WATERBURY -- A family from Waterbury is putting a bit more "break" in summer break: they're getting known for their martial arts skills.
Drew and Daniele Serrano own East Coast Training Systems, a studio on Watertown Road. Both husband and wife are champions in what's known as "power breaking," or the art of crushing blocks of concrete with a thrashing elbow or flying heel.
Now, their 6-year old daughter Sophia, who stands just under 4 feet tall, has joined the fray.
Both father and daughter took home first place trophies at the recent ISKA US Open in Orlando--Sophia won first place in creative breaking and power elbow, and fourth place in place power foot, while Drew won first place in power elbow. But they're not done yet. The dynamic duo will next compete on August 13 in Albany for the Northeast Open.
"She's very good," Daniele said of her daughter Sophia. "She broke her first board when she was 2."
Daniele herself is quite good: she's a third-degree black belt, and can break multiple concrete blocks at once as well!
Meanwhile, Drew, who besides owning the gym is a Waterbury firefighter, holds a seventh-degree black belt in American-Philippine Kun Tao.
He says watching his daughter break boards means more than just the physical feat.
"It's not just about breaking stuff," Serrano said. "The essence of it is to push yourself and not having limits on what you can do."
Sophia, whose recent championship trophy stands taller than she does said, "With a stomp, I can break four boards!" And she means all at once.
