After a stroke left him partially paralyzed when he was just 20 years old, Shawn Withers was forced to find a way to help him recover, strengthen his body, and allow him to lead an active life again.

Being paralyzed on his left side, Withers faced a long road to recovery. But he remained positive and was able to overcome most of his physical problems after five months of rehabilitation and continued physical activity.

It was his search to find something to aid his recovery that lead Withers to a karate class in 1994. Accompanied by his wife Andrea, Withers began training and soon the pair became dedicated martial artists. Five years later, they both earned the rank of black belt. Both Withers and his wife have continued studying, and today they are both third degree black belts.

“It’s something we were both passionate about,” Withers said.

After earning their first black belts, the pair decided to combine Shawn’s knowledge of martial arts with his understanding of what it is like to recover from a physical disability and teach karate to people with disabilities.

The Withers’ own Natural Motion Martial Arts in Scarborough where they teach several classes a week for disabled and non-disabled people. They also visit area rehab centers to provide martial arts instruction.

Shawn Withers believes his experiences with his own rehabilitation and recovery provides him with an insight that many do not possess.

“I already went through it so it was easy to take my experience and bring it back to them,” he said.

The pair does not teach traditional karate, but a combination of various martial arts styles called Broken Wing Kenpo, which is specifically designed by the Withers’ to instruct disabled people.

Andrea Withers said the program is intended to fit the needs of each student and allows the instructors to tailor a specific program for every student based on their ability.

“You have to challenge people according to their abilities and that’s what we do,” she said.

The Withers’ teach Broken Wing Karate to people with a wide range of disabilities including stoke victims and people with heart problems and brain injuries.

In addition, Shawn Withers is a cane master and is able to teach that form of martial arts to those who will require the use of a cane the rest of their lives.

One of the keys to Shawn Withers’ instruction is positive reinforcement. He instructs his students to tell him something they can do rather than something they cannot. “You can probably do more, it’s just you don’t know how to do it,” he said.

Shawn Withers not only believes the physical aspects of martial arts is beneficial, but the philosophy behind it is just as important.

Martial arts develop a person’s discipline, self-esteem and self-confidence he said. It also involves a lot of study and involves constant work, which is used as a base for further lessons.

“When you have achieved one thing there always is another area to work on,” Shawn Withers said. “It’s just constantly evolving.”

The social aspects of the classes also benefit the students, Andrea Withers said. When people leave rehabilitation they need to enjoy their lives and the classes give them an opportunity to interact with each other.

Thus far the program has been highly successful, Shawn Withers said, and there are people who come to the class with an injury and leave feeling back to normal and many students stay on for years.

“Through discipline, doing things correctly, and being persistent with them, they get better,” he said.

Fourteen-year-old Casey Oakes of Cape Elizabeth, has been taking classes at Natural Motion since he was 10 years old. Oakes has a hip disorder that does not allow him to run or jump, thereby eliminating most sports.

However, he can participate in martial arts and has achieved the rank of green belt and said he plans on attending classes at the studio until he goes to college. “It’s definitely something I can do,” he said.

Withers said he believes he can serve as a role model for many of his students after being able to recover from a massive stroke and earn a black belt in karate 15 years later.

“Now they have an example of someone who does it,” he said.

Shawn Withers practicing with his student Casey Oakes at his Scarborough dojo.