Sandy Springs attorney makes strong case for karate

SANDY SPRINGS, Ga. - When Sandy Springs attorney Mark Moeller began teaching karate during a busy first year of law school, he admits his classmates were a little confused.

"People thought I was nuts, 'What do you mean, your first-semester law school you're teaching karate three days a week?'" he said. 

But 30 years later, Moeller says it's his dedication to martial arts that allows him to be successful in all areas of life.

Moeller runs Atlanta's Traditional Okinawan Karate-do Dojo, which offers karate classes for both adults and kids. 

The Sandy Springs resident, who began studying martial arts as a college undergrad, says the series of movements (called kata) that he teaches have been passed down for hundreds of years, and it's his goal to keep the tradition alive for new generations of men and women. 

Moeller says along with the obvious physical benefits, martial arts offers numerous mental benefits, too; he credits his ability to stay even-tempered during tough legal negotiations to his daily karate practice. 

And to those who think they're too old to start classes, Moeller points to several of his students who are in their 70s, remarking, "My attitude is that the martial arts should be good for the body and available to everybody."

To register for classes, visit: http://registration.sandyspringsga.gov/

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