feeling of what it means to be a black belt and to represent their school in that capacity. Now it is up to these new "Sensei s" to help bring out the best in all the other students by showing their continued sense of motivation and dedication to the art. I only wish more of our youth and young adults can be these types of leaders. What a proud day this was. Well done A.F.A. Karate of North Branford! Robert Stilwell Hamden, Connecticut
Dear Students & Parents, Our society is full of competition. There’s competition in school sports, in the job market with competitive salaries, etc. In this world of competition we forget what is important. It is not always about winning or about being the best, its about pride and having fun! The pride to stand tall - win, lose or draw and having fun doing so. Vince Lombardi said, "Winning is a habit, but so is losing". What this means to me is that we can set our minds to believe that we are winners, getting into the habit of winning; but on the other hand we can set our minds to believe we are losers and get in the habit of losing. It all comes down to attitude! The proper attitude is the key success or failure! Along with success comes failure, so we must fail first in order to succeed. Failure should make you stronger making you want to succeed even more. Learning from our mistakes is what makes us grow stronger and learning from our mistakes is the quickest way to learn. For the Black Belts who have competed for the first time as a Black Belt, it’s a scary feeling because you go from an under belt who was constantly winning in every tournament... to a Black Belt who is not winning. This is not because you are terrible, it merely is a transitional period. The Black Belts that you are competing against sometimes have held their rank longer than you have even been doing karate!! With out a doubt, give yourself some time and you will see that you will begin winning again as long as you keep faith. As for the last few tournaments, (Boston International, Ocean State, New England Open), every one of you did an awesome job, you competed against people from all over the world, (The Best of the Best)! Most of your divisions had 30 or more competitors. Even though there were only 8 places in each division, I can honestly say that all of A.F.A. Karate students did great!! Always placing in the top half or better!!! Patti Hofmeister has won the Gladiator Award!!!! You should be proud of your performance. If you are not proud of your performance, then you must get yourself in gear and prove to yourself that the winning isn’t everything and that the experience is worth so much more. As for Roseann & I, we couldn’t be more proud of every single one of our students. In our eyes and our hearts you are all winners. Remember, win or lose we are always proud, either way you win in our book!!! Sincerely, Sensei George Fusco, Jr. Gladiator Award = There is only one gladiator award given in each division. This award is presented to the person who places the highest in all three tournaments (Boston Inter, Ocean State, and New England Open). Patti Hofmeister received 3rd place in 2 tournaments & 2nd in the other!!!! Congratulations Patti-Cakes!!!!!!
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