Martial Arts World News Magazine - Volume 22 | Issue 1

MartialArtsWorldNews.com VOLUME 22 | ISSUE 1 

The #1 Business Resource for the Martial Arts Industry 

Grandmaster 

Eung Gil Choi 

founder of USTMA 

Grandmaster 

Dong Sup Lee 

president of Kukkiwon 

PRESIDENT TRUMP 

Receives Honorary 9th Degree Black Belt. 

The Industry Responds. 

UFAF Awards Presented by 

Chuck Norris 

Karen Eden 

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CONTENTS 

FEATURES 

24 Tokyo 2021: United States 

Medalists in Martial Arts 

28 Master Karen Eden: Inspiration 

and Philosophy Add Real Value 

to Your Classes 

34 President Trump Receives 

Honorary 9th Degree Black Belt: 

The Industry Responds 

103 FREE Tool of the Month 

DEPARTMENTS 

14 Industry Insights 

15 Birthdays 

18 Industry Innovations 

20 Social 411 

52 School Profiles 

63 Classified Ads 

99 Advertiser Index 

YOUR INPUT 

48 Tell Us Your Story 

76 Feature Your School, 

Organization, Accomplishment, 

or Event 

COLUMNS 

6 Editorial 

Strange Times Call for Level 5 Leadership! 

Master Toby Milroy 

8 Martial Arts World News Faculty 

12 Mind Mastery 

How Brain Power and Focus Make You Happier 

and Luckier 

Grandmaster Jessie Bowen 

56 Teamwork 

4 Tips to Boost Your Social Media 

Hanshi Dave Kovar 

58 Next Level Strategy 

Branding: Is it a Waste of Your Time? (Part 2) 

Shihan Allie Alberigo 

60 Growth Hacks 

Making Business Move Quickly 

Mr. Sean Lee 

62 Ninja Business Tactics 

Teaching Child Students in 2020 

An-Shu Stephen Hayes 

66 Pillars of Success 

How Do You Know if You Have Physical Fitness? 

(Part 2) 

Grandmaster Y. K. Kim 

70 The Way of the Samurai 

Children and the Art of the Sword, Part 1 

Shihan Dana Abbott 

72 Extraordinary Marketing 

Is Everyone in Your Boat Rowing in the Same 

Direction? (Part 1) 

Grandmaster Stephen Oliver 

74 After School Excellence 

Why You Must Start Your Summer Camp In The 

Middle of Winter 

Chief Master Mike Bugg 

4 MARTIAL ARTS WORLD NEWS VOLUME 22 | ISSUE 1

STAFF 

78 Tactical Self-Defense 

One Shot to Survive 

Grandmaster Tom Patire 

80 Complete Martial Arts Concepts 

Dreams Do Come True 

Professor Willie “the Bam” Johnson 

82 The Millionaire Smarts Coach 

Prescriptive Behavior 

Ms. Lee Milteer 

86 Budo Philosophy 

Our Little World 

Shidoshi Alfredo Tucci 

88 Pro Shop Power 

Find the Missing Piece of Your School with Puzzle Mats 

Mr. Sun Kang 

90 Master the Basics 

Developing Your Students’ Devotion to Becoming 

Black Belts 

Master Tina Bane 

92 Instructional Excellence 

The Value of Failure, Part 2 

Grandmaster Tim McCarthy 

94 Business Buzz 

Statistics, Part 3 

Grandmaster Lawrence Arthur 

96 Martial Arts Philosophy 

A Diary of a Black Belt, Part 3 

Sensei Gary Lee 

98 Management Excellence 

Would You Spend a Dollar to Save a Dime? 

Chief Master Kirk Pelt 

100 The Warrior Way 

Twenty Ways To Keep Your Attitude Positive, Part 1 

Grandmaster Bill Clark 

102 Staff Development 

Mining for Instructors: Planting the Seed, Part 3 

Master Zulfi Ahmed 

104 Tools & Tactics 

Let the Retention Rise 

Ms. Chris Lee 

VOLUME 22 | ISSUE 1 

PUBLISHER 


EDITOR-IN-CHIEF 

Mr. Sean Lee 

MANAGING EDITOR 

Mr. Jeff Reulbach 

ART DIRECTOR 

Mr. Frank Meyer 

GRAPHIC DESIGNER 

Mr. Amen Blue 

WEB DEVELOPER 

Ms. Erin Pham 

COLUMNISTS & CONTRIBUTORS 



Mr. Sean Lee 






Chief Master Mike Bugg 

Professor Willie Johnson 

Grandmaster Zulfi Ahmed 

Ms. Chris Lee 



Mr. Sun Kang 

Master Carlos Machado 








The mission of Martial Arts World 

News Magazine is to be the definitive 

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ethical business practices, 

product reviews and innovative 

developments in the world of martial 

arts business. 

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MARTIAL ARTS WORLD NEWS VOLUME 22 | ISSUE 1 5

EDITORIAL 

Strange Times Call for 

Level 5 Leadership! 

by Master Toby Milroy 

I think we’d all agree, the last couple years have been challenging. 

We faced never before seen challenges. Between the COVID 

19 virus itself, local, state and federal responses to the virus, 

consumer confidence and behavior changes, and the 

economic disruption all this has caused, it’s been a 

roller coaster ride for most of our industry. 

As I’ve written previously, we’re seeing a growing 

‘divide’ in our industry, accelerated by these 

somewhat extreme circumstances. Some schools 

have come back stronger than ever, 

setting new all time records, while 

others have closed their doors for 

ever or are struggling to stay afloat. 

CERTAINLY, state by state, county by 

county schools are dealing with dramatically 

different circumstances and imposed limitation, 

BUT, even so, we’re seeing this divide widening 

even in the same state, and in substantially 

similar circumstances. 

So, what is the difference? 

Why are some doing so well, 

while others suffer? 

I’ve been drilling into this for 

more than a year now, speaking 

with clients, colleagues in 

the industry, vendors, service 

providers, and some of the 

most successful school operators 

in the world, and I 

see clear patterns in those 

schools and businesses 

that have managed and 

overcome these challenged 

more effectively. 

I’m reminded of the book “Good to Great” by Jim Collins, a 

‘must read’ for school operators in my view. Jim writes about 

his study of companies that have had dramatic ‘breakthroughs’ 

in their performance, while other, substantially 

similar businesses in the same category did 

not. Interestingly, one of the ‘commonalities’ Collins 

identified in the more successful companies is a 

concept he calls ‘Level 5 Leadership’. 

I’m seeing essentially the SAME dynamic in this 

industry, under these circumstances. In my view, and 

from my research, the schools that are far outperforming 

the ‘average’ demonstrate the same ‘Level 5 Leadership’ 

Collins describes. 

As a quick primer, leaders tend to ascend through these stages: 

● Level 1 – Highly Capable Individual 

● Level 2 – Contributing Team Member 

● Level 3 – Competent Manager 

● Level 4 – Effective Leader 

● Level 5 – Executive Leadership 

Level 5 leaders demonstrate an almost paradoxical combination 

of personal humility, a deep focus on self-analysis, observe, 

embrace and learn from their mistakes, and a powerful ‘professional 

will’. Leaders who largely lead from their own ‘ego’ and are unwilling 

to quickly adjust strategy where it’s needed have found this pandemic 

potentially fatal for their business and their organizations. 

We have some WONDERFUL examples of “Level 5 Leaders” 

in our industry, and now, more then ever, they are easy to spot, 

and they are scooping up market share at a rate we’ve not 

seen in decades. 

Now is the time to step up your leadership, sharpen your saw, 

raise the quality of your staff, improve your programs, and build 

deeper relationships with your students. Together, we can take our 

industry to a future brighter than anyone would have imagined! 

MASTER TOBY MILROY is a 5th degree black belt. Known as “The Master Systemizer,” Master Toby Milroy 

has positively influenced more martial arts schools than anyone in our industry. He has built a successful multi-school 

organization, lead the national trade association for the martial arts industry, and coached some of the most successful 

martial arts school operators in the world. 


Check out our new 

MARTIAL ARTS BUSINESS 

DISCUSSION GROUP 

No Egos – No Politics – No Trolls 

Just News, Tips, Strategies, and Tools to Help You Grow Your School! 

facebook.com/groups/MartialArtsWorldNews

OUR EXPERT FACULTY 

6 


is a 5th degree Black Belt, the CEO and 

Publisher of Martial Arts World News 

Magazine, and the Executive Vice 

President for AMS. In addition to building 

a successful multi-school organization, 

Master Milroy has positively influenced 

more martial arts schools than virtually 

anyone in our industry. 

12 


is President of Karate International of Durham, 

Inc., a member of the American Martial 

Arts Association Sport Karate League 

and Hall of Fame, and has been a member 

of the Duke University PE Staff for over 25 

years. He is the author of Zen Mind-Body 

Mindfulness Meditation and Zen Mind-Body 

Mindfulness Meditation for Martial Arts. 

56 


is an 8th degree black belt and recognized 

as the “Trainer of Trainers.” Hanshi 

Kovar is an internationally acclaimed 

instructor with black belt degrees in ten 

different martial arts styles. His systems 

have been implemented in hundreds of 

schools around the US. 

58 


is a 7th degree black belt, the founder 

of the L.I. Ninjutsu Centers, one of the 

largest Ninjutsu schools on the planet, 

the author of 4 books, and an entrepreneur 

with one of the first online coaching 

companies (TakingItToTheNextLevel.com). 

60 

Mr. Sean Lee 

is the Executive Director of Sales and 

Marketing for hundreds of martial arts 

schools and specializes in online and social 

media marketing using his extensive 

professional experience in sports and 

martial arts marketing, contract negotiation, 

and investment. 

62 


has authored more than 20 books, 

worked as a bodyguard for the Dalai 

Lama, supervised over 30 school locations 

worldwide, and was named, "One of 

the 10 Most Influential Living Martial Artists 

in the World" by Black Belt Magazine. 

66 


is the most successful martial arts business 

leader in the US, having written 

over 30 books on martial arts, business, 

leadership, and success. He has won 

numerous public service awards and is 

the founder of the leading martial arts 

marketing and management company in 

the US. 

70 


is a 7th degree black belt in Kenjutsu, 

starting his 14-year education in Tokyo. 

He has published five books and designed 

a US Patent. Abbott has also 

conducted seminars in over 30 countries 

and obtained his black belt at the Hombu 

dojo in Yokohama. He currently offers 

online classes on LearntheSword.com. 



72 


is a 9th degree black belt and is the 

founder and CEO of Mile High Karate 

schools, and founder of the Martial Arts 

Wealth Mastery Program. 

74 

Master Mike Bugg 

is an 8th degree black belt and the 

owner of a 1.5 million-per-year location, 

with one of the largest after school and 

summer camp programs in the country. 

78 


is known as “America’s Leading Personal 

Safety Expert” and has appeared on 

Good Morning America, The CBS Morning 

Show, The Colbert Report, Montel, 

plus in mainstream publications such as 

Family Circle, Redbook, Fortune Magazine, 

and The Wall Street Journal. 

82 


is an Intuitive Business Coach, awardwinning 

professional speaker, and TV 

personality who has counseled and 

trained over a million people throughout 

her career. Lee is Stephen Oliver’s 

Martial Arts Wealth Mastery’s Millionaire 

Smarts Coach and is also a best-selling 

author of educational resources. 

86 


is the CEO and General Manager of the 

Budo International Publishing Company, 

a leading publisher in the martial arts 

with over 35 years in the industry. He 

is also author of several books: The 

Immaterial Dimension, The Way of the 

Warrior, and The Spirit. He currently lives 

in Valencia, Spain. 

88 

Mr. Sun Kang 

is the President of Vision Martial Arts 

Supply who helps school owners all over 

the US maximize their retail sales and 

drive more revenue into their schools. 

80 

Professor Willie “The BAM” Johnson 

is a 7th degree black belt and seven-time 

sport karate and Kung-Fu world champion. 

He has appeared in four movies, 

16 plays, and 11 television shows. He is 

also the national spokesperson for the 

Stronger than Drugs Foundation and the 

Champions Against Drugs. 

90 


is a 6th degree master instructor and 

owner of a Top Ten martial arts school 

with successful after school and summer 

camp programs. 



92 


is a 9th degree black belt and is a martial 

arts educator with a master’s degree in 

education. He has been instrumental 

in developing two industry-changing 

programs, and has directed and been 

featured in hundreds of martial arts videos 

and webinars. 

94 


is a martial artist specializing in Karate, 

Kung Fu, Kenpo, Shoto-kan, and Goju-rue, 

with 40 Super Kick Karate locations, and 

founder of AFKA. World champion Lawrence 

also runs the Black Belt Success 

Systems consulting firm, training martial 

arts instructors on proper business practices 

in schools all over the country. 

96 


the American Samurai, is a 9th Dan black 

belt, a USA Karate Federation gold medalist, 

winner of five Super Grand National 

Titles, a featured actor in the movie Sidekicks, 

and is the founder of the National 

Sport Karate Museum. 

100 


is a 9th degree black belt and a former 

PKA Fighter of the year. He is widely considered 

one of the top experts in martial 

arts business with over 40 years of 

leadership and innovation, having been 

inducted into almost every Hall of Fame 

in the industry. He is one of the largest 

multi-school owners in the world. 

102 

Grandmaster Zulfi Ahmed 

has amassed acclaim as a world-class 

competitor, martial arts educator, and is 

most notably founder and designer of 

the internationally renowned style, Bushi 

Ban. With over 45 years of martial arts 

experience and over 300 martial arts 

awards, his schools include ten locations 

across Texas. 

104 

Ms. Chris Lee 

is a martial arts business development 

consultant with a background in online 

and social media marketing. 

98 


is an 8th degree black belt and is the 

President of a multimillion-dollar, multischool 

organization, has a 30-year track 

record of success, and is currently on the 

leading edge of martial arts curriculum 

and business innovation. 

We’re Seeking Contributors! 

Do you have something to share? 

We’d love to hear about it! 

CONTACT US: 

407-895-1996 Editor@MartialArtsWorldNews.com 

MartialArtsWorldNews.com/Ureport 


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MIND MASTERY 

How Brain Power and Focus 

Make You Happier and Luckier 

by Grandmaster Jessie Bowen 

I’ve just finished publishing my second book of the year, stuck at home while going 

through a pandemic, feeling a little burnt out and even bored. 

It’s easy to reach that state due to mental fatigue, but when you 

realize what’s happening to you mentally and physically, you can 

make the change. As the song by Bobby McFerrin goes, “don’t 

worry, be happy.” This article focuses on using brainpower and 

focus to make you happier and luckier. 

It is common in self-help literature to hear that being more confident, 

believing in yourself, and regularly thinking positive thoughts 

can all help you feel happier and even influence your life in a positive 

way. But here’s another factor you might not have considered: 

brainpower. Did you know that mental focus, creativity, sharpness, 

and more could help make you happier and even luckier? Those 

who are more positive and happier tend to notice opportunities 

more because they are less stressed. Likewise, effective 

use of CBT requires mental discipline, which in 

turn needs energy and focus. If you’re groggy and 

easily distracted, you won’t be able to exert the 

necessary discipline to change those negative 

thoughts. 

So, how do you boost your brainpower? 

One way to quickly upgrade your brain 

is to give it more energy. We’ve 

seen how sleep can help with 

this, but you can also do 

it through the right diet 

and supplementation. 

Omega-3 fatty acids, for 

instance, help improve 

brain cell permeability, 

which aids rapid communication, 

and thus, 

brainpower. Similarly, 

studies have shown that creatine, a supplement that athletes use 

to increase cellular energy, is capable of improving focus and 

IQ. The brain training games the dual n-back test, can improve 

working memory and pattern recognition—critical for seeing and 

noticing those opportunities. 

Most important of all, though, is to learn how to get into a “flow 

state,” which is that mental state where everything just seems 

effortless. In this situation, your brain floods itself with the neurotransmitters 

dopamine, anandamide, and norepinephrine, which 

work together to further enhance pattern recognition, reflexes, 

attention, and creativity. 

How do you trigger these flow states? You convince your brain 

that what you’re doing is hugely important. And you can achieve 

this through the use of cognitive behavioral therapy (which you 

now understand), as well as by simply being highly passionate 

about what you do—by loving your job and your partner. 

If you found this article to be helpful, please share it. I’ve been 

truly blessed in all levels of my life. My goal is to share with others 

so they, too, may prosper. 

Check out two of my signature programs for personal development 

and corporate coaching. “The New You Program” is a 

combination of information and installation. The information is 

designed to teach you how to understand yourself, set goals, overcome 

setbacks, and create the right attitude and motivation. The 

program trains you on how to “model” the habits, attitudes, skills, 

and strategies of highly successful people. The second program, 

“Mindset for Success,” is a powerful online course to support my 

new “Goal Setting: Fundamental Keys to Success” book. 

https://amzn.to/31Lb2jo 

If you need coaching support, you can email me at 

elitecorporatecoaching@gmail.com or call 919-618-8075. 

GRANDMASTER JESSIE BOWEN is president of Karate International of Durham, Inc., a member of the 

American Martial Arts Association Sport Karate League and Hall of Fame, and has been a member of the Duke University 

PE Staff for over 25 years. He is the author of Zen Mind-Body Mindfulness Meditation and Zen Mind-Body Mindfulness 

Meditation for Martial Arts, as well as several other books, programs, and audio CDs on meditation and success training. 

12 MARTIAL ARTS WORLD NEWS VOLUME 22 | ISSUE 1 

Photograph by Arthit_Longwilai

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INDUSTRY INSIGHTS 

UFAF International Training Conference 

and World Championships 

Beginning July 18th UFAF 

students, instructors, and 

school owners from all over 

the world enjoyed a weekend 

filled with camaraderie, 

connection, and learning. 

The event featured 

business training sessions, Instructor 

Development Series, 

and the Black Belt Judges 

Meeting & Certification. 

Attendees enjoyed training 

in The Chuck Norris System, 

Bunkai, Striking Technique, Kama Fundamentals and more! 

One of the highlights of the training sessions was a special 

session with UFC World Champion George St-Pierre. 

Competitors participated in 

the UFAF World Championships 

for Kata, Weapons, Fighting, 

and Demo Teams. 

The Gala culminated in a 

formal awards banquet that 

included the Masters Rank 

Induction Ceremony and 

awards by Grandmaster Chuck 

Norris, which notably highlighted 

Crosby Broadwater III who 

received the award for Most 

Inspirational Member. 

To see more highlights watch: youtu.be/J6N8eq6TmjU and to 

learn more about the UFAF visit UFAF.com 

Action Martial Arts Hall of Fame 

Mega Weekend 2022 

The Action Martial Arts Hall of Fame Mega Weekend is slated 

for January 28-30, 2022 at the Tropicana Hotel and Casino 

in Atlantic City New Jersey. It will be one of the most spectacular 

events for the year as it is advertised “The Academy Awards of 

Martial Arts”. “The Ultimate Destination For Martial Arts, MMA and 

the Health & Fitness Minded” for over 20 years 

has unquestionably featured the largest Martial 

Arts Hall of Fame and Awards Banquet 

annually. 

The upcoming event will feature 

over 50 seminars, 3 tournaments, 

hundreds of vendors, celebrities, the 

Action Martial Arts Kid’s Choice Awards, a 

Breaking Extravaganza, Business Seminars, 

and of course the Hall of Honors 

Banquet and Awards Ceremony. In 

addition to the event, The 2022 

Action Martial Arts Hall of Honors 

World History Book 2nd edition 

is available which features 

Martial Artists who have been 

inducted into the Action Martial 

Grandmaster Alan Goldberg, 

Founder of Action Martial Arts 

Hall of Fame Mega Weekend 

Arts Hall of Honors. 

For more information on the event 

and book, visit: actionmegahoh.com 

and actionmartialartshistorybook.com 

New Book Explains How to Utilize 

the Five Elements of The Ninja 

An Shu Stephen K. Hayes has authored a new book entitled 

Ninja Fighting Techniques A Modern Master’s Approach To 

Self-Defense And Avoiding Conflict. The book covers his modern 

innovation called To-Shin Do which is based on Ninjutsu. As the 

“Father of American Ninjutsu” he presents a system with maximum 

effectiveness in modern day situations based upon the “five elements” 

using fundamental ninja 

fighting techniques. 

As the leading expert on 

Ninjutsu, An Shu Hayes explains 

the Ninja five elements of 

earth, water, fire, wind, and void 

as a system for self-defense. 

Ninja Fighting Techniques give 

you a blueprint on how to make 

each element automatic and 

unconscious for defense by 

training in the way of the 

Ninja. Step by step instructions 

show how build an 

awareness of your surroundings 

that will come in handy 

and be instinctive when a real 

self-defense situation unexpectedly 

arises. 

For more information visit: www.ninjaselfdefense.com 


Martial Arts 

Celebrity Birthdays 


January 

January 1 ......................Yuen Woo-Ping 

January 25 ..................... Ron Van Clief 

January 30 ...................Lawrence Arthur 

February 

February 1 ...................... Brandon Lee* 

February 1 ...................... Allie Alberigo 

February 5 ......................... Tony Jaa 

February 16 .................. Oso Tayari Casel 

February 17 ..................Clinton Robinson 

February 21 ........................Joe Corley 

February 26 ...................Mark Dacascos 

*Deceased 



Martial Arts World News Magazine 

would like to congratulate the competitors, judges, and promoters 

of the 2021 U.S. Open ISKA World Martial Arts Championships. 

Division Name First Name Last Name Standing 

13 & Under | Traditional Weapons Averi Presley 1 

13 & Under | Traditional Weapons Gavin Richmond 2 

13 & Under Boys | CMX Forms WC Judah Sagawa 1 

13 & Under Boys | CMX Forms WC Dante Rodriguez 2 

13 & Under Boys | CMX Weapons Zeke Gomez 0 

13 & Under Boys | CMX Weapons Michael Molina 0 

13 & Under Boys | CMX Weapons Dax Howland 1 

13 & Under Girls | CMX Forms Isabella Nicoli 1 

13 & Under Girls | CMX Forms Alyss Groce 2 

13 & Under Girls | CMX Weapons Kodi Molina 1 

13 & Under Girls | CMX Weapons Isabella Nicoli 2 

13 & Under Girls | CMX Weapons Averi Presley 3 

13 & Under Girls and Boys | Traditional Forms WC Isabella Nicoli 1 

13 & Under Girls and Boys | Traditional Forms WC Sofia Flores-Rodriguez 2 

13 & Under Girls and Boys | Traditional Forms WC JoJo Castro 3 

13 & Under Girls and Boys | Traditional Forms WC Angel Perez 4 

14 - 17 | Traditional Forms Maddie Kennaway 1 

14 - 17 | Traditional Forms Caio DaSilva 2 

14 - 17 Boys | CMX Forms Dawson Holt 1 

14 - 17 Boys | CMX Forms Shane Billow 2 

14 - 17 Boys | CMX Forms Phillip Brumme 3 

14 - 17 Boys | Weapons Dawson Holt 1 

14 - 17 Boys | Weapons Mason Bumba 2 

14 - 17 Boys | Weapons Phillip Brumme 3 

14 - 17 Boys | Weapons Ben Jones 4 

14 - 17 Boys | Weapons Riley Tracy 5 

14 - 17 Girls | CMX Weapons Anna Beth Hedgepeth 1 

14 - 17 Girls | CMX Weapons Samantha Mitling 2 

14 - 17 Girls | Traditional Weapons Madison Magnotta 1 

14 - 17 Girls | Traditional Weapons Kaitlyn Mcmillian 2 

14-17 Boys Traditional Weapons Dawson Holt 1 

Division Name First Name Last Name Standing 

14-17 Boys Traditional Weapons Shane Billow 2 

14-17 Girls | CMX Forms Anna Beth Hedgepeth 1 

14-17 Girls | CMX Forms Reese Beck 2 

Demo Team Competitive Edge 1 

Demo Team Team Freestyle 2 

Mens 3 Man Point Sparring Team Top Ten USA 1 

Mens 3 Man Point Sparring Team Legend 2 

Mens CMX Weapons Jackson Rudolph 1 

Mens CMX Weapons Connor Chasteen 2 

Mens CMX Weapons Alex Mancillas 3 

Mens CMX Weapons Jake Presley 4 

Mens CMX Weapons Danny Etkin 5 

Mens Open Weight Challenge Match Bailey Murphy 1 

Mens Open Weight Challenge Match Enrique Letona 2 

Mens Traditional and CMX Forms Danny Etkin 1 

Mens Traditional and CMX Forms Rashad Eugene 2 

Mens Traditional and CMX Forms Connor Chasteen 3 

Mens Traditional Forms Mason Stowell 1 

Mens Traditional Forms Joey Castro 2 

Synchronized Team Forms Team KTOC 1 

Synchronized Team Forms Team Infinity (Chasteen | Rodriguez-Flores) 2 

Synchronized Team Weapons Team JPM (Presley | Rudolph) 1 

Synchronized Team Weapons Amerikick (Billow/Alinea) 2 

Womens CMX Forms Haley Glass 1 

Womens CMX Forms Gabrielle Dunn 2 

Womens CMX Forms Sammy Smith 3 

Womens Open Weight Morgan Plowden 1 

Womens Open Weight Alexa Fleshman 2 

Womens Weapons Haley Glass 1 

Womens Weapons Kaelyn Kowalski 2 

Womens Weapons Kyleigh Boyer 3 

Womens Weapons Sammy Smith 4 


Our Goal is to Help Young Minds GROW Stronger 

and EMPOWER them through Stories that will: 

• Inspire Their Imagination 

• Develop Their Moral Compass 

• Set Positive Examples Both Visually and Verbally 

• Prepare Them for Life’s Challenges 

Sarah B. Tucker, Author of 

The Adventures of Harry & Friends 

Book Series 

AdventuresOfHarryAndFriends.com

INDUSTRY INNOVATIONS 

ATLAS Martial Arts Software 

“Magic Links” Help Significantly 

Increase Appointment “Show” Rate 

We all hate it when new prospective 

students ‘no show’ for their 

introductory appointments, don’t we? 

We’ve spend oodles of money on 

marketing, we’ve optimized our lead 

funnel website to capture as many 

leads as possible, and we’ve built 

irresistible offers to entice our leads to 

set an appointment for their first intro, 

we blocked out time from our busy 

schedule to do the intro personally, 

then, in too many cases, they don’t 

show up! 

We all know how frustrating that is! 

Well, now, thanks to some brilliant techno wizardry from the 

ATLAS Martial Arts Software team, schools all over the world will 

be able to increase their intro ‘show’ rate, automatically. 

ATLAS now provides users with a 

tool that allows prospective students 

to ‘confirm’ their intro appointment 

by simply clicking a link in an email 

or SMS text message. This will then 

‘mark’ the prospect as ‘confirmed’ 

inside the ATLAS software system. 

Now, your staff will know exactly 

who has confirmed their appointments, 

and who has not. What a great 

advantage for your school! Now your 

staff can focus on their prospects 

with laser target messages (through 

automation) and personal engagement. 

For more information about this innovation, and all the other 

brilliant, school growing features of ATLAS, visit: 

TryAtlasSoftware.com 

Pro-Motion Pictures 

Photo Shoot Deal 

Pro-Motion Pictures has been serving martial arts schools in 

the US for nearly 20 years with photography services. During 

that time more than 2500 schools have received great photos of 

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SOCIAL 411 

Understanding Local SEO for 

Small Businesses 

If you want to grow your martial arts school using the internet, you 

have to be ever-conscious about your “Local” SEO. 

Your Martial Arts School is a local business, and you want to 

reach as many potential customers in your area as possible, that’s 

where local SEO comes in. 

Did you know that 97% of customers use search engines to find 

businesses in their area? They are constantly looking for suggestions 

to fulfill a need or desire. That means your potential martial 

art students could be looking for you right now, but they won’t find 

you if you don’t do anything on your end. 

What Is Local SEO? 

Local SEO is all about optimizing your website for searches 

for your business category in the specific area you’re operating 

AND using the tools that Google provides for your local business 

profile. 

This will increase the visibility of your business and make it easier 

for people to find you both online and offline. In other words, 

local SEO focuses on catering to the audience that’s “physically” 

located in your area, or is specifically searching for solutions in 

your specific area. 

Is Local SEO Different? 

Yes, there are some differences between local SEO and other 

kinds of SEO, but they all support your martial arts marketing. For 

one, searched on Google and other search engines are ‘localized’ 

when the search has a “local intent”, such as using “near me” or 

specifying the area. 

In other cases, Google (and others) will “assume” you have local 

intent when you search for terms that Google thinks you would 

be best served with local results, and even more granularly, when 

you’re using a mobile device or other device that ‘knows’ your 

physical location. 

For example, if you search for “pizza delivery”, the Google algorithm 

will ‘assume’ you’d like to order pizza from a restaurant ‘near’ 

you, so it will prioritize results to show you those locations that are, 

in fact, near you. 

Google has created a platform for local business to control 

how their local profile looks to local searchers, outside their own 

website. These results often provide the name of the business, a 

description, images, opening hours, reviews, an address, a phone 

number, and the website address. You can (and should) manage 

your ‘local’ business profile from Google’s “My Business” system 

(formerly Google Places) – www.google.com/business. 

Local SEO Factors 

As you can imagine, Google will consider many different factors 

when it comes to local search ranking. It will consider the 

proximity of the business to the searcher’s location to present the 

closest options. 

It also considers local keywords, like the city name, neighborhood, 

or other keywords that indicate the local areas, 

because they are essential to search engine ranking. Additionally, 

on-page optimization for local SEO (sometime called 

“Structured Data” or Schema) needs to provide the business’ 

name, address, and phone number in the format that Google 

indexes most easily. 

The algorithm also assesses authority based on reviews and 

citation and it will take into consideration the information available 

in your Google My Business profile, which plays a huge role 

in rankings. 

Conclusion 

As a martial arts school owner, you want to reach as many 

potential students as possible, so it’s important to reach people in 

your vicinity. 


Illustration by ahmetemre

The Latest Guide 

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SOCIAL 411 

How to Optimize Your Relevance Score 

On Facebook 

Most martial arts schools have a Facebook page and do a 

bit of marketing through it. Schools promote their events, 

programs, classes and achievements and other activities to attract 

more attention to their schools. 

When you add ‘paid advertising’ to your marketing mix, there 

are some new concerns you’ll need to be conscious of. 

Facebook provides a tool that you can use through the Facebook 

ad manager called the Relevance Score. 

So what is Facebook’s Relevance Score? Your Relevance Score 

is a measure of the “quality” and engagement of your ads. Essentially, 

based on the audience you’re targeting, and the ad content 

you’re using, how ‘likely’ are these ads to get ‘engagement’ from 

the audience. 

This score significantly effects your cost per click and the frequency 

of you ad being shown on Facebook. 

A Relevance Score can be between 1 and 10 and any score 

from 7 to 10 is considered a good number. 

Once an ad has been served at least 500 times a score will be 

assigned to it. The number of impressions has been set by Facebook 

for deciding the expected audience reaction to your ads. Still 

the number is not based on actual feedback, but upon Facebook’s 

algorithm of an anticipated audience response and the number 

can change daily. 

So if you want to save money and get higher ROI, the relationship 

between your target audience and your ads must be good. 

The key to accomplishing this is hyper-specific targeting of you 

audience and secondly designing your ads to meet their exact 

needs. Even after clearly targeting your audience and creating ads, 

you will have to frequently monitor them and analyze how they’re 

doing to keep your score up. 

Staying relevant to your market is the key to your school’s 

growth and if you’re a marketing expert with Facebook, then you’ll 

do well. But if you’re in need of help you can speak with a Facebook 

ad specialist at ATLAS Martial Arts Software at 

1-800-275-1600, and they can get you going in the right direction. 

How to Insure Your Sales Pages Produce! 

If your sales pages are not generating conversions you need 

to pay attention to this article. There are some basic elements 

that must be on a sales page to convince a prospect to take an 

offer. Check out these 7 tips on how to make a sales page that will 

Increase Your Enrollment. 

1. An Eye-Catching Headline Is A Must 

80% of viewers skim headlines on a sales page before deciding 

whether to read the rest. To catch the eyes of visitors the headline 

must be relevant, preferable short, and catch the reader’s attention. 

2. Engaging Visual Elements Are Needed 

Many studies have revealed sales pages with video or images get 

more conversions than sales pages without them. These elements 

have to be interesting and relevant to the content on your sales page. 

3. Copy Designed to Sell Is Necessary 

Your sales copy must consider the end user and whether or 

not they will be interested in reading it. You have to focus on 

satisfying the needs and wants of your audience and draw them 

in with solutions. 

4. Be Sure to List the Benefits 

The golden rule of sales is listing benefits rather than features, but 

pages mistakingly do exactly the opposite. Prospects want to know 

what’s in it for them and that list compels them to take up an offer. 

5. Without A CTA the Page Is Pointless 

No sales page is complete without a Call To Action to facilitate 

the sales process. Your CTA should be placed above the fold, so 

visitors can see and access it without even having to scroll. 

6. Keep Navigation Links To A Minimum 

Don’t build sales pages like other websites pages by limiting 

navigation links to prevent opportunities for visitors to click and 

exit the page. If visitors leave, they might not return, which equals 

lost sales. 

7. Providing Some Evidence Builds Trust 

Include reviews or testimonials on your sales page will instill 

greater confidence in your audience. A visitor will often look for 

how others benefited before determining whether or not to take 

your offer. 

There is a science and skill to selling and generating conversions 

from a sales page. If you have the time and knack for it, then 

you can easily build school growth building pages. If you need 

help, our industry has plenty of experts to serve you exceptionally 

like amazingmartialartswebsites.com. 

22 MARTIAL ARTS WORLD NEWS VOLUME 22 | ISSUE 1

THE #1 SOURCE FOR DAILY 

MARTIAL ARTS 

BUSINESS NEWS 

• Instructor Tips and Tricks 

• Class Management Skills 

• Martial Arts Events 

• Classified Marketplace 

• Social Media Marketing Tactics 

• Marketing Breakthroughs 

• Industry News 

• Martial Arts School Profiles 

And MUCH More! 

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OLYMPICS COVERAGE 

Tokyo 2021: United States 

Medalists in Martial Arts 

In case you missed anything, we are going to give you a quick summary of all the 

United States martial arts medalists so you can get to know the athletes a bit better. 

The United States is always one of the most dominating countries in the Olympics, 

and Tokyo 2021 was not an exception. 

Overall, the medal count was 39 gold medals, 41 silver medals, and 33 bronze medals for a total of 113 US Olympic medals in 

Tokyo 2021. That’s impressive! Out of all those medals, there was one gold medal in taekwondo and one bronze medal in karate for 

Team USA, so let’s get to know the athletes. 

Anastasija Zolotic, Taekwondo, Women’s 57kg 

Ariel Torres Gutierrez, Karate, Men’s Kata 

Anastasija Zolotic won the first women’s taekwondo gold 

medal for Team USA, thus making history for the sport. She beat 

Tatiana Minina from Russia, 25-17, and she claimed the featherweight 

division title with a scream. 

Anastasija was born in Largo Florida in 2002, so she is only 

18 years old. She is coached by Gareth Brown and this was her 

first Olympic experience. Before this, she participated in the 2018 

Junior World Championships and the 2018 Youth Olympic Games, 

among many other championships and opens from 2014 to the 

present day. 

She dreamt of this moment since she was a child and it’s truly 

exciting to see her accomplish such a goal. She said she would run 

around the schoolyard at 8 years old saying she was going to be 

an Olympic champion, but she could have never imagined what 

the moment would be like. 

Anastasija is proud of doing something to raise the profile of 

Taekwondo in the US and there’s no denying her achievement is 

an inspiration to many children and adults with a passion for this 

discipline. 

Ariel Torres is a karateka who won a bronze medal in men’s 

kata for Team USA by beating Antonio Jose Diaz Fernandez from 

Venezuela, a role model of his, by a difference of .38 with a total of 

26.72 points. 

Ariel was born in Cuba in 1997, so he’s 23 years old, and he is a 

male elite kata coached by Robert Young. He started karate when 

he was 6, so he has been dedicated to the sport for 16 years. 

Ariel got into karate because he was hyperactive as a child, so 

the doctor suggested he was put into a sport that would tire him 

out but also teach him skills, such as decision-making, focus, and 

discipline. 

The doctor suggested karate, so his mother took him to the 

nearest dojo from his home, but they had no idea it would become 

such a passion and eventually, his career. He has a karate vlog on 

YouTube if you’d like to check it out! 


OLYMPICS COVERAGE 

The Future of Martial Arts 

in the Olympics 

The future of Martial Arts in the Olympics looks very bright. Martial arts was one of 

the very first sports to become a part of the Olympic Games, dating back to Ancient 

Greece where wrestling was a part of the event. 

Today, there are 3 traditional martial arts sports in the Olympics, 

including karate, taekwondo, and judo. However, we are 

happy to say that more martial arts disciplines will be added to the 

Olympic Games. 

The International Olympic Committee recently announced that 

they will be including jiu-jitsu in the 2024 Olympics, and that’s a 

huge step forward. The inclusion of jiu-jitsu in the Olympics has 

been in the works for years, as they debated what set of rules to 

follow and who would be the director of the event so the sport can 

have a smooth transition. 

Finally, it was decided that Carlos Gracie Jr., Carlos Gracie’s 

grandson, will be at the head of the IBJJF and Gracie Barra will 

oversee the inclusion of the sport into the Olympics. They will 

use current IBJJF no-gi rules and they will make a few modifications, 

but they will make sure jiu-jitsu is treated with the respect it 

deserves. 

They say it will be similar to Combat Jiu-Jitsu but there won’t be 

any low kicks. The sport will be identified as Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu or 

Gracie Jiu-Jitsu, so the term American Jiu-Jitsu will not be allowed 

seeing as the style was brought by Brazilians to America. 

It’s truly exciting to see that another martial arts sport will be 

added to the Olympics because it has been long overdue. These 

sports deserve recognition and we are happy to see it happen. 

Karate only just made its debut at the Tokyo 2020 Games and 

there was a lot more at stake than a medal, but the future of the 

sport as an Olympic discipline. Initially, karate was rejected for the 

Tokyo 2020 Games until they introduced a provision that allows 

host nations to propose sports that haven’t been recognized by 

the IOC just yet. 

This is how karate made the cut for Tokyo 2021, a historic moment 

for the sport, and we got to enjoy an exciting event. It was 

one of the 4 new sports that were introduced at the Tokyo Olympics, 

which made it that much more special. 

In better news, the 138th International Olympic Committee 

session approved kickboxing, sambo, and Muay Thai. It doesn’t 

guarantee these martial arts sports will be included in Paris 2024, 

but it’s a huge step in the right direction. 

Realistically, we can expect these sports to be included in the 

2028 Olympics because we don’t think that the federations will 

make the deadline for Paris 2024. 

As you can imagine, these inclusions have motivated the International 

Mixed Martial Arts federation to gain the IOC’s recognition. 

That’s a big goal, but who knows? Perhaps we’ll see some of our 

favorite MMA fighters in the Olympics a lot sooner than we think. 


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MARTIAL ARTS AUTHOR 

Master Karen Eden 

Inspiration and Philosophy 

Add Real Value to Your Classes 

MAWN: You have been featured as a writer in many martial arts 

publications for many years; what got you started as a writer in this 

genre? 

KE: Well, I’ve been a journalist by trade for over 25 years. I was 

also in television broadcasting as an anchor and meteorologist. 

While I was working at an NBC affiliate, just outside of Pittsburgh, 

Pennsylvania, I thought I would try to see if I could get some stuff 

published in some of the karate magazines that were out at that 

time. John Corcoran was editing several magazines out of the 

CFW enterprise, like Inside Karate and TaeKwonDo. So I wrote to 

him and he thought it would be pretty cool to do a feature on me 

because I was a TV personality and also a black belt. I submitted 

a feature and he really liked it a lot. After this he gave me a column 

in Inside TaeKwonDo, and it was philosophical, inspirational. I just 

think I was in the right place at the right time, because there was a 

real need for philosophy and inspiration in martial arts magazines. 

That’s what started it all. 

It’s been over 20 years now, and I’ve probably been in every 

major martial arts magazine in the world, whether 

I’ve been in a feature or contributor, and that spun 

off into books. So Simon and Schuster McMillan 

took note of my writing style. They had the complete 

idiot’s guides for all kinds of things. They 

contacted me through John Corcoran 

and offered me a contract to write the 

complete idiots guide to TaeKwonDo. 

I co-authored the book with Keith 

Yates who wrote the Tae- 

KwonDo technical aspects of 

the book. Then I wrote three 

more books, two of them with 

Century Martial Arts. One of 

them is a self-help book that 

I felt like I wanted to write 

because of some things 

that I had experienced. 

That’s pretty much how that 

all started. 

MAWN: Now let’s talk about the 

books, I Am A Martial Artist and They 

Call Me Master. What what were the purposes of writing these 

books and who’s the target market. 

KE: They are martial arts philosophy and honestly can help 

people who aren’t even in martial arts. They’re mainly important 

life lessons and I get great feedback on these books. They Call 

Me Master is from the perspective of someone who trains in 

martial arts and a lot of instructors have given me some wonderful 

feedback on this. The books have also been used as university 

textbooks where people are taking martial arts classes at college. 

Readers who are looking for inspiration and philosophy are going 

to love this book because there are plain practical talks and stories 

that reinforce the lesson. I Am A Martial Artist, which was the preceding 

book is sold all over the world. It became so popular that it 

spun off product lines like mugs, t-shirts and other stuff. 

School operators teach fundamental martial art principles, but 

can integrate this kind of deep philosophy, philosophical training, 

and inspirational moments into their curriculum. Practically speaking 

a front kick might not be the same thing at age 70, but the 

lessons that help you conquer the things that parents really want. 

Young students don’t know it yet, but that’s what they really need. 

Thinking about students who come in off of the streets, kids that 

were bullied, or women who went through some kind of assault. 

Physical training helps build confidence and other benefits, but it’s 

going to be the internal aspects of the art that are going to really 

help somebody who’s gone through a hard time. 

MAWN: You have run a lot of community programs, how does 

that all sort of tie together and what kind of advice might you have 

for someone in that sphere? 

KE: Right. I actually started a very large community program. 

Here in Denver, I literally would go in on a Saturday and teach 

martial arts in the ghetto streets, kids, former gang members, you 

name it and then just go on down the street to my TV job. It’s hilarious 

to see where you literally go down the street where you’re in 

the ghetto and the houses are just getting better as you go down 

the street. 

It really does do that, but the one thing that you have to realize 

if you’re going to go that route is you have to have it in your heart. 

I have the highest rated column of anybody in the industry and it’s 

because it all generates from my heart. If you’re going to go do 

community work, it really needs to be in your heart, not just an idea 


MARTIAL ARTS AUTHOR 

to try to help generate new students into your school. It’s been 

over 20 years that I’ve been doing that kind of work. 

MAWN: If a martial arts school operator is thinking about integrating 

reaching out more deeply into the community, what might 

be some of the best advice you’d want to give them? 

KE: Well, my first program, I actually did through the salvation 

army. I started a Federation through the salvation army and it was 

a very unique way of running a martial arts program because 

they have the means and the funding to take care of the uniforms, 

the belts, and all that kind of stuff. Since they’re an international 

organization, that program got picked up and literally went all over 

the world. I have affiliates in east Europe and Africa with martial 

arts instructors who just want to help their community out. I just 

point them over to their local salvation army and get their program 

started that way. I oversee that program, but I don’t actually have 

to go in hands-on and do that anymore. 

Now I’ve also started bringing in self-defense programming 

into native American areas and tribal lands. As you may or may not 

know, there is a problem with missing and murdered indigenous 

women. Being native American myself, they’ll readily accept me to 

teach these women self-defense. I go to the Lumbee tribe in North 

Carolina, where I had a clinic, speak and I do my seminar engagements 

to help out these women. 

I encourage people to try to do something to make a 

difference in your community because that’s what 

we’re here for and we all have something 

that we can contribute. I think 

it’s almost like a required 

component in my view for 

our instructors and staff. 

If you’re out everywhere, 

everyone sees you out 

everywhere and produces 

a halo effect. 

MAWN: Of course today a 

lot is accomplished through Facebook 

and other social media, but we 

should still make use of mass media, 

right? From your experience, what do you think that might 

be like today maybe versus in the past? 

KE: The bottom line is you have to have something viable that’s 

going to be worth their time to come out and cover. Most people 

who don’t understand media are going to think, the fact that they 

have a tournament or their Grandmaster is coming is newsworthy, 

but it’s only newsworthy to you and your school. You have to think 

mass. What is the audience is going to want to watch? What are 

they going to want to hear about? I do a whole segment on that 

old series on that and I’m still available if people want to contact 

me and they want particular PR for their school or whatever. 

Maybe you want to try to get exposure for your school. In the 

case of Steve Oliver and his Mile High Karate Schools at that time, 

he wanted national attention. So it was just a matter of coming up 

with the angles that I knew were going to grab 

local media attention. If those stories were 

good enough, I knew that they would go 

national and that’s what happened. We were 

very fortunate in that way. There were a lot 

of students at Mile High Karate in Denver 

and it helped to know that he had a student 

get accosted at the age of 14 walking out 

of a grocery store in the middle of the 

day. She was only like a green belt 

or brown belt or something, but she 

just beat the heck out of that guy, 

I called the police, and that was a 

huge story. We got this out and 

that one got picked up nationally. 

So it’s a lot of working the right 

angles. 

MAWN: You’ve recently hosted 

some popular training seminars as 

well, what have been some of the 

highlights? 

KE: In Houston, Texas back in May, 

I did a three hour seminar with Paul 

Whalen, for law enforcement 

on close quarters techniques. It was an all encompassing 

seminar on self-defense. I actually taught all the 

open hand stuff in that seminar. What I teach native 

American sisters on how to defend themselves with 

a lot of Ho Sin Sul. Paul emphasized what he is 

known for which is weapons, takeoffs and things 

of that nature. 

MAWN: Your latest book will also be inspiring 

for people. What should they expect? 

KE: Absolutely. My last book is a self-help 

book called Will I Ever Feel Happy Again? 

I would like to talk about it briefly because 

people have a lot of problems dealing with depression 

and suicide, especially in the COVID situation. This 

book is specifically dealing with the subject of suicide and people 

who have had to survive it. Unfortunately I’m no stranger to these 

myself which is why the book has this title. It will be a great encouragement 

to you if you are, unfortunately, someone that has had to 

deal with the subject of suicide. 

Also, I still write for the karate magazines and MA Success, 

but I also want to mention my radio blog. My blog talk radio show 

is about and with pioneers of martial arts which I do with Jesse 

Bowen. I’ve been involved with that for about three or four years 

now on AMA radio. My show runs every Monday night and you 

could go to my Facebook group page, the Eden Assignment, inspirational 

series, and you’ll see all those links to my radio shows my 

magazine write-ups and anything else. 

MAWN: Thanks for insight into your industry contributions. 

blogtalkradio.com/theamaa-martialartsshow 


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Grandmaster Eung Gil Choi (left), founder of USTMA, and 

Grandmaster Dong Sup Lee (right), president of Kukkiwon, present 

President Trump with an Honorary 9th Degree Black Belt

Awarded Honorary 9th Degree Blackbelt 

by Kukkiwon 

President Trump Graciously Accepts this Honor, and Endorses Taekwondo

COVER STORY 

On November 19th, 2021, Kukkiwon’s newly elected president, 

Grandmaster Dong Sup Lee, and longtime colleague Grandmaster 

Eung Gil Choi, founder of the United States Taekwondo 

Martial Arts Academy traveled to the beautiful Mar-a-Lago resort 

in Palm Beach, Florida to present the 45th President of the United 

States, Donald Trump with an Honorary 9th Dan Black Belt in 

Taekwondo. 

“I heard that Donald Trump is highly interested in Taekwondo,” 

Lee was quoted as saying to the press. 

Understanding that some people may choose to assign political 

meaning to this event, the Kukkiwon president noted in his posts 

and images on social media, and in subsequent interviews: “This 

ceremony is not related to any other political issues.” 

Regardless of your political views, this is a significant event 

in our industry, and I, and the editorial staff of Martial Arts World 

News Magazine would be remis if we not only ‘covered’ this occasion, 

but also explored how this event could help shed light on the 

Martial Arts, and how school owners might leverage this to help 

grow their school and impact in their communities. 

A Long History of Honoring Leaders all Over the World 

It’s a logical question to ask. “Why would someone who has not 

studied Taekwondo be given such an honor?” 

It’s a long-standing tradition in the Martial Arts, to recognize 

and honor leaders in our society in many ways. 

The tradition of awarding honorary ‘degrees’ (doctorates and 

more), is commonplace in institutes of higher education throughout 

the world. These honorary titles are clearly not meant to be 

compared to degrees that are earned by students through study, 

research, and academic performance, but rather in recognition for 

contributions to society in other ways. Honorary degrees and doctorates 

have been presented to leaders and influencers like, Oprah 

Winfrey, Meryl Streep, Magic Johnson, P Diddy, and Muhammad 

Ali, for example. 

Organizations in the Martial Arts have also carried on this tradition 

in many, many countries around the world, and have been a 

great tool to promote the Martial Arts and it’s benefits. 

President Bill Clinton (when he was the Governor of Arkansas) 

was awarded an honorary Black Belt by the Founder of the ATA – 

Grandmaster H.U. Lee. 

Then Governor Bill Clinton Accepts Honorary Black Belt 

from ATA Founder H.U. Lee 

President George H.W. Bush Accepting Honorary Black Belt 

From Chuck Norris in 1992 

In 1992, then President George H.W. Bush received an Honorary 

Black Belt from Chuck Norris. The then president had been a 

vocal supporter of the martial arts in many ways. He had spoken 

and supported the efforts of Grandmaster Jhoon Rhee in the 

Washington D.C. area for many years, and helped Grandmaster 

Rhee establish international relations for top marital arts competitors 

to travel to Russia and other nations to spread the value of the 

Martial Arts across the world. He was also a supporter of (now) 

Grandmaster Norris’ “Kick Drugs Out of America” program…… 

President Barak Obama Awarded Honorary Black Belt 

by then Korean President Myung-Bak Lee 

In 2009, during President Barak Obama’s administration, South 

Korean President, Myung-Bak Lee awarded him an Honorary 

Black Belt. President Obama did actually study Taekwondo as a 

Junior Senator, and earned a Green Belt, but as is typical, this presentation 

was not based on years of study and training, but rather 

on accomplishments outside the Dojang. 

On May 10, 2017 Pope Francis welcomed then WTF President 

Chungwon Choue, the Ambassador of the Republic of Korea Jonghyu 

Jeong, and the President of the Italian Taekwondo Federation 

Angelo Cito to St. Peters Square. During an inspiring, small 

ceremony, the Pope was awarded an Honorary 9th Dan Black Belt. 

The Pope, who was an avid sports fan, graciously accepted the 

honor, and commented about his fascination at seeing the WTF 

Demonstration Team a few months earlier. The Pope expressed 


Photographs from the Kukkiwon Facebook Page

COVER STORY 

Pope Francis Awarded Honorary Black Belt in 2009 

by WTF President Chungwon Choe. 

his interest and gratitude for the humanitarian and human development 

activities that Taekwondo has embraced. 

The Mission of the New Kukkiwon President: 

The Kukkiwon, as most all of you know, is the governing 

body for Taekwondo in Korea, founded in 1972. It laid the 

groundwork for Taekwondo’s globalization, developing 

not only World Championship events, but also an 

organized structure for Taekwondo curriculum and 

standards. In 1978, Kukkiwon succeeded in unifying 

Taekwondo by integrating 10 separate Taekwondo 

Kwans; Chung Do Kwan, Moo Duk Kwan, Jido Kwan, 

Song Moo Kwan, Chang Moo Kwan, Kang Duk Won, 

Jung Do Kwan, Oh Do Kwan, Han Moo Kwan and 

Kwan Li Kwan. Kukkiwon is also home of the World 

Taekwondo Academy and is supervised by the 

International Sports Division of the Ministry of 

Culture, Sports, and Tourism. 

This unification has helped Taekwondo 

expand it’s reach internationally 

and help support the growth of its 

schools and members. 

Grandmaster Dong Sup Lee 

was elected president of the 

organization on January 21, 

2021, election for President 

of Kukkiwon (aka the World 

Taekwondo Headquarters) 

against former Vice President 

Choon-Kil Lim in a landslide victory. 

He managed to win 55 out of 

75 votes, beating out Lim’s count of 

19 votes. 

Lee’s victory was so decisive, in part, 

because he garnered the support of 

many senior Taekwondo officials 

and influencers who knew Lee was 

an avid Taekwondo artists, not 

‘just’ a politician or business person. 

Lee is a 9th dan Grandmaster 

in Taekwondo, and served as senator in the 20th session of the 

National Assembly in Korea. 

Since the beginning of his administration, Lee has outlined, and 

has been executing an aggressive agenda to revitalize Taekwondo, 

in part, by returning to the traditional values and culture of the 

art. To keep the art a “traditional” martial art, and draw clear differences 

between the ‘sport’ and the ‘art’ of Taekwondo. By intention, 

the WT (World Taekwondo) will continue to promote the ‘sport’ of 

Taekwondo, while the Kukkiwon will focus on its traditional development, 

curriculum, students and school (dojang) operators. 

I’ve personally been engaged in several meetings, discussions 

and organizational meetings with Grandmaster Lee, and what I’ve 

seen is a DEEP passion for Taekwondo, and his ardent desire to 

promote traditional Taekwondo throughout the world. Especially 

since the COVID pandemic has had such a negative impact on 

schools in virtually every nation. 

In just the first few months of Grandmaster Lee’s administration, 

he’s accomplished some laudable initiatives, and a breakneck 

pace. 

To coordinate with the board of directors, Grandmaster 

Lee recruited an all star staff of passionate Taekwondo 

Grandmasters, Masters, Instructors, political leaders, 

business leaders, and operational specialists 

that he knew had the right mindset for this intense 

‘restructuring’ job and placed them in key positions 

immediately. 

He’s “Re-Branded” the Kukkiwon with new goals 

to help expand Taekwondo and its organization, new 

logos to reinforce the ‘traditional’ aspects of the art, 

and redesigning the World headquarters to more appropriately 

pay respect to the international Taekwondo 

community. On May 1, 2021, he held a special ceremony 

for the completion of 202 new flagpoles honoring the 

Kukkiwon nations. Kukkiwon never had a symbol 

to recognize the various countries it serves, so 

the recent installation of the flagpoles, and other 

symbols, has been inspiring for Taekwondo 

communities all over the world. 

On April 13, 2021 Grandmaster Lee 

held (the first ever) worldwide “Virtual 

Conference”, where attendees from 

more than 200 nations attended, and 

discussed his vision for the Kukkiwon, 

and where he listened to many 

nation’s representatives, and their concerns 

about the past, and what they feel 

they needed from Kukkiwon. It was inspiring 

to see the Kukkiwon President listen so 

intently, and seek to deeply understand the 

needs of the schools and members. 

President Lee formed task force teams 

to assist with dojang development, 

administrative reforms, and global 

expansion of Taekwondo. He willcontinued 

on page 40 


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COVER STORY 

So, on this auspicious day, President Trump welcomed 

the contingent to the Mar-a-Lago resort, and graciously accepted 

this honor. 

He happily donned the new Dobak and Black Belt, and commented, 

“It is my honor to receive this Honorary Dan Certificate and 

I think Taekwondo is a magnificent martial art for self-defense. I wish 

to see Kukkiwon Taekwondo Team’s demonstration.” 

The group then posed for photos, notably in front of photos 

of President Trump’s historical trip to North Korea, meeting with 

North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un. This seems particularly appropriate, 

since the steps toward more normalized relations between 

North and South Korea, including the possible official declaration 

of an end to the Korean war, have been very popular in Korea and 

the region. 

I’m encouraged at how focused the Kukkiwon, under its new 

leadership, is on helping to popularize, promote, and grow the ART 

of Taekwondo, and help Dojang operators succeed. This honorary 

degree for President Trump is an opportunity for our industry 

to expand its reach and influence throughout the world. It opens 

doors to opportunities that may have never been possible, and 

gives Taekwondo a place on the international stage that it may not 

have had before. 

I’m also encouraged at all the positive feedback we’ve heard 

from leaders and colleagues in our industry. It’s clear that many 

school owners will find significant opportunity here, and leverage 

that to their benefit. 

continued from page 37 

ingly traveled around the country to find dojangs that suffered 

greatly due to the Covid-19 situation to listen to their hardships, 

and identified resources and strategies that they could deploy 

to help these schools. Among these plans included globalizing 

by forming a special committee and establishing overseas’ 

branches. Having resources and Kukkiwon representatives 

‘closer’ to the individual schools will be a huge asset for the 

development and success of Taekwondo schools. 

He has also begun a far reaching initiative to re-invigorate 

the curriculum to better accommodate the needs of students 

of all ages, and better facilitate operating an effective Taekwondo 

Dojang. 

“Why” This Honorary Promotion Awarded? 

With the MANY initiatives and accomplishments in just the few 

months of his administration, it’s clear to see how focused Grandmaster 

Lee is on developing and “promoting” Taekwondo around 

the world. In a further effort to shine light on the Martial Arts, and 

Taekwondo specifically, Grandmaster Eung Gil Choi, and Grandmaster 

Dong Sup Lee collaborated to present this honorary title to 

President Trump. 

Knowing that Taekwondo schools all over the world were suffering 

from the COVID pandemic, these visionaries searched for 

ways to drive more attention to Taekwondo, and create opportunities 

for Taekwondo schools all over the Nation and the World. 


Photographs from the Kukkiwon Facebook Page

COVER STORY 

What The Industry Has To Say… 


I applaud Kukkiwon for presenting former president Donald Trump with an honorary 

black belt. This is not the first time an honorary degree has been given to serve a bigger 

purpose, so it is good for the martial arts industry. 

Previously, the ATA gave Bill Clinton a black belt instructor certificate, he came on our 

stage and broke boards, and was a great advocate for us. We did the same kind of thing 

for Obama and Bush which resulted in a great promotional value for the martial arts industry, 

as this time will too. 

I think anytime you can combine any type of hero, sports figure, or a politician that 

really talks good about us it’s the best thing we can do. I don’t know what other publicity 

stunt we could pull that would get more talk about us whether it’s good or bad. 

So once again, I applaud Trump getting the award, but whether we use it or not to promote 

the martial arts is another matter for each of us to determine for ourselves. I’m just 

proud of the fact that someone did it, I wish it was ATA that had done that. 

Grandmaster Choi 

Both I and many Taekwondo masters have been thinking how our art could further or 

better spread and be promoted throughout the world than normally. To me, it feels and 

looks like the Taekwondo industry needs more promotion, and to have more attention, so 

I was looking for something that would have a huge impact. My intention for initiating the 

meeting between the Kukkiwon president Dong Sup Lee and President Donald Trump was 

to help Taekwondo have a greater impact. 

An-shu Stephen H. Hayes 

Well I think that it’s a great thing. Anything that promotes more awareness of the martial 

arts and the values that come along with a martial art I think that this is great. It goes 

beyond whether you like Donald Trump or not, it goes to whether we are promoting an 

awareness of what the martial arts can deliver. 

From a Japanese cultural perspective a dojo is a meeting place where your awareness 

becomes heightened and your being becomes more elevated because of the martial arts 

experience. Some schools have a politician or businessman as a consultant even though 

they may not do martial arts because they see the value of martial arts. The leader sees 

value and supports the martial arts. 

In the same likeness, giving former President Trump an honorary black belt shows the 

world that he sees value in the martial arts. His influence as a leader is huge and him seeing 

value in the martial arts is great for raising awareness of the martial arts values to our 

communities if we take advantage of it. 

Lee Milteer, Millionaire Smarts Coach 

As a Success Coach every time I see people being acknowledged for their life efforts 

towards the betterment of people I always Cheer!! I Was really thrilled to see in your 

Martial Arts World News Magazine that Dong Sup-Lee, President of Kukkiwon, visited 

President Donald Trump to award him with an Honorary Ninth Degree Black Belt in “Taekwondo” 

a few weeks ago. We live in a time where people sincerely need inspiration and 

self-empowerment role models. By acknowledging and honoring others for their good examples, 

good traits, dedication, and leadership characteristics we give people permission 

to emulate those behaviors. President Trump is clearly a fighter and to see him receive this 

continued on page 44 


COVER STORY 

President Donald Trump autograph’s a uniform as Grandmaster Choi watches. 


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Black Belt award is inspiring and motivating. He has been through many battles and still 

stands tall with his beliefs and actions. One does not achieve success for just showing up 

but for the commitments of focus and hard work, plus undeniable determination to reach 

goals no matter what is happening. Congrats to all involved in such an honorable and 

important accreditation. I am personally thankful to see all people who stand for truth in 

the world being acknowledged for the role they play in creating a good society. 

Grandmaster Sang Lee 

In November 2021, Kukkiwon President Dong Sup Lee awarded Former President Donald 

Trump an honorary 9th Dan Kukkiwon Black Belt. This historic moment was symbolic 

in cementing Taekwondo as the most popular and most practiced martial art in the world. 

Students from age 3 to 99 practice Taekwondo to gain better physical fitness, character 

development, and learn self defense. President Trump honorary 9th degree black belt 

brought additional awareness to Kukkiwon and Taekwondo as a whole. 

Despite President Trump’s fame and influence globally, no other martial art approached 

him to award an honorary black belt. However, President Trump understood 

the value of meeting with Kukkiwon President Dong Sup Lee and the influence of Taekwondo 

in the world. 

In 1988 I served as the 1st U.S. Olympic Head Coach for Taekwondo in the 1988 Seoul 

Olympic Games. I would like to respectfully extend an invitation to President Trump to 

train with me to earn his 1st Degree Black Belt at no charge. 

Former President Trump is probably the most well-known person worldwide. However, 

no other martial art approached former President Trump for such recognition, and 

President Trump understood the importance of the Kukkiwon’s gesture and accepted the 

honorary degree. What an inspirational accomplishment that would be for him, and his supporters, 

and what an amazing impact it would have for Taekwondo throughout the world. 

Congratulations to former President Trump for a well-deserved award, and congratulations 

to Kukkiwon President Dong Sup Lee for his vision to expand Taekwondo worldwide. 


Thank you for the invite to make a comment on President Trump receiving a 9th degree 

honorary black belt from Kukkiwon. 

Congratulations to President Trump! 

The Honorary rank of Ninth Degree given to President Trump was the right level to be 

bestowed. He has served the world as the highest ranked leader and has made the world 

a safer place with his diplomacy with North Korea. This honor is not to recognize skill as a 

martial artist, but skill as a world leader. 


Now this couldn’t get any better and what I love most is that the Kukkiwon organization 

met with former president Trump in the Mar a Lago, 45’s personal residence 

and awarded him this honorary rank of excellence. What a great way to get the martial 

arts out in front of millions of people and tap into 45’s supporters. This is monumental 

for our industry. Plus it puts a smile on my face. Congrats to President Trump 

and the Kukkiwon organization. 

continued on page 46 


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COVER STORY 



So, Donald Trump was presented an honorary Black Belt by Kukkiwon President Lee 

Dong-Sup. It’s extremely appropriate that the South Korean organization would recognize 

Donald Trump who arguably made the most progress of anyone to date to help normalize 

relations between North and South Korea. 

Interestingly, even though Trump has expressed great interest in Tae Kwon Do and stated 

“TaeKwonDo is a great martial art for protecting oneself in these times.” Apparently, he 

also promised to wear his new uniform to congress if he should be reelected. I’m sure it will 

be extremely controversial among a portion of our population – only due to it being Trump. 

There’s a long history of presenting honorary degrees to business and political leaders. 

You may recall that the ATA presented Bill Clinton an honorary Black Belt. The USJA even 

posthumously recognized Theodore Roosevelt with a Black Belt. 

Regardless of what you may think of Trump as a politician I can assure you that Jhoon 

Rhee, the consummate promoter, and whose schools I ‘cut my teeth’ in, would be proud 

of the publicity generated for his beloved Tae Kwon Do and, only disappointed that he 

didn’t manage it first! And his buddies Bruce Lee and, Muhammad Ali both were brilliant at 

generating publicity and would be smiling knowingly at any and all such opportunities. 


Recently I saw in the news about former President Trump receiving an honorary 9th 

degree in Tae Kwon Do from Dong Sup-Lee President of the Kukkiwon. First let me say 

this - my statement about what I feel is non-political. In my world I work for all sides, but 

I did get to meet Mr. Trump at a few events prior to him being President and I was very 

impressed with his business savvy. So as a fellow martial artist and a businessman let’s 

look at the positive. This gives the martial arts community exposure to mass people 

and whether people like him or not it puts our community in the forefront of the news. 

I’m not sure if any other president ever received such an honor but any press like that 

will have more positives than negatives. The positive is that the honorary degree is 

getting recognition like when certain prestigious universities give doctorate degrees to 

different Presidents and other VIP’s. This could be the start of something unique where 

this type of degree from the martial arts world becomes accepted, recognized, and in 

demand putting our community on the mainstream map in a unique but distinctive way. 

There is an old saying that any press is good press and from the events I have worked 

where President Trump was appearing he certainly is loved by his following. So, to this I 

say Congratulations President Trump and a respectful bow to the Kukkiwon for thinking 

outside the belt and stepping forward to honor a President of The United States! 

When you think of excellence and affluence – the Trump name used to be what 

was used as an example. Getting mentioned in movies, rap songs and books around 

the world. Now a former president who may re-run in the future is being recognized 

by Kukkiwon president GrandMaster Dong Sup – Lee. I think people who know me 

probably know that I liked having one of my business idols become the president of 

the United States. 


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SCHOOL PROFILE 

King Tiger Tae Kwon Do Remains 

the King of Community Service 

Even During the Pandemic 

Grandmaster Byung Lee’s King Tiger Tae Kwon Do has been in 

operation serving his NC community for over 30 years, since June of 

1988. The school has a great reputation and has an active enrollment 

of 350 Tae Kwon Do Members. The school has been a beacon of light 

during the pandemic and provided a great service to parents with a 

successful return to summer camp for children this past summer. 

Grandmaster Byung Lee 

MAWN: Grandmaster Lee, you’ve been a pillar in 

your community for decades, what are some examples 

of your community outreach efforts? 

BL: Before the pandemic, we put on a Tae Kwon 

Do tournament on for St. Jude Children’s hospital, did 

a break-a-thon and head shaving event for the St. 

Baldrick’s Foundation, and a fund raising event for community 

schools. 

During the pandemic, we hosted a virtual fundraiser 

and received 5K in funds for the Local Food Bank 

which equated to 26,000 meals. Secondly, we also did 

a breaking challenge for classroom supplies for local 

schools and we were able to donate to 4 local elementary 

schools. 

MAWN: In your efforts to best serve your community, 

what have been the most effective marketing 

strategies you’ve used? 

BL: Our most successful strategies have been using Facebook 

marketing along with our unique online trial programs. These have 

enabled us to reach out into our community and attract 30-40 

prospects each month. These outreach efforts have been able to 

convert around 20-30 into a long term programs which provides 

the new members with our school’s life-changing traditional martial 

arts philosophy. 

MAWN: During these challenging times, what are your most 

significant programs that you provide for the community and the 

benefits to participants? 

BL: When service is a top priority you find ways to serve regardless 

of the circumstances. In the face of social distance requirements, 

during the pandemic, we have provided weapon classes 

for our current members which has boosted excitement, loyalty, 

and retention. A second program that has been great for our 

Grandmaster Lee Has Developed a Large Adult Leadership 

Team to Carry on the Traditions of His School 

students is heavy bag training, which releases stress and improves 

cardio through the exercise. 

From a practical business standpoint, we also elevated our 

customer service with lobby management for greeting visitors at 

the door and made an even greater conscious effort to demonstrate 

the tenets of Traditional Tae Kwon Do through better manners 

and respect. 

MAWN: Are there any other ways that you have been able to 

connect with your community in order to keep them aware of all 

the services you would like to provide for their benefit? 

BL: We have a lead generating website that has served the 

purpose of keeping them informed of the latest offering and what 

we’re doing. The website also includes our updated trial registration 

page for them to easily take advantage of the benefits Tae 

Kwon Do can bring to their life, even during a global pandemic. 

MAWN: Thanks for sharing with us Grandmaster Lee! 


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The House Where Discipline 

Is Your Weapon 

Master Ivory Irvin is a 7th Degree Black Belt in Tae Kwon Do and was 

Combative Arts Instructor for the U.S. Army Military Police. In 2005, he 

opened Master Irvin’s House of Discipline and has been in business 

continuously for the past 16 years as one of the premier martial arts 

schools in Louisiana. 

Master Ivory Irvin 

MAWN: You are focused on 

building the community around 

you, what are some example of 

your community outreach efforts? 

II: We provide instruction to the 

community in the form of cost free 

Women’s Self Defense Classes to 

Teens and Senior Citizens, local 

sororities, and college freshmen 

(Women). Additionally, we provide 

(on demand) “Bully Proof” classes 

to school age students. Finally, we 

provide annual instructions in Self 

Defense to all JROTC cadets in 

Northwest Louisiana during their 

Summer Camp Program. 

MAWN: What has been a 

unique marketing strategy that 

has been productive in producing 

leads? 

II: Providing “No Cost” classes 

on a “one time” basis is definitely 

time consuming, but provides an 

avenue that makes my school’s 

name synonomous with Integrity, 

Expertise and Professionalism. This 

has been one of my best marketing strategies, that has produced 

approximately 15-20 leads per month. 

MAWN: What programs do you feel the community benefits 

from the most? 

II: Weapons Instruction, “Bully Proofing” Classes, Child Abduction 

Prevention Training is of great value to our classroom participants. 

MAWN: Do you have a lead generating website and what 

about it has been most productive regarding leads? 

II: My school exclusively uses AMS!!! The lead generating website 

is provided and hosted by AMS. The prospect listing has been 

Grandmaster Byung Lee 

Students learn discipline at a combative martial arts class. 

by far the most instrumental tool in identifying potential leads!!!! It’s 

an effortless system that regularly generates leads for our school. 

MAWN: Do you use a management software and what features 

are providing the best benefits for running your school more 

efficiently? 

II: Yes, and our school utilizes the ATLAS Martial Arts Software. 

It is a proven software system to generate more leads. My Advice to 

school owners is to get this system and expect to get lots of leads. 

Afterwards, it’s on you to turn those “LEADS” to active students. 

MAWN: Thank you Master Irvin for sharing your school success 

with our readers. 


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TEAMWORK 

4 Tips to Boost Your 

Social Media 

By Hanshi Dave Kovar 

It’s fair to say a lot of us would rather be training or instructing on the mat than 

spending time hunched over our computers on Facebook. 

But of course with their popularity, we can’t ignore the potential 

for growth using these ever evolving social media platforms. No 

matter how much some of us may try to avoid the digital frontiers, 

the truth we face is that in order to grow the attendance at our 

martial arts schools we must be willing to communicate where the 

students and parents are found most frequently. 

Today we will navigate just a short distance into the vast web 

that is social media. Here are some tips to 

help you venture into the world… 

1. Make sure you have your profile 

complete. 

The more information you provide 

to your viewers the easier it will be for 

them to find you. Make sure everything 

is filled out, you’ve added your 

own pictures, and all contact information 

is up-to-date. Just like your martial 

arts school, you don’t want things 

to be half-presented. Think of 

your online profiles as your 

internet storefront. 

2. Interact with your 

social media networks. 

Being active and engaging 

is important. If 

a school that is always 

closed, is a school 

that will close— 

then a social media 

network that is never 

social, will never produce 

return. Engage the audience 

and reply to comments and questions. 

3. Have visually appealing content. 

Sometimes all it takes is the same message in another format. 

Not everyone responds to plain text posts. Decide what messages 

need extra attention, then use more images, videos, or graphics to 

further drive the point you want to make. 

4. Be consistent with your brand. 

Understand that wherever you are, you want to keep a professional 

and consistent message just as you might at your school. 

Think to yourself, “Would I want my students and/or parents to see 

this profile?” You should always consider and be aware that your 

audience could and should be your students. Likewise, for logos, 

photos, and all content you share—keep to the same rules and 

make sure it stays true to your brand and welcoming to anyone 

you’d like to have as a student. 

These are just a few tips to help ease you into your social 

media marketing. If you can at least do 1 or 2 of these techniques, 

you may be surprised at how this will launch you ahead of many 

competitors already. However, the more time you put into these 

platforms will directly impact the value of your returns. The more 

time you spend, the more value you will see in new leads, developing 

community, and local networking. 

HANSHI DAVE KOVAR is an 8th degree black belt and recognized as the “Trainer of Trainers.” 

Hanshi Dave Kovar is an internationally acclaimed instructor with black belt degrees in ten different martial 

arts styles. His systems have been implemented in hundreds of schools around the US. 


Photograph by Victollio

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We are always on the look out for notable, engaging and 

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NEXT LEVEL STRATEGY 

Branding: Is it a Waste of Your 

Time? (Part 2) 

by Shihan Allie Alberigo 

Let’s first start with the multiple definitions of the word “branding.” 

I think the clearest brand definition is that of livestock 

branding. This is the marking of animals to indicate ownership. 

Or, in advertising, a brand is simply a name, logo, 

slogan, and/or design scheme associated with a product or 

service to clearly identify it amongst the competition. 

One of the best lessons I had was when I visited all of 

world-famous illusionist Criss Angel’s shops in Las Vegas. 

His brother, my student at the time, took me on a tour to 

illustrate what they did to build the Criss Angel 

brand. He in particular pointed out, in 

his words, the “Criss Angel world.” 

As I walked into each of his 

stores, it was clear that there was 

nothing in the store that didn’t represent 

him or show what he did. The colors 

matched his brand, even down to the huge 

Criss Angel logo on the ceiling of each 

location. What J.D. (Criss’ brother) told me 

was that when people enter the 

store, they get swept away in 

everything Criss, from video 

monitors and picture boxes, 

to merchandise. 

Now, you may 

be saying, you 

aren’t a worldfamous 

illusionist 

or even a famous 

martial artist, 

movies star, etc. 

To be honest, you 

are the star of your 

own show and world, so you 

might as well capitalize on it. 

So what is it we can do to find out what your brand is? 

The good news is that it isn’t all that difficult. You can simply 

take some of these ideas and build a checklist. Are you known 

as the cleanest and best school for teaching traditional martial 

arts? Or do you specialize in Kickboxing or grappling? What would 

those benefits be? Do you want your establishment to look like an 

ancient Japanese school, or are you interested in a more modern 

school with flags and bright colors? What do you want people to 

see, feel, smell, and hear from the minute they walk through the 

doors? Who are you as an instructor? 

But don’t talk about you, talk about who you are and how 

that will benefit your clients. In other words, you have five titles 

in full contact fighting, that’s great, but how does that experience 

help clients? 

This is all part of establishing a clear understanding for the 

client of what you do for them: the WIIFM, or the What’s in it For 

Me? strategy. 

Start working on these topics, and if you have further questions, 

don’t hesitate to email me at Shihan@lininja.com for more tips and 

information. 

SHIHAN ALLIE ALBERIGO is a 7th degree black belt, the founder of the L.I. Ninjutsu 

Centers, one of the largest Ninjutsu schools on the planet, the author of 4 books, and an entrepreneur 

with one of the first online coaching companies. 


Photograph by HATICE GOCMEN

GROWTH HACKS 

Making Business Move Quickly 

by Mr. Sean Lee 

It can seem like things get done painfully slowly when you need it most. 

“Expect six to eight weeks for delivery” isn’t anyone’s 

idea of quick. With the amount of competition facing your 

business today, you want the fastest, most streamlined 

business model you can have. Increasing your productivity 

will encourage your staff to step up their recruiting efforts, 

which will boost your enrollment, and an all-around more 

efficient effort from your school means strong retention for 

years to come. Here are some areas you’ll want to focus 

on to speed things up: 

Efficient Meetings 

The rule of thumb on meetings is that if they can’t be 

wrapped up in an hour, then you’re either trying to cover 

too much ground or not meeting efficiently. 

Experiencing this dilemma? Create agendas 

for your meetings and email them 

to your staff ahead of your scheduled 

meeting time to allow everyone to think about 

their responses before they get into the 

meeting. 

Pay on Time Every Time 

Paying bills can be like getting a root 

canal—slow, painful, and expensive. Still, we 

all have to do it. Paying bills on time ensures 

you don’t lose any of the essential 

components of your business (like 

electricity), plus you avoid late 

charges that can set you back 

and cut into your revenue. 

Also, remember that not every 

business is run as efficiently 

as yours. Paying for things 

early gives your suppliers 

more time to get you the 

equipment you need in 

a timely manner. 

Set Timetables 

If you don’t set guidelines, everything is on time. Make a 

monthly calendar with milestones each month. Want to get ten 

new students this month? Put a milestone to distribute 100 flyers 

by the 15th of the month with another 100 by month’s end. Timetables 

make projects tangible for everybody on staff and help you 

move projects along faster. 

Maintain Communication 

Never assume. That means not taking for granted that your staff 

and business associates are silently toiling away on every detail of 

the projects you’ve given them. Check in weekly and get updates 

on what your staff is doing. Projects change organically and occasionally 

need your input to make the right adjustments. Doing 

this early will keep staff from wasting time on projects going in the 

wrong direction. 

If you’re experience difficulty with streamlining your martial arts 

school, my Marketing Consultants can help you. Simply give them 

a call at 800-275-1600 and they’ll be happy to assist you. 

SEAN LEE is the Executive Director of Sales and Marketing for hundreds of martial arts schools 

and specializes in online and social media marketing using his extensive professional experience in 

sports and martial arts marketing, contract negotiation, and investment. 


Photograph by coffeekai

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NINJA BUSINESS TACTICS 

Teaching Child Students in 2022 

By An-Shu Stephen Hayes 

If you’re teaching the type of curriculum that’s more applicable on the street, how do 

you translate that to the much younger audience? 

Well, that is a very awkward question. Where my Dayton/Centerville, 

Ohio school is located, it’s middle and upper-middle class, 

and nobody gets in fights! Kids in general don’t get into fights. 

Martial arts are all abstract to them, and yet it’s a very pragmatic 

self-defense system. How do we approach youth? 

Sometimes my wife will comment, “Oh gosh, I wish we were 

teaching Tang Soo Do, it would be easier! ‘This is upper-block, this 

is the punch.’” 

But what we’ve done is create exercises where we have to be 

so careful. With a nine year old, you don’t want to scare them, but 

you do know more than they do and that they’re going 

to be driving in a couple of years, and they’re 

going to be out on their own and could be 

victimized—they could go away to college, to 

a party, and get victimized—so we’re really 

training the way the person thinks. Because 

when a young woman goes to her first fraternity 

party, she thinks she’s all grown up. 

She’s 19, she’s probably not going to get 

into a fist fight with some guy, but things are 

going to be offered. For her to be confident 

enough in herself to know that, “No, this is of 

more benefit to you than it is to me; no thank 

you,” is a major thing. So, we can emphasize 

that kind of thinking. 

At our school we have a 

series of four elements— 

earth, water, fire, and 

wind—that come from 

the ninja tradition. 

Earth is holding 

your ground. And 

some people are 

just naturally that 

way if they get 

into a conflict or confrontation. Then there’s water, which is being 

overwhelmed, so I tactically position myself so that the person 

comes in and I can’t hold my ground. We say, “If you had to fight a 

shark in the ocean, would you punch him in the teeth or would you 

sneak over here and hit him in the gills?” 

Then there’s fire, which is interrupting, and wind, which is evading. 

We’re constantly emphasizing to kids, “Hey, you’re little! What 

if a big kid comes around and pushes you around, or somebody 

tries to grab you?” We use these principles from age six or seven 

on. We have a very different program for four, five, and six year 

olds. There we use a lot of obstacle courses and brightly colored 

pool noodles so they don’t look threatening, but we use them 

like swords and kids have to get out of the way as we try to wrap 

that around their head and they get away. It’s a lot of fun and a lot 

of giggling, but every now and then we’ll tell them get in line. I’ll 

be honest, I’m looking for more ways to relate to kids with what 

we have. It’s so pragmatic and yet kids don’t see violence in the 

school; where they do run into violence is keyboard stuff—cyber 

bullying is a big deal. A little kid is forming their identity and they’re 

cheerfully reaching out to their friends and getting that kind of 

feedback and Mom tells them she loves them; well, that’s just 

Mom. Dad says he’s proud of you, Oh, that’s just Dad. I want positive 

feedback from my friends at school, and then it goes haywire. 

We teach them the technique, but secretly, the technique transmits 

a state of mind. We have to teach these kids who they are, the 

value they provide, the gift they are, so that when they come up 

against this inevitable onslaught, they can believe in themselves, 

that they have a value, and we have to teach them some tricks and 

ways of dealing with that. I call them “tricks,” but you could call 

them “techniques” or “methods.” They’ll think, “I learned this at the 

martial arts school! I did this, it got the response from the person 

that my teacher told me they would!” They’ll be so stunned they’ll 

laugh and try to call you a name, but that means you got under 

their skin. You won! We need to work on developing some of those 

aspects as we go into the future. 

AN-SHU STEPHEN HAYES has authored more than 20 books, worked as a body guard for the Dali 

Lama, supervised over 30 school locations worldwide, and was named “A legend; one of the 10 most influential 

living martial artists in the world” by Black Belt Magazine 


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PILLARS OF SUCCESS 

How Do You Know if You Have 

Physical Fitness? (Part 2) 

by Grandmaster Y. K. Kim 

Our Martial Arts World family and I are 100% committed to make America healthier by 

losing 3 billion pounds. 

Create a Healthier Lifestyle: The number one secret to losing 

weight is to change your lifestyle. How? Change your habits 

and create a healthier lifestyle. 

Set a Positive Goal: To lose 

weight and get in shape requires 

that you fight for yourself. How? Set a 

positive goal. A positive 

goal will give you hope, 

and hope gives you the 

strength to win. 

1. Say, “I will get rid of 30 

pounds within three months. My 

target date is 0-00-0000.” 

2. Make a commitment. Say, “I never 

give in until I win.” 

Plan for Success: A proper plan motivates 

you. It’ll be easier and more 

fun to lose weight and get 

in shape. Develop an 

eating and exercise 

plan. 

Announce Your 

Goal: Show your commitment 

and confidence. 

People 

will help you lose 

weight and get in shape. Ask your family and 

friends to support you. Post your goal and 

commitment on social media. So many 

people will support you in achieving your 

goal. 

Execute Your Plan: Focus on your 

plan 10,000% and never give up until 

you get in shape. Throw away all junk 

food at home and at work. Weigh 

yourself every day so you can adjust 

your plan properly, and report your 

experience to your family and friends 

every day. 

After you achieve your goal, 

share your successful methods with 

someone else that needs to lose 

weight. Keep practicing the Four 

Wheels of Physical Fitness. You 

will enjoy healthy living for the 

rest of your life. Extra fat is 

your enemy, my enemy, and 

health’s enemy. 

I strongly believe that together 

we can turn this obstacle 

into a steppingstone. We will save 

a trillion dollars in healthcare 

costs, and we will be healthier, 

stronger, and happier. 

GRANDMASTER Y. K. KIM is the most successful martial arts business leader in the US, having written 

over 30 books on martial arts, business, leadership, and success. He has won numerous public service 

awards and is the founder of the leading martial arts marketing and management company in the US. 


Photograph by warrengoldswain

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THE WAY OF THE SAMURAI 

Children and the Art of the 

Sword, Part 1 

by Shihan Dana Abbott 

When we think about swords and martial arts involving swords, 

we seldom think of children. 

It seems that the cutting blade and young people don’t mix 

well…or at least that’s the belief in America, when in fact, I suggest 

that there are ways to introduce the sword at early ages with extraordinary 

benefits without introducing major risk of injury. 

If we look at Japanese culture, we find that many Kendo 

students begin their practice in the early years of grade school. 

Learning Kendo in Japanese grade school is like American kids 

learning baseball. 

Early in my teaching experience in Kendo, I had the pleasure 

of having a young Japanese girl in one of 

my classes. When my American students 

first began competing with her, they 

severely underestimated her abilities. 

Their Americanbased 

judgment 

system looked 

at her diminutive 

size and young 

age and assumed 

her abilities would 

match her American 

counterparts’ skills. In 

reality, her skills were 

way beyond what would 

normally be expected, 

an advantage of 

her early start in 

Kendo. 

However, this 

impressive ability 

comes with a price. 

Young Japanese 

students may practice 

many hours a day, doing strenuous training exercises that can 

eventually result in stunted growth. It is a well-known fact that extreme 

exercise in young people does affect development. Energy 

from the nutrition children take in is diverted to their muscles to 

support their exercises, rather than being used for growth development. 

Olympic gymnasts are good examples of this. Think of 

the small stature of gymnasts, as well as the delays or absence of 

menstrual cycles in young girls. 

Obviously we want to avoid affecting a student’s growth 

potential, and allow them to learn the art safely while reaping the 

benefits of the early cycles of learning. Today’s modern Chanbara 

weaponry provides a safer alternative to the bamboo (Shinai) or 

wooden (Bokuto or Bokken) swords used by older students. 

By starting with soft weaponry, instructors don’t need to worry 

about the inability of children to handle bamboo or wood to teach 

basic sword strikes. Students can also begin learning sword techniques 

earlier through the use of games and simple exercises. In addition, 

the fear of injury that we often see in students when they’re 

concerned about being struck by the Shinai or Bokuto is removed. 

In the next part of this column, I will provide some suggestions 

on how to integrate the sword into martial arts for young children. 

Adapted from Lin Conklin 

Samurai Sports, Inc. 

Children’s Curriculum development 

SHIHAN DANA ABBOTT Is a 7th degree black belt in Kenjutsu, starting his 14-year education 

in Tokyo. He has published five books and designed a US Patent. Abbott has also conducted seminars in 

over 30 countries and obtained his black belt at the Hombu dojo in Yokohama. He currently offers online 

classes on LearntheSword.com, his unique swordsmanship academy. 


Photograph by master1305

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EXTRAORDINARY MARKETING 

Is Everyone in Your Boat Rowing 

in the Same Direction? (Part 1) 

by Grandmaster Stephen Oliver 

Do you have anyone on your team who is constantly pulling in 

a different direction? It doesn’t have to mean that they are right or 

wrong, stupid or brilliant. 

As owner, you’re the leader. Everyone’s got to be on your 

page. They’ve got to march to your drumbeat. If you have students 

or staff (especially staff) who are constantly pulling in the wrong 

direction, they’ve got to go. 

They may be very successful somewhere else. Don’t feel bad 

about moving them on to a new path. But you CANNOT have staff 

or students who are pulling in a different direction. At best, they’re 

a distraction. At worst, they’re a cancer that spreads. Be ruthless in 

fixing this RIGHT AWAY. 

Over the years I was VERY good at developing 

this esprit de corps within my schools. 

One significant reason is that it wasn’t 

about me. It wasn’t about having everything 

revolve around me as the teacher 

or “Master.” It was about introducing new 

students to each other. About introducing 

new students to the black belts and other 

senior students. It was about making the 

black belts responsible for each other. 

It was about creating situations 

and opportunities for parents 

to bond with one another. 

I would organize carpools. 

Introduce parents 

to each other during class 

during class transitions. 

I’d create various 

“teams.” Black Belt Prep 

was a team activity. Senior 

“nonpaid” students were 

assigned leadership roles. 

In many cases, the staff 

was much less important 

than the senior students in 

being the glue that held things together. 

I also made sure that NO ONE fell through the cracks. All staff 

would talk about every student every week. We’d notice if someone 

missed a class. We were on the phone and sending notes 

QUICKLY if someone didn’t show up, fell behind, or slacked off. 

The other key is held in a comment that Jeff Smith made about 

me years ago. 

He said, “Before he was an MBA, he was an ABM: Always Be 

Marketing.” 

In my turnaround role with my own schools, I was VERY good 

at filling the pipeline with new students. Of anyone I’ve seen, the 

number one and two people in our industry for running a school 

up FAST are myself and Jeff Smith respectively. I haven’t seen 

anyone else come close. 

How I did that varied greatly over the years. In some cases I 

could take a school that was doing only four or six enrollments a 

month and do 20 or more just by keeping track of all the Introductory 

traffic and being effective at closing EVERYONE. In just about 

every case, this was where I started. In other cases, I MASSIVELY 

ramped up the traffic on new introductory students. Sadly, even 

with extensive training, most people only scratch the surface on 

their various marketing opportunities. 

The same basic strategy, almost no matter what it is, can 

have five, ten, sometimes even 30 times the difference in 

results with someone who’s maximizing opportunity and really 

paying attention. 

With everything you do, ask the question WHAT ELSE COULD I 

DO TO IMPROVE RESULTS? 

GRANDMASTER STEPHEN OLIVER, is a 9th degree black belt and is the founder and CEO of 

Mile High Karate schools, and founder of the Martial Arts Wealth Mastery Program. 


Photograph by VectorInspiration

AFTER SCHOOL EXCELLENCE 

Why You Must Start Your 

Summer Camp 

In The Middle of Winter 

That’s right! A profitable Summer Camp with lots of enrollments begins right smack in 

the middle of winter. Are you surprised? Well, so are the many school owners who get 

excited about the possibilities of running an exceptional Summer Camp who begin in 

March or April only to be disappointed in June and July. On the other hand, schools 

that begin Summer Camp now can earn $100,000 to $250,000 for their camps. 

Great Competition 

Why must your Summer Camp begin now? 

Just go and take a look at your local newspaper’s 

upcoming events or social section and 

you’ll find out why the beginning of the year 

is the time to begin your Summer Camp. 

Surely, you’ll see that there is a whole bunch 

of competition: YMCA’s, Sports’ Camps, Music 

Camps, Traditional Camps, and of course, 

other Martial Arts Summer Camps. 

If you think you can wait until the 

Spring to begin your Summer Camp, 

you will give an edge to all of your 

competition and they’ll take advantage. 

The saying, “The early bird 

catches the worm” is true with 

regard to running a successful 

Summer Camp. 

Proven Path 

Maybe you’re not quite so 

sure how to begin a Summer 

Camp now. Have you 

ever heard the expression, 

“You don’t have to reinvent 

the wheel”? AMS guided school owners just like you to achieve 

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other words, there is a proven path that will help any school owner 

earn $100,000 or more with their camp. 

Success Secrets 

There are lots of secrets within the AMS Summer Camp Kit to 

give you the edge you need over the competition. Just consider 

some of the topics in the kit: 

1. How to Prepare to Succeed – everything from facility, staff, 

equipment, field trips, ads and form, etc. 

2. How to Promote Successfully – ideas like internal and external 

promotion, brochures, signs, sales presentation, getting 

into the public school system, etc. 

3. How to Operate for Success – all the direction you need 

from organizing students and staff to scheduling and specific 

activities. 

Now can you see why Summer Camp must start now? It’s a big 

undertaking that is well worth the effort in the financial and enrollment 

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CHIEF MASTER MIKE BUGG is an 8th degree black belt and the owner of a $1.52 million-per-year 

location, with one of the largest after school and summer camp programs in the country. 


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Have Your School, Organization, 

Accomplishment, or Event Featured in 

As professional martial arts school 

owners and instructors, it’s important 

that we stay up to date with the 

latest tools, tactics, and strategies 

for operating a successful martial 

arts school or organization. 

We here at Martial Arts World News 

Magazine are on an unstoppable 

mission to help our industry grow, 

and one of the best ways to do that 

is by sharing “what’s working” and 

what’s not. 

So, we want to feature schools, 

school owners, instructors, 

organizations, students, and industry 

contributors that might have a story 

our readers would find valuable! 

No story is too small or too big for 

consideration so long as there is 

value to our readers. 


Send your Story Idea to us. 

Email Editor@MartialArtsWorldNews.com 

Or Contact us at: 407-895-1996 

• One of your students 

overcame great obstacles 

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TACTICAL SELF-DEFENSE 

One Shot to Survive 

by Grandmaster Tom Patire 

One of the key EP defenses to learn is the ability to disarm an assailant who has a 

firearm locked and loaded on your client. 

Many systems preach different tactics for disarming a person 

with a gun, but most of those disarms were not made to disarm a 

gun that’s being held at a third party. When a weapon is pointed 

at or on another person and you have to intervene to disarm that 

weapon, many different factors come into play, such as getting to 

the weapon with precise movement, redirecting it out of the way, 

or getting your client out of the direct line of fire as you disarm the 

assailant, which can mean the difference between life and death. 

Should you get close enough to the weapon itself, the key to 

survival is to stop, or at least limit, the discharge of the firearm. 

So my philosophy is simple when it comes to in-close 

weapon disarms: you get one shot to survive, so 

make it count! 

It’s not impossible to redirect the weapon or 

stop the weapon from discharging. Most shooters 

that go after clients in the private sector 

target them because of work-related situations 

or obsessions, thus wanting to get up close and 

personal before firing their first shot. In certain 

situations, they want to vent and say what’s on 

their mind before blazing away. These 

types of shooters often miss 

their target completely from 

the first shots, and if they hit 

them, it’s usually in a nonvital 

area. With this being 

the framework for an assassination 

attempt, let’s 

look at the word GUN 

and break it down into a 

positive term so that the 

chances of your survival, 

as well as that of your client 

and team, increase. 

G is for GET 

GET the client 

or loved one 

out of harm’s 

way. GET your vitals 

out of the shooter’s direct 

line of fire. GET to the weapon as 

quickly as you can. GET your hands 

on the mass of the weapon and redirect 

it towards the ground or the gunman, but away from you 

and your client. GET control of the weapon as fast as you can. GET 

the shooter distracted and off balance. GET to the shooter and apply 

your disarm as quickly and precisely as you can so he doesn’t 

GET you or your client! GET the gun at all costs! 

U is for UNDERSTAND 

As the situation unfolds, you need to UNDERSTAND all the 

variables. UNDERSTAND that your mind will be racing and your 

body will be filling with adrenaline. UNDERSTAND that you ‘ve 

trained for this moment and are ready. UNDERSTAND your client 

is scared, surprised, and confused. UNDERSTAND that what you 

do will decide who may live or die. UNDERSTAND that you need 

to maintain focus and act out your skills. UNDERSTAND that the 

entire situation will feel like it’s in slow motion but will be over in 

a few seconds. UNDERSTAND you have what it takes, so do the 

deed and live on! 

N is for NOW! 

When a gunman appears, the time is NOW. Know the situation 

and act on it NOW. Make sure the client is out of the line of fire 

when you make your move to disarm or redirect NOW. NOW is the 

time your training has to take over. NOW is when speed counts 

and cooler heads prevail. NOW is the time to execute your ONE 

SHOT TO SURVIVE! 

GRANDMASTER TOM PATIRE, is known as “America’s Leading Personal Safety Expert” and has appeared 

on Good Morning America, The CBS Morning Show, The Colbert Report, Montel, plus in mainstream publications such as 

Family Circle, Redbook, Fortune Magazine, and The Wall Street Journal. He has written several books and has personal 

safety programs that can be incorporated into your martial arts school, available at TomPatire.com. 


Photograph by CHAIWATPHOTOS

CUTTING-EDGE 

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COMPLETE MARTIAL ARTS CONCEPTS 

Dreams Do Come True 

by Professor Willie “The Bam” Johnson 

Wake up and stop dreaming! You’ll never see that come true. Take those magazine 

covers off your wall. You’ll never meet those people. Snap out of it and live in reality, 

and not in a dream world. 

Dreams are valuable, and when your daily reality involves 

abuse, bullying, drug dealing, violence, addiction, poverty, 

homelessness, incarceration, suicide, and so much more, 

dreams are the only thing you have. You feel them in your soul 

and taste them in your mouth. This was the case for me 48 years 

ago. The only thing I had was a dream, and that was to use martial 

arts to get out of the Baltimore city projects and help 

youth feel empowered through martial arts, like my 

hero Bruce Lee did for me. 

During the early years of martial arts instruction, 

I didn’t understand the beauty of it, so it 

was really hard back then. So, my faith had to 

be strong, and I had to find support from action 

movies, music books, and magazines. The 

most influential support came from an issue 

of the world’s legendary magazine of 

martial arts, “Black Belt Magazine.” 

As a kid, I would work 

to earn money for a copy 

of “Black Belt Magazine,” 

and even steal it. With 

such daily pain going on 

inside of me, that magazine 

would relieve me 

of my inner pain. After 

more than 40 years in 

the martial arts industry, 

I was featured on the 

cover. Wow, dreams 

do come true! With all 

of the world’s greatest 

martial arts teachers, 

champions, leaders, peers, and celebrities coming before me, it’s 

truly unbelievable. 

I was teased when I was a kid, and called “the black Bruce Lee.” 

I’m now featured on the cover—the same cover as Bruce Lee, in 

the Black Belt Hall of Fame with Bruce Lee, and starred in a hit TV 

show with Bruce Lee’s daughter Shannon: the Saturday morning 

live-action martial arts competition on Fox that was ranked number 

one among kids 17 and older, called “WMAC Masters. I played 

myself, and in recent days, fans from all over have been asking for 

a Netflix or Hulu reboot. 

These are the most exciting moments of my life, as I stand on 

the shoulders of martial arts legends. What an honorable and humbling 

moment in my life. The irony here is that the magazine saved 

my life as I dreamed of getting out of the Baltimore projects and 

breaking the negative cycle that many people face in an environment 

like Baltimore. “Black Belt Magazine” hit the newsstands in 

1961 as the first and only source on the martial arts industry and its 

heroes. Only the legends of martial arts would grace the cover, like 

Bruce Lee, Chuck Norris, Jackie Chan, Donnie Yen, Jet Lee, Billy 

Blanks, and so many more—and now myself. To be on the cover 

of the world’s leading martial arts magazine, talking about a new 

sport to empower today’s youth, still feels unreal. It’s the bible of 

the martial arts industry. 

Yes, I made it to the mountaintop of martial arts achievements. 

I am an example of dreams coming true when you keep God first, 

family second, community third, and entrepreneurship fourth in 

your efforts to lead a fearless life for the sake of being a genuine 

servant leader. Effective leadership starts from the inside out, 

and those that have earned such a title are humble servants to 

others. They’re on a constant journey of the renewal of mind, 

body, and soul, the ultimate achievement of becoming a complete 

martial artist. 

PROFESSOR WILLIE “THE BAM” JOHNSON is a 7th degree black belt and seventime 

sport karate and Kung-Fu world champion. He has appeared in four movies, 16 plays, and 11 television 

shows. He is also the national spokesperson for the Stronger than Drugs Foundation and the Champions 

Against Drugs. 


THE MILLIONAIRE SMARTS COACH 

Prescriptive Behavior 

by Ms. Lee Milteer 

It is better to be over rehearsed than ambushed! 

You must have visionary thinking when it comes to your future. I 

call this “flying into the future” with your mind so you can acknowledge 

the possible changes happening in your world. When you 

know something might come your way, prepare yourself so you 

aren’t caught off guard. You must arm yourself with information 

that keeps you balanced and conscious to prevent stress and panic, 

regardless of whatever little mess you find yourself in. No one 

makes good decisions when they’re trapped in an unresourceful 

state of mind or caught off guard. In fact, most of us can trace bad 

decisions to when we reacted to a situation instead of acting in a 

manner that served us. I want to remind you of the importance of 

prescriptive behavior, or arming yourself with the tools and information 

that will help you deal with whatever changes come your 

way so you can achieve your goals. 

When you decide to choose your response to circumstances, 

you powerfully affect the outcome. By 

taking responsibility of the decisions in your life 

and business, you change the circumstances 

and the outcome. When you focus on the 

highest and best outcome possible, you 

don’t allow challenges to make you a 

victim. You go from victim to powerful. 

When you give yourself permission 

to let go of what doesn’t work and 

make a decision on what you want, 

you clearly start to take control 

of your life and future. 

Instead of dreading 

change, reframe 

your life. Think about 

the possibility of new, 

exciting opportunities 

for operating your 

business so you can be 

happy instead of being 

afraid and dreading what 

might happen. Remember, 

you’re always a self-fulfilling prophecy. YOU design your future 

with your thoughts, expectations, behaviors, and actions. If something 

hasn’t worked well for you in the past, it’s TIME TO CHANGE 

IT. Shift your mindset to get new results. 

The old saying “success in life is 80 percent attitude and 20 

percent aptitude” is true. You can learn anything if you’re willing to 

spend the time and energy to learn. It’s your attitude that will make 

the difference if you are open to change. So, ask yourself what 

your attitude is toward change. 

No matter what kind of business you run, there are going 

to be days that are filled with problems. The news is negative, 

employees let you down, and competition is beating you up. You 

feel exhausted from making decisions, and challenging things 

constantly happen. In the end, the people who thrive and prosper 

are the ones who have the prescriptive attitude. The people who 

succeed are the ones who take charge of the caliber of information 

that reaches their brain. In other words, a habit of the wealthy 

is having the skill of awareness to stop negative self-talk and keep 

from having a negative view of life that will impact your future and 

keep you from reaching greatness. 

You get in life what you focus on. If you dwell on limitations, you 

will reach them. You’ll have a better life in every way if you make 

the least of the worst while making the most of the best. 

MS. LEE MILTEER is an Intuitive Business Coach, award-winning professional speaker, and TV personality 

who has counseled and trained over a million people throughout her career. Lee is Stephen Oliver’s Martial Arts 

Wealth Mastery’s Millionaire Smarts Coach and is also a best-selling author of educational resources. 


Photograph by Olivier Le Moal

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BUDO PHILOSOPHY 

Our Little World 

by Shidoshi Alfredo Tucci 

“Feeling important makes one heavy, clumsy, and vain. To be a warrior one needs to 

be light and fluid.” –Carlos Castaneda 

How small we all are! Our inconsequential lives are filled with 

importance, especially because, whether we like it or not, we live 

them in the first person. With some totally wrapped in the character 

they represent because, justifying themselves in such fiction, 

end up living alienated in a role or dream in pursuit of their personal 

conviction, paranoia, or melodrama. But, all of us in our little 

world under the sheets, at some point unmasked, have to know 

about our inferior condition. No matter how fast we erase that image, 

even if we hide behind the excuse of sustaining our personal 

courage after a difficult life, as a justification for an ego that must 

fight and stand firm and live for the sake of our dignity and selfesteem, 

the truth is that what Castaneda brilliantly defined as “the 

personal importance” ends up being a treacherous 

trap that consumes, cajoles, and confuses all of us. 

Everything that gives value and sustains the ego, 

whether positive or negative, is “personal importance.” 

It implies exactly that for all of us: personal 

importance is the quotation marks we continue 

adding to everything in life. 

It’s as if the facts lacked all thrust on the balance 

scale until we put them in quotation marks. 

As a matter of fact, the same event that for one is 

bad can be magnificent for another one. Personal 

importance is responsible for placing 

the adjectives in our minds, coloring the 

images, and uploading them. Everything 

that gives value to things is based on 

this curious recital, capable of making 

beautiful the horrible, or justifying 

the most extravagant outburst in the 

context of the plainest normality. 

Although only people possess this 

magnetic unifier of adjectives, every 

society or culture ends up gathering 

around a set of rules that are 

deposited as a barrage of personal experiences in a moral norm. 

In turn, this will sooner or later have to be overcome when the 

protective bubble it creates will begin to be perceived more as a 

suffocating cage than a protection. How can we not have personal 

importance? How can we stop being vulnerable to this titanic 

enemy? 

There’s only one way for it; a path that entails ceasing to be 

human. The detachment and self-abandonment proper to a 

renounced monk, without being so, must be mixed with absolute 

domination of a self, which is no longer personal. But what shall we 

be then, to have everything of something of which we don’t want 

anything? Clearly, the wisest among the wise have come to rescue 

us at this point to differentiate the soul from the Ego. But, beyond 

semantic tricks, for most that difference is no greater than the 

thickness of the wing of a butterfly. How can you measure a priori 

something you don’t even know exists until you find it? The higher 

you ascend in the path of consciousness, life, or knowledge, the 

more evident it becomes that choices are getting shorter. Differences 

become more and more subtle, as well as more radical, and 

therefore prices are more expensive. A small mistake when you 

start climbing up the mountain is not the same as a mistake when 

you’re about to reach the top. That’s why the sage slows down 

his temper, reproves his reactions, and measures his facts much 

more than the ignorant, which enters situations like an elephant 

in glassware. More control with greater detachment? These two 

virtues seem indispensable, whatever the path of growth through 

which your feet may lead you. We cannot be great without both 

things having nested in our souls, for neither can be feigned or 

faked. Deceiving ourselves at this point is always dangerous 

because personal importance acquires multiple forms and justifies 

everything in the name of our understanding. Good and evil, the 

crucible of all the best and worst of humans, far from being black 

or white, enjoy the infinite range of grays in which they slide, and in 

their flow, the confusion to which they submit us. In our little world, 

in the end, it’s surprisingly a child who decides. 

SHIDOSHI ALFREDO TUCCI is the CEO and General Manager of the Budo International Publishing 

Company, a leading publisher in the martial arts with over 35 years in the industry. He is also author of several 

books: The Immaterial Dimension, The Way of the Warrior, and The Spirit. He currently lives in Valencia, Spain. 


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PRO SHOP POWER 

Find the Missing Piece of Your 

School with Puzzle Mats 

by Mr. Sun Kang 

It can build retention through innovation and safety. 

There was a time when many of the 

martial arts were almost solely limited to 

punches and kicks. If a person could not 

perform big kicks, they usually weren’t 

considered a well-rounded martial artist. 

Many schools didn’t teach grappling 

because it wasn’t a part of their traditional 

style. 

Now, with puzzle mats, there are 

cushioned surfaces that provide surefooted 

support for stepping and kicking 

drills, and are also great shock absorbers 

for jumping and falling drills. Puzzle 

mats also have a nonslip surface that 

improves safety for your students, no 

matter which drill they’re performing. 

When you use puzzle mats, you can 

teach grappling and throwing techniques. 

By adding new techniques and 

practices into your martial arts training, 

you offer more for your students. 

Adding the variation of grappling to your curriculum can boost 

your retention. Students who don’t feel as confident in their kicking 

techniques might feel much stronger with grappling. Even 

students who are strong in kicking techniques should learn the 

usefulness of grappling. 

When they know more techniques, a martial artist 

becomes better rounded. 

Puzzle mats can also lead to more enrollments 

as well. Grappling and throwing techniques are 

things that people look for when they are looking 

for a school for self-defense purposes. In addition, 

when someone is looking for a martial arts school, 

they want to know that they’ll be safe. 

Puzzle mats will show them that you are 

concerned for your students’ safety. 

Grappling involves students hitting the floor more often. With 

puzzle mats, students will be safe when they fall. Puzzle mats also 

provide a safe surface for a student who missteps and falls during 

any drill. An added bonus of the puzzle mats is less fatigue on the 

body. Standing on a firm, cushioned surface puts less stress on the 

bones and joints. That means that your students can train longer 

and safer! 

Puzzle mats are a reasonably inexpensive way to boost your 

retention and vary your curriculum. They are worth the investment 

compared to the gains that your school will make. 

AMS member schools get discounted pricing when ordering 

from Vision USA, so visit VisionMA.com or call 1-800-424-5425 

to place an order or get more information! 

MR. SUN KANG is the President of Vision Martial Arts Supply, Los Angeles Branch, who helps school owners all over 

the US maximize their retail sales and drive more revenue into their schools. 


Photograph by ilen nalishawa

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MASTER THE BASICS 

Developing Your Students’ 

Devotion to Becoming Black Belts 

by Master Tina Bane 

A diamond is one of the most precious and sought-after gems on Earth. They’re strong 

enough to cut glass while being beautiful and elegant symbols of love and devotion. 

But how long does it take for a diamond to form? 

Scientists don’t agree on how long it takes because there are 

many factors that contribute to a diamond’s progress from rock 

to diamond, and because the elements that make up diamonds 

aren’t useful in determining their age. However, estimates range 

anywhere from a couple days to millions of years. 

Your school is full of young students who are diamonds in the 

rough. Going from novice to black belt is a similar process to 

diamond formation. There’s no way to know exactly 

how long it’s going to take, but everybody knows 

a diamond when they see one. It’s important 

that along this long and uncertain journey your 

students maintain their devotion to their quest 

of becoming black belts and, more importantly, 

maintaining their commitment to mastering 

their art. This kind of devotion needs to be 

nurtured, just like their front kicks and 

reverse punches. 

Here are some ways you can 

help your students stick to their 

martial arts goals during the 

often difficult but rewarding 

journey: 

Set benchmarks. 

Becoming a black belt 

will take a minimum of 

a few years. Depending 

on the age of your 

students and the regulations 

surrounding your ranking 

system, some of your students 

may not be able to become black 

belts until they reach a certain age, 

regardless of their 

current skillset. To 

reduce some of the 

impatience students 

feel when their goals 

seem so far away, 

break the journey 

down into shorter 

timeframe benchmarks. 

How far apart 

the benchmarks 

are depends on the patience of each individual student. You may 

need to keep some students focused on their next belt test. Other 

students may need really short benchmarks, like increasing their 

number of kicks a little bit each day. Focus your students on the 

farthest goal they can handle and they’ll rise to the challenge. 

Be a broken record. Don’t assume that once the goal has been 

set your students will stay focused. Once your students state their 

goals, remind them every day. Instilling a sense of purpose takes 

time, but if you repeat yourself like a broken record, your students 

will internalize their goals and hear that voice inside their head 

driving them on every time they think about quitting. 

Take mental breaks. Just like diamonds, getting your students 

to black belt means keeping the pressure on them to keep going. 

However, too much pressure can cause your students to feel anxious 

and have the opposite effect of what you’re looking for. Take 

time to have fun by running exciting promotions, exhibitions, and 

taking short breaks in intense training. 

There’s a reason why diamonds are so rare: they’re difficult 

to make, and they take time and the right amount of pressure to 

come out just right. By keeping these tips in mind, you can help 

develop the devotion your students’ need to shine brightly in 

your program! 

MASTER TINA BANE is a 6th degree master instructor and owner of a Top Ten martial arts school 

with successful after school and summer camp programs. 


Photograph by robertcicchetti

INSTRUCTIONAL EXCELLENCE 

The Value of Failure, Part 2 

by Grandmaster Tim Mccarthy 

Of course, in class, not every technique will be perfect. 

During practice, we offer constructive criticism to help the student 

improve. I believe in 

positive instruction using 

the PIR method: Praise, 

Instruct, Result. 

For example, “Nice front 

kick! If you raise your knee a 

little higher, you’ll kick a little 

higher.” 

I praise the student, 

instruct on how to improve the 

technique, and motivate 

him by predicting 

the result. 

Another opportunity is in 

tip testing. Tip tests serve several 

purposes. First of all, for those with a 

short attention span (most kids in the 21st 

century), it provides an immediate goal to 

work toward. Younger, lower-ranking children 

may have a hard time working toward a new 

belt that is three or four months away. They can 

more easily focus on a tip test that is happening 

in the next week or two. 

Second, it provides practice 

under pressure. They know 

they can pass or fail, so they 

feel the pressure and get 

practice performing under 

pressure. 

Third, it provides an 

opportunity to fail and 

learn. Students should 

fail tip tests often so they 

get used to failing and 

recovering. With failure they should get an opportunity for private 

help and instruction, plus an opportunity to tip test again 

in a day or two. They learn to fail and recover, and 

learn that failure is a 

necessary step on 

the road to success. 

They’re also 

better prepared 

for the belt test 

because they 

know they have all 

the skills. 

As I have 

often said in 

this column, 

most of us are 

not training 

soldiers for 

the battlefield. 

We’re training children, moms, accountants, 

and other everyday people who 

may not be strong enough when they 

come to us, but who count on us to help 

them become stronger. 

We need to structure our schools using 

failure at the right times to help them learn to 

bounce back from mistakes and use feedback 

to improve, but never to encourage them to quit 

because we asked them to do more than they 

are ready to do. 

Step by step, belt by belt, we can help them 

become stronger physically and emotionally until 

they’ve truly earned their black belts in technique, 

character, and indomitable spirit. 

Nothing breeds success like success. 

GRANDMASTER TIM MCCARTHY is a 9th degree black belt and is a martial 

arts educator with a master’s degree in education. He has been instrumental in developing two 

industry-changing programs, plus has directed and been featured in hundreds of martial arts videos 

and webinars. 


Photograph by SerhiiBobyk

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BUSINESS BUZZ 

Statistics, Part 3 

by Grandmaster Lawrence Arthur 

There are certain key numbers you should keep track of. 

These numbers will help you maintain control and know if 

you’re doing the right kind of work to make your school successful. 

Remember, “What gets counted gets done.” 

Gross—Know where you are all the time. This isn’t something 

you add up at the end of the month. You have to know 

where you’ve been to enable you to project where you’re going. 

You need to keep your eye on the pulse of your business 

to know if you need to speed up or pat yourself on the back for 

achieving your goals. Each day, make your plan and take the 

necessary steps to make sure you’re on track to ask for whatever 

amount of money you need to hit your daily, 

weekly, and monthly goals. We use a daily 

report to keep track of statistics numbers 

one through nine, plus ten. The daily report 

also has a reminder list for times of the day, 

days of the week, and certain days of the 

month. There’s also a daily planning chart 

where you plan where, whom, how much 

you’re going to ask for that day. It includes 

all nine areas of income: 

1. New enrollments 

2. Merchandise 

3. Upgrades 

4. Tuition compressions 

5. Graduation fees 

6. Seminars 

7. Activities and 

events 

8. Past-due purchases 

9. Past-due 

tuition 

By planning 

in advance 

whom and how 

much you’re going to ask for, you’ll collect more. Chances are 

you will collect 20% of what you ask for. 

Goal—What’s your monthly goal? To be in the top 

10% of schools nationally, you have to gross $30,000 per 

month. The average school grosses $70,000 per year! 

There are different sets of problems for schools trying to 

gross $10K a month and those trying to get from $50K to 

$80K per month. Your goal should start with your minimum 

gross that you need to take in before you enjoy any 

profits, including rent/mortgage, utilities, payroll including 

yourself, supplies, marketing (3–10%), and miscellaneous 

expenses. After you meet minimum gross, you can start 

giving/receiving bonuses and commissions for additional 

incomes. The best way to figure what you should be grossing 

is to average your last three months’ gross, and then 

add 20% as a goal. Unless you change things drastically, 

you’ll probably do the same thing this month as you’ve 

been averaging. We use a Monthly Revenue Goal Projection 

form that will help keep track of our goals and income. 

Make a list of the following items and then add it up to see 

what you’ll gross this month: 

1. How much is your monthly tuition income? 

2. Do you have any postdated deposits to make? 

3. How many beginners will you enroll? 

4. How many of them will prepay (20%)? Or the amount of 

enrollment fees? 

5. How many upgrades will you enroll and get them to prepay? 

Or enrollment fees? 

That will give you your membership revenue total. List 

the numbers of equipment packages you’ll sell based on 

the numbers of enrollments and upgrades (80%). List how 

many belt promotion fees you’ll register including multi-belt 

prepays. Finally, project how many people will register for 

your monthly seminar and activities. I have one school that is 

projecting to gross $30,000 next month just in seminars and 

activities! This one idea will put $50,000 to $100,000 in your 

account this year! 

GRANDMASTER LAWRENCE ARTHUR has been a martial artist, specializing 

in Karate, Kung Fu, Kenpo, Shotokan, and Goju Ryu, since 1968. He owns 40 Super Kick Karate 

locations and is founder of the American Freestyle Karate Association (AFKA). A world champion 

and hall of famer, Lawrence also runs the Black Belt Success Systems consulting firm, which trains 

martial arts instructors on proper business practices and is used by schools all over the country. 


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MARTIAL ARTS PHILOSOPHY 

A Diary of a Black Belt, Part 3 

by Sensei Gary Lee 

My First Sport Karate 

Tournament 

Very exciting, to say the least: hundreds 

of people watching you perform 

and the pressure of representing your 

school, but mainly your Sensei. Tanaka 

Sensei has got me here. Now I do this 

day for Sensei. I have told no one my 

thoughts, but this is what my hearts 

says. I’ve trained hard for this, thrown 

thousands of punches on the Makiwara, 

hundreds of kicks, takedowns, 

sweeps, and follow up. 

I am defensive, ready. I can be offensive 

also. Back fist, reverse punch, 

spin back kick, I owned them. 

Sensei has taught me to have 

confidence in your technique, pure 

PMA, live for the Ippon. If you’re going 

to do sport Karate, do the best that you 

can and go for the win! 

Got disqualified for excessive contact—reverse 

punch to the body—he couldn’t continue! 

Judges said it was excessive with no control. 

Oss, sorry, Tanaka Sensei, please forgive 

me. 

One year later 

6th Green Belt 

The test was hard but different 

this time. I was totally prepared 

because I want this! I want 

this real bad! 

All I think about is 

class and Sensei 

Tanaka. I can’t 

believe I’ve 

stayed a 

year and am now in the advanced class. I mean this is a big deal. 

My background, my attitude when I first came here—a complete 

turnaround! I AM ALLOWED TO WORK OUT IN THE ADVANCED 

CLASS! 

I am so excited! Oss! 

I have learned so much and my life has changed. My attitude, 

just believing in something is cool, and now I get to work out 

with Mr. Tanaka. Sensei, he is so different than the other black 

belts. By different I mean he’s sharper, more precise, almost 

scary he’s so fast. 

Now I get to hit the Makiwara boards covered in hard rope 

at punching and kicking heights. I would sometimes watch the 

advanced class and black belts would hit the Makiwara 500 times, 

exhausted, knuckles bleeding. Back then I thought they were 

crazy and I would laugh at it, now I can’t wait to get permission to 

do it and work on my kime and get my knuckles bleeding! Bull in 

the ring, pure self-defense and street application, Kata, application 

of Kata, Bunkai, precision movement of the Kata applied to uki’s 

attacking, this is what I’ve learned and I want my black belt. 

SENSEI GARY LEE, the American Samurai, is a 9th Dan black belt, a USA Karate 

Federation gold medalist, winner of five Super Grand National Titles, a featured actor in 

the movie Sidekicks, and is the founder of the National Sport Karate Museum. 


MANAGEMENT EXCELLENCE 

Would You Spend a Dollar to 

Save a Dime? 

by Chief Master Kirk Pelt 

It seems like everybody is talking about the economy and looking for ways to save 

money. Well, how far would you go to save money? 

Would you drive ten miles out of your way to save two cents a 

gallon on gas? Would you drive across town because a store has 

soap on sale? Or do you realize that you’d spend more on gas for 

the drive than you’d save at the register? Or maybe you’ve tried 

fixing something around the house, like a leaky pipe, only to break 

it even more, turning a $100 repair into a $300 repair? 

Saving money is good, but you have to be smart 

enough to know when being cheap actually costs 

you more than being smart. I learned this lesson 

early in my career in the martial arts. I wanted to 

collect my own tuition because of that old saying, 

“If you want a job done right, do it yourself.” 

I soon found out that it wasn’t such a good 

idea when I got into an argument with a student 

over money. The same student who was saying, 

“Yes, Sir!” in the dojang was cussing me out in the 

office. That was not the kind of martial arts master I 

wanted to be. 

Even when I had one of my staff members 

try to do the billing, it still created an 

adversarial relationship between 

the student and the school. Again, 

this is not what I wanted. 

I found that by using a billing 

company like AMS to handle 

my student accounts, I solved 

a whole bunch of problems 

at once. First of all, my staff 

and I were no longer the bill 

collectors. When students 

wanted to talk about 

money, I just told them 

to contact AMS. Not only did that prevent an adversarial confrontation, 

it saved my staff and me a tremendous amount of time, 

and time is money. Second, I found out that the AMS professionals 

were better at collecting money than I was. I’m sure you can 

imagine that my heart wasn’t really in it. I didn’t want to be a bill 

collector, so if a student came to me with a sob story, it was really 

easy for me to be the nice guy and help him out. Unfortunately, 

every time I helped a student, I hurt my school and my family. I really 

needed an unrelated professional to be firm enough to collect 

the tuition for me. 

So, I found out that paying a small percentage to AMS actually 

increased my income because they were able to collect more, 

plus I got a free bonus of extra time to think about teaching better 

classes and enrolling more students instead of dealing with money 

problems. 

Using AMS is kind of like calling the plumber to fix a leaky 

pipe—you may think you’re going to save money by doing it yourself, 

but you can easily end up spending, because you really didn’t 

know what you were doing. It’s just one more example where being 

smart is much better than being cheap. 

In our modern world, “When you want a job done right, hire a 

professional.” For martial arts schools, that professional is AMS. 

To learn more about how AMS Billing can help your school 

thrive, contact a friendly Billing Consultant at 1-800-275-1600. 

CHIEF MASTER KIRK PELT is an 8th degree black belt and is the President of a multimillion 

dollar, multi-school organization, has a 30-year track record of success, and is currently on 

the leading edge of martial arts curriculum and business innovation. 


59 

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97 

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11, 79 Amazing Martial Arts Websites 

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107 American Martial Arts Alliance 

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19, 68, AMS Billing 

108 OurAMS.com 

61, 75 AMSkids 

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26 Black Belt Principles 

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77 Break Like a Champ 

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81 Budo International Magazine 

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73 Extraordinary Marketing 

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15 Karen Eden 

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64 Kick Start Kids 

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91 Lee Milteer 

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53, 101 MA Biz Academy 

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105 Martial Arts Business Institute 

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95 Martial Arts History Museum 

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84 Otomix 

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97 Sport Karate Museum 

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31, 45 Stephen K. Hayes - To-Shin Do 

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32 Tom Patire 

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3 Vision 

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30 Warrior Defence Lab 

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43, 67 Grandmaster Y. K. Kim 

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21 Grandmaster Zulfi Ahmed 

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THE WARRIOR WAY 

Twenty Ways To Keep Your 

Attitude Positive, Part 1 

by Grandmaster Bill Clark 

The greatest part of our happiness depends on our dispositions, not our 

circumstances.” –Martha Washington 

Being happy is not about circumstances or any other outside 

force. Happiness is a decision we make. Choose to be happy. Be 

responsible for your attitude. 

Create a Positive Morning Routine 

Begin your day on a positive note by creating a positive 

morning routine to set your day off right! 

• Get up with plenty of time to get ready leisurely. 

• Turn on some happy or rousing music. 

• Put on clothes that make you feel good (get 

rid of the ones that don’t). 

• Savor the smell of that first cup of coffee. 

• Play motivational or inspirational audio in 

your car rather than listen to the news or 

mindless disc jockey banter. 

• SMILE and say hi to everyone you 

meet before they say hi to you! 

I start the day with a 

light martial arts workout, 

followed by a protein 

breakfast. I then start 

my work, taking a 

relaxed but focused 

approach to each 

morning. 

Rid Your Day 

of Negative 

People and 

Surround 

Yourself With Happy People 

If you want to live a positive, joyful and happy life, you cannot—absolutely 

CANNOT—be surrounded by negative people 

who aren’t encouraging your happiness. You know the type of 

people I mean. The ones who think their lack of happiness in life 

can be blamed on their spouse, boss, family, job, or the economy. 

I’ve designed my life to be with my instructors, friends, and 

other people that build each other and me up. I’ve made a conscious 

decision not to allow negative people to stay in my life. 

These people’s attitudes can quickly grow in you like a cancer. 

Disassociate yourself from this type of person at once. Those 

people are destined to go nowhere. You, however, because of 

your excellent attitude, have a ticket to the TOP! Remember, 

you choose whether you soar with the eagles or live with the 

turkeys. 

Minimize Your Exposure to Negative Situations 

Stay out of negative conversations on social media. Limit TV 

time, especially the news. 

I don’t get into negative conversations with or about people. 

I stay up to date with the news but I don’t spend all of my time 

paying attention to the news. 

Maximize Positive Input 

Instead, read a positive book, start a project, pick up a new 

hobby, spend some quality time with your family or friends, do 

something that will enhance your life. Manage your time around 

your goals. I constantly read and listen to positive recordings in 

my cars. I regularly attend classes and seminars to keep improving 

myself personally and professionally. 

GRANDMASTER BILL CLARK is a 9th degree black belt and a former PKA Fighter of 

the Year. He is widely considered one of the top experts in martial arts business with over 50 years 

of leadership and innovation, having been inducted into almost every Hall of Fame in the industry. He 

is one of the largest multi-school owners in the world. 


STAFF DEVELOPMENT 

Mining for Instructors: 

Planting the Seed, Part 3 

by Grandmaster Zulfi Ahmed 

Make Teaching a Part of Your Brown Belt Curriculum 

Many schools already require black belt candidates to start 

teaching to fulfill requirements towards their black belt-earning 

process. The required amount of assisted teaching hours can vary 

widely from 20 hours to over 200 hours. I recommend that you 

start the teaching requirement process as early as a brown belt 

and not wait until they begin the testing cycle. 

The earlier you begin their indoctrination into 

instructorship and other leadership roles, the 

earlier you’ll see the benefits come to fruition 

as they begin forming better teaching habits. 

Encourage Leadership 

Development As 

Early As White Belt 

Encourage leadership 

development as early as white belt? 

Of course encourage leadership development 

as early as white belt! After all, most 

students come to us seeking confidence and 

self-esteem development, so why not start the 

process of giving them responsibility and earning 

recognition as early as white belt? Start by 

giving them simple, fun responsibilities 

such as organizing the pads or bags, 

helping with simple classroom management, 

taking roll, calling class to 

assemble in formation, or assist with 

stripe awards. Once they reach the 

intermediate level, begin giving 

them larger and more important 

responsibilities. They can even 

lead warm-ups, count out loud 

a certain skillset, or assist 

younger, more junior students under the supervision of an adult 

instructor. There’s always someone out there on your floor who 

can one day become an outstanding instructor. 

Have a Robust Instructor Training Program 

Simply implementing all of the above ideas without actually 

having a well-developed instructor development 

and training program that clearly outlines the 

process, guidelines, and requirements from white 

belt to instructor will only keep students engaged 

for so long. If you truly want to grow an instructor 

base and have a good number of students benefit 

from your education, it’s imperative that you 

have a robust and systematic instructor, and even 

a master instructor training program accessible 

and available to all your qualified instructor candidates. 

To achieve this, you need to clearly define the process and 

curriculum for your school and get it organized in a manner that 

allows you to start teaching and implementing it in your school. 

A Clearly Defined Process For Your Students 

When your students can actually observe other students 

participating and benefiting from your instructor training program, 

they, too, will want to become a part of this exciting process. But 

they must first see the teaching and training in action for themselves. 

The culture of instructors differs from that of the student 

body in that there are many privileges and various aspects to instructorship 

that differ from normal student life, such as invitations 

to special events, discounts, beautifully adorned certificates of 

achievement, and many other tangible and intangible benefits that 

come with being an instructor. But, most of all, the status, respect, 

and skill level of the martial artist must be visible by everyone. 

Every student is a potential future instructor. 

GRANDMASTER ZULFI AHMED has amassed acclaim as a world-class competitor, martial 

arts educator, and is most notably founder and designer of the internationally renowned style, Bushi Ban. 

With over 45 years of martial arts experience and over 300 martial arts awards, his schools include ten 

locations across Texas. 


Photograph by JackF

TOOL 

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Add MASSIVE value to your community, and help families overcome the 

impact of social isolation due to the Pandemic! 

To download this TOTALLY FREE (really!) 

Social Isolation Recovery Pack, please visit 

MartialArtsWorldNews.com/SocialIsolation

Tools & Tactics 

Let the Retention Rise 

by Ms. Chris Lee 

For starters, enrollment is the growth of a martial arts school business, and retention is 

the maintaining of enrollment. 

Right there, you can already see the connection. However, 

many schools promote themselves in a manner such that their 

purpose focuses entirely on enrollment. This is fine since, after all, 

bringing in new students is what helps the school grow. Yet 

what’s being overlooked is the importance of retention. 

Some schools create goals such as bringing in ten 

new students this month—difficult, but achievable. 

All of their goals are based on growth. This coincides 

with all businesses’ customers as well, but 

why? There’s something 

missing in this picture. 

If they achieve 

their goal and bring in 

twelve new students, 

what good is it if ten leave? 

I wouldn’t consider that a goal 

reached. Sure, there’s an addition 

of two students, but that’s not an 

accomplished goal because there 

isn’t enough focus on keeping 

students enrolled in martial arts. 

The goal of enrolling new 

students is a great mindset 

and action to take, but 

schools need to find a way 

to incorporate retention as 

well. The best way to do 

this is to alter your promotions, 

deals, and attention 

from not only on the 

outside audience, but also 

to the current students 

of your school. I suggest 

allowing your students 

to bring a friend for free 

whenever they like. This 

doesn’t cost you anything and may be all a new visitor needs to be 

attracted to martial arts and your school. 

By improving the focus of our promotions, we can assure our 

current students to stay while bringing in new students, thus creating 

more enrollments. It can’t be enrollment if you’ve lost 

just as many students in the time being. Acting now on 

this path will not only make your school grow, but it 

will strengthen it as well. If a school begins focusing 

on maintaining retention a little more than just more 

enrollments, the enrollments might benefit from this 

move. For example, let’s say a martial arts school 

enrolled 28 new students in September for their 

after school program, but lost 19 students—a surplus 

of only nine students. These 19 students are likely to 

never come back. 

The next month, there were only two new students, but five 

more students left, because their friends left the month before 

or because parents were frustrated by the massive changes 

in the school with its dramatic gains and losses. By December, 

the school may be in the negative since the school year began 

because of the amount of losses it had. This kind of situation is 

not only due to a lack of enrollment, but to an even greater lack 

of maintaining the students that were already enrolled. Now, if 

we reversed the direction to promoting retention just as much as 

enrollment, this will be a likely scenario. The school will add 16 

new students for the after school program and lose a low amount 

of two students—a surplus of 14. The next month, it only adds six 

new students and loses only one. By December, no students are 

leaving and the school is in a surplus of 30 or more students and 

counting. This action will develop a minimum of students lost while 

still gaining enough students to see growth. Remember, a student 

staying is a student gained. 

Follow these rules and your school shall prosper in coming 

months! 

For more information regarding retention, please feel free to 

call my Marketing Consultant colleagues or me at 1-800-275-1600. 

MS. CHRIS LEE is a martial arts business development consultant with a background in online and 

social media marketing. 


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Martial Arts World News Magazine - Volume 22 | Issue 1

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