Martial Arts World News Magazine - Volume 19 | Issue 1

MartialArtsWorldNews.com 

The #1 Business Resource for the Martial Arts Industry 

VOLUME 19 | ISSUE 1 

The Greatest 

Disruption 

in Martial Arts 

Marketing 

History 

Shooting for a 

W orld 

Record! 

Grandmaster Y. K. Kim 

Business Success Secrets 

of the American Ninja, 

Stephen K. Hayes 

Grandmaster 

Master Toby Milroy 

Jun Lee

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CONTENTS 

FEATURES 

28 Are You Taking Advantage 

of the Massive Disruption 

in Martial Arts Marketing? 

32 Interview: 

Grandmaster Jun Lee 

38 Business Success Secrets of the 

American Ninja, 


DEPARTMENTS 

16 Industry Insights 

22 Tech News 

24 Product Spotlight 

54 School Profiles 

YOUR INPUT 

15 Share Your Story 

52 Seeking Writers and Stories 

72 Feature Your School, 

Organization, Accomplishment, 

or Event 

COLUMNS 

6 Editorial 

Welcome to the ALL NEW Martial Arts World 

News Magazine! 


8 Martial Arts World News Faculty 

12 The Warrior Way 

The Power of Attitude 

Grandmaster Bill Clark 

14 The Satori Way 

Guidelines for Keeping Your Team in Sync 

Hanshi Dave Kovar 

58 Growth Hacks 

Get the right Tools, Tactics, and Timing in 

One Place 

Sean Lee 

60 Next Level Strategy 

Teaching Commitment 

Shihan Allie Alberigo 

62 Pillars of Success 

What is Your Definition of True Success? 


66 Management Excellence 

Which Type of Martial Arts School Owner 

are You? 

Chief Master Kirk Pelt 

68 Extraordinary Marketing 

Just Sell Something 

Grandmaster Stephen Oliver 

4 MARTIAL ARTS WORLD NEWS VOLUME 19 | ISSUE 1

STAFF 

70 After School Excellence 

One Easy Step that Changed a School 

Owner’s Life 

Chief Master Mike Bugg 

74 Instruction Excellence 

Are You Serving Your Students’ Needs . . . 

or Yours? 

Chief Master Tim McCarthy 

76 Complete Martial Arts Concepts 

Developing Leaders Around You 

Professor Willie “The Bam” Johnson 

78 Tools & Tactics 

Your Ads Must Have Speed, Power, 

and Accuracy 

Helene Reiver 

80 Diamonds from Down Under 

Your Services are Available: You Need to 

Raise Your Profile 

Master Graham Slater 

82 Master the Basics 

3 Secrets to Great Beginner’s Classes 

Master Tina Bane 

84 Pro Shop Power 

You Can Boost Your Income By $12,000 to 

$24,000 a Year with Wise Pro Shop Sales 

Brandon Kim 

86 Budo Philosophy 

Time 

Excerpt from The Immaterial Dimension 

Shidoshi Alfredo Tucci 

VOLUME 19 | ISSUE 1 

PUBLISHER 


EDITOR IN CHIEF 

Sean Lee 

MANAGING EDITOR 

Master Tim McCarthy 

ADVERTISING DIRECTOR 

Jeff Reulbach 

ART DIRECTOR 

Frank Meyer 

GRAPHIC DESIGNER 

Amen Blue 

WEB DEVELOPERS 

Erin Pham 

Christina Paik 

COLUMNISTS & CONTRIBUTORS 


Sean Lee 








Professor Willie Johnson 

Helene Reiver 

Master Graham Slater 


Brandon Kim 


The mission of Martial Arts World 

News Magazine is to be the definitive 

source for information, news, education, 

ethical business practices, 

product reviews and innovative 

developments in the world of martial 

arts business. 

Martial Arts World 

News does not accept 

any responsibility for 

unsolicited submissions. 

Our preferred method 

of submission is 

email to editor@ 

martialartsworldnews. 

com but paper 

manuscripts and photos 

will only be returned 

if a self-addressed 

postage-paid envelope 

is provided. All rights 

for letters submitted 

to the magazine 

will be accepted 

as unconditionally 

assigned for publication 

and copyright purposes, 

with the stipulation 

that editorial staff has 

the right to edit and 

comment. 


News Magazine, its 

owners, directors, 

officers, employees, 

subsidiaries, 

successors, and assigns 

are not responsible in 

any way for any injury 

that may occur by 

reading or following 

the recommendations 

herein. As publisher, 


News makes no 

endorsements, 

representations, 

warranties, or 

guarantees concerning 

any products or services 

advertised or otherwise 

provided herein, and 

we expressly disclaim 

any and all liability 

arising from or relating 

to the manufacture, 

sale, distribution, use, 

misuse, or other act 

of any party in regard 

to said products or 

services. 

This magazine is a 

copyrighted product 

of Martial Arts World 

News. All rights 

reserves. Reproduction 

in whole or in part is 

expressly prohibited 

without written 

permission from the 

publisher. 

MARTIAL ARTS WORLD NEWS VOLUME 19 | ISSUE 1 5

Editorial 

Welcome to the ALL NEW 

Martial Arts World News Magazine! 

MASTER 

TOBY MILROY 

is a 5th degree 

black belt. Known 

as “The Master 

Systemizer,” 


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. 

➽I’m truly honored to announce 

this new, valuable 

resource for my fellow martial 

arts school owners and 

instructors! 

The goal of Martial Arts World 

News Magazine is to be the definitive 

source for information, news, 

education, ethical business practices, 

product reviews and innovative 

developments in the world of martial 

arts business. 

To achieve this, we’ve assembled 

an unrivaled team of martial arts 

business and instruction experts with 

the proven ‘in the trenches’ experience 

and track record of success to 

help our readers achieve a new level 

of performance and profitability in 

their career in the martial arts. 

Finally, a martial arts business 

magazine with no politics, fluff or 

‘untested theory’, just hard hitting, 

relevant, uplifting and inspiring 

stories and strategies that can help 

any martial arts school owner or instructor 

get to the next level in their 

teaching and their business. 

By reading Martial Arts World 

News Magazine you’ll be “plugged 

into” some of the greatest martial arts 

instructors and business owners in 

the world, and learn the cutting-edge 

teaching, management, marketing 

and operational strategies that can 

help you build a more substantial 

career as a Martial Arts Professional. 

In addition, we’re very focused on 

demystifying the seemingly endless 

deluge of technological advancements 

that can benefit you and your 

school. From websites, to social media 

marketing, to search engine optimization, 

to chat bots, we’ll help you 

sort fact from fiction, and peel away 

the layers of complexity. 

One of the most valuable breakthroughs 

I’ve had in my own career 

in the martial arts, and in my life in 

general, that has contributed to the 

level of success I’ve attained is the 

intentional strategy of surrounding 

myself with other smart, successful 

people, who are all on the same 

mission. 

People who are smarter than I, 

more experienced, those who have 

“been there and done that”. The concept 

of the ‘Mastermind’ as Napoleon 

Hill would describe. 

This is one of the most powerful 

strategies you can deploy in your 

business and in your life. It can help 

you dramatically shorten your learning 

curve, save you tons of time, energy, 

money and headaches by avoiding 

expensive mistakes and learning what 

other proven successful colleagues 

have discovered in their careers. 

So, with Martial Arts World News 

Magazine, you’ll have the opportunity 

to do just that! Imagine having your 

finger ‘on the pulse’ of the industry, 

giving you the knowledge and confidence 

to make good quality decisions 

in growing your business. 

As our industry evolves, grows 

and matures, we believe that there is 

a largely unserved need for a more 

robust, thoughtful and keener perspective 

on the martial arts business. 

With the advent of social media, and 

the ease of self-publishing content, 

we’re deeply concerned that today 

‘anyone’ with a Facebook account or a 

cell phone, is now an “instant expert” 

with no real depth of 

experience, and can 

negatively influence 

hard working school 

owners and damage our 

industry. 

As Martial Arts 

professionals, we are 

a community. We are 

stronger together than 

we are apart. 

With Martial Arts 

World News Magazine, this community 

is for YOU! You now have a ‘voice’. 

You now have the opportunity to 

contribute to your industry and help 

other hard working, ethical, honest 

school owners and instructors grow 

their schools, teach better classes 

and advance their careers by sharing 

YOUR stories, breakthroughs, challenges 

and lessons learned. 

We’ve created several channels for 

you to contribute to the magazine, 

and to share with our community. 

Visit MartialArtsWorldNews. 

com/Ureport or email us at 

Editor@MartialArtsWorldNews.com 

to communicate with our staff, and 

have your stories and ideas considered 

for publication. 


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. 

60 


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 

(www.takingittothenextlevel.com). 

12 


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 30 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. 

14 


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. 

62 


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. 

66 


is an 8th degree black belt and is the 

President of a multi-million dollar, multschool 

organization, has a 30 year track 

record of success, and is currently on the 

leading edge of martial arts curriculum 

and business innovation. 

58 

Sean Lee 

is the Executive Director of Sales and 

Marketing for hundreds of martial arts 

schools, who specializes in online and 

social media marketing using his extensive 

professional experience in sport and 

martial arts marketing, contract negotiation, 

and investment. 

68 


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, formerly Extraordinary 

Marketing. 


70 


is an 8th degree black belt and the owner 

of a 1.5 million-dollar-a-year location, 

with one of the largest after school and 

summer camp programs in the country. 

OUR EXPERT FACULTY 

80 

Sensei Graham Slater 

is a 7th Degree Black Belt, 30+ year veteran 

successful school owner, chairman 

of the International Martial Arts Alliance, 

where he communicates with over 1200 

international martial arts instructors every 

month. He also founded the Martial Arts 

TV Channel in Australia and publishes 

Martial Arts Business News Australia. 

74 


is an 8th 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. 

82 


is a 6th Dan master instructor and owner 

of a Top Ten martial arts school with successful 

after school and summer camp 

programs. 

76 

Professor Willie “The Bam” Johnson 

is a 7th degree black belt and 7-time 

sport karate and kung-fu world champion. 

He has appeared in 4 movies, 16 stage 

plays, 11 television shows and two videos. 

He is also the national spokesperson for 

the Stronger than Drugs Foundation and 

the Champions Against Drugs. 

78 

Helene Reiver 

is a martial arts business development 

consultant with a background in personal 

training, nutrition, education, marketing, 

and management of multiple successful 

fitness studios. 

84 

Brandon Kim 

is the President of Vision Martial Arts 

Supply, Los Angeles Branch, who helps 

school owners all over the U.S. maximize 

their retail sales and drive more revenue 

into their schools. 

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, including: 

Budo International Magazine and 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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The Warrior Way 

The Power of Attitude 

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 30 years of 

leadership and 

innovation, having 

been inducted 

into almost every 

Hall of Fame in the 

industry. He is one 

of the largest multischool 

owners in 

the world. 

➽Positive attitude is critically important. 

Super Bowl Champion quarterback 

Bart Starr said, “If there were just one 

word I could use to describe a successful 

person it would be attitude.” 

Getting someone to admit they actually have a 

bad attitude is about as rare as finding a business 

that admits to a bad reputation. Over the years I 

have met thousands of instructors and students, 

but I have never met an instructor or student who 

thinks he or she has a bad reputation or a bad attitude. 

Strangely enough, however, they can always 

tell me about a competitor down the street who 

has a terrible reputation and a poor attitude! 

That’s the same story I hear from Realtors, insurance 

agents, gardeners, mechanics and many other occupations. 

They’re never the ones with the bad reputations or 

poor attitudes. It’s always someone else! 

Do you know someone with a bad attitude? I’ll bet you 

do. What do you think of that person? Is he or she a happy, 

balanced, fun-to-be-around individual? I think not! You 

can tell a lot about a person’s attitude by the way other 

people relate to him, whether acquaintances greet him 

with a smile or merely nod in his general direction. 

Attitude has been defined as “the belief or bearing of an 

individual as it indicates thoughts, feelings, or actions.” 

Our attitudes and moods determine to a very large degree 

the actions, beliefs, and moods of our family, friends, 

peers, and coworkers. Your attitude is like a flashing sign 

telling the world at large exactly what you expect. If it’s a 

happy, cheerful, positive attitude, there is little doubt that 

is what you will get in return. If it’s sullen, dull, and negative, 

there is little doubt that’s what you will get back. 

Success depends not only on your attitude toward others, 

but also on your attitude toward yourself. The successful 

person knows that attitude, more than aptitude, has 

again and again proven to be the most important ingredient 

to success in any endeavor. Attitude is what holds us 

back or propels us forward. 

When things seem to be going well, it is easy to have a 

positive attitude. It is when things are not going so well that 

keeping a positive attitude really makes a difference. I love 

the words of William James who was an American philosopher 

and psychologist who also a trained as a physician. 

He said, “The greatest discovery of my generation is that a 

human being can alter his life by altering his attitude.” 

Managing Your Outlook for Personal Success 

He was not alone. The number of great leaders who 

pegged attitude as the key factor to success is huge. Clement 

Stone, author of the classic book Success Through a 

Positive Mental Attitude said, “There is a little difference 

in people that makes a big difference. The little difference 

is attitude. The big difference is whether that attitude is 

positive or negative.” 

Your attitude is like a powerful magnet. A friendly, 

happy, and light-hearted attitude creates an environment 

of good luck. It attracts good people and good things to 

you. But beware, for the reverse is also true. A negative 

attitude will very often produce negative results. 

Since your actions reflect your attitudes, you will not 

be inclined to make strong efforts to accomplish something 

if your attitude is negative and you do not believe it 

can be done. Many people will base their reactions to you 

based on their perceptions of you - the person they are 

dealing with - rather than your point of view, expertise or 

actual product or service offered. 

Attitude is a way of thinking about, and looking at, 

the people and things around you, as well as yourself. 

It includes your point of view of the way things are 

now as well as your expectation of the way things are 

going to be. Because a solidly positive attitude is the 

necessary foundation for success, your attitude is one 

of your most valuable personal possessions. Protect it 

from anything that might harm it, just as you would a 

priceless treasure. 

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Teamwork 

Guidelines for Keeping Your 

Team In Sync 

HANSHI 

DAVE KOVAR 

is an 8th degree 

black belt and 

recognized as the 

“Trainer of Trainers”. 

Master 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. 

➽Without a doubt, one of the most important 

ingredients to having long term success in 

the martial arts industry is having a cohesive 

team. As you know, the total is always more than the 

sum of its parts. When a team is working well together, 

more gets done and the process is more enjoyable. In 

essence, everybody benefits. Following are some simple 

guidelines that we have found helpful in keeping our 

team in sync. 

Be Loyal To Those Not Present – Stick up for your 

teammates. No one likes to be talked about behind their 

back and we should not tolerate people talking bad to others 

in our presence. 

Do More Than Your Fair Share – No one appreciates 

working with someone that says “That’s not my 

job.” Develop a reputation for being someone that will do 

“Whatever it takes” to get the job done. 

Be Dependable – Get in the habit of being where you 

are supposed to be, when you are supposed to be there, and 

ready to do the job. 

Anticipate Your Teammate’s Next Move – Good 

teammates rarely need to tell the person what to do next 

because their partner is already doing it. 

Don’t Vent Out or Down…Only Up. Then Don’t 

Vent…Explain – Nothing is worse for morale than 

whining or venting to people who aren’t in a position to 

solve the problem. Go to the source and then explain your 

viewpoint in a logical, unemotional manner. 

Be Flexible – Sometimes it is okay to do a task someone 

else’s way. 

When Giving an Assignment, “Ask, Don’t Tell” 

– No one likes to be told what to do, but most everyone is 

glad to help out when asked. 

When Getting an Assignment, Have an “I’ll Be 

Glad To” Attitude – Be open to input. 

Practice Non-Judgment – We are all different, with 

varied strengths and weaknesses. Being judgmental undermines 

individuals. 

Pick Your Battles – Pope John XXIII once said, “See 

Everything, Overlook A Lot, Correct A Little” – If you 

always have to be right, people will tend to resent you and 

be resistant to your ideas. 

When At Work, Put Your Game Face On – We 

all have personal challenges that we deal with on a regular 

basis, but when you get to work, leave them at the door. 

When Resolving Challenges and Giving Feedback to 

Teammates, use the following guidelines: 

Be Unemotional – Logic and emotion are like oil and 

water…they don’t mix. If you speak calmly and logically, 

chances are the other person will respond in turn. 

Have A Solution In Mind – Go into the discussion 

already having a potential solution that the other person 

will see the value of, but be flexible and willing to adjust. 

Try To See The Other Person’s View Point 

Before Expressing Your Own (Seek First To Understand 

And Then To Be Understood) – This is 

important because people can sense when you are trying 

to understand how they feel and are therefore much more 

receptive to understanding yours. Secondly, you might see 

the validity of what they are doing. 

Don’t Be A Nit Picker – Avoid bringing up unrelated 

stuff that is not necessary. It tends to make people 

defensive and never helps to resolve anything. 

Resist The Temptation To Argue – If you are not 

sure what to say or how to respond, say nothing. 

Be Sensitive to Other Peoples’ Needs – To a hammer, 

everything is a nail. Each situation is different, 

each person is different, and so each situation and person 

should be treated accordingly. 

Keep It Impersonal – Discuss the actions that you 

are concerned with, not the person. In conversation, use 

“feel”, “felt”, “found” whenever possible. 

Restate Their Value And Strengths – People are 

much more receptive to input when they know you appreciate 

their other qualities. (Praise, correct, praise) 

Agree To Disagree – Sometimes it is okay to have a 

different viewpoint, as long as there is mutual respect and 

a way to work around it. 

If these suggestions make sense, you might try to use 

one or more as a discussion point for your next team 

meeting. 

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Be recognized in future editions of 

Martial Arts World News Magazine. 

Our goal at Martial Arts World News Magazine 

is to support our industry and help you grow 

your martial arts school. It’s very useful 

for our readers to hear about YOUR specific 

experiences and results. 

You are part of a wonderful industry and 

community with Martial Arts World News 

Magazine, and now, you’ll be able to share and 

contribute to that community in a more rich 

and meaningful way than ever before! 

Here are some ideas on stories 

you could share: 

• New Rank Achieved 

• Opened a New Location 

• Award Won 

• Discovered a Successful Marketing Strategy 

• Built a Retention System that Works Well 

• Tournament Results 

• Anything else that our readers might find 

valuable! 

MartialArtsWorldNews.com/Ureport 

Send your story ideas to Editor@MartialArtsWorldNews.com

INDUSTRY INSIGHTS 

New York judge lifts ban on nunchucks, declares them 

covered by the Second Amendment 

Martial arts expert thwarts 

alleged kidnapping 

CHARLOTTE, NC (NBC) - A North Carolina 

woman is safe from an alleged kidnapping after 

seeking help from a group of karate experts. 

The unidentified woman was walking 

along the road when all of a sudden, she 

was approached by a man named August 

Williams. 

Authorities say the man charged towards 

the woman, so she started to run away 

which is when he began chasing her. That’s 

when the woman ran inside a karate dojo. 

Head instructor Randall Ephraim was 

holding a class when she told him she 

was being chased. 

Randall performed a basic selfdefense 

move and waited for police to arrive. 

According to police, Williams appeared to be on drugs and believe 

the attempted kidnapping was not random. 

Authorities say they’re still investigating whether there was any 

prior relationship between Williams and the woman. 

Recently, Judge Pamela K. Chen of the U.S. District Court for the 

Eastern District of New York ruled that New Yorkers have a constitutional 

right to own nunchucks. The ruling comes after James A. 

Maloney, a lawyer and nunchucks enthusiast, launched 

a complaint over the state’s 40-year ban on the traditional 

martial arts weapon in 2003. 

According to the New York Times, New York 

decided to criminalize nunchucks in 1974 while the 

“United States was in the middle of a kung fu fever” 

inspired by martial arts movies. It was in the seventies 

that Maloney first developed a passion for the instrument, 

which is formed of two batons connected by a 

chain or cord. 

Maloney told NYT that his first legal sparring over 

nunchucks came in 1981, when he was arrested in New 

York City while doing a public nunchucks demonstration. 

Maloney, who is self-taught, first learned about the ban 

during that arrest. 

Along with being a lawyer and teaching at the State University 

of New York’s Maritime College, Maloney has developed 

his own system of martial arts called “Shafan Ha Lavan,” Hebrew for 

“white rabbit.” That system heavily utilizes nunchucks. 

When Maloney originally challenged the state on the legality of 

nunchucks, he was told by the Nassau County district attorney’s office 

that “the dangerous potential of nunchucks is almost universally 

recognized” and therefore they were not protected by the Second 

Amendment (the right to keep and bear arms). 

In Judge Chen’s ruling, on the side of Maloney, she disagreed with 

Nassau County stating, “The centuries-old history of nunchaku being 

used as defensive weapons strongly suggests their possession, like the 

possession of firearms, is at the core of the Second Amendment.” 

The origins of nunchucks is somewhat unclear. Some believe 

that the weapon is derived from a tool once used in South-East Asia 

to thresh rice and soybeans. Other theories are that they were 

derived from an Okinawan muge (horse bridle bit) or a wooden 

clapper that nightwatch members would use to warn of fires 

and other dangers. 

Nunchucks have been a staple in pop culture since at 

least the 1970s, when Bruce Lee featured them in a number 

of his movies. One of Lee’s most notable nunchuck 

scenes can be found in 1973’s Enter The Dragon. 

New Yorker’s buoyed by the news they can legally 

own nunchucks would be well served to check out local laws before 

traveling with their nunchaku in tow. The weapon is still illegal in 

some US states, as well as Canada, Norway, Russia, Poland, Chile, 

Spain, and Germany. The weapon is legal in the UK for those over 18, 

but is only allowed at private addresses and martial arts centres. 

Martial arts maneuver the 

future in trauma emergencies 

SEATTLE, Idaho (KMVT/KSVT) An emergency medical 

professor from the University of Washington School of Medicine 

was subdued during a Jiu Jitsu class when he realized he just found 

a way to save the lives of trauma victims. 

Dr. Nathan White was being held in a knee mount move and 

recognized the pressure applied to his abdomen might decrease 

blood flow to his legs. 

After researching the technique on multiple healthy subjects, 

ultrasounds confirmed that performing the maneuver at the abdomen, 

shoulder and groin reduced blood flow to the brachial and 

femoral arteries. This easy to learn move may be the best option 

for traumas where tourniquets are not available. 

The findings were published in the emergency medical journal 

Sunday, January 6th. 

“This also allows you to keep your hands free while applying 

pressure and decreasing bleeding at the same time, in case you 

have other things that you need to be doing with your hands at the 

same time,” said Dr. White. 

White also said that with more research this may be able to 

be named “Drop the Knee” and compliment the “Stop the Bleed” 

national initiative. 


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CFORCE Chuck Norris 5K 

Shooting for a 

W orld Record! 

ChuckNorris5k.com 

Costume Contest Prizes will be given in categories like: 

• Best male Chuck Norris costume 

• Best female Chuck Norris costume 

• Best kid Chuck Norris costume 

The event will also include an after party with food and 

drinks, music, face painting, and bounce houses. It is sponsored 

by CFORCE and Candy 95.1 as the Official Radio Station. 

100% of the race proceeds will be 

split between Kickstart Kids and Mercy 

Project. Kickstart Kids is an in-school 

character development program that 

uses Karate to middle school and high 

school students. The Mercy Project is an 

nonprofit working to free children from 

slavery in Ghana, Africa. To learn more 

about these programs visit kickstartkids. 

org and mercyproject.net respectively. 

It will be an exciting charity event and 

a chance for participants crossing the 

finish line of the 5K to get a High Five 

from Chuck Norris. 

Chuck Norris' CFORCE Premium Artesian 

Water will be hosting a 5K event for 

charity on May 4, 2019 at 9AM in Bryan/ 

College Station Texas. Beside the walk or 

run, the event is an attempt to set a world 

record for the most people in one place 

dressed as Chuck Norris. In addition, there 

will be a Chuck Norris costume contest 

immediately after the race with prizes. 



Martial Arts Celebrity Birthdays 

February 

Tony Jaa Happy 43 on February 5 

Ernie Reyes, Sr. Happy 72 on February 12 

Joe Corley Happy 72 on February 21 

March 

Cynthia Rothrock Happy 62 on March 8 

Chuck Norris Happy 79 on March 10 

April 

Steven Segal Happy 67 on April 10 

Jet Li Happy 56 on April 26 

MARTIAL ARTS WORLD NEWS VOLUME 19 | ISSUE 1 19

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TECH NEWS 

Is Your Online Marketing 

Causing Friction? 

Customers tend to be 

impatient. In this vein, 

Facebook reports that 

shoppers click away from 

purchasing when they are 

forced to take extra steps in 

the process online (friction). 

“80% of consumers say that 

the experience a business 

provides is just as crucial as 

its goods or services.” 

The main types of friction 

points for customers fall into 

three categories: awareness, 

information gaps, and 

technology optimization. 

Aware friction can be things 

like no brand or product recognition 

which can lead to 

too much time searching, etc. Information friction is things 

like no expert advice, risk perception, not addressed, no 

price information, etc. Technology optimization friction can 

be ads not linking correctly, loading time too long, content 

not optimized for all platforms, etc. 

These are key points to consider in processes for doing 

business online. Your websites should be developed 

with what Facebook is calling its “Zero Friction Solution’s”. 

Facebook notes, future business success will be determined 

by removing friction for their customers. According 

to the report plenty of income is at stake and lost due to 

friction – more to come on this in future tech news. 

Your Events May Soon Get More 

Reach on Facebook 

Facebook in the foot steps of Snapchat’s book, put out 

Stories back in 2017. Facebook is now playing with the 

idea of integrating Events with Stories. 

Facebook remains popular thanks partially due to its 

usefulness in planning and notifying friends about events. 

Now the Stories feature will start to lean on that popularity. 

Facebook will test this new feature in the US, Brazil, and 

Mexico in the near future. When the test becomes live, 

users can add event details to their Stories with stickers 

so friends can tap to learn more or express their interest in 

attending. 

There is no set date yet, but once the test is live it 

should be available to mobile users on both iOS and 

Android, so the experiment should include a lot of people 

right from the very start. 

Will Google’s “Mobile First” Index Hurt Your School? 

Google announced that it is now using mobile-first indexing for over 

half the web pages shown in its research results globally. That means if 

you want to rank high in Google searches, your website better be mobile 

friendly. 

Originally, Google ranked sites based on the desktop website and 

content. As mobile searches became more common, beginning in 2016, 

Google started “testing” favoring mobile search results over desktop 

results. Now the testing is over, and Google is moving sites over to the 

mobile-first indexing, which means it ranks the search based on the information 

on your mobile site. 

If your school website is only desktop friendly, then it has NO information 

for Google’s mobile-first search, so you will probably rank lower than 

other schools in your area that are more mobile-friendly. Your school website 

needs to be responsive, so that it ranks highly in mobile and desktop content. 


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INDUSTRY INNOVATIONS 

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An Amazing Martial Arts Websites announced a 

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into long-term students. 

Another new features of Amazing Martial Arts 

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Marketing 


e You Taking Advantage of the 

reatest Disruption 

Martial Arts Marketing History? 

By MAWnews Magazine Trend Watcher Team 

Right now, we are experiencing the 

greatest transition in marketing power 

we’ve seen in the history of the martial 

arts. We’ve lived through some pretty 

big shifts in our industry: The Karate Kid 

era, which changed the perception of 

the martial arts and made family martial 

arts possible; the advent of after school 

martial arts with summer camp, which 

brought us a whole new market at a 

whole new price point; and then the 

Great Recession, which made the martial 

arts an unaffordable luxury to many 

struggling households. 


Marketing 

Today, we are witnessing a massive shift in power away from 

big national media outlets (like television stations, newspapers, and 

the Yellow Pages) to individuals and small business owners like you 

through social media. Right now, the eyeballs we can buy, the consumers 

we can get in front of, is radically underpriced. It’s like being 

able to buy Google stock for 1 cent a share. 

We’re seeing the ability to attract new students at costs lower 

than we’ve ever seen before. 

Years ago, the 

Yellow Pages were 

the staple of advertising. 

You had to 

have a big Yellow 

Pages ad because 

when people were 

looking for a product 

or service, they 

would go to the Yellow 

Pages to find it. 

A successful school 

owner could spend $1,000 a month or more per location on Yellow 

Pages ads, which might only generate an average of about 3 new 

students a month. Because an average enrollment might be worth 

about $4,500 or more over the next few years, you’d be happy to 

pay $300 to get 

$4,500. It was a 

no-brainer. 

Now with 

our new approaches 

to 

social media, we 

are getting new 

students for 

as low as $40, 

$30, $20, and 

even $13 each. 

We now have access to the market directly – no longer through Cox 

Media, Comcast, AT&T or other giant media outlets. Social media 

providers like Facebook have significantly underpriced access into 

our marketplace. 

Here are some important trends and stats relevant to social 

media marketing demonstrating the impact it can have on how you 

promote your school: 

1. Social Media General Stats: 

•• 

3.3 billion people are on some form of social media 

•• 

Internet users worldwide spend an average of 135 minutes a day 

on social media 

•• 

Mobile phones account for nearly 80% of time spent on social media 

•• 

40% of all mobile users are searching for a local business or interest 

2. Facebook Stats: 

•• 

Total number of monthly active users: 2.27 Billion 

•• 

Total number of mobile monthly active users: 1.15 Billion 

•• 

Total number of desktop daily users: 1.368 Billion 

•• 

Total number of mobile daily active users: 1.57 Billion 

•• 

100 Million hours of video viewed daily on Facebook 

•• 

More then 50 million businesses are using a Facebook 

Business Page 

•• 

More than 2 million businesses are advertising on Facebook 

•• 

Facebook generates 21.57 billion in U.S. Ad revenues, which is 

83% of social media ad spend 

3. Other Platform's Stats: 

•• 

1.1 billion users on Instagram 

•• 

More than 91% of Instagram posts are pictures 

•• 

The majority of Instagram users fall between 18-29 

•• 

On Twitter tweets with images are 150% more likely to get 

retweets than text only tweets 

•• 

1.57 billion YouTube users watch about 5 billion videos per day 

Please understand 

that time is 

limited. Eventually, 

large multi-national 

marketers will figure 

this out and costs 

will increase. Right 

now local marketers 

like us have the 

advantage and we 

need to strike while 

we have the opportunity. 

The catch is that if you don’t have the knowledge or the right 

set of skills, the costs can actually be higher than the old ways of advertising. 

You have to have good photos, be able to write good copy, 

know the ad specifications for each social media provider, know 

which markets to approach, and how to structure your ads, how 

much to spend, and how often. 

If you need help with that, we’ve dedicated an entire division of 

our organization to do this kind of work for you. You won’t have to 

deal with building 

websites, 

designing a funnel 

with squeeze 

pages separate 

from sales pages, 

building followup 

sequences, 

deciding which 

ad campaign to 

use on which 

social network, 

and then monitor them several times a day. Quite frankly, you have 

better things to do with your time, so my staff will do it for you. It’s 

part of our mission to help the martial arts industry grow. 

You can find out more about this amazing new program at 

iEnrollStudents.com or just give us a call at 1-800-275-1600 and a 

member of our team will explain how it works. 


Exclusive Interview 

Maintaining High Traditional 

Taekwondo Standards for 

21st Century Students 

Grandmaster Jun Lee is an innovative Taekwondo master who maintains the foundational traditions that 

the style was built on. His accomplishments are tremendous and he has been described as “a leader for 

the next generation”, “undeniably traditional”, and “a great example of the new leadership emerging 

in the martial arts that combines traditional values of the East with modern innovations of the West” by 

Martial Arts World Magazine. Taekwondo News, published in Korea, referred to Grandmaster Lee as “a 

pioneer, a scholar, a passionate teacher and a skilled master”. 

Jun Lee is part of a very prominent Taekwondo family from South Korea, with 6 brothers carrying on the 

family legacy by dedicating their lives to practicing and developing the art and sport of Taekwondo. He 

has received his 9th Degree Black Belt from the Kukkiwon organization in Korean. As the CEO & Founder 

of Black Belt World Grandmaster Lee now impacts the lives of mankind in various parts of the world. 

Over the years, Grandmaster Lee has run charities that have raised thousands for important causes in his 

efforts to spread the Taekwondo tradition of benefitting society. 



MAW News: Grandmaster Lee can you 

give me a quick background of your martial 

arts lineage and how you got started 

here in the United States running martial 

arts schools? 

JL: I was born in South Korea and I came 

to the USA in 1982. Initially, my purpose was 

to continue my college education, but after I 

came to the USA I saw the possibilities and so 

much potential in becoming a professional 

Taekwondo instruction master. After 2 years, 

I decided to commit myself to being a full 

time Taekwondo instructor. I have a dojang in 

Raleigh, North Carolina and I have 6 brothers 

teaching Taekwondo in different places. We 

are the largest family of Taekwondo masters 

teaching and running professional Taekwondo 

Schools. I have a Ninth Dan Kukkiwon 

certification and am currently working with 

the United States Taekwondo Committee as a 

secretary general for the organization. 

MAW News: You expressed a concern 

for Taekwondo’s value system slowly fading. 

So what do you believe are the really important 

things to focus on, and where do you 

think we’re heading? 

JL: I am concerned the traditional Taekwondo 

martial arts values are fading away 

from society and my goal is to preserve 

them and to keep them on our training 

floor. I’m working to specifically bring back 

those lost values. 

In the past, when people came to see the 

sport of Taekwondo at a martial arts center, 

they came in to find the profound meaning 

behind it. They wanted to see the 

proper attitude, people sweating and 

just trying hard to improve their energy 

capacity physically and mentally. 

But currently, I’m not even sure 

whether it’s a good idea for sports 

Taekwondo to be in the Olympics, as a 

Taekwondo practitioner. As an example, 

sport Taekwondo in the past had the master, 

student and disciple – a student/teacher 

relationship with loyalty. But today it’s 

the coach/athlete relationship with the 

athletes willing to switch their coach 

any time they want to and they 

are leaving all the time. 

Traditional things like 

uniforms, respect, and ranking 

systems are becoming less important 

and in many instances 

dismissed. For example, 

instead of saying, “Yes, Sir” 

in some schools the students 

respond, “Yeah.” T-shirts and 

shoes have replaced traditional 

uniforms also. The 

values we had for centuries 

are being destroyed by the 

sporting side of things. 

MAW News: How 

would you respond to 

somebody who thinks 

that the culture of uniforms, 

bowing and ranks 

Grandmaster Jun Lee’s Beautiful Black Belt World Headquarters 



Inside Black Belt World Headquarter's impressive dojang 

were ego stuff to empower the Master, why 

continue it? 

JL: First, the main purpose of training 

in Taekwondo is not only for you, but also 

for the society and the community as well. 

We’re trying to benefit everybody. 

When someone is bowing to you or 

when you say “Yes, sir” or “Yes, ma’am” to 

somebody, you are showing respect and that 

makes other people happy. Culturally, in the 

Taekwondo tradition respect for elders and 

love for juniors has always been important 

for the benefit of society. This kind of respect 

also needs to be in the student/teacher 

relationship – it’s not ego, just respect. 

It’s also about guiding people in the 

right way like a father does for his children. 

So the culture and traditional guidelines 

in Taekwondo are respect, discipline, hard 

work, integrity, and self-control to the benefit 

of society and not just about the having 

powerful fighting skills. 

MAW News: Martial arts has so much 

more to offer than just the skills that come 

from participating in a martial art or sport 

for society as a whole – could you further 

elaborate? 

JL: As society becomes more civilized, 

the profound concepts and the profound 

spiritualities are really fading away, but 

that’s the reason why people are seeking 

out martial arts programs. They are coming 

into our dojang because they can’t find those 

concepts or spiritualities in the society. 

When someone comes to a dojang where 

the instructors, programs and students are 

not carrying out these traditions, it’s not 

really what they were looking for. It’s very 

important when people come in they have 

fun, but we also must teach the values they 

are looking for with the profound spirit. 

Again, I cannot emphasize enough how 

important it is to bring back the lost values 

that I’ve been talking about, the traditional 

martial arts values. Lately, not only am I 

working with the US Taekwondo Committee 

Black Belt World builds a tremendous “community” 

to preserve the traditional Taekwondo 

values, but also I am voicing my opinions 

to Kukkiwon in Korea. 

Kukkiwon is another organization 

that is trying to preserve the traditional 

martial arts values in sports 

Taekwondo. These days Taekwondo’s 

population is more diverse so we have 

to provide good programs in order 

to show how effective training in 

Taekwondo can be for changing their 

lives. So, I’m voicing my opinion 

to Kukkiwon in the hopes that they 

reform and have a new direction too. 

MAW News: Since you have 

stressed benefitting society, what type of 

community outreach events do you find 

to be the most productive? And how did 

they help you grow your schools? 

JL: From the first day I opened 

my dojang, I was determined that my 

programs connect with the community. 

Ever since I started, every year, 

sometimes three times a year, but at 

least once a year, I have done a local community 

event. We do fund-raising for charitable 

organizations in our area. 

In the beginning, I did fund-raising 

for the Muscular Dystrophy Association, 

Easter Seals Society, hospitals, Make a Wish 

Foundation, you name it. I did most of the 

fund-raising events every year, until I found 

out that 80% of the donations went to the 

employee’s salary and less than 20% went to 

the actual cause. 

I wanted to get into a deeper area 

and I believe in education which is a very 

important part of my teaching and beliefs. 

Education is a very important part of Tae- 



Grandmaster Jun Lee leads students as part of community outreach 

kwondo and everyday life education should 

be from the martial arts. So I organized my 

own 501-C3 nonprofit organization within 

my organization to do the same thing. I 

organized the 501-C3 organization for a 

brighter future to raise funds to send people 

to college. 

At this time, I’m doing this mostly to 

send my members to finish their education 

with our support to make sure they go to 

college free. We’re giving thousands of dollars 

every year, but eventually my goal is to 

expand into the local community as well as 

the county and state level. 

MAW News: That’s fantastic. What are 

some concluding thoughts you have for 

everyone in the industry? 

JL: Again, going back to the community 

involvement. This is actually 

a very important way to build our 

infrastructure for the future. You are 

with the community, you are making 

a difference in your community 

and looking for ways to contribute to 

society. That way people will recognize 

that what we do is not only for our 

own profit, but also that we are for the 

community. 

So we continue the kind of endeavors 

that build a good reputation, and this is 

something I’m hoping every instructor 

continues. I’d like to see all the martial arts 

instructors and masters and school owners 

out there making sure they behave as a role 

model in the society. Be educated, ethical, 

and part of the society and your community. 

Again, our organization is no different 

than a big business, a political party, or religious 

organization: We’ve got to be careful 

what we do, this is very important. We have 

to pay attention to it now and in the future. 


Transform Your School 

with Grandmaster Y. K. Kim 

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Y. K. Kim 

• Author of a best seller 

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• Producer, writer, director, 

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World 

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1-800-275-1600 

Grandmaster Jun Lee giving some personal instruction

Cover Story 

Business Success Secrets 

of the American Ninja, 


An-shu Stephen K. Hayes is everyone’s image of the iconic master warrior sage. 

Black Belt Magazine calls him “A legend; one of the ten most influential martial 

arts masters alive in the world today” for good reason. He is peerless in his ability 

to share real and honest ninja combat secrets enriched by unparalleled insights 

from the Himalayan meditative mind sciences. His genius is his ability to translate 

exotic esoteric concepts from ancient cultures into practical useful understanding 

for Western seekers. His gift is his ability to deliver a complete and all-inclusive 

approach to personal security and personal power, not to mention, leading a highly 

successful multi-school operation. 

MAW News: Let’s start with something that you said that I 

think is really important for school operators to understand. In the 

martial arts there are some folks who think in order to be successful 

financially you must have in some way sold out, or in some way 

sacrificed the integrity of your art, or whatever the case is, in order to 

be more profitable, and you described a concept of this idea of living 

with dignity, and this idea of so much abundance in the universe and 

with the opportunity that we have to serve other people, and creating 

this turning your passion into a profession, where might you take 

that? If I were a school operator and maybe that’s in my head, maybe 

I’ve come from this almost a poverty mind-set, how would you address 

that and what perspective would you take on that? 

SH: Well you know that’s quite a long discussion. I mean, seriously 

it really haunts so many people’s operation. They get in their 

mind - oh we shouldn’t charge money, this is martial arts - I would 

very patiently advise them, well that’s interesting. Martial arts is 

so important and so crucial to people that you shouldn’t charge any 

money or just charge a little teeny money. I’d say, well, how about 

if you were in the world and you needed a heart operation and you 

were going to go to the best possible hospital for heart care, wherever 

that would be, do you think they’d be charging you $25.00? No, 

you’d have to pay for the best healthcare. And if you wanted to go 

to a university, let’s say, oh maybe you set your sights on the top 

university, you want to go to Harvard, would you pay $25.00 to go to 

Harvard? And ironically with health concerns in mind, you know 

to buy the best quality food, organically raised vegetables and meats, 

that’s actually more expensive than the conventional 

food, so there again you’re spending more 

money. So we could go on and on with this, the 

point being that it’s recognized in every situation 

you have to spend to get the best. Except for the 

martial arts??? 

MAW News: If I were a school 

operator and maybe that’s in my 

head, maybe I’ve come from 

almost a poverty mindset, how 

would you address that and 

what perspective would you 

take on that? 

SH: I understand this 

poverty mentality, I don’t 

know, I think that possibly 

it’s an excuse. Maybe I’m 

not as good an instructor 

as I thought I was. 


Cover Story 

An-shu Stephen Hayes Built His Curriculum on Practical Tactics 

Maybe my martial art doesn’t have as much to offer as I thought it 

did, I’m just dogged in my pursuit and I’m just real loyal and I don’t 

have many students because I’m not that good of an instructor and 

my martial art isn’t that impressive. I’m not going to take responsibility, 

I run into nobody who says I’m a pretty mediocre teacher. 

Everybody thinks they’re a great teacher. Nobody says eh I’m pretty 

mediocre but I just do what I like to do. Maybe it’s kind of an excuse. 

I turn it around and say oh I’m not interested in commercialism, 

I want a few students, I don’t’ care about the money, it sounds so 

noble, but is it the truth? 

MAW News: Yeah, you know, this is some deep psychological 

stuff, I think this gets wired in really early in life. Most folks who 

own martial arts schools, we grew up and maybe didn’t have a lot of 

money and maybe only paid $25, $30 or $40 a month for lessons, or 

whatever the case is. Does that seem right? 

SH: I think you really are onto something there. I never thought 

about that before, but I think you’re onto something. Tennis, golf, 

these are like upper class activities, I mean generally 

speaking, martial arts is not so much thought 

of as high class. I had a person point out to me 

one time, he said, “Well take a look through the 

golf magazine and martial arts magazine and 

look at who advertises.” Golf magazine you’ve 

got Porsche advertising, Breitling watches, and 

great scotches, and you look through martial arts 

magazines and it’s all these companies with animal 

names on it, oh gosh, it’s kind of embarrassing 

to me. But I think maybe a lot of us came in 

with this poverty mentality, and idea that some 

people are lucky, and they have a great lifestyle, 

I’m not so lucky. But you can create luck, it’s a 

skill you can learn if you’re willing to set aside an 

emotional bias against prosperity and you’re willing 

to empty your cup and just look at the guys 

who are successful. What do they do? And in fact, 

be honest, have these guys who are successful, 

have they given up, are they teaching watered 

down martial arts, are they teaching thrown 

together systems? I don’t think so, personally. 

Isn’t that quite the challenge to give that 

mindset up? To say I spent 28 years believing 

in luck and other people have it made, and we 

can even find on social media, we can even 

find proof of that, well look at the Kardashians 

- they just created this multi million 

dollar thing, or look at Nicki Minaj - we can 

find rare examples of people who came from 

nothing and became multi millionaires, with 

negligible stuff to offer, and that seals it in. 

“See, it’s all luck.” And we don’t look around 

at the millionaire next door. Pizza - I just saw 

yesterday there’s a person who has a small 

chain of pizza restaurants in Dayton like 9 

restaurants, earned $21 million last year with 

just a couple of these pizza restaurants. Talk 

to that guy. I mean, he’s the guy who just started with some dough 

and cheese and he’s going to tell you about luck. Just finding those 

stories that we overlook can become a habit. Oh yeah, I’m a poverty 

case and therefore I attract poverty people so I put poverty prices on 

my service. 

MAW News: For our readers who may not know, not only living 

what I would call the ultimate martial arts lifestyle, but An-Shu 

Hayes is responsible for 31 locations - 31 schools in the U.S. and 4 or 

5 other countries. So he knows a little bit about running multiple locations 

and a little bit about influencing the leaders, including other 

leaders, executive leadership, to help other school operators raise 

their standards and produce a higher quality product, have higher 

expectations for themselves and their families and their students. 

Sir, you’re on a quest to sort of raise the expectations and raise the 

standards of your people, and you had described that goes all the 

way down to decor and layout and things like that, so what are you 

focused on that right now? 

An-shu Stephen Hayes Focuses on His Senior Leaders 


Cover Story 

SH: I think certainly the decor is a crucial element. 

Again, if you’re aiming at upper income people, these 

are people who maybe to go to a country club, their 

dentist office that they go to is beautiful, where they 

work may be nice, and then they come to your martial 

arts school and it’s just an empty room with a couple of 

mats and white walls and a couple of slogans painted 

on the walls - whoa - this is not what I’m used to! And 

so it can set up a disconnect already with the person. 

So our training hall is - we have it painted in maroon 

and a deep gold with green walls in certain areas - it’s 

very colorful - lot’s of wood. There’s a traditional - 

now this is controversial - but there’s a traditional 

Japanese shrine - kind of like this here - I’m in my 

house dojo right now, this isn’t my city dojo, this is my 

private house dojo, and some people say gosh, you’ve 

got a shrine up there doesn’t that offend Christians, 

or humanists? I say, no we just explain that it’s like the 

mantle at your grandma’s house, you’ve got a picture of grandad up 

there and a couple of souvenirs and maybe your diploma - people 

accept that. But you’ve got to set up your place, and by all means, 

get rid of the folding chairs! That’s an expectation thing some say. 

Well we had folding chairs in my place when I was learning, yeah, 

but you learned in a crummy little basement from a hobbyist. Get 

rid of the folding chairs! It doesn’t cost that much more money to 

buy nice padded chairs. I’m kind of controversial and I say, get rid of 

the droopy flags, the droopy American flag and droopy Korean flag. 

Make a nice display. Put up other inspiring things, but that’s just my 

opinion. 

MAW News: How does all that tie together for you and for your 

school operators when you get to the culture of the school, the types 

of habits and behaviors that you’re trying to accomplish along with 

the appearance of the schools? 

SH: Well, this is a really important topic because a lot of us are so 

familiar with our martial art, if we have an Asian background, we’re 

familiar with that Asian background, the language and then a new 

person comes in they know nothing, so they can be intimidated by 

all of that. We wear different clothes, they are bowing before they 

go on the mat, they’re using strange words, I don’t know what that 

means, but everybody else seems to know. We can kind of shrink 

back from that. Now that’s in an Asian oriented martial art, I think 

there are a lot of Americans, younger, much younger than me, 

Americans running schools where it’s run as an American operation, 

they use English, they might have a suit that they wear, they might 

have certain practices, but I think two things: I think number one, 

if we can reduce that impression on people when they first come in, 

make it accessible. This relates back to who you have greeting people. 

You have real people making real greetings to individuals. So in our 

schools we borrowed from some of the more liberal fundamentalist 

churches in our area - and they recruit people from the church to be 

greeters. They might do it for three months, they even wear a little 

pin, and a real person looks around and just greets everybody that 

comes in. So I think that’s one way to start, a warm, cheerful person 

greets you. So there are going to be two people who come in, one 

somebody who is just coming in with somebody. “I’m bringing little 

An-shu Stephen Hayes Teaches Thousands of Students around the World 

Becky in. I’m her granddad” and somebody comes up and greets me, 

I don’t know this person, they don’t know me, but there are certain 

things we can say. “Are you with somebody here?” I’ll say, “Yeah, I 

brought Becky in she’s my granddaughter.” “Oh, great!” And then 

just start a conversation like that, or it will be a new person, “No I just 

came in for some information.” “Oh, wonderful!” So you’ve right 

away found out who they are, but you’ve gotten over that awkwardness. 

If you’re the head teacher you should know who the parents 

and grandparents are, but gosh if you’ve got 250-350 students, that’s 

not reasonable. So that would be number one - a warm greeter type 

of a person. People volunteer - you don’t pay them - they just volunteer. 

And they might just wear regular clothes rather than a gi, that 

type of a thing. 

The second thing that I think is important when people are 

coming in is that in martial arts these days people are doing it for 

all kinds of reasons. Obviously, there’s a fitness crowd that - “Hey 

I’m bored at the gym, I just want to lose some weight.” We don’t 

really deal with that a lot in our school. We’re qualified, we’ve tried 

fitness programs with very personable instructors and our people are 

interested in something a little deeper. If you want to go lose weight 

go to the gym. And even self-defense, as obvious as that is, you know 

with all the laws these days regarding self-defense and getting into 

fights - just carry a little shocker thing or something - you’ve got selfdefense 

handled, why are you really here? Why are you really here? 

So there’s a deeper level of what people are experiencing, and, now, 

I don’t know, this could be my schools and the emphasis that I put 

on personal development using the martial arts curriculum as a way 

to set up parallels for conflicts people have at home or at work or at 

school, or wherever they go. 

MAW News: So, you touched on it a little bit. Describe how you 

mold your curriculum in order to accomplish those objectives. You 

talked a lot about the application of your curriculum as it applies to 

student retention, how do you deal with that? How do you solve that 

problem in your operation? 

SH: We really are kind of radical. When I look around at martial 

arts schools in general, I think we’re pretty radical. We took the ninja 

continued on page 44 


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An-shu Stephen Hayes 

martial art that I studied in the 1970’s, how people fought in Japan 

in the 1500’s and there are certain principles, and over some years 

I took those principles and overlaid those with modern American 

street protection needs. So it’s a very pragmatic martial art. So when 

people come in we have a Level 1, we call it Level 1, it lasts from 

8 months to a year, depending on how often people come in and 

so forth, we have 12 “fights”, 12 different situations and people 

practice against padded targets, they practice with themselves in a 

mirror and they practice with a training partner. We tell them when 

you practice with a training partner that’s just for your timing, 

when you practice with the pads that’s for your power and speed so 

that we don’t have injuries, It could be a hook punch, straight punch, 

a kick, a grab from behind slam up against the wall, grab from beside 

where they get you off balance, kind of brag that of these 12 common 

scenarios only 5 you would find in an MMA ring. 

An MMA ring is very different - it’s two consensual athletes 

vying with each other, on the street it’s totally different. I have a 

book, The Ninja Defense that has all of these 12 fights illustrated in 

them. Of course, they also learn such skills as how to hit the ground 

and basic striking skills and so forth. They also learn a part of our 

ethics code, there are 14 of these points of ethics, and they learn one 

for each belt that they go through. The first part of our ethics code 

would be - I protect life and health, I avoid violence whenever possible 

- and we just ask people, check it out, do you know of a person 

who lives the other way? No, I rely on “predator” tactics and I count 

on violence whenever possible. What kind of life did they live? We 

don’t require they live that way, we just require they study it and examine 

it, but that’s a sneaky way of getting in that we are protectors 

not predators. In the MMA ring, we have a lot of fun with predators 

in there, but realistically you’re a protector. 

You walk into a place, a restaurant, coffee shop or something 

- I have this one friend, who says I look around so if I had to fight 

this guy here’s what I’d do. I said wow how do you get a date on 

Saturday night? 

We would go in to that restaurant and we’d say OK, this is the 

safest place in town because I’m here. Here’s how I would protect this 

person, here is the exit over there. It’s a very different attitude. How 

can I help? And that’s all covered in our first part of the curriculum. 

To speed through there’s a Level 2 where we add some footwork, 

closing in, get inside fights, or pulling out and repositioning, so 

these are the next 12 most important things to know for street self 

defense. So that includes somebody getting around a head and slinging 

you, some throws in there, basic throws, and we usually teach a 

principle - I say, well, this is why this is the ninja martial art and not 

jiu jitsu or aikijutsu, it is it’s own unique approach. You take the center 

and you move a person just slightly off balance, so I say we take 

their balance first and then we throw them. As opposed to throwing 

them in order to take their balance. So it’s a little sophisticated and 

it takes people a little while to get it. 

We have a Level 3 which is all green and brown belts. Now we’re 

getting into some of the grappling where I am changing my position 

in relation to them changing their position and doing a technique 

at the same time. So it’s a little challenging, but people have gone 

through the Level 1, they’ve gone through the Level 2, and now 

they’re ready for this Level 3, and we call Level 4 black belt. So it’s 

very important that the curriculum relies on hitting targets, mirror 

work, personal work and working with a training partner and the 

movements themselves are not stylized. It’s not like my Tang Soo 

Do, it’s kind of stylized. A person would punch this way and we 

would intercept the punch this way - people don’t do that on the 

street, so it’s my shifting, cutting over, it’s very pragmatic, and I 

think that appeals to people. They can do it. 

On their first lesson they can take home something that night, I 

can really do this. Maybe I’ll do it better tomorrow or better in three 

months, but I can at least access this. So, I’m a kind of outspoken 

Mental Discipline is a Core Tennant of Great Curriculum 


Cover Story 

advocate of, who are the people studying with you, and 

as you indicated, what are they expecting to get for this 

pricey service and how do they feel when they leave 

your place every night? Very important. 

We’ve got to give them something they can relate to 

and that they can do and what looks like what they see 

on YouTube. I mean, when we were starting out there 

were a couple guys who would say this is what happens 

in a real fight, and you’d hear this kind of stuff, but now 

with YouTube, you just type in street scrap, or whatever, 

you can spend the whole evening just watching 

these, everybody takes with their cell phone, so use that. 

Provide instruction in how to handle those kind of attacks. 

People enjoy that, it seems realistic. 

The last thing I’ll say is that a person who is paying, 

what I call a reasonable price, for their martial art, 

they’re busy. They’re not just hanging around the apartment 

at night wondering what to do. No they are busy, 

they’ve got the kids they’re schlepping around to different places, 

they’ve got clients to meet, they’ve got their country club they’re 

going to, they’ve got all sorts of things and martial arts becomes like 

one piece of this mosaic that is their life. This is different from me, 

this is all I do. I live this and I love it, and I’ll be 70 years old this year 

and I’m already worried, man I’ve only got 30 more years, I’m going 

to run out of lifetime before I run out of lessons. But I’m weird. I’m 

not running a school for a guy like me. So I get them a couple hours 

a week, I’ve got to make that time truly uplifting like nowhere else. 

I’ve had a couple of people say to me over the years (this is kind of 

scandalous to say this), but they say you know this is more spiritually 

uplifting than church. And if you run things that way, it’s that 

personal, it’s that real. That’s what it takes. 

MAW News: In your specific curriculum, how would you say 

that you focus on translating those lessons to the younger student? If 

you’re teaching this type of radical curriculum, this type of curriculum 

that’s much more applicable on the street, how do you translate 

that to the much younger audience? 

SH: In my Dayton school, we’re located in Centerville, Ohio, I 

mean it is middle class, upper middle class, nobody gets in fights! 

Kids don’t’ get in fights. This is all abstract to them, and yet it’s a very 

pragmatic self-defense system. Oh man, how do we approach youth? 

An-shu Stephen Hayes Has Been a Key Figure in the Martial Arts Since the 1970s 

An-shu Stephen Hayes Blends 15th Century Ninja Tactics with Modern Needs 

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 do is we have created exercises where we have to be so 

careful, you’d think a 9 year old - you don’t want to scare them - but 

you do know more than they do and they’re going to be driving in a 

couple of years, and they’re going to be out on their own in a couple 

of years, and they could be victimized, they could go away to college 

and go to a party and could be victimized, and so we’re really training 

the way the person thinks. 

Because 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 

let’s say, and for her to be confident enough in herself and know, no 

this is of more benefit to you than it is to me, no thank you. That’s a 

major thing you know. So we can emphasize that kind of thinking. 

A person is coming in and we might say, this kid gets mad, they 

run out of words, they don’t know what to say because you’re smarter 

than they are, so they are positioning to the side you can guide 

them away and get out of there. We have a series of 4 elements, earth, 

water, fire and wind that come from the ninja tradition. So earth is 

holding your ground. And some people are just naturally that way if 

they get into a conflict or confrontation - they just hold their ground 

- no, no, no hold it, let’s stop - they want 

things to go back to where it was before the 

conflict started - so holding your ground. 

Then there’s water, which is being overwhelmed, 

the person comes in and I can’t 

hold my ground so I tactically position myself. 

So we would 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? Tactically positioning. 

Then there’s fire which is interrupting 

and wind which is evading. So these principles 

we use, and we’re constantly emphasizing 

to kids, hey, you’re little! What if a big 

kid comes around and pushes you around 


Cover Story 

An-shu Stephen Hayes Integrates Many Facets of the Ninja Arts into His Curriculum, Including Many Weapons 

or somebody tries to grab you - hey kid come on over here. Now this 

is like from 6 or 7 on up, we have a very different program for 4, 5 

and 6 year olds. There we use a lot of obstacle courses, we use bright 

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

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

that around their head and they get away from that, so little teeny 

kids is a different program than the youth. And 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, I’m thinking 

where they do run into violence is keyboard stuff. 

You know. Cyberbullying that’s 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 I’m proud of ya, oh that’s just 

dad. I want positive feedback from my friends at school and then it 

goes haywire. I think that would be a challenge that 

we’re going to develop now, some techniques for 

cyberbullying, so here’s the technique, but secretly 

the technique transmits a state of mind. We have to 

teach these kids, who you are, the value you provide, 

the gift you are, so when they come up against this 

inevitable onslaught they can believe in themselves, 

they can believe that they have a value, and we have 

to teach them some tricks, some ways of dealing 

with that. 

Oh, I’ve got my tricks ( I call them tricks) you 

could call them techniques or methods or whatever, 

but I call them tricks, this is how I deal with it. 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. So I think we’re going to work 

on developing some of those aspects as we go into 

the future. 

MAW News: We’ve been talking a fair amount 

about culture and how that sort of fills in the gaps 

and you’ve already described 

today the 14 point ethics code 

and the 4 elements that you use 

as teaching mechanisms, but 

you also described to me this 

6 point hero code and 8 keys 

to personal development. Can 

you maybe walk me through 

that? What role does that play 

in developing students and I 

know those are tools for your 

instructors to use to teach those 

lessons. How do you implement 

all of that and what was the 

catalyst for all of that, and how 

does that help your team? 

SH: Well, you know, very 

briefly when people come in as 

white belts they have a three 

part student code, or student 

creed, and we tell them right up front. These are going to be the three 

things you should check out whenever you’re doing anything dangerous. 

Ski jump or a bungee jump, or jump in the cage with a tiger, or 

martial arts lessons, anything that’s dangerous. 

Number one, I believe in myself, I’m confident and I can accomplish 

my goals. People memorize that, and you say, well have you ever 

had a day when you didn’t believe in yourself? Yeah, well say it twice 

on that day! You have a right to believe in yourself, your potential. I 

look at something and oh man I can’t do that, there’s no way I can do 

that - then I’m not going to be motivated to try it, and no matter how 

much my teacher tries to coach me, I’ve already decided I can’t do 

that. So no, I believe in myself, I can do this. 

Number two, I believe in what I study. I’m disciplined, I’m 

ready to learn and advance. We ask people, “hey have you ever 

done anything like a job, or a relationship and you just didn’t 

An-shu Stephen Hayes and Wife An-shu Rumiko Hayes 


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An-shu Stephen Hayes’ Curriculum Covers All “Ranges” of Defense 

…very subtly, is effecting their actual character, 

who they are, we’re opening up their potential, 

and at the deepest level, we’re altering who 

they are, they’re changing as a human being. 

believe in it?” Some hands go up - why did you do it? Well, I needed 

the money, or I was scared that I couldn’t find another way, or 

whatever, - oh OK, fear. 

So the third is I believe in my 

teachers, I show respect for all who 

help me progress. Now that includes 

negative teachers too. Were 

you able to learn anything positive 

from a negative relationship? Oh 

gosh, everybody says yes. So those 

are the three things we start with 

and we say, if you don’t believe in yourself and you haven’t studied 

how to do it and you don’t have a good coach, you’re crazy just to go 

in there. The only time you would ever do that would be a sporting 

event. Um, I’m mediocre at tennis, but I think I’ll take on this person, 

I might learn. You’re not going to die if you come in second place. 

Then we have a 14 point code of mindful action that is our ethics 

code. For each belt they learn one of these 14 point codes of how to behave 

and I jokingly say, well, at worse this is just how to stay out of jail. 

We’re not predators, we don’t steal, we don’t lie, we don’t sexually 

abuse people. We have a lot of kids in our schools, so we don’t refer 

to sexuality, but we say I cultivate positive relationships, I avoid 

harming others for selfish gain, and little kids say what does that 

mean - well you don’t use other people. Do you ever notice anybody 

who used somebody? They’d pretend to be their friend and they’d get 

something from them, we don’t do that. We’re adults, we can make 

the reference. I don’t know if I should say this or not, but all this stuff 

comes from Buddhism. 

But we just changed the wording a little bit so it sounds like a corporate 

self-development thing. When they get their black belt and 

going for second degree, we have 8 points of personal development. 

Now this is where we look at ourselves. The way we think. There’s a 

mechanical way that every one of us thinks and there’s maybe a better 

way, a more effective, efficient way. You learn to think when you 

were two and three and four, and now you’re twenty six, you think 

you could upgrade that a little bit? 

I had a young guy working for me and he would say, somebody 

would thank him, and he’d go oh, “no problem”. And so I just said to 

him you know that’s cool among your social peers, but older people 

don’t like to hear “no problem.” I’m not a problem, I’m the customer! 

So, I said, just say something - oh OK, he said I’ll do that. So a couple 

of weeks later I overheard him, somebody said thank you and he said 

“oh it’s my pleasure”. I said, whoa that was amazing! He goes, well 

you told me to say that. I said, oh OK, you’re paying attention. So we 

focus on the way we use our language. 

And how we dress and how we appear, I mean, I look the way 

I look. I’ve looked this way since 1967. My beard was darker and 

I had more hair up here, but there are some funny looks. People 

with weirdly shaped beards and funny half shaved heads with little 

sprouts of hair, and I mean, certainly express yourself, do what 

works for you, but bear in mind the people who are coming in to you 

have a certain expectation of what they’re looking for and you could, 

just by your appearance, put some people ill at ease. So I’m just saying 

consider that. 

Then going for third degree there’s a six point hero code. Six specific 

things that people look at that makes for heroic living and if one 

of those is missing, it’s not heroic. This is very interesting to people, 

especially this day when we talk 

about a basketball player being a 

hero, no I just play basketball. Well, 

I make a lot of money and I express 

my opinions and people listen to 

my opinions, not a hero. He’s just a 

fortunate genetic example. 

There are six ways to actually be 

a hero. As I said I kind of borrowed 

this from Buddhism. The wonderful thing about Buddhism is you 

An-shu Stephen Hayes Travels the Globe Learning and Teaching 


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don’t’ have to believe in anything! This stuff just works! Buddhism 

is easy going with that kind of stuff, so we just import all of that. 

I’ll just say this to wrap up, it’s very interesting when I talk with 

our successful adults who are involved in the program and I say, 

“What’s something you used this past week? Can you really relate to 

this?” They always bring up the code and the creed. Because these are 

the conflicts that successful people are having, they’re not in dangerous 

parts of town, they’re not robbed at knife point. They run into 

the office bully, they run into the superior who doesn’t know how to 

lead, and it’s just - you know, they use these tactics that they learned 

at the martial arts school to bend things around to work for them, 

and I think I’m not going to argue with that. Let’s go with that. People 

are learning things at the martial arts school, they’re using them in 

their real life, and they’re generating the results that they want to 

get, and they come back and thank us for it. 

MAW News: So there is a heavy emphasis on the practical impact 

in a person’s everyday life and not just in theory. I guess you’re 

curriculum is really about changing people and putting things into 

real life practice? 

SH: Oh yeah, we can teach “tricks”, again I use that word “tricks”, 

to kids like their little workbook, their reading through the workbook 

and they’re not comprehending, so the parent says well read 

slower or read it three times. I always say ask the laziest, cheapest 

person how to get something done, they’ll come up with the best 

way! So I say, no go to the back and they always have questions in 

An-shu Stephen Hayes leading Q & A at a Quest seminar 

A lighter moment with An-shu Stephen Hayes 

the back of the chapter, read those questions and now read the 

chapter and you know what to look for. Oh wow, I could do that. 

Yeah, it’s easy and cheap. So there’s a trick. But, what we are doing, 

very subtly, is effecting their actual character, who they are, we’re 

opening up their potential, and at the deepest level, we’re altering 

who they are, they’re changing as a human being. We might even 

ask them, the adults, hey, you know, we’re requiring you to change 

as a human being in there, is that OK? And people go - uh, I don’t 

know. It’s like the office bully is devaluing you and you now see 

where they’re coming from and understand that this is a tactic that 

works for them, but I’m above that and you can counter that and 

it almost amuses you. Would that be OK if you were like that? Oh 

gosh, yes, yes! Some knucklehead cuts in front of you in traffic and 

you used to get mad, but now you know, it’s just a poor knucklehead 

who didn’t allow himself enough time to get somewhere. I’m above 

that. Would that be OK if you didn’t respond in anger? Oh, gosh yes! 

That’s really what we’re looking at. We tell people right up front, no 

you are changing as a human being through your martial art training 

- you’re bigger now, you’re expanding your capabilities, your 

possibilities, you’re not 3 anymore, you’re 28, you’re 42. People are 

happy with that. 

MAW News: Sir, I really appreciate the time you spent with me 

for this interview, thank you so much again. Any higher lesson you 

think would be useful to finish up with? We’ve covered so much 

territory today. 

SH: One thing I emphasize to my teachers over and over again 

is like a two fold thing: Number one, people come in and you’re the 

teacher, they expect at least on the floor, for you to command yourself 

with some dignity and some higher vision. And when you’re 

28 years old running a martial arts school, or 33, that can be a little 

intimidating. So put your head in that place. What does this person 

expect? I’m not their buddy, I’m not just a cool guy they know. I am 

wisdom, you can’t lie or fake it, but bear in mind how am I behaving? 

Am I an inspiring person? 

The second thing I’ll mention is when it comes to teaching, fewer 

words that really mean something are - I see so many people over 

teaching - so we have a saying, if the person, the student, has enough 

time to get all of their weight on to one leg you’re talking too much. 


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Developing Other Leaders is a Core Focus for His Organization 

I had a friend who said, oh we have a rule in our school for every 

degree of black belt that you are, you get one sentence. 

Third degree, he can go for three sentences. He has a lot more 

to teach than a first degree. So those would be two things. Just 

give them bare minimums, give them a big grin, let’s see how 

it goes, and let the people learn the lesson 

through their body rather than through listening 

to you. 

MAW News: Yeah, most times when you 

find yourself over explaining it’s because you 

haven’t planned your class well enough, the 

teacher doesn’t know what the next exercise/ 

drill component of the class is supposed to be 

so they’re actually being lazy. I have exactly the 

same - my rule - from my own experience - my 

rule is nobody walks onto the floor - my instructors, 

my staff, nobody, my team - nobody 

walks onto the floor without the class plan. 

And that includes me. 

So if I jump in to teach a class, I place my 

class planner on the board in the front, everybody 

knows what I’m doing. All of the assistant 

instructors know what’s going to happen at 7 

minutes past the hour. It’s just a matter of that 

executive level of leadership, right? 

SH: Absolutely, we’ve got a big book, it’s the third week of October, 

here’s how we do it. We allow the people to interpret that their 

own way, that creativity, but nope we’re all teaching the same thing. 

Yes, I’m totally onboard with you on that. We’re fellows of the same 

cause there. 

Seeking Stories! 

Martial Arts World News Magazine is the definitive 

source for information, news, education, ethical 

business practices, product reviews and innovative 

developments in the world of martial arts business. 

We are always on the look out for notable, engaging 

and valuable stories for our readers! 

If you, your school, organization, event, product, or service has a 

story that might be of value to our readers, we’d love to hear 

about it! 


52 MARTIAL ARTS WORLD NEWS VOLUME 19 | ISSUE 1 

Contact us at: 407-895-1996 

or Email Editor@MartialArtsWorldNews.com

School Profile 

Sun City Martial Arts 

Han’s Martial Arts has been operating in El 

Paso, TX, for over 40 years and has over 400 

students. Last February, Master Abraham Han 

left the security of his father’s family school to 

open his own branch school. 

Master Han has chosen a challenging pursuit 

since he is also an active competitor in both boxing 

and kickboxing, so he spends a lot of time 

training for his fights. He is a 2-time amateur Ringside 

World Boxing Champion and 3-time amateur 

IKF World Kickboxing Champion. Then, as a professional, 

he became the UBS Inter-Continental 

Middleweight Champ. 

In his “spare” time, he has chosen to open his 

own martial arts school. In the first 100 days of 

operation, despite all the time demands of training 

for his fights, he has built up his enrollment to 85 

students, which is pretty impressive considering 

he is managing the school as a one man show, 

with no other staff. 

Master Han suggests, “I’m just a fighter . . . and you look 

at how many fighters in the world have successful schools. 

. . it’s very rare.” So in an attempt to avoid the same fate of 

so many others, he decided to depend on a management 

support company. 

He said, “I have a hard time checking up on who’s paying 

and who’s not. Having AMS' full service tuition billing 

has been a great assistance. The knowledge they have is 

amazing.” 

Again he said, “AMS is a big part of why I even opened 

up a school, because I don’t think I would have without the 

confidence AMS gives me to be successful.” 

We know that fighting careers don’t last forever, but 

as his father has shown, a quality martial arts school can 

last for decades. We wish him good luck and a lifetime of 

learning in the martial arts for him and his students. 


Are You Overwhelmed and Confused 

about How Social Media Can Help Grow Your School? 

We’re Here to Help! 

Download Our FREE Guide 

How to Use Social Media Like a Pro! 

MartialArtsWorldNews.com/Social

School Profile 

Martial Arts World of Eustis 

Chief Instructor Chris Nelson opened his 2100 sq. ft. school in a small, rural community 

of about 20,000 people 4 years ago. Now, he's doubled his school and his gross 

income too! 

MAWnews: Chief Instructor Nelson, let’s start with a 

baseline . . . considering last year – what was your enrollment 

in after school and in your evening classes, and what 

was your income? 

CN: At the start of the year we had 30 in our after school 

program and approximately 50 to 60 in our traditional program, 

which was generating around $16,000.00 a month. 

New, Modern Training Facility in “Small Town” Eustis Florida 

MAWnews: Then, you made some changes that caused 

dramatic and quick growth... what were the results? 

CN: Right away the increased enrollment forced us to 

move – which is a good thing – from a 2100 sq. ft. building 

to a 5500 sq. ft. building. So we had a lot more room. 

Our enrollments continued to increase and by six months 

later we increased from $16,000.00 to 

$23,000.00 a month. 

MAWnews: Wow! That’s pretty impressive! 

Let’s talk about the after school program 

specifically: You said you had about 

30 when you started a new system. What 

happened through summer camp and now? 

CN: Through summer camp we continued 

to use the new system and it got us up to 

about 50 during the summer time. And the 

start of this school year we’ve been at the 

most we’ve ever had with 60 after schoolers. 

MAWnews: So it has literally doubled 

your after school program? 

CN: Absolutely! 

MAWnews: Wow! And I understand 

you even reduced your rent? 

CN: I reduced my rent by 

$1,000.00. 

MAWnews: So did the Atlas 

Pro System work for you right 

away? 

CN: For the traditional 

program it worked right away. 

We got people to come in literally 

the next day after we started. 

It worked really well. With the after 

school program it took a little bit of 

time for things to get rolling – as far as 

the after school and making sure we 

were getting quality – it took about 3 

months, but after that it just started to 

snowball and continue. That’s when 

we got all the way to 60. 

MAWnews: This sounds really, really good. 

So you went from a 2100 sq. ft. facility to a 

5500 sq. ft. facility, increased your income 

$7,000.00, you doubled your after school program, and 

you’ve gotten a better reputation, all thanks to the Atlas 

Pro System. 

CN: Yes, Sir. 

MAWnews: Well, thank you for sharing your success 

with us. We’ll look forward to checking back with you in a 

couple of months or so to see how you’re doing! 

You can Still Have Full Classes in a Small Town 


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If you’re not taking advantage of the summer with a Martial Arts Summer Camp, you are missing 

out on a significant source of income. Instead of staring at an almost empty school, you could earn 

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larger school with hundreds of students, you could easily make $50,000.00 to $100,000.00 

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Go to OurAMS.com/Summer 

Or call 1-800-275-1600 for courteous live support in English, Spanish, French, Portuguese, or Korean.

Growth Hacks 

Choose the Right Tools, 

Tactics, and Timing to Win! 

SEAN LEE is the 

Executive Director 

of Sales and 

Marketing working 

with hundreds of 

martial arts schools, 

who specializes in 

online and social 

media marketing 

using his extensive 

professional 

experience in sport 

and martial arts 

marketing, contract 

negotiation, and 

investment. 

➽As a martial arts expert, you understand the importance 

of the right tools, tactics, and timing for success in a 

combative situation. In the same likeness, business is also 

an extremely competitive and combative set of circumstances 

in which your tools, tactics, and timing are crucial. 

In both arenas, one mistake could cost you dearly! 

Of course, the human anatomy and brain has everything 

you need for survival in a battle, but is there a perfect 

weapon that has all the tools, tactics, and timing you need 

to survive in business? 

Tools 

Think about how difficult 

it would be if you 

had a hammer instead 

of an axe for chopping 

wood. Your business 

can experience similar 

difficulties if you try to 

operate with the wrong 

tools. For clarification, 

it would be like taking 

attendance with a 

clipboard, paper, and a 

pencil instead of using an iPad or a fingerprint reader with 

the software to make things a snap. Without the right, 

rather the best tools, you would be making your life more 

difficult than it needs to be. 

Tactics 

Again, you must strongly consider the tools you're 

using because you don't want to be bashing with a hammer 

when you need to be cutting with an axe in your business; 

it can be fatal. The tactics you use in school operation must 

be right to run a profitable business. For example, let's say 

you're in need of a boost in enrollment, but you focus on 

managing your staff rather than professional marketing 

and promotional materials with good copy, pictures, and 

offers to attract new students. 

Timing 

Finally, if you're using a hammer to do the job of an 

axe, you'll end up wasting too much time. You know that 

time is money and it also can be the difference between 

turning a profit or going belly-up in your business. 

Since I work with hundreds of school owners, I often 

see some who were still taking attendance with a clipboard 

and pencil and others who were missing their appointments 

and follow-ups because they were written on paper 

that got lost in the shuffle. 

For schools that want to systemize their operation 

AND attract more students, 

I recommend the ATLAS Pro 

System. 

The Atlas Pro System is 

like a Swiss Army Knife that 

equips you with management 

software, a lead generating 

website, marketing tools, 

a profitable after school 

program, and social media 

automation. In other words, 

everything is already available 

and done for you to find 

success easily. 

With Atlas Pro: 

You can build a strong internet presence with your own 

professional website and social media marketing. Take 

advantage of the after school market to earn an additional 

$100,000 or more this year 

Even tap into the huge adult market with the MA Biz 

Academy to double your enrollment. Plus, you will also 

have immediate unlimited expert consultation when you 

need answers right away. 

The new Atlas Pro management system does all these 

things and more to provide school owners with the best 

tools, tactics, and timing to double income, enrollment, 

retention, and profits. 

To find out more call AMS and ask for Sean at 

1-800-275-1600 and I explain it all 

or visit AtlasMartialArtsSoftware.com. 


CLASSIFIED 

Browse the Martial Arts World News 

Community Marketplace 

Do You Have Items to Sell? 

Is There Something You Need? 

Selling Your School? 

Looking To Buy A School? 

Are You An Instructor Looking 

For A Career In The Martial Arts? 

Are You A School Owner 

Looking To Hire Instructors? 

MartialArtsWorldNews.com 


Next Level Strategy 

Teaching Commitment 

SHIHAN 

ALLIE ALBERIGO 


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 (www. 

takingittothenextlevel.com). 

➽There is something 

that I tell my students 

continuously “there is 

no try, just do.” This 

is simple to read and 

simple to say, but many 

of us fall short of actually 

doing it. If I had a 

dollar for every parent 

and student that has 

come to me and said “I 

want my child to develop 

self-confidence, 

self-esteem, self-discipline, 

self-control, focus 

and learn self-defense. 

My child really enjoyed 

their classes but I don’t 

want to commit for a 

year. I want my child to 

overcome their shyness 

or they need to listen 

more. I personally always wanted to learn the martial arts.” 

I would be a millionaire. A week goes by and the excitement 

is still there. A month goes by and the excitement is 

growing but the student is falling into the routine. A year 

goes by and it is becoming a routine and the newness is not 

there so the excitement is starting to fade slightly. 

Renewal time comes around and the student or the 

parent asks themselves, “Do I want to commit to another 

year? Do I want to spend the money? Maybe I need to do 

something else, that excites me like when I first started 

the martial arts.” Well, the hard true fact is that unless you 

develop a skill like self-discipline, then everything you do 

in life will have the same results. It just takes some adjustment 

and realization that life is not just about fun and 

excitement. You cannot let your mind wonder and look 

for a new fix every time the initial thrill wears off. This is 

your self-control and focus. 

For every parent that has told me, “I don’t force my 

children to do anything. Why should I make them go 

when they are not enjoying it? I don’t think that the 

martial arts are like regular school.” I have to disagree. 

Martial arts if taught properly is not about kicking and 

punching: it is about life. For every child that has quit I 

feel bad. Not for the child but for all that the child loses. 

No one will ever know what they have lost, because they 

have not put a value on what they have given up. It is only 

the people that achieve that truly know what people lose. 

For every parent that says they do not force their child or 

encourage them to do things, I say when was the last time 

you let them stay up all night, not eat correctly, or stay 

out all night drinking. 

Every day you make decisions based on what you feel 

would be in their best interest or yours. Don’t you? Well 

the truth is as school owners we need to make the student 

and the parents understand that the martial arts will 

change their lives for the better. How do I do that? Most of 

all I talk about it, then I teach it and thirdly I live it. If the 

student is not present the lesson is not heard. That is why 

it is important to exercise your focus, self-control and selfdiscipline 

and make it to class. To teach the student when 

they least expect it. To train them in techniques of success 

without them really even knowing it, to help them achieve 

Black Belt Excellence as an everyday occurrence. Today is 

only what you have. There is no past. The future is only a 

dream. Make the most out of the moment. 


TakingItToTheNextLevel.com 


Pillars of Success 

What Is Your Definition of 

True Success? 

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 U.S. 

For more 

information visit 

YKKim.com 

➽I get many different answers, depending 

on their ethnicity, religion, age, gender, job, 

education, level of wealth, and personal situation. 

However, a majority of people think that 

success is being rich and famous, and having a 

dream career…what we traditionally called the 

American Dream. 

However, when I ask, regardless of age or gender – they 

will pause, and almost no one will answer right away. I was 

no exception. For a long time I was just like the people in 

the audience. I thought that success was to be rich and famous, 

or to have a successful career, to own a dream house, 

and drive a dream car. I believed in the American Dream. 

The American Dream is the main reason why so many 

people immigrated to the 

United States of America 

from all over the world… 

including me! So, I left my 

homeland of Korea in 1976, 

and when I arrived in America, I worked painfully hard, 

shedding blood, sweat, and tears to overcome humongous 

obstacles, including cultural shock, financial difficulties, 

and a language barrier, in order to achieve the 

American Dream. 

Finally, my long and hard work paid off. I was so happy 

and proud that I achieved the American Dream. I felt sure 

that from then on, I would have freedom from a painful 

life, and I would live a fulfilling life. However, that fantasy 

was short-lived, and a certain mental anguish and physical 

pain never went away. 

Although I had financial freedom, I had a miserable 

life. I was in pain and had more frustration because I didn’t 

know what to do. The pressure was getting worse, and I actually 

fell down and went to the hospital emergency room 

for the 7th time when my body became rigid like a corpse 

from severe stress. I was desperately in need of something 

to end this painful life, so I sought high and low, asking 

doctors, reading everything I could find, and experimenting 

on my body for many years. 

I didn’t understand, and I asked over and over why I 

was the only one suffering and what I did wrong. I was 

shocked to discover that too many other people were 

also suffering – some even worse than me. So although I 

“I discovered that true success 

requires harmony and balance.” 

felt better temporarily because I wasn’t alone, my pain 

never went way. I soon realized that too many people were 

suffering, including the rich, the famous, and even the 

well educated, because they didn’t know what ingredients 

make for true success. 

Finally and fortunately I found the right answer: Why I 

had a painful life, not a successful life, even though I achieved 

the American Dream. To make a long story short, I discovered 

that true success requires harmony and balance; without 

harmony and balance nothing works well in our lives. 

We live in an information and automation age: Within 

seconds, we can find anything, any time, any place with 

a smart phone, tablet, or computer. In addition, artificial 

intelligence will automate almost everything. Our society 

is rapidly changing; we live in 

an advanced and competitive 

world, but thanks to modern 

technology, we are starting to 

live increasingly sedentary and 

passive lives, with catastrophic results. 

To survive and thrive, we need to maintain a balance of 

technology and lifestyle. If we don’t improve our lifestyle 

at the same rate as technology, we will be enslaved by 

modern technology. 

In the U.S. today, you can see that this is already happening. 

Over 70% of the population, including 21 million 

children, is suffering from being overweight. These people 

are our family and friends! Modern stress is another significant 

issue, because it leads to death from heart disease, 

cancer, diabetes, accidents, and even suicide. Furthermore, 

over 80% of the population experiences chronic back pain, 

neck and shoulder pain, and many other ailments. 

These factors contribute to rising health care costs. 

This problem doesn’t just affect individuals; these problems 

are destroying the health of America. They are no 

longer personal problems; we now have a national crisis. 

Plus many medical experts say one in three people will 

have cancer – that person can be one of your family members, 

or you, or me. 

If we don’t change our lifestyle, we will be crippled and 

face disaster. We have to change our lifestyle to match the 

development of modern technology, so we can enjoy it and 

live truly successful lives. 


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Management Excellence 

Which type of Martial Arts 

School Owner are You? 

CHIEF MASTER 

KIRK PELT 



is the President 

of a multi-million 

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. 

➽From my 30 years of 

experience in the martial 

arts industry, interacting 

with business leaders 

and running my own large 

multi-school organization, 

I have noted two primary 

management styles used by 

school owners. I have seen 

the Solitary Samurai and 

the Delegation Master and 

their focus for professional 

success. 

1. The Solitary Samurai: 

If you want a job done 

right, you do it yourself. 

For this style, martial 

arts is about control, and you 

extend that control to your business. You teach all the 

classes, enroll all the students, meet with students 

and parents when they have problems, 

write all the checks to pay the bills, and 

personally supervise all your advertising 

and promotion. There are not enough hours 

in the day to get everything done, but you 

are not afraid to work hard, and at least you 

know the job is being done right. 

2. The Delegation Master: If you want something 

done right, you hire a professional. 

For this style, martial arts is about using the right 

technique for the right situation. You realize that the 

success of your school depends more on your ability to 

lead than on your ability to do. You teach your classes, 

but you get professionals to collect your tuition, write 

and design your advertising, program software and 

build websites. Sure you could try to do it all yourself, 

but why not focus on the things you do well, and delegate 

the rest to someone who does those things well? 

Leaders know how to leverage their time so they work 

smarter, not harder. 

Leverage Your Time 

If you’ve been a Solitary Samurai and reached the point 

where you can’t seem to get it all done, take the next step 

in school management and delegate. Remember, in history 

that the samurai became obsolete with the advance 

of technology. Don’t follow their path. Adapt, learn, and 

become a Delegation Master. 

I have learned the art and benefits of delegation with 

AMS in my corner. Since delegating much of the “heavy 

lifting” to the leaders in their field, I have stopped doing the 

$10 an hour jobs so I can now focus on the $100 an hour jobs. 

You don’t have to go it alone. AMS has a team of pros 

there to help with proven programs and practices that 

have helped schools like yours break through to the next 

level of professionalism and income. 

It seems incredible that you can actually make more by 

doing less, but AMS can show you how. 

Just call 1-800-275-1600 to talk with Chris to get a 

friendly explanation, and you'll also receive the special 

report, “Ten Ways to get Your Martial Arts Program into 

the Public Schools.” 

For more information visit ourAMS.com 

or call 1-800-275-1600 


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Extraordinary Marketing 

Just Sell Something 

GRANDMASTER 

STEPHEN OLIVER, 


black belt and is 

the founder and 

CEO of Mile High 

Karate schools 

and founder of 

the Martial Arts 

Wealth Mastery 

Program, formerly 

Extraordinary 

Marketing. 

➽Peter Drucker said the purpose of a business 

is to create and keep a customer. That’s 

right. Our job is go find someone who’d love 

to do what we do and get them enrolled. Once 

enrolled then it’s sweat blood to keep them 

engaged, happy, and training. 

Strange how often I talk to owners who think there’s 

more to it than that. What should you go to bed thinking 

about and wake up and immediately work on – to the exclusion 

of all else? How to I get a new student? How to I keep 

the ones I have longer? (and, how to I ratchet up my tuition) 

Really that’s it. We’re in an incredibly simple business. 

For years my life boiled down to, “I need 12 intros and 

6 enrollments a day (across 6 schools.)” That was really 

it. Each month I needed 240 intros and 120 enrollments. 

Every day started with thinking about marketing and 

student retention. Every day ended thinking about – that’s 

right – marketing and student retention. 

For a single school, you can gross $100,000+ per month 

with 2 intros, 1 enrollment each day. Each day you wake 

up and figure out what you could do – today – right now to 

generate at least 2 intros – today. See, that’s pretty simple. 

And, certainly I’d rather it be “set up and create 252 

appointments, which turned into close to 100 enrollments 

between August and September 2018,” like Jan Lappin did 

during recent “Back-To- 

School” – Orientation 

Days. But, hell if you 

need to, take a right out 

the front door of your 

school and start knocking on doors. How many would you 

have to knock on to generate 2 intros? Really, if it took 2 

hours let’s say 1 yes and a BUNCH of nos per hour. And 

that 2 hours turned into 1 enrollment at $400 down and 

$200 a month X 12 – that means that those two hours 

generated $2,800 in contract amount and $400 cash right 

away. Let’s see that’s $200 an hour for the labor of knocking 

on doors. Not bad, right? 

And, seriously I’ve rarely had my staff knocking on 

doors, or “VIP’ing” however, it works just fine. And, let’s 

see $200 an hour X 40 hours X 4.2 = $33,600 a month from 

one person’s labor. Not bad. 

Really, what’s your excuse? 

Just make sure that EVERY day you create a minimum 

of 2 Intros and that at least 1 end up enrolled. The most 

profitable single school I’ve ever seen was running on that 

For a single school, you can gross $100,000+ 

formula more or less. It was 22 enrollments a month, each 

ultimately worth $5,000 each. Therefore $110,000 gross 

revenue per month. Way over $50,000.00 a month NET 

profit. Not bad for one school? 

The secret? 

1 enrollment a day. Keep them A LONG time. Charge 

enough to average $200+ per month per student. That’s 

the formula. It’s enough to make you rich in the martial 

arts school business. Sadly, for some it has nothing to do 

with XMA, Hyper, adding “cage-fit” or Krav Maga to your 

traditional school. 

Want to be very successful? Develop OCD (Obsessive 

Compulsive Disorder) about 2 (and, only 2) things: 

First: What am I doing RIGHT NOW, to create new 

students? Did I create AT LEAST 2 intros today? 

Second: What else can I do to keep students longer? 

Oh, and by the way. The answer to the second question. 

Want to know “THE SECRET?” Hire only NICE people. 

Train them how to be nice to the students and the parents. 

Treat each student like a cherished friend or family 

member. 

At our recent member Martial Arts Wealth Meetings, 

I was listening to a lot of really sharp people. Seemed like 

everyone was focused on doing a bunch of stuff in preparation 

to sell things. Most were very focused on email 

follow-up and, maybe 

some form of internet 

marketing. Eventually I 

got a bit agitated. 

Finally, I got up on 

the paper pad and in the middle of a bit of a rant…. Said: 

“Gee, just sell something!” 

Then proceeded to explain from my perspective that 

the easiest way to sell something was face-to-face…. Next 

in line on the phone. WAYYYY down the list is sending 

them an email. 

What you’ve got to do is move people from “suspect” to 

“prospect” – in other words get them to “raise their hand” 

and express interest in what you do. Interest is a big deal. 

You can shout all day long to get the attention of someone 

who’s not interested. It’s mostly a waste of time. However, 

moving them from a little bit interested to a student is 

typically not all that hard over time and through education. 

per month with 2 intros, 1 enrollment each day. 

For more information 

visit MartialArtsWealth.com 


After School Excellence 

One EASY Step That 

Changed a Martial Arts 

School Owner’s Life 

CHIEF MASTER 

MIKE BUGG is 

an 8th degree 


the owner of a 1.5 

million-dollar-a-year 

location, with one 

of the largest after 

school and summer 

camp programs in 

the country. 

An Inspiring Turnaround 

See if you recognize this story: A 

dedicated martial artist, we’ll call him 

“Master T” to protect his privacy, opened 

a modest martial arts school. He had a 

very high level of skill in the martial arts, 

but his school wasn’t doing very well. He 

had a day job, and taught martial arts at 

night. His few students barely covered 

the bills of the school, and he couldn’t 

seem to get ahead. He wanted to quit his 

day job and focus on his school, but he 

just couldn’t afford it. 

Does that story sound remotely familiar? 

Do you know anyone like that? 

In addition, his wife was pregnant 

with their first child, and he couldn’t lose 

the insurance coverage from his job. 

Then, one day he attended a seminar about after school 

martial arts. He had to borrow the money to start the 

program, but he believed he could do it. He believed in this 

program so much that he quit his day job (and the insurance) 

so he could start the after school program full time. 

He followed the instructions in the Start-up Kit 

and took the advice of his coaches, and quickly earned 

enough to make up for his salary and to pay his hospital 

bills. Within a few months he was taking home $10,000 

a month. He rented more space with the extra income he 

earned, which allowed him to enroll more students. Soon 

he was taking home $20,000 a month. 

When asked how he became so successful, he answered 

that he simply followed the plan. He didn’t try to re-invent 

the wheel or do it his way. He simply followed the plan and 

got much more than he hoped for. 

What’s your situation? 

Are you working a day job to pay for the school you 

love? Or maybe you are a full-time martial artist, but you 

are having trouble paying the bills? Or maybe you already 

have a successful school, but would like to add an extra 

$5,000 to $20,000 a month in additional income. 

I also have followed the program, which has been the 

backbone of my $1.5 million a year martial arts school. 

Whatever your situation, the AMSkids Program of after 

school martial arts with summer camp can change your 

future, just like it did for Master T. The Start-up Kit will 

show you what to do and when to do it. The AMS marketing 

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costly mistakes. The monthly support will give you 

day-by-day, hour-by-hour activities for the kids. You get 

everything you need. 

Call 1-800-275-1600 to take the one easy step that can 

change your school and your life. Just for calling, we’ll 

send you the 19 Ways to Get into the School System. 

Seriously, what have you got to lose? My friends at 

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Have Your School, Organization, 

Accomplishment or Event Featured in 

Martial Arts World News Magazine! 

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 to big for consideration so 

long as there is value to our readers! 

• One of your students 

overcame great obstacles 

to achieve their Black Belt? 

Awesome! 

• You’ve opened a new 

location? Great! We’d love to 

hear about it! 

• Your martial arts association 

just set a new record? Great! 

Send us some information! 


Send your Story Idea to us Email Editor@MartialArtsWorldNews.com 

Or Contact us at: 407-895-1996

the 

like a champ 

experience 

breaking 

kicking 

training 

leadership 

C H I P T O W N S E N D 

14x ISKA World Champion, Multiple World Record Holder 

"I knew Break Like a Champ could really help our school. We 

had been doing several things incorrectly in regards to 

breaking, with material selection and holding techniques. 

BLAC has made such a huge difference in our school! In a few 

months, we will have made back what we spent just by being 

associated with BLAC! I really believe BLAC will add 

tremendous value to any school!" 

-Chance Burleson, owner Chance Legends Dojo 

h a m p i o n p a c k a g e 

c 

1 Hour - Beginner Level Class 

- Basic Kicks 

- Basic Boxing 

- Mat Chats 

- Basic Grappling 

1 Hour - Intermediate/Advance Level Class 

- Flowing Kick Combos 

- Basic Reverses/Spin Kicks 

- Boxing/Kick Combos 

1 Hour - Leadership Team & Instructor 

Basic Training 

l t i m a t e p a c k a g e 

u 

Champion Package, PLUS 

2 Hour Business Review 

- Marketing & Social Media 

- Relationship Building in your community 

- How to Build a Demo Team 

- One 45 minute private lesson for Chief 

Instructor 

Message me for booking 

or appearances 

chip@teamchiptkd.com 

"It doesn't matter the size of your school, the demographics or 

ranks of your students, Chip Townsend helps with all aspects 

of running a successful martial arts school!" 

-Justin Cuellar, Owner of Atalla County Martial Arts

Instruction Excellence 

Are You Serving Your 

Students’ Needs. . . or Yours? 

CHIEF MASTER 

TIM MCCARTHY 



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. 

➽I love to hear and even tell some stories about “the old 

days” when we used to do this or that in class. Nostalgia 

is fun, but it’s not reality. That was then, and this is now. 

Some of the things our masters did still work, but many do 

not. Times change and warriors adapt to change. 

In my opinion, the future of martial arts is less violent 

and more practical for everyday living. Think about it . . 

. how many physical fights have you gotten into over the 

last 5 years? How many verbal confrontations have you 

gotten into in the last month? Most people have more 

verbal confrontations in a month (a week? a day?) than 

physical confrontations in 5 years. It’s just a benefit of living 

in a civilized society. 

If we want to survive as an industry, we must adapt 

traditional martial arts principles to 21st Century needs. 

For example, one of the hottest issues of the past few years 

has been health care. While the politicians argue about 

who pays how much for 

what kind of care, martial 

arts instructors have the 

opportunity to help our students 

prevent problems by 

staying healthy. The cost of 

insurance matters less when 

you never need to use it. We can teach physical fitness not 

only from an exercise standpoint, but through healthy 

eating, proper breathing, and stress management. If we 

emphasize these added values in our classes, we become 

less of a hobby and more of a necessity, with tangible, even 

financial benefits. 

Traditionally, the stock and trade of martial arts instruction 

has been self-defense. Whether you teach kicks 

and punches, joint locks, or take-downs and chokes, the 

end result is that your student learns to handle a physical 

confrontation. However, most of us teach our students 

that physical self-defense is a last resort – instead we 

should first diffuse the situation or just walk away. Now, 

why should our students continue to train in the martial 

arts when we teach them not to use the skills we practice? 

We are actually encouraging them to quit if self-defense is 

our primary value. 

Why not teach them skills they can use every day? We 

The philosophy behind what we do 

separates us from sports like soccer 

and activities like video games. 

can expand our self-defense curriculum to teach Physical 

Self-Defense from things like bad eating habits and laziness. 

Students will face these temptations every day, and 

practicing at your school gives them the discipline to resist 

temptation. Why not add Verbal Self-Defense to your 

curriculum, to defend themselves from verbal assaults 

from classmates, co-workers, and even family? That will 

be used much more often than a roundhouse kick. Why 

not practice Emotional Self-Defense, to give them practice 

defending against debilitating emotions like self-doubt, 

fear, depression, and anxiety? These skills require practice, 

which requires continued attendance. 

I am not recommending that you throw out your 

traditional self-defense curriculum. It provides healthy 

exercise, is fun to practice, and more importantly, it 

provides an exciting framework to teach these other skills. 

I am recommending you distinguish yourself from your 

competition by expanding the 

principles behind your self-defense 

curriculum to incorporate the kinds 

of challenges your students face on 

a daily basis. If your competitor’s 

school teaches violence and your 

school teaches how to stay healthy 

and successfully handle situations they face every day, 

which school do you think they will choose? Which school 

will they stay with? 

The philosophy behind what we do separates us from 

sports like soccer and activities like video games. You 

can choose to be a sport – even an Olympic sport – or you 

can choose to be an art. The “do” in the name of most arts 

means it is a “way,” a set of principles to guide your life. 

I believe if you stick to those principles, and show how 

they apply to everyday living, your students will see more 

tangible benefits from your classes and stay with you 

longer. Keep your school on the cutting edge of martial 

arts instruction by teaching the skills your 21st Century 

students need today, tomorrow, and in the future. 

To Find Powerful Class Management Tools 

and Instruction Videos visit 

MaBizAcademy.com 


San Francisco (Alamo Drafthouse Mission) Thursday, April 18th 

Denver (Alamo Drafthouse Sloans) Friday, April 19th 

Dallas (Alamo Drafthouse Richardson) Saturday, April 20th 

Austin (Alamo Drafthouse South Lamar) Sunday, April 21st 

Brooklyn (Alamo Drafthouse Brooklyn) Monday, April 22nd

Complete Martial Arts Concepts 

Developing Leaders Around You 

Your Road Map for Success 

PROFESSOR 

WILLIE “THE 

BAM” JOHNSON 



7-time sport karate 

and kung-fu world 

champion. He has 

appeared in 4 

movies, 16 stage 

plays, 11 television 

shows and two 

videos. He is 

also the national 

spokesperson for 

the Stronger than 

Drugs Foundation 

and the Champions 

Against Drugs. 

In the old days, I was a strong proponent of “the ranks 

staying in the ranks” because I felt they simply could not 

get things done. I used to take pride in “wearing all the 

hats”. I believed I was outstanding and could do it ALL 

effectively and anyone that worked with me could not 

keep up or surpass me. If someone did the opposite of this, 

I criticized them and considered them a sell out. Stuck on 

myself, ego tripping, and the last of a dying breed – a common 

role for many Superstar Martial Artists. 

Since then, I have willingly “thrown in the towel” 

surrendering in order to win. As 

a result, our stats have doubled 

and the joy of teaching has dramatically 

increased to the highest 

degree. The key to our success has 

been my willingness to step up 

my game to be a true teacher – a 

teacher of teachers and a trainer 

of trainers. 

I have come to understand 

that things will work even more 

effectively when I properly oversee my staff, train them 

to be better leaders, and help them become more responsible 

team players. Now I hold the team together and pull 

them up to greater heights. I’ve learned to feel how they 

feel; think like they think and apologize when I fall short. 

We operate with one heartbeat and when things go wrong 

I take responsibility (before I used to blame them.) When 

things go really well, I give them the credit. Today I realize 

they complement me, where I am weak they are strong 

and vice versa, so the results are better. 

Too many school owners are afraid to surround themselves 

with the best and most talented people. By choice 

they surround themselves with average people, work hard 

striving to bring out the best, but are actually limiting 

themselves. The problem lies in the fact that the owners 

always remain KING OF THE HILL without growing beyond 

their present level in order to have a greater impact! 

The greatest leadership principle I've learned is that 

those closest people to a leader will determine how far 

that leader will climb or fall down. In other words, the 

people closest to me will “make me or break me”. So I take 

the responsibility as a leader to develop those closest to 

me and value their contributions to the organization. 

When they grow, so do I because they lighten my load, 

which frees me up to advance their training, reward them 

more and create new goals. 

Before, my feelings were that I hated and dreaded if 

I HAD to go to school. Everyday there were fires to put 

out and it seemed like I was the only one armed with two 

buckets; one with gasoline which enticed the fire to blaze 

more and the other filled with water to put the fire out. 

Now, all of my upper level staff have the 

same buckets, and are trained to put the 

sparks out before the fire ever ignites. 

My duty everyday is to raise up successors 

– to multiply. I used to feel the 

school was more important than people, 

but today my perspective is the opposite. 

As Henry Ford once said, “You can take 

my factories, burn up my buildings, 

but give me my people and I'll build the 

business right back again.” People are 

what make our organizations go and grow from both an 

employee and customer base. It's about producing people 

who do what is needed even when they don't feel like it. 

Real leadership is an inside job that must be worked 

at daily through education from spiritual reading, one 

on one communication, audio, video, books, seminars, 

etc. These tools stimulate me and help me to create an 

atmosphere that makes it easier for all of us to be successful. 

In reality, the inside job I'm talking about is not about 

developing a personality driven organization, but rather a 

character based company that allows actions to determine 

the atmosphere. 

In closing, developing leaders around you is a life long 

process in which you must invest time and money, but it's 

worth the internal rewards you will gain. Remember, you 

must build your staff and recall how powerful the staff 

has been through the ages. After all Moses used the staff 

to part the Red Sea and to perform other miracles. 


PointMMA.com 


Tools & Tactics 

Your Ads Must Have Speed, 

Power, and Accuracy 

Enroll 25 to 50 New Students a Month with the 

Principles of Speed, Power and Accuracy 

HELENE REIVER 

is a martial 

arts business 

development 

consultant with 

a background 

in personal 

training, nutrition, 

education, 

marketing, and 

management of 

multiple successful 

fitness studios. 

➽You realize the importance of 

speed, power, and accuracy when attacking 

an adversary. The principles 

are second nature to you when you 

are sparring, but did you know that 

speed, power, and accuracy are just as 

important in advertising and promotion 

to attack your town’s market 

successfully? If you want to enroll 25 

to 50 new students every month you 

must understand how to advertise 

and promote properly. 

As in the martial arts great skill 

comes through great effort, to be 

great at advertising and promotion 

much training is required. Do you 

have the time to focus all your energy 

while operating your school on learning 

advertising and promotion? If 

you answered, “Yes” are you planning 

on making a career change? The correct 

answer is “No” to both questions, 

but you still have to advertise and 

promote your school effectively. 

So what’s the solution to gaining 

the speed, power, and accuracy 

needed to reach more prospects than 

you thought possible without getting 

a degree in advertising? The answer 

is found in the professional marketing 

promotions found in the MA Biz 

Academy AMS develops for martial 

arts school owners just like you. 

Every month well trained experts 

prepare the kind of speed, power, 

and accuracy in 

advertising and 

promotions designed 

to deliver 

a knockout in 

the form of new 

enrollments. 

Speed - From 

an advertising 

and promotional 

standpoint, 

speed primarily 

has to do with 

hitting the target 

market at the right time. Experience 

leads to good timing and we have been 

providing school owners with marketing 

solutions for close to thirty 

years. Each month tools like posters, 

flyers, tent cards, emails, and social 

media posts are designed with this 

kind of advertising speed in mind. 

Power - The idea of power with 

regard to advertising and promotion 

means to have impact. One key to powerful 

ads is eye catching designs with 

images and layouts that appeal to prospective 

students. Another key is the 

use of words that capture the attention 

and move the reader to act. We have a 

team of expert graphic and web designers 

plus writers eager to provide you 

with penetrating ads sure to increase 

your enrollment each month. 

Accuracy - Getting your advertising 

and promotions to the right 

people is what is meant by accuracy. 

Targeting the children, teen, adult, or 

even the senior market requires the 

appropriate kind of ads and promotions 

for each individual market. In 

the current market, you must have 

social media and website marketing 

strategies to meet people where 

they are spending their time. Our 

marketing solutions from the MA 

Biz Academy will hit the bull’s-eye in 

your city every month. 

To do your best in every way 

sometimes requires help along the 

way. You want your advertising and 

promotion to have the speed, power, 

and accuracy for great impact, so call 

1.800.275.1600 and ask for Helene to 

find out how AMS can aid you in taking 

your school to the next level for 

skyrocketing enrollment each month. 


Diamonds from Down Under 

Your Services Are Valuable: 

You Need to RAISE YOUR PROFILE 

SENSEI 

GRAHAM SLATER 

is a 7th Degree 

Black Belt, 30+ 

year veteran 

successful school 

owner, chairman of 

the International 

Martial Arts 

Alliance, 

where he 

communicates with 

over 1200 

international 

martial arts 

instructors every 

month. He also 

founded the Martial 

Arts 

TV Channel in 

Australia and 

publishes 

Martial Arts 

Business News 

Australia. 

➽A lot of people don’t take the time 

to consider raising their profile because 

they don’t recognize what they do is 

noteworthy. As martial artists we help 

the community, we develop the character 

and confidence of people, we help 

them understand respect and discipline 

that empowers them with many other 

attributes. Isn’t that noteworthy and 

something to rave about? 

I opened my first school in June 1981 encouraged by 

my then girlfriend’s father, who worked at the Herald Sun 

newspaper. He thought what I was attempting was noteworthy, 

so he wrote an article about me. The opening night 

I had 27 people turn up and the following week there was 

more than 50 on the floor… the article did its job. 

I was overwhelmed and also inspired to teach more as 

it appeared that people actually wanted to learn from me. 

The following year I went full-time working out of a gym 

and a couple of halls as more newspaper articles drove students 

my way. The year after, I was in Japan training with 

some of the world’s best and found a new teacher. 

All my newspaper articles were just thrown in the 

cupboard until one day I decided I needed them. For 

years I often found myself having to explain my teaching 

qualifications to new students and which organization the 

clubs were affiliated with, etc. This took up far too much 

time and I felt very uncomfortable having to brag about 

my achievements to get them to join. 

This situation sparked an idea to assemble all my 

articles (80+ TV appearances over three decades) and laminated 

them to go on the walls of the dojo. From this point, 

whenever someone asked me about my qualifications, I 

just pointed them to the wall and they just signed up with 

hardly any further questions. 

Another example of the power of the press was on one 

of my trips back to Liverpool, UK, to help out my students. 

My clubs there had pre-booked journalists from two 

newspapers. The story must have struck a chord with the 

community because they boosted their students by 100+ 

over a fortnight. My students were the ones who talked 

me up with news headlines - ‘A Leading karate expert has 

flown in from Australia this week to impart his skills to 

enthusiasts in Bootle. Graham Slater of Melbourne is the 

greatest exponent outside of Japan of an unusual style of 

karate called Shotokai.” As it was in the paper, I almost 

believed it myself LOL … 

Of course, you can’t always believe what you read in the 

press right?! That said, it was an era where many people 

believed in what they read, or what they saw on the TV. It’s 

actually easier to reach and influence people now in the 

digital age as you can create your own media through blogs 

and posts. 

These days my role has changed from student teacher, 

to business owner enabler. There are so many tools out 

there that help instructors gain more credibility and for 

students to find them. Even when these tools are right at 

their fingertips many don’t see them. MAA offers FREE 

club listing / landing page and Mobile App (with mirrored 

website) and many don’t use them. It’s just one hour of 

your time to put these in place and I’m happy to help you 

with it. 

The same could be said when club owners can save 

thousands of dollars on business services such as insurance, 

billing, software, etc. Is it because instructors can’t 

see the wood for the trees or it all looks too hard to change, 

or perhaps it sounds too good to be true! 

It’s funny how a few little changes to your business can 

return great dividends. So in closing, if the source of the 

provider is trusted, has a long history, clearly has the ability 

to deliver, why wouldn’t you take a couple of minutes 

to investigate further! 


MartialArtsAustralia.com.au 


PointMMA.com

Master the Basics 

3 Secrets to 

Great Beginner’s Classes 

MASTER 

TINA BANE 

is a 6th Dan master 

instructor and 

owner of a Top Ten 

martial arts school 

with successful 

after school and 

summer camp 

programs. 

Beginner’s class is the most important class in 

martial arts training. If you don’t have a great 

beginner’s class, it won’t matter how good your 

other classes are, because students will quit 

before they ever get to move up in rank. 

For this reason I strongly recommend that you teach 

a separate beginner’s class. When you just throw your 

beginners into your regular class, it can be very frustrating 

to all the students. Beginners have very different needs 

than more advanced students. When you put them both 

in the same class, one or the other will get frustrated, and 

your retention will suffer. 

All your classes must be educational, motivational, and 

practical. Here are three secrets I have 

discovered over the years for my 

beginners’ classes: 

First, take the time to 

teach your basics properly. 

Beginner’s class lays the foundation 

of the martial arts for these 

students. The basics we teach 

provide the foundation of 

every technique the 

students will learn, 

even the most advanced 

skills. Just 

as you cannot build 

a skyscraper on a 

foundation of sand, 

you cannot build 

powerful martial arts 

technique on sloppy 

basics. The quality of 

your black belts begins 

here. 

Take the extra time 

to explain the basics, 

allow the students 

to practice, and 

then help them 

improve. I like the 

P-I-R method of 

correction, which stands for: Praise, Improvement, Result. 

You praise the student for what he is doing well, suggest an 

area of improvement, and then tell him the result of following 

your advice. For example, “Good! I like the way you 

snap your kick out and back. If you point your knee a little 

higher, you will be able to kick higher.” 

Second, help students set short-term, mid-term, 

and long-term goals. Students with goals have a reason to 

overcome the inevitable frustrations that come when they 

are pushing their limits. Help them learn to turn obstacles 

into stepping stones, to achieve higher levels of mastery. A 

short-term goal for a beginner is to pass his or her yellow 

belt test. A mid-term goal would be to receive their black 

belt. A long-term goal would be to become an instructor, to 

be able to share what they have learned with others. 

Third, make sure they get a good physical sweat and a 

good mental sweat in each class. 

The more immediate benefits 

they receive, the more necessary 

your classes will become 

in their lives. 

Physical sweat is a sign that 

they are getting into better shape. 

They are improving their strength, 

flexibility, and health, while reducing 

stress. At the end of every class 

you can measure your success in gallons 

of sweat. 

Mental sweat comes from understanding 

the principles behind the 

basics, which give us direction in our lives. 

Be sure to point out the practical applications of martial 

arts principles in everyday living. For example, we teach 

verbal self-defense alongside of physical self-defense. 

Chances are your students will use verbal self-defense in 

the next day or so, whereas they will probably not use 

physical self-defense for weeks, months, or even years. 

When they see immediate benefit, they have to come 

back for more. 

For more information, 

visit MaBizAcademy.com 


Join Our New 

Martial Arts Professional 

Facebook Group 

Post Your 

Questions 

and Ideas 

Receive 

Feedback and 

Expert Advice 

Interact 

with Fellow Martial 

Arts Professionals 

Stay Up to Date 

with 

Industry News 

facebook.com/groups/MartialArtsWorldNews

Pro Shop Power 

You Can Boost Your Income By 

$12,000 to $24,000 a Year 

with Strategic Pro Shop Sales 

BRANDON KIM 

is the President 

of Vision Martial 

Arts Supply, Los 

Angeles Branch, 

who helps school 

owners all over the 

U.S. maximize their 

retail sales and 

drive more revenue 

into their schools. 

Every school owner is looking to increase their income 

for school success and to enjoy a better life. You can 

generate more revenue by enhancing your pro shop sales 

which is one more way to bring in that boost of income 

you desire. 

There are two huge reasons that sales from your pro 

shop can deliver a rise in your annual income with the 

impact of getting $12,000 to $24,000 increase in revenues: 

1. Your students need various 

training equipment 

Students need uniforms, sparring gear, shoes, etc. Why 

should they go any place beyond your school for these 

kinds of purchases? The answer is they shouldn’t because 

buying from your pro shop is the most convenient means 

and it builds loyalty. 

2. Create Monthly Sales Promotions 

One mistake many school owners make is having 

a pro shop just for the sake of having one. In these instances, 

the pro shop just sits there stocked with supplies 

and has slow sales. Wise school owners realize the income 

generating power a pro shop can have with a little bit of 

ingenuity through retail promotions. Have a T-shirt day 

in the summer months, hold a special weapon seminar, 

or teach how to use a new piece of training equipment. 

You Must Have a Dependable Supplier 

For the past twenty-five years, Vision USA has been providing 

martial arts school owners with competitive prices 

on quality products and providing quality services like 

business consulting, sponsoring events, and remodeling 

and setting up martial arts schools. Vision USA is reliable 

and has specials throughout the year for school owners. 

Here are 10 reasons why school owners 

choose Vision: 

1. A Complete Taekwondo Supply Solution under 

One Roof – One Stop Shopping 

2. 25 Years in Business - Proven Track Record and 

Market Reputation - Vision products are known 

for excellent quality. 

3. World Taekwondo Approved / USA Taekwondo 

Approved: Vision is the exclusive distributor for 

the World Taekwondo recognized Tusah branded 

products. Tusah uniforms and gear are World 

Taekwondo approved. Vision uniforms and gear 

are USA Taekwondo approved. 

4. Full Customization Service Offerings: Send your 

school logos and designs. Vision will print them on 

your products with Quick Design Set Up, Silkscreen, 

Embroidery, Heat Transfer, and Cutting Letter. 

5. Faster Shipping Service: Vision has 3 Warehouse 

Locations, Both in East & West Coasts. We have 2 

Day Shipping available anywhere in the Continental 

United States. 

6. Expertise of Sales Team: Deep Product Knowledge 

7. Responsive Customer Service: Vision provides 

Dedicated Customer Support Personnel for Each 

Individual Customer Account. In addition, we 

Tailor Product Recommendation Based on School 

Programs and Events, and Student Demographics. 

8. Year-round New Product Introduction 

9. Year-round Discount Offers on Regular Items: 

Including Monthly Special Offers and Seasonal 

Special Offers. 

10. Official Sponsor for all USA Taekwondo Sanctioned 

Events including National Championships, 

US Open Championships, and State Championships 

– Vision has Full Rights to Use USA Taekwondo 

Logo on All uniforms and gear. 

With your ingenuity and Vision USA supplies, you 

will be on the fast track to turning your pro shop into a 

“cash cow” that produces $12,000 to $24,000 in additional 

income yearly. For more information, call 1.800.424.5425 

to speak with a representative with Vision to begin increasing 

your income with your pro shop sales. 

Visit VisionMA.com for more information 


SEPTEMBER 20TH – 22nd 

Defense Lab 2019 U.S. Conference 

WARRIOR 

CERTIFICATION 

MAXIMIZE YOUR FULL POTENTIAL WITH THE WORLD’S FIRST PERSONAL GROWTH PROGRAM 

Join Us! September 20th - 22th, 2019 

Energize yourself and your 

staff by training in this amazing 

Gathering of Masters from all 

over the world. 

Grand Master Clark is hosting 

this revolutionary training on the 

physical, mental and business 

side of martial arts. 

register NoW! warriorkravmaga.com 

or CALL 877-729-3951 1400 Millcoe Road,Jacksonville, FL

Budo Philosophy 

The Immaterial Dimension 

Time 

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, 

including: Budo 

International 

Magazine 

and author of 

several books, 

The Immaterial 

Dimension, the 

Way of the Warrior 

and the Spirit. He 

currently lives in 

Valencia, Spain. 

➽Faster or slower, time passes, it is an experience we all 

have. Time gives us our real dimension and measures us 

as much as space itself, or even more; it gives and takes 

away without doing anything, because its dimension is 

as abstract as it is puzzling. Sometimes we look back and 

it seems that life has slipped away like water through our 

fingers, like sand grains on a windy day. Others, however, 

when observing the changes experienced, we have the 

impression that eons of time have passed and thousands 

of things have happened. The way we fill the thousands of 

moments that are concatenated one after another, most 

often unconsciously, is what 

“Time is the best author: it always 

finds a perfect ending.” 

–Charles Chaplin 

“I am interested in the future 

because it is the place where I will 

spend the rest of my life.” 

–Woody Allen 

we call life. What it was, no 

longer exists, nevertheless it 

remains in our memory and 

sometimes, for many, it does 

so as a tyrant anchoring, an 

antique chest of identified 

pains and joys with no more 

power than that we grant it. 

The future, the arcane 

secret that the most experienced 

in occultism and even 

the most ignorant beings try 

to decode, is an empire where dwells a single certainty: 

finitude. At each step, hidden, fate is pressing; at each step, 

hidden, free will, wise or ignorant, imposes its limited but 

determining designs. 

We choose, we opt for a path, when in fact what we are 

doing is dismissing millions of them and in doing so, the 

stone in the pond doesn’t make waves, but tsunamis that 

reverberate hitting the confines of infinity; so in the end, 

cause and effect get entangled creating a sense of continuity, 

which is but one more deceit to disturb our lucidity. 

Time is the greatest deception and the most imperative of 

the realities that frame us. As inevitable as elusive, as perishable 

as eternal; tempus fugit, time goes fast, flees, fades, 

because its dimensional reality is immaterial and through 

it, even the most ordinary of the mortals experiences the 

confrontation with the transcendent. 

That expiry is what compels us, persuades us and urges 

us to fulfill the intended purposes. That which is eternal 

in us is not what gives us the stamp of continuity, the hallmark 

of individuals, the peculiarities to which we cling. 

The eternal, the spirit that animates our first and ultimate 

nature defines itself indefinable, because even more subtle 

than time itself, it has much finer garments; the spirit, 

like water, seeps into the strainer of the temporal; what 

remains stuck in there, is not the essential. 

Time, more than anything else, is the stage of our work. 

Places change, the characters intermingle and confuse 

the passing of the acts and scenes; even the script itself, 

subject to change, corrections, cross-outs, studs, side notes 

and improvisations, mutatis mutandis, it is reviewed and 

revisable. But time, ah! Nothing 

escapes its action on this plane. 

Bullfighter of vanities, exterminator 

of objectives, butcher of 

all personal prominence, time is 

a merciless executioner of every 

vestige of particularity. Measuring 

rod for everything and every 

being, Kronos devours its children 

without exception, for we all 

belong to it. Sublime monster, 

divine executioner, is in its gallows 

where everything takes its right 

measurement; where, pious at times, pain ends; where the 

certainties are diluted. 

Time doesn’t pass, we pass through it. We leave strips 

of ourselves in each encounter, sculpted by its blows or 

polished in its sandstorms; the strength of its dimension always 

shapes us, models us and, at the last moment, finishes 

us. But without it, what would it change? Nobody volunteers 

to the way of consciousness, because “carrots” have 

more supporters than the “stick”. It’s a king with bad press, 

but only time provides us with the opportunity for change. 

His designs, far from being cruel, are great, because evil 

also surrenders to its power. The immaterial dimension 

What has a beginning has an end. What’s important in 

all this? Everyone answers this question his own way, but 

none can ignore the question. Herein lies its power, herein 

lies its command. 

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Martial Arts World News Magazine - Volume 19 | Issue 1

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