EAGLE, Idaho — Two Eagle sisters are preparing for the National Martial Arts Championship while one fights through balance and vision challenges that make every move more difficult.
Addison and Molly Fischer stepped into the dojo five years ago and have been pushing each other ever since at Idaho Martial Arts.
"I was first introduced to martial arts in the world of karate when my sister wanted to join," Addison Fischer said. "At the time, I didn't really have a sport, so my parents, like, wanted to push me to join this, so I did."
Watch to learn more about the sibling duo
For Molly, 13, an eighth grader, the appeal was immediate.
"I was younger, like, in first grade, I was doing gymnastics and stuff, and I didn't really wanna do it," Molly Fischer said. "And then, like karate just sounded so cool, and that's kind of all there is to it. It [was] just like, it sounded so fun and so cool, and I really wanted to try it."
Both girls proudly hold high purple belts, just below brown, and aim for black before college.
"I think if I keep working consistently, I think I could probably make it," Molly Fischer said.
Molly explained the progression through the belt ranks at their dojo.
"It goes white belt, orange belt, yellow belt, then green belt, which is the start of the advanced belt, and blue belt, and purple belt, and then I'm a high purple belt," Molly Fischer said. "And then there's a series of different brown belts, and then if you're under 16, you become a junior black belt, and if you're over 16, then you become your first black belt."
As a high purple belt, Molly is approaching the next level of responsibility.
"I'm just a student, and my next will be a brown belt, and then I can start like, going into more of like a junior teaching role," Molly Fischer said.
Molly credits consistency for her progress through the ranks.
"I think it's really just like being consistent and practicing at home and trying your best in the dojo," Molly Fischer said.
Addison, 15, a sophomore at Eagle High School, admits she was initially hesitant about martial arts.
"I was first introduced to karate, and specifically here, I was really scared," Addison Fischer said. "I think one thing that I did was I kept comparing myself to others."
However, she learned to embrace the challenge over time.
"In the beginning, I think it was hard for me to stick with it specifically because martial arts is a very challenging sport," Addison Fischer said. "Our instructors always say if it was easy, everyone would do it, but I think just over time and with the encouragement of others, I wanted to keep going because there weren't really any other sports that I wanted to do, and I kind of, I really do like doing karate. I've learned to love it."
Molly also had to overcome performance anxiety early in her training.
"In the beginning of karate, I was really nervous about performing, cause, like, it was just so scary for me, but I feel like karate has really helped my confidence," Molly Fischer said.
For Addison, progress means pushing through vision challenges she's had since she was little.
"I've had vision problems ever since I was a little kid, and I've just recently started vision therapy to correct this, and this vision impairment kind of has affected my brain and the way I do kata," Addison Fischer said.
Kata, which loosely translates to form, is essentially a series of moves, almost like a dance that competitors perform.
The vision issues create additional challenges during training and competition.
"The way I do kata is, it's a little bit more challenging for me personally because I have to think through all the moves, and my balance is also really bad," Addison Fischer said. "So when I do kicks, it's just a lot harder, which can make it difficult in doing tournament team or just doing competition because I can have a tendency to freeze up, which is something you don't want to do. But yeah, I just kind of learned to just move past that."
Addison says her sister's support motivates her to work harder.
"I genuinely don't think I would have earned this belt without her," Addison Fischer said. "I went to her room and I'm like, hey, I need you to help me study for my belt test, and she was like, OK."
The sisters have developed a strong partnership over their five years of training.
"It's been fun. We don't always get along, which is pretty typical of family members, but it's been really fun and rewarding being able to go to these tournaments with her and watching her in katas and then competing in katas alongside her," Addison Fischer said.
Molly appreciates having family support in the sport.
"I think it's really fun and I'm really lucky that, like, I have a family member in karate because we can practice together and stuff like that," Molly Fischer said. "I'm really fortunate to have my sister doing karate with me. I really enjoy it."
She particularly enjoys their synchronized training.
"It's fun to do sparring with her, and it's fun because when we do team classes, it's just fun to like see how we're able to just do things so in sync," Addison Fischer said. "I think part of that comes from having that sisterly bond."
Last July, the sisters competed at nationals for the first time in Fort Lauderdale, representing their Eagle roots. The Amateur Athletic Union nationals featured 1,200 competitors from across the nation, with 12 rings running simultaneously.
"It was my first year on the tournament team, and it was so fun. I really enjoyed it and I hope I can keep doing it for a few more years to come," Molly said.
"I was really scared at first. I didn't think when I first joined the tournament team that I would go to nationals, and then before I knew it, I was on a plane heading to Fort Lauderdale," Addison said. "So I was like, well— now or never."
The sisters participated in both individual and team competitions.
"When you're performing, you're performing alone, but me, my sister, and another girl on our tournament team, we did an event called Team Kata," Molly said. "I think my favorite memory was probably at Team Kata at Nationals, cause we were doing it together and it was just like, I feel like a very good bonding moment, so that was really special," Molly added.
Both sisters credit their instructors and teammates for creating a positive atmosphere that helps them overcome challenges.
"Especially our instructors, Shihan Eva Steinwald and Sensei Kari Wes, they've been super duper helpful," Addison said. "I don't think I would have gotten to where I was without them. They are so encouraging and positive, and they're really willing to help me talk me through things, which is just overall a very positive atmosphere."
Molly echoed the sentiment about their coaches.
"Both of our coaches, they really helped a lot at tournament team, and they were really good at addressing you individually and helping you through things, and getting to a personal level where you felt really good," Molly Fischer said.
Eva Steinwald, owner of Idaho Martial Arts, has watched the sisters transform over the years during her 28 years serving the Eagle community.
"They are loud, they show power," Steinwald said. "I call it the girl power, and it's amazing to see the difference between when they started, very quiet little girls, and now they're both teenagers. It's so rewarding to see that."
The national competition experience has helped both sisters build confidence, particularly Molly, who struggled with performance anxiety.
"Now, even tournament team performing at nationals, I was nervous but not as nerve-wracking as it could have been," Molly Fischer said.
Addison has found benefits beyond physical training, such as building confidence. "It's a really good sport, it's a really fun sport, and I'd encourage more people to partake in martial arts."
Both sisters have clear goals for their martial arts futures.
"I think my goal is just to do my best to just get as far as I can before I go to college, so hopefully that's black belt," Addison Fischer said.
Molly shares similar aspirations.
"I really wanna become a black belt before I go to college," said Molly. "I think if I keep working consistently, I think I could probably make it."
Tournament travel is expensive, with the team participating in 6 to 8 tournaments per year, some of which are on the East Coast. The community can help through donations to the Idaho Martial Arts Booster Club, a 501(c) nonprofit organization. Donations can be made via Venmo to EvaSteinwald.
Steinwald emphasizes how the lessons learned in the dojo extend beyond martial arts.
"Everything you learn in here, the character traits you take out there, and so that's my goal, is that what they learn, they apply to the community in Eagle where they live," Steinwald said.
The sisters are working hard to return to nationals by demonstrating that determination and teamwork can break through any obstacle, inspiring others in their Eagle community along the way.
