Three local martial arts students in the Rio Grande Valley are spending their after-school hours training for competitions in France.

David Ali Martinez often competes against taller kids in his division.

"I do workouts, running at the park and sparring and practicing at home. I want to go out there and beat them," David Ali Martinez said.

Ayden Maranda already competed overseas and won eight gold and two silver in London. "I'm nervous, but confident also. I get to represent part of my country. I feel confident. I've done this once. I went to London and won eight gold and two silver," 10 year old Ayden Maranda said.

He also keeps a simple mindset about fear. "If you're scared, just try it. And if you lose, just keep going until you get better," the student said.

The youngest boy is making the trip with a chance to show the technique his instructor taught him. "My sensei is good. He's good at training. He represents us, too. He represents this school, he represents the USA and he teaches us," 7 year old James Maranda said.

Their instructor said the students keep coming in for extra work and want to represent the community at major tournaments. "For being a small section of the United States being in a small part of this world, we have a lot of talent in this community and I'm thankful to have these guys come with me and represent not only the United States but also The Valley to show that even in this small section of the world we have talent. We have the potential to go above and beyond and to show that we are rising stars," their Sensei Marco Villanueva said.