Martial Arts World News Magazine - Volume 24 | Issue 5 | Special Edition
The #1 Business Resource for the Martial Arts Industry
The #1 Business Resource for the Martial Arts Industry
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<strong>Martial</strong><strong>Arts</strong><strong>World</strong><strong>News</strong>.com<br />
SPECIAL EDITION<br />
VOLUME <strong>24</strong> | ISSUE 5<br />
The #1 Business Resource for the <strong>Martial</strong> <strong>Arts</strong> Industry<br />
MIMI<br />
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OF THE YEAR 20<strong>24</strong>!<br />
Mimi Hwang Day<br />
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The 18th Annual Dragonfest<br />
Expo Delights Participants<br />
What a Harris or Trump<br />
Presidency Means for You
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CONTENTS<br />
FEATURES<br />
28 Florida Teen Kristina Teachout<br />
Wins Olympic Bronze in<br />
Taekwondo: A Bright Future for<br />
American Taekwondo<br />
32 What a Harris or Trump<br />
Presidency Means for You<br />
36 The 18th Annual Dragonfest<br />
Expo Delights crowds<br />
40 The Power of Family: How<br />
Mimi Hwang is Expanding Her<br />
Father’s <strong>Martial</strong> <strong>Arts</strong> Dream<br />
103 FREE Tool of the Month<br />
DEPARTMENTS<br />
14 Industry Insights<br />
15 Birthdays<br />
18 Industry Innovations<br />
<strong>24</strong> Social 411<br />
58 School Profiles<br />
71 Classified Ads<br />
114 Advertiser Index<br />
YOUR INPUT<br />
69 Tell Us Your Story<br />
84 Feature Your School, Organization,<br />
Accomplishment, or Event<br />
4 MARTIAL ARTS WORLD NEWS VOLUME <strong>24</strong> | ISSUE 5<br />
COLUMNS<br />
6 Editorial<br />
The Election Looms, Now What?<br />
Master Toby Milroy<br />
8 <strong>Martial</strong> <strong>Arts</strong> <strong>World</strong> <strong>News</strong> Faculty<br />
12 The Millionaire Smarts Coach<br />
6 Mindset Hacks for Summer Stress Relief (Part2)<br />
Ms. Lee Milteer<br />
62 Innovation<br />
Embracing Technology in the Modern <strong>Martial</strong> <strong>Arts</strong><br />
School (Part 1)<br />
Master Dan Segarra<br />
64 Teamwork<br />
Are You Ready for Back to School?<br />
Hanshi Dave Kovar<br />
66 After School Excellence<br />
How a <strong>Martial</strong> <strong>Arts</strong> School Can Earn over $1.5 Million<br />
a Year<br />
Grandmaster Mike Bugg<br />
68 Growth Hacks<br />
Is Traditional Marketing Still Working for <strong>Martial</strong> <strong>Arts</strong><br />
Schools These Days? (Part 2)<br />
Mr. Sean Lee<br />
70 Ninja Business Tactics<br />
Ninja Mind and Determination<br />
An-Shu Stephen Hayes<br />
72 Extraordinary Marketing<br />
Bigger Isn’t Always Better<br />
Grandmaster Stephen Oliver<br />
74 Pillars of Success<br />
3 Steps to Build Corporate Leadership (Part 3a)<br />
Grandmaster Y. K. Kim<br />
78 Staff Development<br />
Tactical Combative Engagement Principles (Part 2)<br />
Master Zulfi Ahmed<br />
80 The Way of the Samurai<br />
Zanshin – Eight Directions of Awareness (Part 2)<br />
Shihan Dana Abbott<br />
82 Mastering Modern BJJ<br />
How Much Much BJJ Should I Train A Week<br />
To Get Good?<br />
Master Carlos Machado
STAFF<br />
86 Next Level Strategy<br />
What is your Program Worth<br />
Shihan Allie Alberigo<br />
88 Mind Mastery<br />
Understanding and Conquering Your Inner Saboteur<br />
Grandmaster Jessie Bowen<br />
90 Instructional Excellence<br />
Teaching Preteens<br />
Grandmaster Tim McCarthy<br />
94 Budo Philosophy<br />
Aggressiveness, Biology and Culture (Part 3)<br />
Shidoshi Alfredo Tucci<br />
96 Complete <strong>Martial</strong> <strong>Arts</strong> Concepts<br />
Is Wushu Effective for The Streets? (Part 2)<br />
Professor Willie “the Bam” Johnson<br />
98 Master the Basics<br />
How to Get the Most out of Your Next Belt Test<br />
Master Tina Bane<br />
100 Business Buzz<br />
Unlocking Leadership Potential<br />
Grandmaster Lawrence Arthur<br />
102 <strong>Martial</strong> <strong>Arts</strong> Philosophy<br />
The Day I Thought I Was Getting Arrested for Being<br />
Funny! Part 1<br />
Sensei Gary Lee<br />
104 Management Excellence<br />
One Easy Step to Solve All Your <strong>Martial</strong> <strong>Arts</strong><br />
Business Problems<br />
Grandmaster Kirk Pelt<br />
106 The Warrior Way<br />
Confidence Factors<br />
Grandmaster Bill Clark<br />
108 Tactical Self-Defense<br />
Line of Fire<br />
Grandmaster Tom Patire<br />
110 Tools & Tactics<br />
Experience Spooktacular Success with Halloween<br />
Campaigns to Grow Your <strong>Martial</strong> <strong>Arts</strong> School<br />
Ms. Chris Lee<br />
VOLUME <strong>24</strong> | ISSUE 5<br />
PUBLISHER<br />
Master Toby Milroy<br />
EDITOR-IN-CHIEF<br />
Mr. Sean Lee<br />
MANAGING EDITOR<br />
Mr. Jeff Reulbach<br />
ART DIRECTOR<br />
Mr. Frank Meyer<br />
GRAPHIC DESIGNER<br />
Mr. Amen Blue<br />
WEB DEVELOPER<br />
Ms. Erin Pham<br />
COLUMNISTS & CONTRIBUTORS<br />
Shihan Dana Abbott<br />
Grandmaster Zulfi Ahmed<br />
Shihan Allie Alberigo<br />
Grandmaster Lawrence Arthur<br />
Master Tina Bane<br />
Grandmaster Jessie Bowen<br />
Grandmaster Mike Bugg<br />
Grandmaster Bill Clark<br />
An-Shu Stephen Hayes<br />
Professor Willie “The Bam” Johnson<br />
Grandmaster Y. K. Kim<br />
Hanshi Dave Kovar<br />
Ms. Chris Lee<br />
Sensei Gary Lee<br />
Mr. Sean Lee<br />
Master Carlos Machado<br />
Grandmaster Tim McCarthy<br />
Ms. Lee Milteer<br />
Master Dan Segarra<br />
Grandmaster Stephen Oliver<br />
Grandmaster Tom Patire<br />
Grandmaster Kirk Pelt<br />
Shidoshi Alfredo Tucci<br />
The mission of <strong>Martial</strong> <strong>Arts</strong> <strong>World</strong><br />
<strong>News</strong> <strong>Magazine</strong> is to be the definitive<br />
source for information, news, education,<br />
ethical business practices,<br />
product reviews and innovative<br />
developments in the world of martial<br />
arts business.<br />
<strong>Martial</strong> <strong>Arts</strong> <strong>World</strong><br />
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Our preferred method of<br />
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comment.<br />
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<strong>News</strong> <strong>Magazine</strong>, its<br />
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<strong>Martial</strong> <strong>Arts</strong> <strong>World</strong><br />
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MARTIAL ARTS WORLD NEWS VOLUME <strong>24</strong> | ISSUE 5 5
EDITORIAL<br />
The Election Looms, Now What?<br />
by Master Toby Milroy<br />
Here we are once again my friends, on the precipice of another ‘election cycle’<br />
kicking into full gear.<br />
We’re about to be bombarded with hundreds of millions of<br />
dollars (when adding “dark” money, more like Tens of BILLIONS of<br />
dollars) worth of marketing and advertising from political parties,<br />
PAC’s, support groups, and the media itself.<br />
As a school owner (ie Small Business Owner), regardless of<br />
which side of the aisle you sit, there are some specific policy initiatives<br />
each candidate is proposing that you should keep your eyes<br />
on. We have included a brief, unbiased analysis of some of the most<br />
impactful policy proposals we’ve heard about so far in this issue,<br />
that may directly impact your school, and our industry in general.<br />
Now, as a side note, there are a LOT of AMAZING marketing,<br />
advertising, and persuasion lessons you can learn during this season!<br />
Donating a little money to each (or any) political party<br />
will fill your inbox, mailbox, voicemail, text messages,<br />
and MORE with LOTS of useful and valuable copy<br />
ideas, headlines, format concepts and many,<br />
many more lessons. These pieces are produced<br />
my some of the highest paid ‘marketers’ in the<br />
world, and they can be a WEALTH of strategic<br />
and practical information to the smart, observant<br />
school operator.<br />
Aside from these lessons, we’re also enjoying<br />
a bit of an economic ‘blip’.<br />
Although inflation has been<br />
almost staggeringly sticky, as<br />
I write this, we’re seeing stock<br />
market indexes (the S&P 500<br />
at $5,620, and DOW $41,170)<br />
teetering at record highs fueled<br />
(in part) by the AI ‘goldrush’,<br />
where the tech sector has<br />
dumped BILLIONS of dollars<br />
into hardware (ie. NVIDIA),<br />
infrastructure and energy<br />
to either ‘catch up’ or establish an advantageous position in the<br />
emerging technology.<br />
According to fed chairman Powell, interest rates are heading<br />
down soon. Wall Street currently expects 1 to 2 cuts, of about<br />
.25% each. So, perhaps we’ll be seeing more economic ‘activity’<br />
over the next few quarters, which would be welcome news for our<br />
schools and the industry at large.<br />
The good news is, post election, whichever candidate wins, our<br />
‘job’ as business owners doesn’t change. We need to serve our<br />
clients well, and find ways to ‘fill the bucket’ with new clients/students.<br />
Whether the economy improves or declines, the job doesn’t<br />
change. Whether we see a bull market, or a bear market, our job<br />
doesn’t change. Whether you ‘agree’ or ‘disagree’ with a particular<br />
policy, administration, or platform, guess what…..our job doesn’t<br />
change!<br />
Focus on the 4 fundamental basics: 1 - get more new students,<br />
2 - keep your current students more engaged (ie. Longer), 3 - serve<br />
them at higher and higher levels (ie. Renewals/upgrades, more<br />
beneficial programs, etc), 4 - and make them ‘better’. (Enrollments,<br />
Renewals/Upgrades, Retention, Quality.)<br />
If you need any help with specific strategies, tactics or tools to<br />
help you in these areas, give my team a call at 1-800-275-1600,<br />
and we can help!<br />
MASTER TOBY MILROY is a 6th degree black belt. Known as “The Master Systemizer,” Master Toby Milroy<br />
has positively influenced more martial arts schools than anyone in our industry. He has built a successful multi-school<br />
organization, lead the national trade association for the martial arts industry, and coached some of the most successful<br />
martial arts school operators in the world.<br />
6 MARTIAL ARTS WORLD NEWS VOLUME <strong>24</strong> | ISSUE 5<br />
Photograph (top) by gguy44
OUR EXPERT FACULTY<br />
6<br />
Master Toby Milroy<br />
is a 6th degree Black Belt, the CEO and<br />
Publisher of <strong>Martial</strong> <strong>Arts</strong> <strong>World</strong> <strong>News</strong><br />
<strong>Magazine</strong>, and the Executive Vice<br />
President for AMS. In addition to building<br />
a successful multi-school organization,<br />
Master Milroy has positively influenced<br />
more martial arts schools than virtually<br />
anyone in our industry.<br />
12<br />
Ms. Lee Milteer<br />
is an Intuitive Business Coach, awardwinning<br />
professional speaker, and TV<br />
personality who has counseled and<br />
trained over a million people throughout<br />
her career. Lee is Stephen Oliver’s <strong>Martial</strong><br />
<strong>Arts</strong> Wealth Mastery’s Millionaire Smarts<br />
Coach and is also a best-selling author of<br />
educational resources.<br />
62<br />
Master Dan Segarra<br />
is a 9th Degree Black Belt who is a world<br />
renown and respected authority and<br />
one of the highest rank Americans in the<br />
Korean <strong>Martial</strong> <strong>Arts</strong>. He has a very innovative<br />
mind when it comes to curriculum<br />
and school presentation.He has authored<br />
several books and has been featured in<br />
various <strong>Martial</strong> <strong>Arts</strong> <strong>Magazine</strong>s.<br />
64<br />
Hanshi Dave Kovar<br />
is an 8th degree black belt and recognized<br />
as the “Trainer of Trainers.” Hanshi<br />
Kovar is an internationally acclaimed<br />
instructor with black belt degrees in ten<br />
different martial arts styles. His systems<br />
have been implemented in hundreds of<br />
schools around the US.<br />
66<br />
Grandmaster Mike Bugg<br />
is a 9th degree black belt and the owner<br />
of a 1.5 million-per-year location, with one<br />
of the largest after school and summer<br />
camp programs in the country.<br />
68<br />
Mr. Sean Lee<br />
is the Executive Director of Sales and<br />
Marketing for hundreds of martial arts<br />
schools and specializes in online and social<br />
media marketing using his extensive<br />
professional experience in sports and<br />
martial arts marketing, contract negotiation,<br />
and investment.<br />
70<br />
An-Shu Stephen Hayes<br />
has authored more than 20 books,<br />
worked as a bodyguard for the Dalai<br />
Lama, supervised over 30 school locations<br />
worldwide, and was named, "One of<br />
the 10 Most Influential Living <strong>Martial</strong> Artists<br />
in the <strong>World</strong>" by Black Belt <strong>Magazine</strong>.<br />
72<br />
Grandmaster Stephen Oliver<br />
is a 9th degree black belt and is the<br />
founder and CEO of Mile High Karate<br />
schools, and founder of the <strong>Martial</strong> <strong>Arts</strong><br />
Wealth Mastery Program.<br />
8 MARTIAL ARTS WORLD NEWS VOLUME <strong>24</strong> | ISSUE 5
OUR EXPERT FACULTY<br />
74<br />
Grandmaster Y. K. Kim<br />
is the most successful martial arts business<br />
leader in the US, having written<br />
over 30 books on martial arts, business,<br />
leadership, and success. He has won<br />
numerous public service awards and is<br />
the founder of the leading martial arts<br />
marketing and management company in<br />
the US.<br />
78<br />
Grandmaster Zulfi Ahmed<br />
has amassed acclaim as a world-class<br />
competitor, martial arts educator, and is<br />
most notably founder and designer of<br />
the internationally renowned style, Bushi<br />
Ban. With over 45 years of martial arts<br />
experience and over 300 martial arts<br />
awards, his schools include ten locations<br />
across Texas.<br />
80<br />
Shihan Dana Abbott<br />
is a 7th degree black belt in Kenjutsu,<br />
starting his 14-year education in Tokyo.<br />
He has published five books and designed<br />
a US Patent. Abbott has also<br />
conducted seminars in over 30 countries<br />
and obtained his black belt at the Hombu<br />
dojo in Yokohama. He currently offers<br />
online classes on LearntheSword.com<br />
82<br />
Master Carlos Machado<br />
is one of the pioneers of Brazilian Jiu<br />
Jitsu in the US. Currently a Coral Belt, and<br />
promoted to Black Belt by Carlos Gracie<br />
Junior, Carlos Machado came to the US in<br />
the early 1990’s with his brothers where<br />
they formed the RCJ Machado Jiu Jitsu<br />
Association, one of the strongest & growing<br />
BJJ organizations in the world today.<br />
86<br />
Shihan Allie Alberigo<br />
is a 7th degree black belt, the founder<br />
of the L.I. Ninjutsu Centers, one of the<br />
largest Ninjutsu schools on the planet,<br />
the author of 4 books, and an entrepreneur<br />
with one of the first online coaching<br />
companies (TakingItToTheNextLevel.com).<br />
88<br />
Grandmaster Jessie Bowen<br />
is President of Karate International of<br />
Durham, Inc., a member of the American<br />
<strong>Martial</strong> <strong>Arts</strong> Association Sport Karate<br />
League and Hall of Fame, and has been<br />
a member of the Duke University PE Staff<br />
for over 25 years. He is the author of Zen<br />
Mind-Body Mindfulness Meditation and<br />
Zen Mind-Body Mindfulness Meditation for<br />
<strong>Martial</strong> <strong>Arts</strong>.<br />
90<br />
Grandmaster Tim McCarthy<br />
is a 9th degree black belt and is a martial<br />
arts educator with a master’s degree in<br />
education. He has been instrumental<br />
in developing two industry-changing<br />
programs, and has directed and been<br />
featured in hundreds of martial arts videos<br />
and webinars.<br />
94<br />
Shidoshi Alfredo Tucci<br />
is the CEO and General Manager of the<br />
Budo International Publishing Company,<br />
a leading publisher in the martial arts<br />
with over 35 years in the industry. He<br />
is also author of several books: The<br />
Immaterial Dimension, The Way of the<br />
Warrior, and The Spirit. He currently lives<br />
in Valencia, Spain.<br />
MARTIAL ARTS WORLD NEWS VOLUME <strong>24</strong> | ISSUE 5 9
OUR EXPERT FACULTY<br />
96<br />
Professor Willie “The BAM” Johnson<br />
is a 7th degree black belt and seven-time<br />
sport karate and Kung-Fu world champion.<br />
He has appeared in four movies,<br />
16 plays, and 11 television shows. He is<br />
also the national spokesperson for the<br />
Stronger than Drugs Foundation and the<br />
Champions Against Drugs.<br />
104<br />
Grandmaster Kirk Pelt<br />
is a 9th degree black belt and is the<br />
President of a multimillion-dollar, multischool<br />
organization, has a 30-year track<br />
record of success, and is currently on the<br />
leading edge of martial arts curriculum<br />
and business innovation.<br />
98<br />
Master Tina Bane<br />
is a 6th degree master instructor and<br />
owner of a Top Ten martial arts school<br />
with successful after school and summer<br />
camp programs.<br />
100<br />
Grandmaster Lawrence Arthur<br />
is a martial artist specializing in Karate,<br />
Kung Fu, Kenpo, Shoto-kan, and Gojurue,<br />
with 40 Super Kick Karate locations,<br />
and founder of AFKA. <strong>World</strong> champion<br />
Lawrence also runs the Black Belt Success<br />
Systems consulting firm, training<br />
martial arts instructors on proper business<br />
practices in schools all over the country.<br />
102<br />
Sensei Gary Lee<br />
the American Samurai, is a 9th Dan black<br />
belt, a USA Karate Federation gold medalist,<br />
winner of five Super Grand National<br />
Titles, a featured actor in the movie Sidekicks,<br />
and is the founder of the National<br />
Sport Karate Museum.<br />
106<br />
Grandmaster Bill Clark<br />
is a 9th degree black belt and a former<br />
PKA Fighter of the year. He is widely<br />
considered one of the top experts in martial<br />
arts business with over 40 years of<br />
leadership and innovation, having been<br />
inducted into almost every Hall of Fame<br />
in the industry. He is one of the largest<br />
multi-school owners in the world.<br />
108<br />
Grandmaster Tom Patire<br />
is known as “America’s Leading Personal<br />
Safety Expert” and has appeared on<br />
Good Morning America, The CBS Morning<br />
Show, The Colbert Report, Montel,<br />
plus in mainstream publications such as<br />
Family Circle, Redbook, Fortune <strong>Magazine</strong>,<br />
and The Wall Street Journal.<br />
110<br />
Ms. Chris Lee<br />
is a martial arts business development<br />
consultant with a background in online<br />
and social media marketing.<br />
10 MARTIAL ARTS WORLD NEWS VOLUME <strong>24</strong> | ISSUE 5
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THE MILLIONAIRE SMARTS COACH<br />
6 Mindset Hacks for Summer<br />
Stress Relief (Part 2)<br />
By Lee Milteer<br />
Mind Hack #4:<br />
It’s super-important to love yourself enough to learn<br />
the SKILL OF AWARENESS about what stresses you<br />
out and what you can do about it. One thing you can do<br />
is have self-imposed “pattern interrupts.” When you’re<br />
stressed out is not the time to make decisions. Take<br />
a few minutes to take a walk, listen to some relaxing<br />
music, play with your pet and kids for a few minutes.<br />
Mind Hack #5:<br />
To help you with becoming aware of what stresses<br />
you out try these:<br />
• What can I do to have a good day today in spite of<br />
reality?<br />
• What resources can I use today to get back to my<br />
normal positive-thinking self?<br />
• What friends can I share my problems with that will<br />
be a support system?<br />
• What areas of my life have I allowed<br />
myself to be a victim? What do I want to<br />
do differently in the future?<br />
• In what areas of my life do I demand<br />
that I be perfect?<br />
• In what areas of my life am I out of balance?<br />
• Am I trying to be all things to all people?<br />
• What parts of my life am I stuffing my<br />
feelings and not venting frustrations?<br />
• How can I not take myself so<br />
seriously?<br />
• One year from today, what<br />
will be funny about this situation<br />
or my behavior?<br />
• WHAT AM I GOING TO DO<br />
TO SUPPORT MYSELF?<br />
Mind Hack #6:<br />
Give yourself permission to have some positive personal rewards,<br />
to appreciate yourself such as:<br />
• a massage;<br />
• pampering yourself with a good meal (with dessert);<br />
• a night out on the town;<br />
• a hot bubble bath and a glass of champagne;<br />
• playing Golf or tennis;<br />
• phoning someone you love to give you a lift;<br />
• a cleaning service to clean your home.<br />
• Anything that empowers you to feel like you are special!<br />
Always keep in mind that bad days don’t last. This too shall pass.<br />
MS. LEE MILTEER is an Intuitive Business Coach, award-winning professional speaker, and TV<br />
personality who has counseled and trained over a million people throughout her career. Lee is Stephen Oliver’s<br />
<strong>Martial</strong> <strong>Arts</strong> Wealth Mastery’s Millionaire Smarts Coach and is also a best-selling author of educational resources.<br />
Visit www.milteer.com<br />
12 MARTIAL ARTS WORLD NEWS VOLUME <strong>24</strong> | ISSUE 5<br />
Photograph (right) by AntonioGuillem
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INDUSTRY INSIGHTS<br />
NFL Stars and MMA: Shawne Merriman’s<br />
Vision for the Future<br />
Shawne Merriman, the former NFL All-Pro linebacker, has<br />
carved a unique path from football stardom to becoming a<br />
prominent figure in MMA. His journey began in 2005 when<br />
he attended a UFC event headlined by Randy Couture and Chuck<br />
Liddell. The experience sparked his interest in MMA, leading him<br />
to incorporate the sport into his offseason training.<br />
Merriman’s foray into MMA was a transformative experience.<br />
Despite his physical advantages over Couture, Merriman found<br />
himself outmatched and exhausted. “It was probably the most<br />
humbling experience of my life,” he admitted. This intense training<br />
not only improved his athletic performance on the football<br />
field but also solidified his passion for MMA.<br />
Following his NFL career, Merriman channeled his passion<br />
into business. In 2019, he launched Lights Out Xtreme Fighting,<br />
named after his football nickname. The promotion has since<br />
hosted 18 events, and Merriman’s influence extends to his<br />
streaming app, Lights Out Sports, which features his promotion<br />
and other sports content.<br />
Merriman’s deep understanding of both football and MMA has<br />
led him to predict a significant shift in the MMA landscape. He foresees<br />
that the next heavyweight champion could emerge from football<br />
rather than traditional combat sports. “I think the next heavyweight<br />
champion, like the great next champion after Jon Jones,<br />
there’s going to be a strong safety, a linebacker, a defensive end<br />
that says, ‘You know what? This is what I want to do,’” he predicted.<br />
Merriman believes that a frustrated NFL player, facing career<br />
setbacks such as being cut or benched, might turn to MMA.<br />
“That mentality along with that athleticism with the guy being<br />
on the field, that is what’s going to drive the next heavyweight<br />
champion,” he explained. Although there have been football<br />
players in MMA, like Greg Hardy, Merriman expects more highlevel<br />
NFL players to make the transition in the near future.<br />
A key factor in this anticipated shift is the improved financial<br />
incentives in MMA. Merriman points out that the financial aspect<br />
was a barrier during his time, but it has since changed. “The<br />
money’s there now,” he noted. NFL players with established<br />
names have an advantage in MMA, as they can draw large audiences<br />
and generate significant revenue. Merriman emphasizes<br />
that a well-known football player will have a head start in the<br />
fight game due to their existing fanbase.<br />
He predicts that a notable NFL player will make a successful<br />
transition to MMA within the next few years. Merriman frequently<br />
visits gyms and observes NFL players training, indicating that<br />
the interest is already present among high-profile athletes.<br />
Shawne Merriman’s transition from NFL star to MMA<br />
promoter highlights the sport’s evolving nature. His insights<br />
into the potential for NFL players to succeed in MMA offer a<br />
glimpse into the future of the sport, suggesting that a new<br />
generation of athletes could redefine the boundaries of mixed<br />
martial arts.<br />
14 MARTIAL ARTS WORLD NEWS VOLUME <strong>24</strong> | ISSUE 5
INDUSTRY INSIGHTS<br />
<strong>Martial</strong> <strong>Arts</strong> Celebrity Birthdays<br />
September<br />
September 1. ......................Billy Blanks<br />
September 6. ...................... James Lew<br />
September 7. ..................... Phillip Rhee<br />
September 9. .................. Stephen Hayes<br />
September 10. .........Don ‘The Dragon’ Wilson<br />
October<br />
October 8. ................... Michael Dudikoff<br />
October 11. .......................Kane Kosugi<br />
October 17. .......................Keith Hafner<br />
October 18 ........... Jean Claude Van Damme<br />
October 28. ...................... Simon Rhee<br />
September 12. ....................... Bill Clark<br />
September 15. ................. Fumio Demura*<br />
September 27. ........... Cary Hiroyuki Tagawa<br />
*Deceased<br />
centurymartialarts.com<br />
MARTIAL ARTS WORLD NEWS VOLUME <strong>24</strong> | ISSUE 5 15
INDUSTRY INSIGHTS<br />
Grandmaster Tim McCarthy<br />
Delivers 4 Dimensional<br />
Parenting Ted Talk<br />
Check out this important video by one of <strong>Martial</strong><br />
<strong>Arts</strong> <strong>World</strong> <strong>News</strong> magazine’s long-time, well<br />
respected, and highly informed contributors,<br />
Grandmaster Tim McCarthy.<br />
In this presentation he reveals the secrets of 4 Dimensional Parenting from his<br />
perspective with his Master’s Degree in Education, Grandmaster rank in the martial arts,<br />
and decades of experience in the education field.<br />
He has combined his years of experience as a classroom teacher and administrator<br />
(in both public and private schools) with even more years of experience teaching and<br />
developing martial arts programs to create a simple plan for the education of children.<br />
He has spent decades researching developmental child psychology and applied those<br />
findings to his vast knowledge of activities that help children become stronger physically,<br />
mentally, emotionally, and spiritually. His unique perspective combining Eastern<br />
and Western educational philosophy creates a powerful road map to re-imagine<br />
parenting in order to raise better balanced children in an increasingly unbalanced<br />
world. This talk was given at a TEDx event at Barry University in Miami Florida.<br />
Get the Book at 4d-2d.com<br />
16 MARTIAL ARTS WORLD NEWS VOLUME <strong>24</strong> | ISSUE 5
Discover the <strong>World</strong> of Budo the Karate Mouse at<br />
BudoTheMouse.com<br />
For <strong>Martial</strong> <strong>Arts</strong> Instructors and Children<br />
Budo the Karate Mouse is an animated character that will help to Unlock Your Potential! Perfect<br />
for martial arts instructors looking to inspire young minds, improve instruction, and elevate<br />
retention. For children,Budo is a companion to grow with on a journey of self-discovery and<br />
personal improvement along the path to their black belts.<br />
Budo Books<br />
Buy Paperback Book Dive into Budo’s first adventure and discover how he started his<br />
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The Warrior’s Workbook: An augmented reality adventure that can change your life.<br />
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Budo the Karate Mouse Social Platforms<br />
YouTube Videos: Watch The Quest for Courage Part 1 and Part 2<br />
on YouTube and join Budo on his exciting adventures.<br />
Facebook and Instagram Posts: Stay updated with the latest news and wisdom from Budo.<br />
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INDUSTRY INNOVATIONS<br />
Point MMA Can Bring Out<br />
the Ultimate Competitor<br />
Since its inception in September 1994, Point MMA has revolutionized<br />
the martial arts competition landscape. Spearheaded<br />
by Willie “THE BAM” Johnson and Kimber Johnson,<br />
the “Challenge of Champions – Go Head To Head” event introduced<br />
Maryland’s first POINT MMA Match, featuring a variety of<br />
competitive styles such as San Do, Chi Sao, Wrestling, Kickboxing,<br />
and Jujitsu. Esteemed martial arts masters and judges like Master<br />
Manny Augrella, Lloyd Irvin, and Master Dennis Brown graced the<br />
event, emphasizing sportsmanship, safety, and self-control.<br />
Point MMA is designed to reignite the recognition of martial<br />
arts competitions as a premier sport, blending traditional martial<br />
arts techniques with a new style of Mixed <strong>Martial</strong> <strong>Arts</strong>. It provides<br />
divisions for both adults and kids, focusing on safety through mandated<br />
protective gear, light to medium contact, and the elimination<br />
of brutal techniques. This ensures participants can compete<br />
confidently without the risk of severe injury.<br />
For martial arts school owners, incorporating Point MMA<br />
and Point MMA Kidz Play into your programs offers numerous<br />
benefits:<br />
1. Enhanced Safety and Sportsmanship: Promote a safe and<br />
controlled environment for students, encouraging sportsmanship<br />
and respect among competitors.<br />
2. Attract New Students: Offer a unique and exciting competition<br />
style that appeals to a wide audience, from beginners to those<br />
aspiring to professional MMA careers.<br />
3. Holistic Development: Through programs like Point MMA<br />
Krazy Athletics and Diva Grit Concepts, foster physical, mental,<br />
and spiritual growth among students, enhancing their overall wellbeing.<br />
4. Family-Friendly Training: Provide reality-based training that<br />
is suitable for all family members, ensuring a comprehensive approach<br />
to self-defense and fitness.<br />
5. Future Opportunities: Position your school at the forefront<br />
of a growing sport with national and potentially Olympic recognition,<br />
offering students pathways to higher levels of competition.<br />
Stay ahead of the curve by integrating Point MMA into your<br />
curriculum and be a part of the movement to elevate martial arts<br />
competitions to new heights. Visit PointMMA.com to learn more.<br />
18 MARTIAL ARTS WORLD NEWS VOLUME <strong>24</strong> | ISSUE 5
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INDUSTRY INNOVATIONS<br />
Enhance Your Curriculum<br />
with Budo International<br />
Budo International Publishing Co. stands as a global leader<br />
in martial arts publishing, boasting over 35 years of industry<br />
experience. Their extensive catalog includes a wide range<br />
of instructional materials and resources designed to enhance the<br />
skills and knowledge of martial artists worldwide.<br />
Product Catalog:<br />
• Instructional <strong>Martial</strong> <strong>Arts</strong> DVDs: With over 1000 titles available<br />
in PAL and NTSC formats, our DVDs cover various martial<br />
arts, combat sports, and self-defense techniques. These are<br />
offered in five languages: German, English, French, Spanish,<br />
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• Digital Videos: Accessible for download in multiple languages,<br />
our digital videos provide convenient, on-the-go learning options.<br />
• Books and e-Books: Comprehensive and detailed, our<br />
books and e-books cater to both beginners and advanced<br />
practitioners.<br />
• Free Online Monthly <strong>Magazine</strong>: Available in 10 languages<br />
(English, Spanish, German, French, Italian, Portuguese,<br />
Japanese, and Chinese), Budo International offers a wealth of<br />
knowledge and insights into the martial arts world.<br />
Benefits for <strong>Martial</strong> <strong>Arts</strong> School Owners:<br />
1. Diverse Learning Resources: Enhance your curriculum<br />
with a vast selection of instructional DVDs, digital videos,<br />
books, and e-books, catering to different learning styles<br />
and skill levels.<br />
2. Multilingual Content: Access materials in multiple languages,<br />
allowing you to reach and educate a broader audience.<br />
3. Stay Informed: The free online magazine provides the latest<br />
news, techniques, and trends in the martial arts industry,<br />
keeping you and your students updated.<br />
4. Professional Development: Utilize high-quality instructional<br />
content to further your own skills and knowledge, enabling<br />
you to offer superior training to your students.<br />
5. Global Perspective: Gain insights from martial artists around<br />
the world, enriching your teaching approach with diverse<br />
techniques and philosophies.<br />
By integrating Budo International Publishing Co.’s resources<br />
into your martial arts school, you can provide a comprehensive,<br />
multilingual, and up-to-date learning experience for your students,<br />
ensuring they receive the best possible training. Visit<br />
BudoInternational.com to learn more<br />
20 MARTIAL ARTS WORLD NEWS VOLUME <strong>24</strong> | ISSUE 5
We teach Character through Karate<br />
Kickstart Kids is an award winning in-school<br />
character development program that uses<br />
karate to teach life-changing values to middle<br />
school and high school students. The non-profit<br />
organization was founded in 1990 by martial<br />
artist, actor, and philanthropist Chuck Norris.<br />
For employment opportunities or to find out<br />
how you can help support this great cause, visit<br />
kickstartkids.org<br />
KickStartKids.org
INDUSTRY INNOVATIONS<br />
Serve Your Community Even More Deeply<br />
with AMSKids After School <strong>Martial</strong> <strong>Arts</strong><br />
AMSKids is a unique and innovative children’s program for<br />
martial arts school owners who want to offer exceptional<br />
after-school martial arts instruction to elementary age children.<br />
It is not a daycare or babysitting, but rather a highly valuable,<br />
in demand program that combines structured martial arts training<br />
with leadership and character development, providing a comprehensive<br />
alternative for parents seeking more for their children.<br />
With 75% of North American families consisting of singleparent<br />
homes or households where both parents work, there is<br />
a substantial demand for safe, enriching after-school programs.<br />
The AMSKids Program addresses this need, offering a secure<br />
and supportive environment that promotes physical health, mental<br />
empowerment, and character development.<br />
Benefits to Your School:<br />
1. Increased Enrollment and Revenue: By offering a specialized<br />
after-school martial arts program, you school can attract<br />
more students and generate additional income. The program<br />
is very appealing to working parents so it also creates a steady<br />
flow of new enrollments.<br />
2. Faster Student Development: Students enrolled in the<br />
AMSKids Program receive more frequent and consistent training<br />
than typical evening classes, resulting in significant improvements<br />
in their martial arts skills and personal development. This<br />
leads to higher student retention rates and better performance<br />
in participants.<br />
3. Differentiation from Competitors: The AMSKids Program<br />
sets your martial arts school apart from others by providing<br />
greater value that goes beyond traditional martial arts training.<br />
The inclusion of leadership and character-building activities<br />
makes your school a preferred choice for parents.<br />
4. Community Engagement: By providing transportation for<br />
children from their schools and operating during school vacations,<br />
you’ll strengthen your ties with your community. This level<br />
of service demonstrates your commitment to the well-being and<br />
development of local children and thereby will enhance your<br />
school’s reputation.<br />
5. Structured Curriculum: The program features a well-designed<br />
curriculum created by experienced martial arts instructors,<br />
ensuring high-quality instruction and a consistent learning<br />
experience for all students.<br />
By implementing the AMSKids Program, martial arts school<br />
owners can play a pivotal role in shaping the future leaders of<br />
tomorrow while simultaneously enhancing their business and<br />
community standing.<br />
See more here: ourams.com/kids<br />
AMSKIDS<br />
After School & Summer Camp Programs<br />
22 MARTIAL ARTS WORLD NEWS VOLUME <strong>24</strong> | ISSUE 5
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SOCIAL 411<br />
14 Faces of Malware Unmasked For<br />
School Owners Part 2<br />
Continuing our exploration of malware, this article delves<br />
into seven additional forms of malicious software that can<br />
pose significant threats to martial arts schools. Understanding<br />
these threats and knowing how to protect against them is vital<br />
for maintaining a secure and efficient operation.<br />
1. Mobile Malware<br />
What it is: Mobile malware targets mobile devices through<br />
malicious downloads, OS vulnerabilities, phishing, smishing, and<br />
unsecured WiFi.<br />
Protection Example: Advise staff and students to download<br />
apps only from official app stores and use mobile security solutions<br />
to scan for threats.<br />
2. Exploits<br />
What it is: Exploits take advantage of vulnerabilities in software<br />
or operating systems to gain unauthorized access and often deploy<br />
additional malware.<br />
Protection Example: Regularly update all software and operating<br />
systems to patch vulnerabilities and reduce the risk of exploits.<br />
3. Scareware<br />
What it is: Scareware tricks users into believing their device is<br />
infected, prompting them to install fake antivirus software, which<br />
then installs malware.<br />
Protection Example: Educate your team to recognize scareware<br />
tactics and use trusted antivirus programs to avoid falling for<br />
such scams.<br />
4. Keyloggers<br />
What it is: Keyloggers record every keystroke on a device, often<br />
capturing sensitive information like passwords and personal data.<br />
Protection Example: Use anti-keylogger software and<br />
ensure all sensitive information is encrypted to protect against<br />
keylogging attacks.<br />
5. Botnets<br />
What it is: Botnets are networks of compromised computers<br />
controlled by an attacker, used to launch large-scale attacks or<br />
perform malicious tasks.<br />
Protection Example: Implement strong firewall rules and intrusion<br />
detection systems to identify and block botnet traffic.<br />
6. MALSPAM (Malicious Spam)<br />
What it is: MALSPAM involves emails that deliver malware<br />
through malicious attachments or links, often appearing as legitimate<br />
communications.<br />
Protection Example: Train staff to recognize and report suspicious<br />
emails and use email filtering solutions to block MALSPAM.<br />
7. Wiper Attacks<br />
What it is: Wiper attacks aim to permanently delete or corrupt<br />
data, often in contexts of geopolitical conflicts or hacktivism.<br />
Protection Example: Regularly backup critical data to offline<br />
storage and use advanced threat detection to identify and mitigate<br />
potential wiper attacks early.<br />
Conclusion<br />
Advanced malware threats require diligent cybersecurity practices<br />
and ongoing education for martial arts school owners and<br />
staff. By understanding these sophisticated forms of malware and<br />
implementing the recommended protection strategies, you can<br />
secure your school’s digital environment, protect sensitive data,<br />
and ensure the continued success of your business. Stay informed,<br />
proactive, and prepared to defend against the evolving landscape<br />
of cyber threats.<br />
<strong>24</strong> MARTIAL ARTS WORLD NEWS VOLUME <strong>24</strong> | ISSUE 5<br />
Photograph by Tippapatt
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AdventuresOfHarryAndFriends.com
SOCIAL 411<br />
OpenAI’s SearchGPT: Potential Impact for<br />
<strong>Martial</strong> <strong>Arts</strong> School Owners<br />
OpenAI has recently launched its BETA version of Search-<br />
GPT, an AI-powered search engine that aims to compete<br />
with Google. This new approach to ‘search’ is sure to<br />
disrupt the traditional “list of links” we’ve all become accustom to<br />
with Google. This represents a new challenge, and opportunity<br />
for our industry.<br />
Key Takeaways:<br />
• Innovative Search Experience: SearchGPT provides concise<br />
summaries of information from various websites, followed<br />
by links for further details. This streamlined search experience<br />
can enhance visibility for businesses, including martial arts<br />
schools, by making it easier for potential clients to find relevant<br />
information quickly.<br />
• Enhanced Interaction: Users can ask follow-up questions<br />
and access additional relevant links through a sidebar.<br />
For martial arts schools, this means potential clients can<br />
easily navigate to class schedules, enrollment details, and<br />
other pertinent information, improving user engagement and<br />
conversion rates.<br />
• Control for Publishers: OpenAI allows publishers to manage<br />
their appearance in search results and opt out of using<br />
their content for AI training. <strong>Martial</strong> arts school owners can<br />
leverage this feature to ensure their information is accurately<br />
represented while maintaining control over their content.<br />
Business Implications:<br />
1. Increased Visibility: As SearchGPT gains popularity, it<br />
could become a vital tool for attracting new clients. Ensuring<br />
your martial arts school’s information is optimized for this platform<br />
can enhance your online presence and drive more traffic<br />
to your website.<br />
2. Competitive Edge: Adopting early strategies to utilize<br />
SearchGPT can set your school apart from competitors who rely<br />
solely on traditional search engines. Embracing this technology<br />
can position your business as innovative and accessible.<br />
3. Client Engagement: The ability for users to engage with<br />
follow-up questions and related links can lead to higher client<br />
satisfaction and retention. Potential clients can quickly find<br />
the information they need, making them more likely to choose<br />
your school.<br />
What’s Next:<br />
While the exact timeline for the broader release of Search-<br />
GPT is unclear, staying informed and prepared to adapt your<br />
online marketing strategy is essential. Keeping an eye on<br />
developments and understanding how to optimize your content<br />
for this new search engine can provide a significant advantage<br />
in the evolving digital landscape. OpenAI’s SearchGPT represents<br />
a promising opportunity for martial arts school owners<br />
to enhance their digital presence, attract new clients, and stay<br />
ahead in a competitive market.<br />
26 MARTIAL ARTS WORLD NEWS VOLUME <strong>24</strong> | ISSUE 5<br />
Photograph by Barriography
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OLYMPICS<br />
Florida Teen Kristina Teachout<br />
Wins Olympic Bronze in<br />
Taekwondo: A Bright Future for<br />
American Taekwondo<br />
The 20<strong>24</strong> Paris Olympic Games brought a new wave of American hopefuls in martial<br />
arts, each entering the international stage with hopes and dreams as diverse as<br />
their backgrounds. For some athletes, the dream was the sheer honor of being an<br />
Olympian and testing their mettle against the world’s best. Others, driven by an<br />
unyielding pursuit of excellence, aimed for nothing less than a podium finish.<br />
In Judo, Maria Laborde, Angelica Delgado, Jack Yonezuka,<br />
and John Jayne represented the United States, stepping onto<br />
the mat with a blend of determination and pride. The Taekwondo<br />
team, comprising CJ Nickolas, Faith Dillon, Jonathan Healy, and<br />
Kristina Teachout, showcased their skill and resilience. Among this<br />
talented group, Kristina Teachout stood out, securing a coveted<br />
medal and bringing honor to her country and her sport. Her success<br />
symbolizes the dedication and potential of America’s martial<br />
artists on the world stage.<br />
A New American Star Rises<br />
The Florida teen left Paris with<br />
an Olympic medal after an inspiring<br />
journey in Taekwondo that captured<br />
the hearts of fans worldwide. Kristina<br />
Teachout, an 18-year-old from Palm<br />
Bay, made headlines by winning<br />
a bronze medal in the women’s<br />
67-kilogram division at the Paris 20<strong>24</strong><br />
Olympics, cementing her status as<br />
one of the brightest stars in American<br />
martial arts.<br />
Teachout’s Olympic journey was<br />
nothing short of extraordinary. After<br />
being defeated in the quarterfinals,<br />
she showcased remarkable resilience<br />
by fighting through the repechage<br />
phase to claim her place on the<br />
podium. “I’ll probably cry about it later,<br />
but I’m so grateful,” Teachout said, her<br />
voice filled with emotion. “This is the<br />
culmination of everything that’s important to me and all that I’ve<br />
put into my craft.”<br />
The young athlete’s celebration was a moment of pure joy<br />
and patriotism. Grabbing a U.S. flag, Teachout ran around the<br />
octagonal-shaped combat area, her face beaming as she warmly<br />
embraced her coach. It was a sight that stirred pride in every<br />
American watching, a symbol of what hard work, determination,<br />
and the love of one’s country can achieve.<br />
Teachout’s path to victory was paved with challenges. She<br />
began her day with a stunning victory over world champion Magda<br />
Wiet-Henin of France, only to face<br />
a heartbreaking loss to Hungary’s<br />
Viviana Marton in a closely contested<br />
match. But Teachout’s spirit remained<br />
unbroken. She rebounded with a decisive<br />
win over Ruth Gbagbi of Ivory<br />
Coast in the repechage and went on<br />
to defeat Song Jie of China for the<br />
bronze. Song played conservatively,<br />
but Teachout seized every opportunity,<br />
applying relentless pressure to<br />
secure her victory in two rounds.<br />
“I’ve always had the harder route<br />
in sports,” Teachout reflected, her<br />
words echoing the tough road she’s<br />
traveled. “Even getting this bronze<br />
wasn’t easy. It was the hardest route<br />
to get a medal. Having to go through<br />
the motions of losing and, you know,<br />
get it back together and fight. So<br />
yeah, it’s been an emotional journey.”<br />
28 MARTIAL ARTS WORLD NEWS VOLUME <strong>24</strong> | ISSUE 5
OLYMPICS<br />
Teachout’s success is even more impressive considering she<br />
had to overcome a hamstring injury earlier in her career. Her<br />
triumph in Paris is a testament to her resilience and unwavering<br />
dedication to her craft.<br />
Teachout’s journey to the Olympics was marked by significant<br />
milestones, including her victory<br />
over Anastasija Zolotic, the first U.S.<br />
woman to win a gold medal in<br />
Taekwondo, during the U.S. Olympic<br />
trials. This victory was a clear indication<br />
of the rising star that Teachout<br />
has become, and her performance<br />
in Paris has only solidified her place<br />
among the elite in the sport.<br />
Hopes for 2028 Los Angeles<br />
Games<br />
Looking to the future, the excitement<br />
surrounding American Taekwondo<br />
is real. With the Los Angeles<br />
2028 Olympics on the horizon,<br />
Teachout’s bronze medal is just the<br />
beginning. Alongside her is fellow<br />
Taekwondo athlete CJ Nicholas, who,<br />
despite narrowly missing the podium<br />
in Paris, has shown immense potential.<br />
Together, they represent the future<br />
of American Taekwondo, a future<br />
that is bright and full of promise.<br />
Teachout’s story is one of perseverance, passion, and<br />
patriotism—a true embodiment of the American spirit. As we<br />
celebrate her incredible achievement, we also look forward to<br />
the next chapter in her journey, where she will undoubtedly aim<br />
for gold in Los Angeles. The countdown to 2028 has begun, and<br />
with it, the hopes and dreams of a<br />
nation are carried by athletes like<br />
Kristina Teachout, who continue to<br />
inspire us all.<br />
As we celebrate Teachout’s<br />
incredible achievement and look<br />
forward to the next chapter in her<br />
journey, there’s no doubt that she<br />
will be a key player in Team USA’s<br />
quest for gold in 2028. Her Olympic<br />
Bronze is not just a victory for her<br />
but a victory for all of us—a symbol<br />
of what can be achieved when talent,<br />
hard work, and patriotism come<br />
together.<br />
The countdown to Los Angeles<br />
2028 has begun, and with it, the<br />
hopes and dreams of millions of<br />
Americans are riding on the shoulders<br />
of athletes like Kristina Teachout<br />
and CJ Nicholas. Together, they are<br />
lighting the way to a future where<br />
American Taekwondo stands at the<br />
pinnacle of the sport.<br />
MARTIAL ARTS WORLD NEWS VOLUME <strong>24</strong> | ISSUE 5 29
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POLITICS<br />
Potential Impact of the 20<strong>24</strong><br />
Presidential Candidates on<br />
<strong>Martial</strong> <strong>Arts</strong> School Owners<br />
As we approach the 20<strong>24</strong> Presidential election, the two nominees are former<br />
President Donald Trum and Vice President Kamala Harris.<br />
The outcome of this election could have significant implications<br />
for various industries, including, of course, the martial arts industry.<br />
Understanding each candidate’s record, stances, and policies is<br />
crucial for martial arts school owners as you plan the future of your<br />
business.<br />
So, let’s take an unbiased, objective look at the highlights of<br />
each candidates’ platform, and how their policy proposals might<br />
affect our industry.<br />
Kamala Harris:<br />
Background and Experience<br />
Kamala Harris, born in Oakland, California, declared her<br />
candidacy for the 20<strong>24</strong> Democratic nomination on July 21, 20<strong>24</strong>.<br />
Harris, 59, is the current Vice President of the United States and<br />
has held several significant positions, including U.S. Senator from<br />
California, Attorney General of California, and District Attorney of<br />
San Francisco.<br />
She holds a bachelor’s degree from Howard University and a law<br />
degree from the University<br />
of California, Hastings College<br />
of the Law.<br />
Key Policy <strong>Issue</strong>s<br />
Harris’s campaign<br />
focuses on several<br />
core issues:<br />
(At the time of this<br />
writing, 3 days into the<br />
Democratic National<br />
Convention, the Harris<br />
campaign has not yet<br />
published a comprehensive<br />
platform outline, so<br />
we’ll be examining her<br />
statements at the convention,<br />
and the brief<br />
outline provided to the<br />
media.)<br />
• Increasing the corporate tax rate from 21% to 28% (or 35%).<br />
Depending on your business structure, this may or may not<br />
have an immediate, direct impact for you. If you’re a “C” corporation,<br />
or other entity that is taxed at the corporate rate, you<br />
may want to consider the impact of this possibility.<br />
• Increasing the child tax credit from $2000 to $3600 per child<br />
and expanding to $6000 for the first year of the child’s life.<br />
About 70% of martial arts students in the US are under age 13,<br />
so expanding the child tax credit would presumably reduce the<br />
family’s tax burden, giving them more discretionary income.<br />
• Provide tax incentives for home builders who build ‘starter’<br />
homes, sold to first-time buyers, and provide $25,000<br />
down-payment assistance to support first-time buyers.<br />
If your school is in an area that serves either younger families,<br />
or newer homeowners, this may stimulate some economic<br />
movement in this area. Also, if you serve people in the home<br />
construction, maintenance or services industry, this may help<br />
stimulate their businesses as well.<br />
• Raising the Minimum<br />
Wage<br />
It’s unclear, as of today,<br />
what the target rate<br />
would be, but obviously,<br />
this may impact martial<br />
arts schools with paid<br />
staff members.<br />
• Reducing Healthcare<br />
Costs<br />
The Harris, Walz agenda<br />
proposes to cap the<br />
price on insulin to $35,<br />
and out of pocket drug<br />
expense to $2000 per<br />
person, for everyone.<br />
So families may also find<br />
some relief from some<br />
medical costs here.<br />
32 MARTIAL ARTS WORLD NEWS VOLUME <strong>24</strong> | ISSUE 5
POLITICS<br />
Donald Trump:<br />
Background and Experience<br />
Donald Trump, born in Queens, New York, declared his candidacy<br />
for the 20<strong>24</strong> GOP nomination on November 15, 2022.<br />
Trump, 78, graduated from the University of Pennsylvania with a<br />
bachelor’s degree in economics.<br />
Before his presidency, he was a real estate developer, businessman,<br />
and reality television star. His first term as president<br />
included significant legal challenges and two impeachments, yet<br />
he maintains a strong support base with the slogan MAGA.<br />
Key Policy <strong>Issue</strong>s Trump’s campaign focuses on several<br />
key areas:<br />
(As of the time of this writing, the Trump/Vance agenda is published<br />
on their website, and links to the RNC Platform summary.)<br />
• Lower Corporate Tax Rate to 15% - Make Trump Tax Cuts<br />
Permanent and No Tax on Tips<br />
Again, depending on your business’ corporate structure, the<br />
corporate tax rate may or may not be directly relevant to you,<br />
but if it is, this is something to note. School operators who serve<br />
business owners, or areas where companies may expand under<br />
these conditions should consider the ramifications.<br />
• Increasing the child tax credit from $2000 to $5000 per child<br />
Again, as we stated on the previous page, this very well<br />
could save parents more on their tax bill, allowing them to<br />
keep more of their earned income. This is a higher proposal<br />
than the Harris/Waltz campaign, but either proposal<br />
would, obviously, have to make it through congress to<br />
become law.<br />
• Housing and Education Affordability<br />
The Trump/Walz campaign proposes to make housing more<br />
affordable by stimulating economic growth, reducing inflation,<br />
lowering interest rates, opening limited federal lands to housing<br />
development, providing tax incentives for first-time buyers,<br />
and reducing unnecessary regulations that raise the cost of<br />
housing. These proposals, as of yet, don’t have many specifics<br />
(like a specific first-time home buyer tax credit ‘amount’).<br />
• Simulate the American Economy Through<br />
“Pro-Growth” Policies<br />
The campaign intends to grow the economy by leveraging<br />
American energy production, reigning in wasteful<br />
Government spending, promoting economic growth, and<br />
cutting costly and burdensome regulations. For school<br />
owners in energy producing areas of the country, or<br />
where industries have become hamstrung by overregulation<br />
this may be an opportunity.<br />
• Stop Illegal Immigration<br />
We’ve heard reports from school operators in some areas<br />
around the nation who’ve been affected by the spike in illegal<br />
migration. This is an issue the campaign platform positions as<br />
a high priority, so if it’s an issue that concerns you and your<br />
business, you may want to make note.<br />
Regardless of ‘which side of the aisle’ you sit, the upcoming<br />
election will certainly have an effect on the macroeconomic situation,<br />
and in some cases a more direct micro-economic impact on<br />
our businesses and our students.<br />
Let us know what you think!<br />
Email us at: editor@<strong>Martial</strong><strong>Arts</strong><strong>World</strong><strong>News</strong>.com<br />
MARTIAL ARTS WORLD NEWS VOLUME <strong>24</strong> | ISSUE 5 33
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EVENTS<br />
The 18th Annual Dragonfest<br />
Expo Delights Crowds<br />
The <strong>Martial</strong> <strong>Arts</strong> History Museum’s Dragonfest Expo was a resounding success,<br />
attracting nearly 2,000 attendees to the Glendale Civic Auditorium earlier this month.<br />
The event was filled with 100 vendor<br />
booths, six workshops, and a full day of cultural<br />
performances on stage. From Japanese<br />
musical dances, a Chinese lion dance group,<br />
and Chinese Face Changing to a special Armenian<br />
dance ensemble featured this year. A<br />
new Armenian section will be installed in the<br />
<strong>Martial</strong> <strong>Arts</strong> History Museum later this year.<br />
Dragonfest is more like a reunion than<br />
just a convention. It is the gathering of martial<br />
arts icons, stars, celebrities, and champions<br />
all in one place. It provides an opportunity for<br />
young fans to meet their favorite icons. Some<br />
of those included Benny “the Jet” Urquidez,<br />
Don “the Dragon” Wilson, Cynthia Rothrock,<br />
Eric Lee, James Lew, George Chung, Chong<br />
Lee, Michelle Manu, Simon Rhee, Doug Wong, Carrie Ogawa-<br />
Wong, Graciela Casillas and many more.<br />
Some of the celebrities guests included Spice Williams-Crosby<br />
(Star Trek), Matthew Moi (2 Broke Girls), Leilani Shiu (Star Wars),<br />
Herbert Jefferson (Battlestar Galactica), Roger Lowe (Star Trek),<br />
Gloria Hendry (James Bond 007), Ron Thomas (Karate Kid, Cobra<br />
Kai), Sean Kanan (Karate Kid, Cobra Kai), Americus Abesamis<br />
(iCarly), Jay Tavara (Mortal Kombat), Disney Icon James Ito, Darryl<br />
Vidal (Karate Kid), Peter Kwong (Big Trouble in Little China), just to<br />
name a few.<br />
The convention center was also filled with cosplayers such<br />
as Star Wars Storm Troopers, inspiring Jedi, Darth Vader, bloodthirsty<br />
pirates, and Anime-themed characters.<br />
“We have been honored to host this convention each year.<br />
People fly in from around the world to meet their favorite stars and<br />
touch base with their friends. It’s like a big reunion,” says museum<br />
president Michael Matsuda. “We have had booths for many pioneers<br />
who are now gone such as Fumio Demura, Bill Ryusaki, Tak<br />
Kubota, John Corcoran, and Buck Sam Kong. Each year, we take<br />
the time to honor those who have passed in the last year.<br />
36 MARTIAL ARTS WORLD NEWS VOLUME <strong>24</strong> | ISSUE 5
EVENTS<br />
The most important thing about Dragonfest is that it is a fundraiser<br />
for the <strong>Martial</strong> <strong>Arts</strong> History Museum. 100 percent of all the<br />
proceeds go to the museum. “We are so thrilled that these huge<br />
figures in the arts freely give of their time to support the museum.<br />
Each believes in what we are doing and they always make it a<br />
point to be there to support,” adds Matsuda.<br />
The <strong>Martial</strong> <strong>Arts</strong> History Museum is the first and only museum<br />
of its kind in the world. It is the home of the martial arts worldwide<br />
and the only place keeping martial arts history alive. Notes Benny<br />
“the Jet” Urquidez, “without this museum, everything I did, everything<br />
I accomplished will be lost and worse, forgotten forever.”<br />
For more information about Dragonfest or the <strong>Martial</strong> <strong>Arts</strong> History<br />
Museum, visit their site at MAmuseum.com. Tax-deductible<br />
donations are strongly encouraged.<br />
MARTIAL ARTS WORLD NEWS VOLUME <strong>24</strong> | ISSUE 5 37
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COVER STORY<br />
The Power of Family: How<br />
Mimi Hwang is Expanding Her<br />
Father’s <strong>Martial</strong> <strong>Arts</strong> Dream<br />
In the exciting and fast moving world of martial arts business,<br />
few figures shine as brightly as Master Mimi Hwang. As a<br />
second-generation martial arts school owner, Mimi is not<br />
just continuing a legacy—she’s forging a very bright future.<br />
With a deep-rooted passion for Taekwondo and a very<br />
sharp business acumen, Mimi has elevated Hwang’s <strong>Martial</strong><br />
<strong>Arts</strong> to new heights, leading three thriving locations in<br />
Louisville, KY, and serving over 800 active students. Beyond<br />
her work in the dojang, Master Mimi is also a successful<br />
licensed real estate agent and the driving force behind<br />
the family’s property ventures. Her leadership has brought<br />
great innovation to the schools, with the introduction of<br />
impactful after-school programs and the establishment<br />
of the Jung Hwang Legacy Foundation, a charity that has<br />
raised significant funds for local causes. Master Mimi Hwang<br />
embodies the bright future of Hwang’s <strong>Martial</strong> <strong>Arts</strong> as she<br />
skillfully balances tradition with progressive technology as<br />
she leads the way toward an impactful future in the martial<br />
arts industry and her community.<br />
40 MARTIAL ARTS WORLD NEWS VOLUME <strong>24</strong> | ISSUE 5
COVER STORY<br />
Master Of The Year for 20<strong>24</strong><br />
Master Mimi Hwang<br />
MARTIAL ARTS WORLD NEWS VOLUME <strong>24</strong> | ISSUE 5 41
COVER STORY<br />
MAWnews: Mimi Hwang is a second generation school owner,<br />
meaning the family founded the school and now there is a second<br />
generation of ownership taking more and more responsibility<br />
and roles in the school. Which is an interesting trend that’s been<br />
happening in the industry for a number of years. From this we’re<br />
seeing all sorts of interesting innovations and new insights and<br />
things really interesting to talk about. Can you start us off from the<br />
beginning? Please tell us about the schools’ background, your family,<br />
how things got started here in the United States, and what it all<br />
looks like now?<br />
Olympic Legacy: “My father, Grandmaster<br />
Jung Oh Hwang, won the silver medal in<br />
the Los Angeles Olympics…”<br />
MH: So my father, grandmaster Jung Oh Hwang, won the silver<br />
medal in the Los Angeles Olympics representing South Korea in<br />
judo in 1984. From there he had the opportunity to study in the<br />
United States and he was able to get his masters in physical education<br />
at the University of Tennessee Martin.<br />
After that, he started his own school, grew that location, then<br />
moved to Paducah, KY, and ultimately in 1997 put down permanent<br />
Master Hwang poses for snapshot with her after school martial arts class.<br />
roots here in Louisville, KY. It started with one school, then grew<br />
into two, and now we operate 3 locations here in Louisville.<br />
MAWnews: When did you think that martial arts was going to<br />
be the career that you would go into? Then how did that transition<br />
into both instructorship, ownership, and locations?<br />
MH: Well, I literally lived, breathed, and ate Taekwondo growing<br />
up. I did not do anything else. Probably the typical second generation<br />
story. I did not go to prom because prom was on Friday nights<br />
and that was during our demo practice.<br />
I grew up doing it. My parents would take me to the AMS<br />
seminars when I was in middle school<br />
all the way through high school. Then<br />
I went to college at San Jose State<br />
University in the Bay Area, graduated,<br />
but I think I’ve always wanted to run<br />
a school. It’s just something that I’m<br />
really passionate about. I love all of<br />
the different aspects of what happens<br />
in a Taekwondo school. I moved back<br />
fully in 2009 and that’s when I really<br />
stepped into a full time role at the schools. I’ve been doing that<br />
ever since.<br />
MAWnews: So almost 16 years in the business, and now you<br />
have four children as well. How is your family involved in operations<br />
now?<br />
MH: They are fully immersed in it. They take classes in the location<br />
where my father teaches often, they attend the all day camps,<br />
and pretty much every activity.<br />
They’re definitely getting the<br />
Grandmaster Hwang training experience,<br />
but it’s a more refined, softer<br />
approach nowadays. I guess things<br />
change when you’re a grandpa,<br />
because I had to do like a 1000<br />
push-ups. Then I see him teaching<br />
my kids and it’s a bit different.<br />
I’m hoping that I also can really<br />
cultivate my children’s passion for<br />
the art. Both of the children love it<br />
and then my youngest daughter is 2<br />
and she’s fascinated by what’s going<br />
on every day. Seeing her older<br />
brother and sister do it. So my hope<br />
is that they love it and that this is<br />
something that is going to be a part<br />
of their lives too.<br />
MAWnews: So, as a multi-school<br />
operator, you (and your family) have<br />
also added a pillar of wealth to your<br />
operation by acquiring commercial<br />
real estate, with in some cases, the<br />
school(s) being a tenant along with<br />
others. Walk us through that process<br />
and when did you start acquiring<br />
these buildings?<br />
42 MARTIAL ARTS WORLD NEWS VOLUME <strong>24</strong> | ISSUE 5
COVER STORY<br />
MH: So my parents leased for many, many years and then<br />
through all the people they met, they came to realize that one of the<br />
best ways to grow wealth is through real estate. So they acquired<br />
some land and actually built it from the ground up for our first location.<br />
That was a location in Jay Town, our first location in this area.<br />
Then the second location was the same. My dad literally<br />
knocked on the person’s door, and asked them if they would sell<br />
the home. Now that location is our biggest flagship school, which<br />
we also built from the ground up in 2005.<br />
Then the third location was an established furniture store that<br />
had gone out of business.<br />
MAWnews: From the ground up is really jumping in with both<br />
feet, isn’t it?<br />
MH: It really was. I was not involved in the negotiations or<br />
acquisitions at that time, but seeing all the things that happen<br />
‘behind the scenes’ was a marvelous experience, and taught me a<br />
lot about how the real estate business works, and probably ignited<br />
some of the passion I have for real estate.<br />
Now that I also have become a real estate agent, I have a much<br />
deeper understanding of all the nuances<br />
and technical elements, and can be<br />
more valuable to my clients. It’s a long<br />
process from the zoning to the drawings<br />
and the development plan. You have to<br />
get so many things approved from the<br />
city and then actually build it.<br />
After all of this, then you try to open<br />
a business. There are certainly many<br />
psychological bottlenecks and learning<br />
curves. For my parents being the first<br />
generation, immigrants to the United<br />
States it’s amazing and inspiring to me<br />
Master Hwang and her mother at a special event.<br />
that they just ‘figured it out’ and made it all happen. I try to emulate<br />
those qualities now, for my family to see!<br />
Then there was the business learning curve that every school<br />
owner has to go through since we’re not born business owners.<br />
You learn how it all works. You have to learn about permitting,<br />
Multi-Generational Dedication:<br />
“I literally lived, breathed, and ate<br />
Taekwondo growing up. I did not go to<br />
prom because prom was on Friday nights<br />
and that was during our demo practice.”<br />
First and Second generation Hwang’s <strong>Martial</strong> <strong>Arts</strong> Leadership.<br />
licensing, accounting, taxes, and so much<br />
more. We don’t want to do any of them,<br />
but you have to learn a little bit about it.<br />
Of course, in our case you layer on top of<br />
that we not only acquired the property but<br />
actually started from the ground up.<br />
It really took and takes a lot to succeed.<br />
Additionally, now our two-story building<br />
also involves tenants. This is a whole different<br />
kind of beast when you’re dealing with<br />
leasing to tenants and everything else that<br />
goes with having tenants. So now, a new<br />
learning curve to face is learning how to be<br />
a landlord.<br />
There’s definitely been expensive<br />
mistakes along the way. Whenever somebody<br />
can provide some shortcuts, then<br />
I’m always ready to take as many notes as<br />
possible. Learning through other people’s<br />
mistakes can really save you a ton of<br />
money and a lot of headaches.<br />
continued on page 46<br />
MARTIAL ARTS WORLD NEWS VOLUME <strong>24</strong> | ISSUE 5 43
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COVER STORY<br />
continued from page 43<br />
I tell people all of the time don’t believe what TikTok says about<br />
how easy it can be. There’s no easy way to make money and within<br />
real estate it’s hard. But it’s definitely one of those areas, if it is<br />
done well, that can lead to real wealth.<br />
MAWnews: Well, you guys are a great example of that. In your<br />
three locations you’re also implementing transported after school<br />
programs. In fact, one location is a fully licensed child care center.<br />
How did that start and what is your current experience in running<br />
these after school programs?<br />
MH: We’ve been doing after school care through AMS. I think<br />
we were one of the first to do it when it was launched way back in<br />
2002. The program was and has been very successful, we could<br />
have like 120 kids at one center for summer camps, for example.<br />
One of our locations is situated in an area where a high<br />
proportion of parents really wanted to take ‘more’ advantage of<br />
Master Hwang promotes the benefits of the martial arts and charity events.<br />
Real Estate Ventures: “We acquired some<br />
land and actually built it from the ground up<br />
for our first location... Now that location is<br />
our biggest flagship school, which we also<br />
built from the ground up in 2005.”<br />
the program, so, it really made sense for us to become a certified<br />
childcare center. I think we started that back in 2018-19 and it’s<br />
been great. There’s a lot of paperwork and regulations that come<br />
with it also, but we do it very leanly and as efficiently as possible so<br />
that the program can grow to be where it is today.<br />
The hurdles are probably all of the smallest detail regulations<br />
per the state that you have to meet, and it’s great that there is a<br />
template of the things that you’re supposed to do as a licensed<br />
childcare center.<br />
You can get an inspection at any given time. They don’t give<br />
you any warning and they go through everything. All your employee<br />
files, your transportation logs, fire drills, earthquake drills,<br />
I mean everything and anything under the sun. Even making sure<br />
you have hand soap in the emergency bag in the school bus.<br />
MAWnews: So with three locations operating with more than<br />
800 students, what do you think, if you look back over the years,<br />
were some of the biggest successes you’ve had?<br />
MH: Looking back over the years, I say, surviving the pandemic.<br />
That was a crazy time. Luckily, we were able to really pivot, adapt,<br />
and still hold classes over zoom. I feel like that was probably the<br />
most challenging situation.<br />
The first four weeks, then eight weeks, then 12 weeks, and then<br />
more than a year. So I feel like overcoming that was a big success<br />
over the years. So I’m really proud of that.<br />
Also, probably bringing out the nonprofit was another big<br />
success that came out over the last<br />
few years.<br />
MAWnews: Yes, you do a lot of<br />
work on your 501c3 non profit organization,<br />
describe that for us.<br />
MH: Well, one component is that<br />
we hold a larger championship tournament<br />
that started a very long time<br />
ago. My dad, Grandmaster Hwang,<br />
has a team called the Horseman<br />
team. It consists of different aspects<br />
of planning an event. It’s not an easy<br />
thing to do with all the details and<br />
things that go along with it. So you really need to have a good team<br />
which we call our horseman team. They’re hand-picked and typically<br />
meet every Saturday for almost a year to plan this one event.<br />
The other event that we have is a big charity event in the spring.<br />
We have competitors that come from all over the world: Bolivia,<br />
Cuba, China, South Korea, Alaska, Ohio and then, of course, our<br />
HMA students. We’ll have over 800 competitors and well over<br />
Master Hwang on television with the local news anchor women.<br />
46 MARTIAL ARTS WORLD NEWS VOLUME <strong>24</strong> | ISSUE 5
COVER STORY<br />
Master Hwang prepares for an interview in front of the mic.<br />
2000 spectators for our championship. We rent out a big hall in the<br />
Convention Center.<br />
We were all talking and we suggested that maybe we should<br />
just rent out a gym. But all the horsemen were like, “Absolutely<br />
not! We can do it, Sir! We’re gonna go big! There’s nothing small<br />
that we do at Hwang’s martial arts!” So rather than being in a 1200<br />
square foot gym we’re renting a 60,000 square foot ballroom.<br />
MAWnews: So how does this help facilitate the 501C3 charity?<br />
MH: For years since we’ve opened the schools, we’ve always<br />
made it a priority to give back. It’s been a big part of what we do<br />
like a lot of school owners. We were finding that year after year we<br />
were raising $50,000, $60,000 or more, for these nonprofit organizations.<br />
We thought that was great. It gives us instant credibility.<br />
Being able to partner with a well known name, but wanted to know<br />
where the money really went. But<br />
we really wanted a little bit more<br />
transparency. So we created our<br />
own 501c3.<br />
It’s interesting because we<br />
just had our charity event last<br />
year for the first time since CO-<br />
VID. We were really worried because<br />
our foundation is new. It’s<br />
called the Jung Hwang Legacy<br />
foundation. We were unsure if<br />
people were going to stand behind<br />
it because it’s not the local<br />
Children’s Hospital. It’s not the Kentucky Humane Society for pets.<br />
We wondered if we could raise the money. Our goal was $30,000<br />
and we surpassed it by raising over $43,000. It was amazing.<br />
It was very similar this past year. $40,000 was our goal and we<br />
surpassed $50,000. So people really like to stand behind things<br />
they believe in and they really believe in the Hwang’s <strong>Martial</strong> <strong>Arts</strong><br />
program. It’s really been eye opening to see that.<br />
You know, for school operators considering doing this, maybe<br />
you’re just starting, but if people really believe in your vision and<br />
have an established relationship like we have at Hwang’s <strong>Martial</strong><br />
<strong>Arts</strong> that you can really have a lot more impact.<br />
This enables us to award scholarships through the foundation.<br />
We are able to make donations to our local Children’s Hospital<br />
too, but it’s through the foundation now instead of through the for<br />
profit business.<br />
MAWnews: There are other school operators who have altruistic<br />
desires to contribute, but when you look at a charity that’s on<br />
television you just don’t know where the money goes. So what are<br />
the strategies you use to raise funds in these charitable efforts?<br />
MH: In addition to the championship, we hold large annual<br />
charity events. One is in the spring and the other is in the fall.<br />
We host a large exhibition where students and families generate<br />
donations through ticket sales. We’ve been able to really leverage<br />
this and dramatically expand our reach by deploying technology<br />
through online fundraising platforms.<br />
There’s definitely still some fees that come with that, but the<br />
online donations have been astronomical. It’s been amazing. I mean<br />
you can ask Grandma that lives in Kansas to donate to your page<br />
and you don’t have to worry and you know she can do it super quick.<br />
So through online donations, we’ve been able to raise funds. We<br />
create fun, exciting incentives for our students. This past year, we did<br />
a wave master signed by Grandmaster! So its a one-of-a-kind. You<br />
should have seen, there were three students up until the 11:59 deadline<br />
still finding donations. They raised $1500, it was truly amazing.<br />
We also brought in a silent auction which brought about<br />
$3000 to $5000. We did some fundraiser sales, items like<br />
double good popcorn. It’s already packaged with pre-popped<br />
popcorn. You’d think that $13 for a bag of popcorn wouldn’t do<br />
well, but we brought in like $4000 to $5000 just off that. It’s really<br />
a cumulative effort.<br />
Then the day of the event we’re out there motivating. I’m one of<br />
the MC’s and we have a big screen and start announcing dona-<br />
Pioneering After School Programs:<br />
“We were one of the first to implement after<br />
school care through AMS back in 2002. The<br />
program has been very successful, with up<br />
to 120 kids at one center for summer camps.”<br />
MARTIAL ARTS WORLD NEWS VOLUME <strong>24</strong> | ISSUE 5 47
COVER STORY<br />
Master Hwang teaching a young student in their after school program.<br />
tions like “$500.00 from Grandma saying, ‘We love you, Johnny.’”<br />
So we’ll announce that and people will just donate to see their<br />
name on the screen. Corporate sponsorships were also a big<br />
boost. We’ve got some really loyal sponsorships that believe in our<br />
mission and they graciously donate year after year.<br />
MAWnews: Serving your community is critical, and creating<br />
relationships with local businesses and organizations can be a<br />
Surviving the Pandemic: “Looking back,<br />
surviving the pandemic was probably the<br />
most challenging situation. We pivoted,<br />
adapted, and still held classes over Zoom—<br />
I’m really proud of that.”<br />
tremendous advantage. You said you had some corporate sponsorships.<br />
What type of companies and businesses should a school<br />
owner consider if they’re looking at doing<br />
something like this, who should they talk to?<br />
MH: So as far as corporate sponsorships,<br />
we’ve been around Louisville a really long<br />
time, since 1997. There are relationships<br />
that we have formed because we own a lot<br />
of real estate and other real estate investments.<br />
So there are certain banks that we<br />
use and many times they’ll donate.<br />
There’s a local HVAC and plumbing company<br />
that donate, I also use them personally<br />
for my investments. I’ll talk with them saying<br />
something like, “I am a loyal customer and<br />
I’d really love it if your company sponsored<br />
us for this charity event that benefits<br />
disadvantaged kids in our area.” We also<br />
have some students that own businesses as<br />
well and they are our top sponsors. They’re<br />
Master Hwang in preparation for a huge event<br />
for charity.<br />
very gracious with their donations. We also have some dentists,<br />
restaurants, and other service type industries that we frequent and<br />
patronize. Every year, I’ll ask my CPA if they would sponsor. They’ll<br />
say, “No.” So I’ll respond, “OK, well, would you consider donating<br />
$200.00.” And they’ll do it.<br />
So utilizing the network around you and the people that<br />
you see all the time like your hair stylist or barber. Those are<br />
the people that will say, “Yes, I see I see value in some of these<br />
sponsorships.” Plus, if they need a tax write off it’s 100 percent tax<br />
deductible. They’ll do a few hundred or even $100, $50.00, or $20.<br />
Whatever it is, we go out and ask.<br />
The lesson is that the answer to every question you don’t ask<br />
is “No!” In fact, I tell my kids “closed mouths don’t get fed”. So you<br />
just have to ask because the worst they can say is “No.” We’ve also<br />
got a formal letter too, but honestly a lot of the time for the people<br />
we know, we just send a text. I would recommend just having<br />
some sort of open communication. Face to face relationships or<br />
even a phone call relationship.<br />
MAWnews: I 100% agree, sending an email blast and expecting<br />
a flood of responses is unreasonable. But speaking with people<br />
you already have a relationship with is FAR more effective.<br />
Changing subjects, it’s useful for<br />
school owners to hear how other<br />
successful operators have handled<br />
difficulties. What are some of the<br />
biggest challenges that you’ve had<br />
to overcome that you think some<br />
lessons might be gained?<br />
MH: There are many challenges.<br />
We still struggle with just finding<br />
staff. I know that that’s an industry<br />
related issue across the country.<br />
The process is extremely slow. I<br />
don’t feel like it is as easy to find<br />
staff as it was back just a few years<br />
ago. A lot of times you would find a parent that could do some<br />
work or needed part time work, but these days it just really seems<br />
like nobody wants to work at all.<br />
We’ve been pretty fortunate again in<br />
using the networks of our parents. Now the<br />
parents that we have sometimes have students<br />
or kids that are older. It’s so important<br />
to hire the right people. When you’re working<br />
with children there’s high liability and we<br />
want to make sure we’re finding the right<br />
staff. So that’s been a challenge that we are<br />
facing and somewhat overcoming.<br />
Since we own the buildings, we don’t<br />
have to worry about rent these days, but for<br />
somebody new just beginning in today’s<br />
market rent could be a huge challenge.<br />
There’s just been an exponential high rent<br />
increase in all of the retail that I have seen.<br />
Another personal challenge has been<br />
working with difficult parents. Obviously<br />
48 MARTIAL ARTS WORLD NEWS VOLUME <strong>24</strong> | ISSUE 5
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COVER STORY<br />
there is no 1 ‘answer’, but we’ve gotten a lot better over the last few<br />
years, because we’ve captured most common issues, and now<br />
train our team on how to best handle them<br />
It was (and is) a big challenge shifting from working with first<br />
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Giving Back to the Community: “We created<br />
our own 501c3, the Jung Hwang Legacy<br />
Foundation. We’ve provided $30,000,<br />
$40,000, $50,000 and more a year in<br />
scholarships and other support. It’s been<br />
amazing to see the community support.”<br />
MAWnews: What would you say over the years have been the<br />
most successful marketing strategies that you’ve deployed in the<br />
schools?<br />
MH: Working with local public and private schools has been<br />
probably the most valuable. We’ve created such good relationships,<br />
that we are able to distribute Flyers, and do all sorts of other<br />
activities with them. We used the same ads for many years and<br />
now, we revamped it and it did wonders.<br />
We get a lot of calls and responses back from being in PE<br />
classes and building rapport. When the principals and the teachers<br />
really see what it’s doing for the kids they definitely become your<br />
biggest advocates.<br />
We also generate a lot of referrals from therapists and counselors.<br />
We have a great reputation for helping children, that we’ve<br />
become a solution for them to recommend.<br />
Internet marketing and our websites have aided us a lot because<br />
we’re usually pretty active on our social media. Now I have<br />
staff that have suggested ramping up a TikTok account and I’ve<br />
encouraged them to create content when appropriate.<br />
Birthday parties are still huge for us as well. We also partner<br />
with the local library, especially during the summer reading promotions.<br />
Students that read a given number of books get gifts, and<br />
we’ve supplied passes and other<br />
valuable prizes for them to utilize.<br />
Going out to community events,<br />
shaking people’s hands, and being<br />
personable face to face speaks<br />
volumes as well. If you provide a<br />
great experience to these people<br />
that are interested in the program<br />
and you can really connect with the<br />
kid, whether they’re you’re teaching<br />
them a high block, a punch, or give<br />
them a tattoo. The results may not<br />
be instant, but when they’re looking<br />
for something, or if somebody asks<br />
on Facebook in the mommy groups<br />
with kids looking to try martial arts,<br />
in the comments they’ll say, “Have you checked out Hwang’s <strong>Martial</strong><br />
<strong>Arts</strong>?” So those are some of the marketing activities that we<br />
have that worked for us.<br />
Of course any type of advertising ‘might’ be good for your<br />
school, but the impact is so much greater when you’re spending<br />
the money on a pizza party or something for your students. When<br />
you spend only $50 to $100 on pizza and having face to face<br />
Master Hwang in front of the camera promoting a charity event.<br />
Master Hwang with a local news broadcaster for an interview.<br />
50 MARTIAL ARTS WORLD NEWS VOLUME <strong>24</strong> | ISSUE 5
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COVER STORY<br />
Expanding Community Impact: “Through<br />
online donations, we’ve dramatically<br />
expanded our reach, raising funds for our<br />
charity events. Last year, we even raised<br />
$50,000, surpassing our goal.”<br />
interactions, the results are greater than spending all this money<br />
on digital ads.<br />
Of course, you have to look at everything. You must consider<br />
your bottom line, how much it’s costing you, and what the return<br />
on that investment is.<br />
MAWnews: What advice do you have for school owners who<br />
may be considering locations. Is the common expression “Location,<br />
location, location”, still as valid as in years past?<br />
MH: That’s an interesting question because there’s so many<br />
levels and layers to consider before giving somebody advice on<br />
this topic. I’ll answer from my experience being a real estate agent<br />
for commercial tenants that look for space. There is a reason why<br />
the hottest and most visible location costs more money a month.<br />
It’s advertising for your business if you’re on the main road at the<br />
busiest intersection.<br />
When we purchase real estate or want to buy a strip center, it’s<br />
always location based. So if it’s behind three buildings, obviously the<br />
price is going to be a lot less than what you would get in the front.<br />
But when you’re looking for a tenant, you have to ask, “How much<br />
are you going to get per square foot by being behind three buildings<br />
versus being on the main road?” Those are things to consider.<br />
If you’re just starting out, done the math, and you can afford it, I<br />
recommend that you should be in a top location.<br />
It’s going to cost a lot of money, but you can also<br />
charge more.<br />
Of course, I know a lot of places and a few<br />
martial art schools here in town that do a great<br />
job and they’re in an industrial park who don’t<br />
even have a sign. It seems like there’s no way<br />
that you could even find it if you were driving<br />
around, but they do a great job.<br />
Again, we are on the main intersections and<br />
in highly visible locations. That alone provides<br />
marketing results, and we count a certain portion<br />
of our payment as advertising dollars. So I<br />
think location still plays a big factor in success<br />
for the school. So I would say 100%, location is<br />
still extremely important.<br />
MAWnews: How do you think what you’ve<br />
experienced in the <strong>Martial</strong> <strong>Arts</strong> has helped you<br />
to forge a successful business, and life?<br />
MH: My experience is different because<br />
my parents are also martial artists, but<br />
my dad was also an Olympic medalist.<br />
I have learned a lot through them.<br />
My dad is 67 and he still goes to the<br />
school(s) every day. “No” is not an<br />
answer for him until he gets, “Yes.” He<br />
goes out on the roof and is like a handyman<br />
on the properties to save $500<br />
rather than use a roofing company. So<br />
the work ethic I picked up is strictly<br />
through what I see as my role models,<br />
which were my parents. My dad’s life<br />
changed 1,000,000% because he<br />
learned martial arts at a young age which led him to the Olympics<br />
and not just anybody can get to the Olympics. I watch the<br />
Olympics with my kids and you only see the success of what is<br />
like 30 seconds. But there was long hard work and thousands of<br />
Master Hwang in demo mode during an exhibition for charity.<br />
52 MARTIAL ARTS WORLD NEWS VOLUME <strong>24</strong> | ISSUE 5
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COVER STORY<br />
times of failing, but you don’t see that in<br />
that moment.<br />
Through martial arts, having martial arts<br />
parents, and the work ethic is the foundation<br />
of why and how I work. My experience<br />
and their influence lead me to have a<br />
strong work ethic. The foundation is there<br />
from a strong work ethic but then you add<br />
in the life skills of Taekwondo and all the<br />
things I’ve learned in my life. Besides kicking<br />
and punching, which are secondary,<br />
the most important things through learning<br />
martial arts have been work ethic and the<br />
fortitude of never giving up. I am not scared<br />
to go up and talk to anybody and that’s<br />
really hard to do.<br />
Even things like doing public speaking<br />
have this foundation. My dad made me do it all the time. So<br />
now it’s second nature to me, but that is something that a lot<br />
of people don’t have the opportunity to do. Giving back to the<br />
community and giving in charitable efforts have all been a part<br />
Master Hwang shows her flexibility with a high front kick.<br />
Master Hwang leading a sword weapon demonstration.<br />
Importance of Work Ethic and Resilience:<br />
“The foundation of my success is a strong<br />
work ethic and the fortitude of never giving up.<br />
These qualities, instilled by my martial artist<br />
parents, have been crucial in my journey.”<br />
of my experience. It’s a great feeling doing something good for<br />
the community, but especially with our foundation. Like being<br />
able to read the students their scholarship applications and<br />
what they had to do. Realizing that our family and the students<br />
at Hwang’s are helping<br />
somebody in our community<br />
makes me feel so fortunate<br />
to be in this position with<br />
our family and where I’m at<br />
in my career.<br />
Also here in Louisville,<br />
we’ve got a big behavioral<br />
issue with school buses and<br />
no bus drivers want to drive<br />
kids around because of the<br />
lack of discipline. I really<br />
believe that a lot of this can<br />
be fixed if these kids are in a<br />
disciplined, positive environment. We could impact some of these<br />
kids that are in underprivileged areas in a positive way through<br />
community and accountability with martial arts as the foundation<br />
for their life skills.<br />
MAWnews: Without a strong structure like that, you can’t be<br />
successful. What we all do and what you guys do for students is a<br />
great example of that and I think it does solve the problem for the<br />
overwhelming majority of human beings.<br />
MH: I think therapy can be important for children or for anybody<br />
sometimes, but if you have martial arts, I really think that<br />
a lot of the problems that you see with depression and anxiety<br />
would really decrease. I’m not a doctor, but I can only base it off of<br />
what I’ve seen in our students and what it does in their lives. We<br />
see too much evidence everyday to ignore it from our students.<br />
When you put the physical with the mental in a solid framework<br />
with a lot of discipline and build self esteem, this solves a lot of<br />
behavioral issues.<br />
MAWnews: Master Hwang, thanks so much for taking your<br />
time. What you are doing is a great example for other schools to<br />
model and emulate and there’s a lot of lessons in what you shared!<br />
54 MARTIAL ARTS WORLD NEWS VOLUME <strong>24</strong> | ISSUE 5
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2. Salute to Flag<br />
3. The U.S. and Korean National Anthems<br />
4. Award presentation: Hall of Fame and<br />
Master Mimi Hwang Day presented by<br />
<strong>Martial</strong> <strong>Arts</strong> <strong>World</strong> <strong>News</strong> <strong>Magazine</strong>.<br />
5. Introduction of <strong>Special</strong> Guests<br />
6. <strong>Special</strong> Exhibition by<br />
Master Mimi Hwang<br />
7. <strong>Special</strong> gift for the audience<br />
from Master Mimi Hwang<br />
8. Closing
<strong>Special</strong> Guest <strong>World</strong> Famous<br />
Supreme Grandmaster<br />
Y. K. Kim<br />
MODERN PHILOSOPHER<br />
DYNAMIC SPEAKER<br />
Y. K. KIM<br />
Author of a bestseller and<br />
14 other books<br />
Producer, writer, director,<br />
and star of the action film<br />
Miami Connection<br />
Publisher of <strong>Martial</strong> <strong>Arts</strong><br />
<strong>World</strong> <strong>News</strong> <strong>Magazine</strong><br />
Winner of Hall of Fame<br />
in 2009<br />
Recipient of Y. K. KIM Day<br />
in Central Florida<br />
Founder of <strong>Martial</strong> <strong>Arts</strong><br />
<strong>World</strong><br />
Chairman of consulting<br />
company on marketing<br />
and software<br />
Y. K. Kim will present<br />
20<strong>24</strong> Hall of Fame<br />
Master of the Year<br />
Mimi Hwang
SCHOOL PROFILE<br />
Empower <strong>Martial</strong> <strong>Arts</strong> Academy:<br />
Building Confidence and<br />
Strength through Combat Kuntao<br />
Empower <strong>Martial</strong> <strong>Arts</strong> Academy of Stafford, Virginia, has been making waves in the<br />
martial arts world since its establishment in 2016. Guided by the visionary leadership<br />
of John Butler, the academy is a beacon of empowerment for both children and adults<br />
seeking to master the art of Combat Kuntao.<br />
Encompassing 1800 square feet, the<br />
academy’s space is a testament to its<br />
commitment to providing a welcoming<br />
and conducive environment for learning<br />
and growth. However, the path to this<br />
point wasn’t without its challenges. John’s<br />
aspiration to move into a larger facility<br />
within five years was met with an unforeseen<br />
obstacle—the COVID-19 pandemic.<br />
Forced to close for three months, he<br />
emerged from the crisis with renewed determination,<br />
even as he faced the daunting<br />
task of rebuilding his student base, which<br />
had been impacted by up to 50%.<br />
At the heart of Empower <strong>Martial</strong> <strong>Arts</strong><br />
Academy is John Butler, affectionately<br />
known as Master John, a true authority<br />
in health, wellness, and martial arts. With<br />
over 40 years of combined experience<br />
in fitness and martial arts, he stands as a paragon of discipline and<br />
expertise. As a fitness coach, martial artist, and personal protection<br />
agent, John’s approach goes beyond physical prowess; it<br />
encompasses a holistic journey of transformation.<br />
John’s brainchild, TriJohn <strong>Martial</strong> <strong>Arts</strong> and Fitness Incorporated,<br />
is the foundation of Empower <strong>Martial</strong> <strong>Arts</strong> Academy’s ethos. His<br />
mission revolves around enriching the mind, body, and spirit of his<br />
clients. By fusing wellness, personal defense, and healthy living, he<br />
imparts a unique philosophy that encourages the integration of fitness,<br />
self-defense, and self-empowerment. His expertise extends<br />
to conducting specialized workshops, including Women’s Personal<br />
Safety and Hand to Hand Tactical Defense System, catering to<br />
diverse segments such as law enforcement, security forces, and<br />
even the senior and disabled vets community.<br />
With numerous accomplishments, John is a multi-faceted<br />
leader in his field. As CEO of TriJohn Company and the Founder<br />
of Empower <strong>Martial</strong> <strong>Arts</strong> Academy, he has taken the helm of his<br />
Master John Butler - Founder Elite <strong>Martial</strong> <strong>Arts</strong> Academy<br />
vision with unwavering determination. He’s<br />
a published author, with his book “Body<br />
Alert, Is Your Temple In Order” available on<br />
Amazon. His mastery as a Black Belt <strong>Martial</strong><br />
Artist and Certified Personal Trainer speaks<br />
to his commitment to constant growth.<br />
John’s affiliations with prestigious martial<br />
arts organizations further underscore his expertise.<br />
From being an Elite Personal Safety<br />
System Certified Instructor to Combat<br />
Kuntao Certified Instructor and affiliations<br />
with Pambuan Arnis Filipino <strong>Martial</strong> <strong>Arts</strong><br />
International, <strong>World</strong> Chin Na International,<br />
and Kyusho Jitsu International, his skill set is<br />
as diverse as it is profound.<br />
Empower <strong>Martial</strong> <strong>Arts</strong> Academy’s success<br />
story is a testament to John’s indomitable<br />
spirit. He went from being a “<strong>Martial</strong><br />
<strong>Arts</strong> Instructor On-Wheels,” personally<br />
catering to his students, to realizing his dream of establishing a<br />
studio in 2016. His ingenuity in marketing shines through as well,<br />
with effective strategies including Facebook Ads and the timeless<br />
power of Word of Mouth.<br />
Looking to the future, John’s aspirations are as admirable as his<br />
journey. Over the next five years, he envisions moving into a larger<br />
facility, a testament to the growth he’s fostering. But his vision<br />
extends beyond physical spaces. He’s dedicated to giving back to<br />
the community, offering scholarships and free martial arts training<br />
to the underserved, conducting workshops for battered women<br />
shelters, and creating an inclusive avenue for disabled vets and<br />
special needs individuals to engage with and thrive in the world of<br />
martial arts.<br />
Empower <strong>Martial</strong> <strong>Arts</strong> Academy isn’t just about learning<br />
self-defense; it’s a journey of self-discovery, empowerment, and<br />
transformation led by a man who’s not just an instructor, but a true<br />
agent of positive change.<br />
58 MARTIAL ARTS WORLD NEWS VOLUME <strong>24</strong> | ISSUE 5
See<br />
What You’re<br />
Missing<br />
Every Month<br />
Everything You’ll Ever Need to<br />
Market Your <strong>Martial</strong> <strong>Arts</strong> School!<br />
MaBizAcademy.com<br />
MA BIZ ACADEMY
SCHOOL PROFILE<br />
Tulsa Kung Fu: A Legacy of<br />
<strong>Martial</strong> <strong>Arts</strong> Mastery<br />
Tulsa Kung Fu of Tulsa, Oklahoma has stood as a bright light of martial arts excellence<br />
since its inception in 1994. Under the dedicated guidance of Ray Hildreth, this<br />
academy imparts the intricate art of Kung Fu to both children and adults, enriching<br />
lives and building a legacy.<br />
Master Ray Hildreth,<br />
a certified 8th Degree by<br />
the esteemed <strong>World</strong> Organization<br />
of Wushu Kung<br />
Fu Masters of Hong Kong,<br />
boasts an unparalleled<br />
51 years of martial arts<br />
experience. His expertise<br />
encompasses a diverse<br />
spectrum, ranging from<br />
Hung Gar Kung Fu and<br />
Choy Li Fut Kung Fu to<br />
Kenpo Karate and select<br />
forms of Tai Chi Chuan,<br />
including the Chen, Yang,<br />
and Wu Hao methods.<br />
Such a comprehensive<br />
background underlines<br />
the depth of knowledge<br />
that he imparts to his<br />
students.<br />
Tulsa Kung Fu’s<br />
2000-square-foot space,<br />
situated within a strip<br />
mall, serves as a nurturing<br />
environment for growth<br />
and transformation. The<br />
academy, now back on<br />
its feet post-COVID, is<br />
a shining example of<br />
resilliance in the face of<br />
staggering challenges.<br />
Sifu Hildreth’s accolades<br />
are a testament to<br />
his dedication and contribution to the martial arts community. His<br />
recognition includes the 1992 AAU Outstanding Service Award,<br />
inductions into the <strong>World</strong> Karate Union Hall of Fame in 1998, the<br />
Whirlwind Classic Lifetime Achievement Award in 2003, and<br />
recognition from the American Black Belt System Hall of Fame<br />
in 2004. A pinnacle of<br />
his journey was being inducted<br />
into the prestigious<br />
International Chinese<br />
<strong>Martial</strong> <strong>Arts</strong> Championship<br />
(ICMAC) Hall of Fame in<br />
2018.<br />
Master Hildreth has<br />
discovered that growing<br />
his school takes more than<br />
just being a great teacher,<br />
and delivering engaging<br />
classes. He has implemented<br />
online and offline<br />
marketing strategies that<br />
have helped him fill his<br />
school with new, enthusiastic<br />
students.<br />
Creating an online<br />
presence that aligns with<br />
his culture, mission, and to<br />
what prospective students<br />
really want is a key principle.<br />
Integrating thoughtful,<br />
authentic videos that<br />
speak to the valuable benefits<br />
of the program make<br />
a huge impact on visitors,<br />
and help them see the true<br />
value the school offers.<br />
Master Hildreth looks<br />
to continue his growth<br />
curve into the future, and<br />
within the next 2 years,<br />
is projecting to nearly double his student count, and help more<br />
families, kids, and even seniors in his community. Tulsa Kung<br />
Fu stands not only as a martial arts academy but as a testament<br />
Raffi Derderian Brings JKD and<br />
to Master Ray Hildreth’s unwavering commitment, a place for<br />
Kali Success to Students in RI<br />
personal growth, and a symbol of the rich heritage of Kung Fu.<br />
Master Ray Hildreth - Blending Tradition with Modern Marketing to Build an Inspiring School Business<br />
60 MARTIAL ARTS WORLD NEWS VOLUME <strong>24</strong> | ISSUE 5
Action <strong>Martial</strong> <strong>Arts</strong> Mega 2025<br />
Jan. <strong>24</strong>,25,26 2025<br />
ActionMA4@gmail.com<br />
<strong>World</strong>s Largest M.A. Event
INNOVATION<br />
Embracing Technology in the<br />
Modern <strong>Martial</strong> <strong>Arts</strong> School (Part 1)<br />
By Dan Segarra<br />
As a martial arts instructor with decades of experience, I have witnessed the evolution<br />
of teaching methods and the integration of technology into our daily lives.<br />
Embracing these advancements can significantly<br />
enhance the operations of a martial arts school, making<br />
it more efficient, engaging for students, and less stressful<br />
for instructors/owners. Here are some ways technology,<br />
particularly artificial intelligence (AI) and digital<br />
tools, can revolutionize your martial arts<br />
school.<br />
The Power of AI: Your New Assistant<br />
Artificial intelligence has become an<br />
indispensable tool in various industries,<br />
and martial arts is no exception. Using<br />
AI like ChatGPT can transform how we<br />
communicate and manage our schools.<br />
Here are a few applications:<br />
1. Better Communication: Crafting<br />
well-written emails, photo captions,<br />
student manuals, and ad copy<br />
can be time-consuming. AI<br />
can help you generate professional<br />
and engaging content<br />
quickly, allowing<br />
you to focus on<br />
teaching and<br />
interacting with<br />
your students.<br />
Whether it’s a<br />
newsletter, a<br />
social media<br />
post, or an advertisement,<br />
AI can help<br />
ensure your message is<br />
clear and compelling.<br />
2. Social Media Management: Platforms like Facebook<br />
and Instagram are essential for promoting your school and<br />
engaging with the community. AI can generate content ideas,<br />
create posts, and even analyze the best times to publish.<br />
If you’re not using AI, you’re missing out on a tool that can<br />
turn you from a one-person show into a one-person (or onewoman)<br />
army.<br />
For example I had a picture of one of my students that lost her<br />
tooth at home and she came in with this big toothless smile and<br />
could not wait to show me. So, I took a picture and wrote a cute<br />
caption. A month later I asked ChatGpt to caption the same photo<br />
and it wrote an amazingly funny caption with emojis and hashtags.<br />
It was so much better than what I wrote. I use ChatGpt to write all<br />
my photo captions now.<br />
MASTER DAN SEGARRA is a 9th Degree Black Belt who is a world renown and respected authority and one of<br />
the highest rank Americans in the Korean <strong>Martial</strong> <strong>Arts</strong>. He has a very innovative mind when it comes to curriculum and school<br />
presentation. He has authored several books and has been featured in various <strong>Martial</strong> <strong>Arts</strong> <strong>Magazine</strong>s.<br />
62 MARTIAL ARTS WORLD NEWS VOLUME <strong>24</strong> | ISSUE 5<br />
Photograph (right) by Supatman
September 13t h -15t h , 20<strong>24</strong><br />
WARRIOR<br />
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Join Us! September 13th - 15th, 20<strong>24</strong><br />
Energize yourself and your staff by training<br />
in this amazing Gathering of Masters from all<br />
over the world.<br />
Grand Master Clark is hosting this<br />
revolutionary training on the physical, mental<br />
and business side of martial arts.<br />
EARN Certifications for<br />
• Warrior Krav<br />
• Warrior Fight Club<br />
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register NoW! warriorkravmaga.com/EVENTS<br />
or CALL MS. HARRISON 904-7<strong>24</strong>-2100 1400 Millcoe Road,Jacksonville, FL
TEAMWORK<br />
Are You Ready for<br />
Back to School?<br />
by Hanshi Dave Kovar<br />
Back-to-School is an important time to bring more students into your martial arts<br />
school and reactivate students who quit over the summer. Families will be planning<br />
their schedules for the school year, including after-school activities, so it’s important to<br />
raise awareness during this decision-making time of year.<br />
Although there are still a few more weeks of summer,<br />
there are a few things you can do right now to begin planning<br />
your strategy for the Back-to-School<br />
season. Here are a few to-do list items to<br />
keep in mind:<br />
• Develop a back-to-school offer for<br />
your marketing campaign. Use this offer<br />
in all of your marketing efforts to be<br />
consistent and make sure your team is<br />
aware of the offer.<br />
• Order all of the items you will need<br />
to promote your school now while there’s<br />
plenty of time. This could include pencils,<br />
book marks, stickers, book<br />
covers, backpacks, coffee<br />
mugs and more!<br />
• Be sure that all vacationing<br />
students have<br />
an appointment date set for<br />
when they’ll be back in class.<br />
In a few weeks, all stragglers<br />
should be contacted and<br />
offered extra help to get<br />
restarted.<br />
• Plan a back-to-school<br />
party for your students. This<br />
would be a good time to<br />
reserve a location if you’d like<br />
to make it a pool party. The goal is to get everyone back from their<br />
summer vacation and involved ASAP… before they pick another<br />
activity!<br />
• Pick a date for an open house event at the end of September/<br />
early October. Get all students involved in the demonstration to<br />
ensure you get a lot of spectators and guests. Friday nights work<br />
great. Plan a 30 minute demo, refreshments, a free trial class and a<br />
raffle to ensure you collect names, addresses and phone numbers.<br />
If you get started on this to-do list now, you’ll be off to a great<br />
start for a successful back-to-school season.<br />
HANSHI DAVE KOVAR is an 8th degree black belt and recognized as the “Trainer of Trainers.” Hanshi<br />
Dave Kovar is an internationally acclaimed instructor with black belt degrees in ten different martial arts styles. His<br />
systems have been implemented in hundreds of schools around the US.<br />
64 MARTIAL ARTS WORLD NEWS VOLUME <strong>24</strong> | ISSUE 5<br />
Photograph (right) by jacoblund
Do You Serve <strong>Martial</strong> <strong>Arts</strong> Professionals?<br />
Share Your Message in <strong>Martial</strong> <strong>Arts</strong> <strong>World</strong> <strong>News</strong> <strong>Magazine</strong><br />
For Sponsorship<br />
Options & Packages:<br />
Visit: <strong>Martial</strong><strong>Arts</strong><strong>World</strong><strong>News</strong>.com<br />
or Call Jeff @ 407-895-1996<br />
SEEKING STORIES!<br />
<strong>Martial</strong> <strong>Arts</strong> <strong>World</strong> <strong>News</strong> <strong>Magazine</strong> is the definitive source<br />
for information, news, education, ethical business<br />
practices, product reviews and innovative developments in<br />
the world of martial arts business.<br />
We are always on the look out for notable, engaging and<br />
valuable stories for our readers!<br />
If you, your school, organization, event, product, or service<br />
has a story that might be of value to our readers, we’d love to<br />
hear about it!<br />
<strong>Martial</strong><strong>Arts</strong><strong>World</strong><strong>News</strong>.com/Ureport<br />
Contact us at: 407-895-1996<br />
or Email Editor@<strong>Martial</strong><strong>Arts</strong><strong>World</strong><strong>News</strong>.com
AFTER SCHOOL EXCELLENCE<br />
How a <strong>Martial</strong> <strong>Arts</strong> School Can<br />
Earn over $1.5 Million a Year<br />
‐by Grandmaster Mike Bugg<br />
Take one giant step into the future.<br />
In the year 2000, an aspiring young instructor opened his<br />
martial arts school after several years of training in instruction and<br />
business under his master. We’ll call him Instructor B. He grew up<br />
in a very poor family of 16 children, and he had been working as a<br />
prison guard, so owning a martial arts school offered him quite a<br />
different opportunity to change his life.<br />
He had a respectable start, earning about $6,500 a month by<br />
the end of his first year. Then his master recommended he start an<br />
after school program with summer camp. He was not enthusiastic,<br />
because they had tried an after school program at his master’s<br />
school several years prior and it did not go well. It<br />
cost too much time, too much energy, and<br />
too much money for very little return. They<br />
closed down the program in a couple of<br />
months.<br />
This time, they hoped it would be different<br />
because they had guidance from<br />
the AMSkids program. They had a Starter<br />
Kit with advice on what to do and what<br />
NOT to do, and they had expert business<br />
development consultants to advise them.<br />
By the end of his second year, he was<br />
averaging $22,000.00 a month, effectively<br />
tripling his income, thanks to AMSkids. He<br />
was able to buy himself a Corvette and a<br />
new house for his mother. Most people<br />
would be happy with this increase,<br />
but Instructor B was just getting<br />
started.<br />
He continued to expand his<br />
program, and had to build his<br />
own larger building to accommodate<br />
all the new students.<br />
Now, his summer camp alone<br />
earns over a quarter of a<br />
million a year, and his school’s annual income is well over a million<br />
and a half. And that instructor was me.<br />
How about you? Can your school earn a $1.5 million a year?<br />
The AMSkids Program of after school martial arts with summer<br />
camp can change your future, just like it did for me. The Starter Kit<br />
will show you what to do and when to do it. The AMS marketing<br />
consultants will coach you to avoid common, costly mistakes. The<br />
monthly support will give you day-by-day, hour-by-hour activities<br />
for the kids. You get everything you need.<br />
Call 1-800-275-1600 to take the one giant step that can change<br />
your school’s financial future.<br />
Just for calling, we’ll send you our popular in-depth report, “The<br />
Top 10 Ways to Create Win/Win Relationships with your School<br />
System,” valued at $197.00.<br />
GRANDMASTER MIKE BUGG is an 8th degree black belt and the owner of a $1.52 million-peryear<br />
location, with one of the largest after school and summer camp programs in the country.<br />
66 MARTIAL ARTS WORLD NEWS VOLUME <strong>24</strong> | ISSUE 5
CHECK OUT OUR<br />
MARTIAL ARTS<br />
BUSINESS<br />
DISCUSSION GROUP<br />
No Egos – No Politics – No Trolls<br />
Just <strong>News</strong>, Tips, Strategies, and Tools to Help You Grow Your School!<br />
facebook.com/groups/<strong>Martial</strong><strong>Arts</strong><strong>World</strong><strong>News</strong>
GROWTH HACKS<br />
Is Traditional Marketing Still<br />
Working for <strong>Martial</strong> <strong>Arts</strong> Schools<br />
These Days? (Part 2)<br />
by Mr. Sean Lee<br />
4. <strong>Special</strong> Offers:<br />
• Discounts: Offer exclusive discounts or promotions for attendees<br />
who sign up during the open house.<br />
• Free Trial Classes: Provide free trial classes or workshops. Let<br />
visitors experience what your school offers firsthand.<br />
5. Refreshments and Atmosphere:<br />
• Snacks and Drinks: Offer light refreshments. It encourages<br />
attendees to stay longer and chat.<br />
• Positive Vibes: Create a friendly,<br />
positive atmosphere. Smile, greet<br />
everyone, and make them feel<br />
welcome.<br />
6. Follow-Up:<br />
• Collect Contact<br />
Information: Have<br />
a sign-up sheet or<br />
digital form to collect<br />
attendee details.<br />
• Thank-You Emails:<br />
Send personalized<br />
thank-you emails<br />
after<br />
the event. Include any special<br />
offers or next steps.<br />
Remember, an open<br />
house is not just about<br />
showcasing your school—<br />
it’s about building relationships<br />
and making a<br />
lasting impression.<br />
Building relationships with the community is essential<br />
for several reasons:<br />
1. Trust and Credibility: When you actively engage with the<br />
community, you build trust and credibility. People are more likely to<br />
support and recommend your martial arts school if they know you<br />
personally.<br />
2. Word of Mouth: Positive interactions lead to word-of-mouth<br />
marketing. Satisfied community members will share their experiences<br />
with others, attracting potential students.<br />
Find this resource on mabizacademy.com<br />
3. Local Support: Community relationships provide local support.<br />
Businesses, schools, and neighbors can collaborate, refer<br />
students, and participate in events.<br />
4. Long-Term Growth: A strong community network ensures<br />
long-term growth. It helps sustain your school even during challenging<br />
times.<br />
Remember, community relationships are an investment that pays<br />
off in the form of loyal students and a thriving martial arts school!<br />
SEAN LEE is the Executive Director of Sales and Marketing for hundreds of martial arts schools<br />
and specializes in online and social media marketing using his extensive professional experience in<br />
sports and martial arts marketing, contract negotiation, and investment.<br />
68 MARTIAL ARTS WORLD NEWS VOLUME <strong>24</strong> | ISSUE 5
BE RECOGNIZED in future editions of<br />
<strong>Martial</strong> <strong>Arts</strong> <strong>World</strong> <strong>News</strong> <strong>Magazine</strong>.<br />
Our goal at <strong>Martial</strong> <strong>Arts</strong> <strong>World</strong> <strong>News</strong> <strong>Magazine</strong> is to<br />
support our industry and help you grow your martial<br />
arts school. It’s incredibly useful for our readers to hear<br />
about YOUR specific experiences and results.<br />
You are part of a wonderful industry and community<br />
with <strong>Martial</strong> <strong>Arts</strong> <strong>World</strong> <strong>News</strong> <strong>Magazine</strong>, and now, you’ll<br />
be able to share and contribute to that community in a<br />
richer and more meaningful way than ever before!<br />
Share Stories About:<br />
• Achieving a New Rank<br />
• Opening a New Location<br />
• Winning an Award<br />
• Discovering a Successful Marketing Strategy<br />
• Building a Retention System that Works Well<br />
• Tournament Results<br />
• Anything else that our readers might find valuable!<br />
<strong>Martial</strong><strong>Arts</strong><strong>World</strong><strong>News</strong>.com/Ureport<br />
Or send your story ideas to Editor@<strong>Martial</strong><strong>Arts</strong><strong>World</strong><strong>News</strong>.com
NINJA BUSINESS TACTICS<br />
Ninja Mind and Determination<br />
by An-Shu Stephen Hayes<br />
Let’s explore dreams and determination and the ninja will to win.<br />
My daughter Marissa just graduated from a 5 year university<br />
program with a degree in Fashion Product Development. She<br />
has been heading towards this since she was a pre-schooler, so<br />
determined on a career using fashion as a means of increasing the<br />
impact of beauty, craftsmanship, self expression, and dignity in<br />
daily life. Marissa has always been focused on fashion, especially<br />
writing about it, even as she worked for years in the family dojo<br />
as a teen. As a university student, she interned for New York City<br />
firms like Seventeen <strong>Magazine</strong>, Victoria’s Secret, Coach, Liz Claiborne<br />
and Stylesight. These internships were not the norm for her<br />
university program. She talked busy New York fashion professionals<br />
into listening to her and then allowing her to create<br />
internships with them where no such internships<br />
existed. She wanted that. It did not exist. So<br />
she made it happen.<br />
She reminds me of me.<br />
After university, I landed in Japan with<br />
enormous optimism and absolutely no<br />
plan. I just knew that if the ninja tradition<br />
still existed in Japan, I had to be a part of<br />
that. All through my college days 40 years<br />
before my daughter Marissa got to her<br />
campus, I was doing my best to prepare. I<br />
studied the Japanese language. I studied the<br />
martial arts. I traveled internationally.<br />
I learned to ask for way too<br />
much as though it were requesting<br />
a small favor.<br />
I got used to people<br />
fearing for me in<br />
my one-pointed<br />
maniacal fixation<br />
on finding and<br />
restoring the<br />
authentic Japanese<br />
ninja<br />
warrior tradition in the Western world. I had no plan, but I went<br />
to Japan. I was counting on raw magic happening, and in many<br />
situations in Japan I really needed every bit of magic that I could<br />
recognize and grasp.<br />
Our To-Shin Do training provides the power to move through<br />
life with determination and skill, accomplishing what we need<br />
while making the world a better place as a result of our success.<br />
I learned this truth by way of taking a big gamble and moving to<br />
Japan without knowing anyone there and having not the slightest<br />
clue as to whether the ninja arts I sought were even real. On the<br />
other hand, my daughters Marissa and Reina and all those growing<br />
up in the ninja martial arts since the early 1980s learned this<br />
truth by way of reading the books, attending classes in the dojo,<br />
and watching their seniors’ demonstrate warrior authenticity in<br />
daily life.<br />
I had to hope. Everyone else gets to know.<br />
My best advice to young friends and students as they set<br />
out on any great life adventure is to plan thoroughly… and leave<br />
room for magic. Have a clearly defined vision of your goal… and<br />
allow for the possibility that you may end up with something even<br />
better than your original goal. Talk to everyone you know who<br />
could help you… and be ready for some unimagined fortuitous<br />
connection with just the right person. Never never stop talking<br />
to potential allies about your dream and how you plan on putting<br />
your gift to work in the world. That’s what I did, and my reward<br />
now is a collection of countless stories of how people around<br />
the world improved their lives – sometimes in small ways and<br />
sometimes revolutionarily – as a result of what I was determined<br />
to seek and then share.<br />
What’s your dream? Have you tried asking for advice and guidance<br />
from others in the world-wide To-Shin community? It has<br />
worked for many before you in furthering noble dreams.<br />
So… Anybody out there know the editor of Vogue magazine<br />
well enough to tell her about this absolute stormer named<br />
Marissa who would be the best thing ever to hit the hallways of<br />
that office?<br />
AN-SHU STEPHEN HAYES has authored more than 20 books, worked as a body guard for the Dali<br />
Lama, supervised over 30 school locations worldwide, and was named “A legend; one of the 10 most influential<br />
living martial artists in the world” by Black Belt <strong>Magazine</strong><br />
70 MARTIAL ARTS WORLD NEWS VOLUME <strong>24</strong> | ISSUE 5
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MARTIAL ARTS WORLD NEWS VOLUME <strong>24</strong> | ISSUE 5 71
EXTRAORDINARY MARKETING<br />
Bigger Isn’t Always Better<br />
by Grandmaster Stephen Oliver<br />
When I was younger, I was often envious of friends and acquaintances, and even<br />
instructors that I had heard about who:<br />
• Boasted larger student active counts than<br />
my own.<br />
• Had huge, beautiful facilities;<br />
• Who’s gross was touted to be larger than<br />
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Over the years, having been there and done<br />
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Happiness on a daily<br />
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Your net is way<br />
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existing active count, taking into account maximizing your space<br />
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Lifestyle counts! Work 100 hours a week for $200,000, or 40<br />
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Wait a minute! If I had hobbies, what would they be?<br />
• Did I miss the kids growing up?<br />
• Do I take time to learn and grow?<br />
• How about relaxation and recharge time?<br />
Wealth — live below your means. Make intelligent decisions so<br />
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Impress your clients — your students and parents — not your<br />
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GRANDMASTER STEPHEN OLIVER, is a 9th degree black belt and is the founder and CEO of<br />
Mile High Karate schools, and founder of the <strong>Martial</strong> <strong>Arts</strong> Wealth Mastery Program.<br />
72 MARTIAL ARTS WORLD NEWS VOLUME <strong>24</strong> | ISSUE 5<br />
Photograph (right) by Mohamad Faizal Bin Ramli
www.ElitePublications.org
PILLARS OF SUCCESS<br />
3 Steps to Build Corporate<br />
Leadership (Part 3a)<br />
by Grandmaster Y. K. Kim<br />
Corporate leadership requires self, attractive, necessary, network, and corporate leadership.<br />
In the last four sections, we discussed self, attractive, necessary,<br />
and network leadership. In this section we will discuss the<br />
details of corporate leadership so you can become a corporate<br />
leader.<br />
In order to build a competitive organization, the CEO has to<br />
have powerful vision, financial ability, and the ability to create a<br />
winning team, which is corporate leadership.<br />
Being a corporate leader means you can lead any company to<br />
build a strong and competitive organization.<br />
c) Create a Winning Team<br />
People are the key to a winning team in any<br />
organization because people create good or<br />
bad, weak or strong policies, rules, or even laws.<br />
People not only create the system, they operate<br />
the system.<br />
In essence, to build a winning team you must<br />
seek out team members who have ability and<br />
believe in the same goal as you. In order to lead<br />
an organization, a leader must know how to recruit<br />
quality people to build a winning team.<br />
A-class players can build a quality team<br />
and boost performance.<br />
A-class players like to play with<br />
A-class players, not C-class players<br />
because C-class people destroy<br />
teamwork.<br />
A corporate leader must know<br />
how to create A-class players and<br />
build a winning team.<br />
Competitive organizations<br />
desperately need winning teams<br />
and excellent performance. With<br />
a winning team, you can achieve<br />
much more than you think.<br />
To build a winning team requires that you recruit quality people<br />
and build a quality team.<br />
3 Steps to Develop a Winning Team<br />
i. Recruit Quality People<br />
ii. Build a Quality Team<br />
iii. Create Loyalty<br />
These 3 steps will empower you to build a winning team for<br />
your competitive organization.<br />
i. Recruit Quality People<br />
You have to recruit the right people into the right place:<br />
The right place means that an individual has been given a job<br />
that requires the specific skills he or she has.<br />
The right people are those with positive attitudes.<br />
Extra bonus: A person who has leadership ability.<br />
Three traits to look for, when recruiting quality people:<br />
The right skills: you need professionals on your side. Skill is<br />
indispensable.<br />
A positive attitude: negative people will drag your team down.<br />
They will destroy teamwork. Positive people do positive things, are<br />
passionate about their jobs, and build winning teams.<br />
Leadership: Self-starters will maximize your team’s potential.<br />
Your organization’s future will be competitive.<br />
Even more important than these three traits is desire. No one<br />
can help you achieve excellent performance unless you want it.<br />
You can’t even help yourself because performance begins with<br />
desire. Therefore, you must recruit the right person into the right<br />
place to build a winning team.<br />
If you have skills, you can have a job. If you have a positive<br />
attitude, you can build positive teamwork. If you have skills, a<br />
positive attitude, and leadership ability, you can be the CEO of<br />
your organization.<br />
GRANDMASTER Y. K. KIM is the most successful martial arts business leader in the US, having written<br />
over 30 books on martial arts, business, leadership, and success. He has won numerous public service<br />
awards and is the founder of the leading martial arts marketing and management company in the US.<br />
74 MARTIAL ARTS WORLD NEWS VOLUME <strong>24</strong> | ISSUE 5<br />
Illustration (right) by PixelPop
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STAFF DEVELOPMENT<br />
Tactical Combative Engagement<br />
Principles (Part 2)<br />
by Grandmaster Zufi Ahmed<br />
Each principle is effective individually and can also be combined with other principles.<br />
CQB. Close quarters combat is not a single action event. It is<br />
a live ever changing chaotic violent tactical phenomenon. The<br />
T.E.C.P system of principles can also be utilized in everyday<br />
life! Many of these principles can be directly applied to work. Leadership.<br />
Business and overall life strategies.<br />
F F F. Flinch. Fear. Freeze. That moment of hesitation.<br />
Out of nowhere. All of a sudden. And even if you saw it coming.<br />
Yes. That sucker punch. That push. That tackle. Any aggressive<br />
move that you might have encountered. And If you’ve ever been<br />
punched in the face and had that flash of pain and tasted your own<br />
blood, along with the adrenaline rush and fear, the tunnel vision.<br />
The butterflies in the stomach. Skeletal freeze. Cold sweats. Even<br />
light headedness. you know exactly what I’m talking about.<br />
It’s in this moment your fate is decided will<br />
you succumb and be defeated INJURED.<br />
MAIMED or EVEN KILLED, or will you<br />
press forward and overcome?<br />
The flinch moment is the moment of<br />
truth, because all plans and daydreams<br />
go out the window when you get hit in<br />
the face. Like Mike Tyson said. “Everyone<br />
has a game plan until they get hit in<br />
the face”. Or the legendary Carlson Gracie<br />
famous statement. “When a Jiu Jitsu Black<br />
Belt gets punched in the face he becomes<br />
a brown belt. When a brown belt<br />
gets punched he becomes a<br />
purple belt. And when a purple<br />
belt gets punched he becomes<br />
a blue belt”. The reality sets in.<br />
This is for real. No one<br />
came to my aid. No one to help me. I am all alone. And it hurts.<br />
Even worse. The guy or these guys are enjoying the violence. They<br />
are not my friends. They have no respect for my life. It is in this<br />
scenario that You will either succumb to fear and pain and be torn<br />
apart, or you will use your pain as a weapon and press forward and<br />
prevail! Turn your victimhood into victory. Turn fear into force.<br />
The same happens when we are faced with punches that life<br />
offers us! Sparring in training is a great way to prepare you for<br />
this, and makes you a stronger person inside and out. Start your<br />
training today. Or make sure that you spar and continue to do sparring.<br />
In our Bushi Ban system we have multidimensional sparring<br />
opportunities. Do not avoid sparring. Practice both stand-up and<br />
ground. Grappling. Spar. Practice situational Self Defense. Simulated<br />
combative tactics.<br />
Keep yourself sharp and ready. One usually never sees the<br />
knockout punch coming! Stay Ready. Stay Fit!<br />
Go to Class.<br />
GRANDMASTER ZULFI AHMED has amassed acclaim as a world-class competitor, martial<br />
arts educator, and is most notably founder and designer of the internationally renowned style, Bushi Ban.<br />
With over 45 years of martial arts experience and over 300 martial arts awards, his schools include ten<br />
locations across Texas.<br />
78 MARTIAL ARTS WORLD NEWS VOLUME <strong>24</strong> | ISSUE 5<br />
Photograph (right) by ZoneCreative
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THE WAY OF THE SAMURAI<br />
Zanshin – Eight Directions<br />
of Awareness (Part 2)<br />
by Shihan Dana Abbott<br />
The term Zanshin has been contemplated for generations and<br />
continues to be vague in expressing its true depth unless one had<br />
personally experienced it. Here are a couple of mental images to<br />
help the beginning student or martial arts fan to understand the<br />
concept of Zanshin better. Visualize a gymnast who has just completed<br />
a routine on the bars and dismounts back to the floor. The<br />
gymnast lands perfectly in a standing position with no wavering and<br />
scores a perfect 10. This is a form of Zanshin. Next, picture an entertainer<br />
up on stage singing a heartfelt song. As the last note echoes<br />
through the halls a tranquil silence envelops the audience. During<br />
that last moment in the limelight, this is also a form of Zanshin.<br />
Today’s Japanese swordsman understands that Zanshin is<br />
made up of several essential segments, such as<br />
posturing, perception, engagement, distance,<br />
focus and energy. At times these segments<br />
all mesh to create the “Perfect<br />
Storm”. When everything comes together<br />
perfectly, and the<br />
techniques fall exactly<br />
into place this<br />
offers advantage<br />
and provides a continued<br />
state of mental<br />
and physical readiness.<br />
The question is…where<br />
and how can one go to learn<br />
Zanshin?<br />
Nihon Taiiku Daigaku<br />
(Ni Tai Dai) is a private<br />
martial arts/sports<br />
college founded in<br />
Tokyo, Japan in 1891.<br />
This college has produced<br />
generations of<br />
renowned kendoists and<br />
swordsmen throughout Japan. Geographically, Japan is about the<br />
size of California with a population of almost 130 million. Unsurprisingly,<br />
there are about sixty thousand high schools located within<br />
the 47 prefectures of Japan’s 6,852 islands. Most of these schools<br />
naturally have kendo clubs/teams, which compete at local and national<br />
levels. As in any national sport, kendo competition becomes<br />
fiercer at the high school level. Those young disciplined combatants<br />
who represent the spirit of the Samurai come to compete from<br />
every village, town, and city throughout Japan.<br />
Naturally many of these high school kendo champions aspire<br />
to take their kendo skills to the next level but unfortunately do not<br />
make it. For those qualified, Ni Tai Dai offers that next level of education<br />
and competition for students who want to pursue careers<br />
in kendo and swordsmanship. Ni Tai Dai’s kendo program accepts<br />
about one hundred and twenty-five freshmen students each year<br />
which join the five hundred plus students already enrolled in the<br />
program. Most every kendo student attending Ni Tai Dai has had<br />
a bamboo sword placed in their hand by the time they were three<br />
years old and have competed in every weekend kendo tournament<br />
since then. These kendo students will eventually graduate<br />
with a bachelor’s degree to become tomorrows’ best and brightest<br />
kendo teachers and first responders such as police and fire.<br />
Ni Tai Dai’s kendo curriculum follows the Zen Nihon Kendo<br />
Renmei (ZNKR) standardized kendo guidelines, rules and regulations.<br />
There are absolutely no deviations or substitutes allowed<br />
for these strict rules concerning kendo. The ZNKR is the largest<br />
kendo organization supported by millions of Japanese members.<br />
Consequently, every kendo student, who attends, Ni Tai Dai,<br />
practices all the ZNKR pre-arranged forms and sparring to the<br />
point of perfection six days a week in which they are graded and<br />
ranked. Often there were sparring sessions towards the end of the<br />
training day. Many students would then improvise using their own<br />
styles known to their particular area in Japan. These learned local<br />
techniques were passed down from fathers, and grandfathers who<br />
were past masters.<br />
SHIHAN DANA ABBOTT Is a 7th degree black belt in Kenjutsu, starting his 14-year education in Tokyo. He has<br />
published five books and designed a US Patent. Abbott has also conducted seminars in over 30 countries and obtained<br />
his black belt at the Hombu dojo in Yokohama. He currently offers online classes on LearntheSword.com, his unique<br />
swordsmanship academy.<br />
80 MARTIAL ARTS WORLD NEWS VOLUME <strong>24</strong> | ISSUE 5
Improve your curriculum for<br />
<strong>Martial</strong> <strong>Arts</strong> School Success!<br />
Grandmaster Tom Patire is known as<br />
“America’s Leading Personal Safety Expert”<br />
and has appeared on Good Morning<br />
America, The CBS Morning Show, The<br />
Colbert Report, Montel, plus in mainstream<br />
publications such as Family Circle,<br />
Redbook, Fortune <strong>Magazine</strong>, and The Wall<br />
Street Journal.<br />
In this episode of <strong>Martial</strong> <strong>Arts</strong> Industry<br />
Innovations Grandmaster Patire discusses,<br />
from an experienced protection expert’s<br />
standpoint, the subtle nuances that lead<br />
to an assassination attempt on the life of<br />
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MASTERING MODERN BJJ<br />
How Much Much BJJ Should I<br />
Train A Week To Get Good?<br />
by Master Carlos Machado<br />
Are you just starting out in Jiu-Jitsu and feeling the urge to train every day, twice<br />
a day? It’s important to temper your hunger and avoid burnout. In this article, we’ll<br />
discuss when enough is enough and how to train smart to avoid burnout in Jiu-Jitsu.<br />
Training Frequency for Beginners<br />
• As a beginner, it’s important to start slow and gradually increase<br />
your training frequency.<br />
• The recommended maximum for beginners is 3 times a week,<br />
with twice a week being the most recommended.<br />
• Starting with a lower frequency allows you to ease into the<br />
training and gives your body time to adapt.<br />
Building Up Your Training Frequency<br />
• Once you have established a routine and built a solid<br />
foundation, you can gradually increase your training<br />
frequency.<br />
• Experienced practitioners may train 5-7 times a week,<br />
but it’s important to still take rest days in between to<br />
avoid burnout.<br />
The Importance of Rest<br />
• More training is not necessarily better.<br />
• Giving your body and mind a break in<br />
between training sessions is crucial for<br />
recovery and avoiding burnout.<br />
• Rest allows your body to refresh<br />
and reset, ultimately leading to<br />
better performance on the mats.<br />
Smart Training Tips for<br />
Longevity in Jiu-Jitsu<br />
It’s important to train smart and<br />
avoid burnout in Jiu-Jitsu. Starting slow as a beginner and gradually<br />
building up your training frequency is key. Remember that rest<br />
is just as important as training, so make sure to give your body the<br />
time it needs to recover. By following these tips, you can enjoy a<br />
long and successful journey in Jiu-Jitsu.<br />
MASTER CARLOS MACHADO is one of the pioneers of Brazilian Jiu Jitsu in the United States of America.<br />
Currently a Coral Belt, and promoted to Black Belt by Carlos Gracie Junior, Carlos Machado came to the USA in the early<br />
1990’s with his brothers where they formed the RCJ Machado Jiu Jitsu Association, one of the strongest & growing BJJ<br />
organizations in the world today.<br />
82 MARTIAL ARTS WORLD NEWS VOLUME <strong>24</strong> | ISSUE 5 Photograph (right) by Miljan Živković
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Have Your School, Organization,<br />
Accomplishment, or Event Featured in<br />
As professional martial arts school<br />
owners and instructors, it’s important<br />
that we stay up to date with the<br />
latest tools, tactics, and strategies<br />
for operating a successful martial<br />
arts school or organization.<br />
We here at <strong>Martial</strong> <strong>Arts</strong> <strong>World</strong> <strong>News</strong><br />
<strong>Magazine</strong> are on an unstoppable<br />
mission to help our industry grow,<br />
and one of the best ways to do that<br />
is by sharing “what’s working” and<br />
what’s not.<br />
So, we want to feature schools,<br />
school owners, instructors,<br />
organizations, students, and industry<br />
contributors that might have a story<br />
our readers would find valuable!<br />
No story is too small or too big for<br />
consideration so long as there is<br />
value to our readers.<br />
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Send your Story Idea to us.<br />
Email Editor@<strong>Martial</strong><strong>Arts</strong><strong>World</strong><strong>News</strong>.com<br />
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• One of your students<br />
overcame great obstacles<br />
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• You’ve opened a new<br />
location? We’d love to hear<br />
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• Your martial arts<br />
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some information!
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NEXT LEVEL STRATEGY<br />
What is your Program Worth?<br />
by Shihan Allie Alberigo<br />
To the average person, what are you actually worth?<br />
VALUE STACKING your program for sale & Value! (Member Dojo Tour)<br />
We all think we are unique and special, our style, our system,<br />
the way we teach, the benefits are all unique to who we are. But<br />
to the average person we have to ask ourselves the question<br />
“Are we, really special to them?” We have to be aware that the<br />
average person is not educated on martial art styles or systems<br />
and is not aware of what we do. In fact, many of them don’t really<br />
even understand, traditional, non-traditional, sport, full contact or<br />
tournament martial arts etc.<br />
If a client is walking into our school, they are probably assuming,<br />
all martial arts schools are created equal. No matter how<br />
many hoops you jump through or benefits you explain to them<br />
that are specific to your school and they have no point of reference,<br />
they are going to assume you do it the same way<br />
as the school down the road.<br />
Here is where you can take a huge leap ahead<br />
of the competition, and I am not talking about only<br />
other martial art schools only, but every activity<br />
out there. Learn what you give and why it is of<br />
value to the prospective clients. Learn who you<br />
are and take inventory of the things you take<br />
for granted that come with your program.<br />
When you go take a prospective client<br />
through what we call our Dojo tour, you<br />
will discover many things about<br />
yourself and your school. There<br />
are things you probably don’t<br />
even realize that is of huge<br />
value in explaining who you<br />
are and what you do. Some of<br />
these things I am positive you<br />
are taking for granted. Or they<br />
may be things you don’t even mention<br />
or explain to your potential clients that<br />
could be of huge value.<br />
In our martial art school we walk the<br />
prospective client through what we call our dojo tour. As we do<br />
that we are explaining our school and procedures with them. But<br />
we do NOT just talk about the do’s and don’ts or the facility. We<br />
talk about the benefits of the rules and regulations and the why’s<br />
as well. For example here are some steps in our school walk<br />
through and school tour.<br />
1. Bowing upon entering the building, also entering on to the<br />
training floor and leaving the dojo. This teaches Respect for the<br />
school, respect for others and respect for themselves. You have<br />
to find and explain why this is not just a simple bend of the body,<br />
but tie it into the lessons and why’s. Explaining it now, is essential<br />
because it starts the tour with the lessons of respect.<br />
2. Bow when we meet our senior students and sensei’s<br />
– Again this is a lesson in teaching respect for others, but also<br />
teaching manors, which is not as prevalent as it was years ago.<br />
The Student Teacher Relationship is so important in the martial<br />
arts, as well as Hierarchy within the belt ranks. A simple explanation<br />
of this teaches the why’s and reasoning behind it all. This is a<br />
great foundation for martial arts and could be looked at the very<br />
first lesson. By explaining this, you are able to help the student<br />
understand the first lesson – Respect and courtesy.<br />
SHIHAN ALLIE ALBERIGO is a 7th degree black belt, the founder of the L.I. Ninjutsu<br />
Centers, one of the largest Ninjutsu schools on the planet, the author of 4 books, and an entrepreneur<br />
with one of the first online coaching companies.<br />
86 MARTIAL ARTS WORLD NEWS VOLUME <strong>24</strong> | ISSUE 5 Photograph (right) by PeopleImages
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MIND MASTERY<br />
Understanding and Conquering<br />
Your Inner Saboteur<br />
by Grandmaster Jessie Bowen<br />
Today is a good time to evaluate your life and determine if you’re where you want to<br />
be. Understanding why you may feel lost in your goals and lack hope for a solution<br />
is important.<br />
The main obstacle to achieving goals is procrastination. This is<br />
the act of delaying and putting off urgent tasks related to business,<br />
health, relationships, and other important aspects of life.<br />
Procrastination is a common dilemma that affects most people<br />
at some point in their lives. It’s the act of delaying or postponing<br />
tasks, particularly those that require immediate attention. While<br />
procrastination may seem harmless, it can significantly impact our<br />
mental, emotional, and physical well-being.<br />
In this article, we’ll delve deeper into the science behind procrastination,<br />
including the psychological and neurological<br />
factors that contribute to our procrastination habits.<br />
We’ll also explore practical tips and techniques<br />
to help you conquer your inner saboteur and<br />
increase productivity.<br />
What is Procrastination, and Why Do We<br />
Do It?<br />
Procrastination is the act of delaying<br />
or postponing tasks, particularly<br />
those that require immediate<br />
attention. It’s a common<br />
phenomenon that affects<br />
most people at some<br />
point in their lives. While<br />
procrastination may<br />
seem harmless, it can<br />
significantly impact our<br />
mental, emotional, and<br />
physical well-being.<br />
There are several reasons why we procrastinate. One of<br />
the most common reasons is fear. We may fear failure or the<br />
consequences of our actions, leading us to delay or avoid<br />
action altogether. Another reason is anxiety. We may feel overwhelmed<br />
or anxious about the task at hand, making it difficult<br />
to get started.<br />
Perfectionism is another common reason for procrastination.<br />
We may have high standards for ourselves and fear that we won’t<br />
be able to meet them, which leads us to delay taking action. Lastly,<br />
we may simply lack motivation or interest in the task at hand, making<br />
it difficult to get started.<br />
Here are a few tips to help you get started:<br />
• Recognize that you are a procrastinator<br />
• Evaluate your losses from procrastination<br />
• Make a commitment to your task or projects<br />
• Clarify your priorities by using mind-mapping<br />
• Set goals with timelines<br />
• Invest in time management software<br />
• Set Time Schedules: Discipline yourself to set specific time<br />
schedules for your tasks.<br />
• Eliminate Time Wasters: Identify and eliminate activities that<br />
consume your time unnecessarily, such as excessive use of<br />
social media, unnecessary emails, and unproductive interactions<br />
with people.<br />
• Meditation and mindfulness training at the beginning and end<br />
of your day to gain vision and clarity.<br />
Implementing these tips can improve your productivity and<br />
maximize your time.<br />
GRANDMASTER JESSIE BOWEN is president of Karate International of Durham, Inc., a member of the<br />
American <strong>Martial</strong> <strong>Arts</strong> Association Sport Karate League and Hall of Fame, and has been a member of the Duke University<br />
PE Staff for over 25 years. He is the author of Zen Mind-Body Mindfulness Meditation and Zen Mind-Body Mindfulness<br />
Meditation for <strong>Martial</strong> <strong>Arts</strong>, as well as several other books, programs, and audio CDs on meditation and success training.<br />
88 MARTIAL ARTS WORLD NEWS VOLUME <strong>24</strong> | ISSUE 5 Photo (right) by photoschmidt
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INSTRUCTIONAL EXCELLENCE<br />
Teaching Preteens<br />
by Grandmaster Tim McCarthy<br />
It should be no secret to any instructor of the martial arts that students have different<br />
needs at different ages.<br />
If you teach children the same way you teach adults, you will<br />
not have a very well-attended children’s class. With that understanding<br />
in mind, here are some things you may not have realized<br />
about teaching Preteens (ages 10 to 13.)<br />
In the preteen years children start to get more involved in<br />
school activities and sports, so loyal students who have been<br />
with you for years may need to take some time off for soccer or<br />
basketball season. If you take an “all or nothing” attitude, you<br />
may get nothing. If you understand their needs, you can probably<br />
show how your classes can help them be more successful in their<br />
favorite activities.<br />
Physical activity in class will be much the same as your<br />
classes for middle children, following many of the<br />
same principles and activities identified in last issue’s<br />
article.<br />
One of the biggest differences between these<br />
kids and the middle children is the onset of puberty.<br />
Suddenly their bodies will begin to change, and<br />
each student will change according to his/her own<br />
timing, not the timing of the rest of the class. For<br />
this reason, some of the kids will start to get taller,<br />
stronger, and develop not only the beginning of the<br />
sexual attributes of adults, but also the budding<br />
interest in the opposite sex. Other<br />
children will have to wait. Be aware of<br />
each student’s comfort level when<br />
partnering them up, especially for<br />
grappling or close quarter contact.<br />
They don’t know how to deal with<br />
these feelings yet, so they need<br />
your guidance but more importantly<br />
your wisdom in not putting them<br />
into uncomfortable situations.<br />
Because of these changes<br />
that will probably happen at a<br />
different rate than their friends, it is common for children this age<br />
to have confidence issues. One area of confidence comes from<br />
physical appearance. Help your students feel strong and confident<br />
by helping them be is good shape physically and be proud of the<br />
skills they have developed.<br />
Another area of confidence is how they feel socially. Create<br />
opportunities for them to develop some friends within the school.<br />
Establish a Tournament Team, and Demo Team, or organize volunteer<br />
groups for projects in your school, like fundraisers or other<br />
public services. Something as simple as an after class stretching<br />
group can be just the thing a shy preteen needs to gain a few<br />
close friends.<br />
Non-traditional activities like Enthusiasm Sparring and Motivational<br />
Sparring are great social/emotional additions (ask your AMS<br />
Marketing Consultant for details.) Alternately, at the end of class,<br />
pair up preteens and ask them to practice confidence-building discussions<br />
like telling each other their strengths, their weaknesses,<br />
and their plans to improve their weaknesses.<br />
Because of the onset of the raging hormones in puberty, these<br />
children will also face some self-control challenges. Self-discipline<br />
is an important lesson for all martial artists but especially for preteens.<br />
One of my favorite activities to teach self-discipline and selfcontrol<br />
is stretching – not just loosening up, but holding a stretch<br />
at the point where it is uncomfortable and not backing down.<br />
Learning to face discomfort without giving in to your first reaction<br />
is the beginning of self-control.<br />
Help them understand that if they do “lose it” and say or do<br />
something inappropriate, the best way to handle it is to apologize<br />
and try to do better next time. We all make mistakes, but learning<br />
from the mistake is the best way to handle it. During mat chats you<br />
can describe or have students act out a sudden burst of disrespect,<br />
and then practice apologizing for it.<br />
This is also the age where bullying is common, so mat chats<br />
or even entire classes on how to handle the bully without fighting<br />
are important.<br />
GRANDMASTER TIM MCCARTHY is a 9th degree black belt and is a martial arts educator with<br />
a master’s degree in education. He has been instrumental in developing two industry-changing programs, plus<br />
has directed and been featured in hundreds of martial arts videos and webinars.<br />
90 MARTIAL ARTS WORLD NEWS VOLUME <strong>24</strong> | ISSUE 5
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BUDO PHILOSOPHY<br />
Aggressiveness, Biology<br />
and Culture Part 3<br />
by Shidoshi Alfredo Tucci<br />
Edward was a European businessman of impeccable reputation who had bought the<br />
beautiful farm of his dreams, after years of incessant and hard saving.<br />
There he stablished his house, to which he devoted the greatest<br />
care, attention and time, with such bad luck, that the government<br />
decided that his garden was in the middle of the ideal connection<br />
for the road they were considering building, so he received<br />
an expropriation order.<br />
Such a circumstance ruined our hero’s day, who ipso facto<br />
called his lawyer in an attempt to stop the evil state’s intentions.<br />
However, Edward’s heart, which was regarded as a very polite<br />
gentleman, was ordered directly from his brain to pump blood<br />
to his coronaries, because that was the way it had always been<br />
and worked for hundreds of thousands of years,<br />
from UNGA and his multiple wives, children and<br />
grandchildren, great grandchildren, etc., etc., until<br />
today.<br />
For Edward’s brain, the invasion of his territory<br />
was an incontestable fact and, just like his<br />
ancestor, his biology took the necessary measures<br />
to survive the danger and face the situation.<br />
Unlike UNGA, things were slow for Edward.<br />
The trial took several months to be held, and<br />
appeals to higher levels extended the process<br />
for several years, until finally, the cunning<br />
lawyers who defended him, managed to<br />
impose his point of view and make prevail<br />
his reason, so that the road ended<br />
up diverting its course and saving<br />
those hedges of camellias that he had<br />
so carefully cultivated for years.<br />
Once the process was over, <strong>24</strong><br />
or 48 hours at most, Edward’s brain<br />
sent the order to finish the dilation<br />
of his coronaries, with such bad<br />
luck that they, lethargic by his sedentary life and little turgid for the<br />
bad cholesterol accumulations, they didn’t have the capacity to<br />
take on that change of state without losing their structural integrity,<br />
and when the veins suddenly contracted, a small part of them fell<br />
off, blocking the passage of the blood and causing a sharp pain in<br />
the chest, which derived towards the arm.<br />
Because the new road passed very far from his home, the<br />
ambulance for Edward took too long and couldn’t make it on time<br />
to the hospital, so that our modern hero, the great-great-great<br />
grandson of the illustrious UNGA, kicked the bucket leaving his beloved<br />
camellias orphaned and just one heir, because unlike UNGA,<br />
raising children was very expensive and he couldn’t afford it.<br />
Being human is something much more complex than being,<br />
say, a professor for instance. It includes the integration of many<br />
dark sides, which do not resist their denial and possess immense<br />
power. Eating three times a day, or surfing the web, will not change<br />
charging with a reptilian brain, and with the most elementary survival<br />
impulses inscribed in our internal code for millions of years.<br />
To give way and awareness to these realities without judging them<br />
morally, dignifies man in his essential task, wisdom.<br />
You cannot treat a tiger like a baby, one drinks milk and the<br />
other eats meat, but both coexist with many other facets of our<br />
whole being within ourselves and they cannot be denied, postponed<br />
or caged. Today we call them inner demons, but in due time<br />
they allowed us to survive and prevail, we will not get rid of them<br />
so easily, simply by having an iPhone.<br />
<strong>Martial</strong> <strong>Arts</strong> may eventually be a way of reunion, integration and<br />
harmonization between some of our most unspeakable demons<br />
and our rational self, but this task requires reflection and questioning<br />
of our work, something that the most impetuous warriors do<br />
not usually like. So you better wake up, folks, unfortunately these<br />
things are not taught in schools!<br />
SHIDOSHI ALFREDO TUCCI is the CEO and General Manager of the Budo International Publishing<br />
Company, a leading publisher in the martial arts with over 35 years in the industry. He is also author of several<br />
books: The Immaterial Dimension, The Way of the Warrior, and The Spirit. He currently lives in Valencia, Spain.<br />
94 MARTIAL ARTS WORLD NEWS VOLUME <strong>24</strong> | ISSUE 5<br />
Photograph (right) by gorodenkoff
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COMPLETE MARTIAL ARTS CONCEPTS<br />
Is Wushu Effective<br />
for the Streets? Part 2<br />
by Professor Willie “The Bam” Johnson<br />
In Part 1 of our exploration into the effectiveness of Wushu for street combat, we<br />
introduced you to Willie “The BAM” Johnson, a martial artist who has harnessed the<br />
power of Wushu to navigate the gritty and unpredictable world of street confrontations.<br />
As we continue our journey, we’ll delve deeper into Johnson’s<br />
unique combat Wushu system and its practical applications in realworld<br />
scenarios.<br />
At the core of Johnson’s approach to Wushu is the fusion of<br />
multiple martial disciplines into a cohesive and adaptable system.<br />
Drawing from his extensive training in Kong Duk Kwon, Wing<br />
Chun, Judo, Northern Shaolin street fighting, Guju Ru, Wushu,<br />
Chin Na, boxing, and even jailhouse combat, Johnson<br />
has distilled these techniques into a streamlined and<br />
effective combat style. These techniques are not<br />
based solely on brute force but on the principle of<br />
flowing in harmony with the universe, an approach<br />
that emphasizes using an opponent’s energy<br />
against them.<br />
For instance, Johnson employs a strategy<br />
where, if an adversary attempts a hip<br />
throw, he redirects the force in a<br />
way that makes the attacker feel<br />
in control. Yet, at their weakest<br />
moment, Johnson strikes<br />
decisively. This philosophy<br />
encapsulates the essence of<br />
his martial art: pushing when<br />
pulled and pulling when<br />
pushed. It’s about adaptability,<br />
fluidity, and, most importantly,<br />
survival.<br />
Johnson’s real-world experience<br />
has been instrumental<br />
in shaping his combat Wushu<br />
system. He understands that in street confrontations, attackers are<br />
driven by a singular goal - to incapacitate or eliminate their target.<br />
Therefore, situational awareness is paramount. “On the streets,” he<br />
warns, “the attacker’s only goal is to search and destroy, and we<br />
must be aware of this.”<br />
However, Johnson emphasizes that effective techniques are<br />
only part of the equation. The inner spirit plays an equally vital<br />
role in bringing these techniques to life. “It is important to practice<br />
because the way you practice is the way you respond,” he asserts.<br />
Johnson’s unique perspective stems from his youth, where he<br />
once assumed the role of the aggressor. Now, as a defender, he<br />
shares the wisdom gained from those experiences with his students.<br />
This duality has provided him with not only a deep understanding<br />
of combat but also the mindset, attitude, and techniques<br />
of an attacker.<br />
Central to Johnson’s martial journey are the 12 principles of his<br />
combat Wushu system. These principles encompass qualities such<br />
as honesty, open-mindedness, willingness, patience, constancy,<br />
righteousness, unity, charity, sobriety, courage, self-denial, and<br />
love. They serve as the moral and ethical foundation upon which<br />
his martial art is built, reinforcing the idea that combat skills should<br />
be wielded responsibly and ethically.<br />
Willie “The BAM” Johnson’s journey through the world of<br />
Wushu and its applications in real-world scenarios is a testament<br />
to the adaptability and practicality of this ancient martial art. As we<br />
conclude our exploration, one thing becomes clear - Wushu, under<br />
the guidance of individuals like Johnson, continues to evolve as<br />
one of the most effective combat systems available today. Stay<br />
vigilant, stay aware, and stay tuned for more insights from Johnson<br />
and his combat Wushu system.<br />
PROFESSOR WILLIE “THE BAM” JOHNSON is a 7th degree black belt and seven-time sport<br />
karate and Kung-Fu world champion. He has appeared in four movies, 16 plays, and 11 television shows. He is also<br />
the national spokesperson for the Stronger than Drugs Foundation and the Champions Against Drugs.<br />
96 MARTIAL ARTS WORLD NEWS VOLUME <strong>24</strong> | ISSUE 5 Photograph (right) by RuslanShevchenko
Lee Milteer is an Internationally known and celebrated<br />
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MASTER THE BASICS<br />
How to Get the Most out of Your<br />
Next Belt Test<br />
by Master Tina Bane<br />
Belt testing is one of the hallmarks of the martial arts that set them apart from other<br />
exercise and activity programs.<br />
It is an important key to student retention and a fundamental<br />
means of teaching some of our most effective life lessons. However,<br />
it is also one of the most effective tools we have to promote our<br />
schools and help them grow.<br />
Do you know how to get at least five new students per month<br />
from belt tests? It’s fairly easy, if you know how.<br />
Test every seven weeks.<br />
Each student will only be qualified to test every other cycle,<br />
making it about three months between tests for each student; but<br />
by holding a test more often, you decrease the number of students<br />
testing, making it easier to manage for the staff and more personal<br />
for the students. Plus, you average your income much<br />
better if you charge a test fee (we don’t).<br />
Gather a crowd.<br />
Each student must bring at least five friends<br />
or family members to witness their test. These<br />
witnesses help the student learn to perform well<br />
under (emotional) pressure and provide a market<br />
of potential new students.<br />
Keep a dual focus.<br />
Whatever you say during the test, and<br />
whatever you ask the students to do,<br />
have the audience in mind. Take<br />
a few extra moments to explain<br />
to the audience what<br />
they are seeing – what the<br />
students are doing, and<br />
why they are doing it.<br />
Emphasize the benefits<br />
of martial arts training.<br />
Having students stand up and<br />
recite some of the improvements they<br />
have made because of the martial arts<br />
not only serves to increase retention by reminding them of the value<br />
of your classes, it also serves to encourage the audience members<br />
to enroll when they hear the great results their own friends and family<br />
members have achieved.<br />
Give a Trial Lesson.<br />
Every belt test should contain an exhibition, and part of that exhibition<br />
should be an audience participation segment of competitions<br />
and a quick mini-class.<br />
Make a special offer.<br />
Everyone who attends the test should receive at least a FREE<br />
week of classes.<br />
When you have a large crowd, impress upon them the value of<br />
training at your school as evidenced by student testimonials. Give<br />
them a chance to feel the fun of training, and then make them an<br />
offer they can’t refuse. You will easily get at least five new students<br />
per test.<br />
MASTER TINA BANE is a 6th degree master instructor and owner of a Top Ten martial arts school<br />
with successful after school and summer camp programs.<br />
98 MARTIAL ARTS WORLD NEWS VOLUME <strong>24</strong> | ISSUE 5<br />
Photograph (right) by Liubomyr Vorona
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BUSINESS BUZZ<br />
Unlocking Leadership Potential<br />
by Grandmaster Lawrence Arthur<br />
A Proven Blueprint for Converting Trial Students into <strong>Martial</strong> <strong>Arts</strong> Leaders<br />
In the dynamic world of martial arts business, the key to<br />
sustained success lies in nurturing and developing your students,<br />
turning them from eager novices into dedicated leaders.<br />
As Warren Buffett wisely states, “Price is what you pay, Value is<br />
what you get.” In this guide, we unveil a comprehensive strategy to<br />
upgrade 80% of trial students into leadership programs, enhancing<br />
their experience and adding substantial value to your martial arts<br />
academy.<br />
1. Strategic Scheduling for Success<br />
The journey begins with the “Basic Trial” program, where<br />
meticulous planning sets the tone for a student’s long-term commitment.<br />
Schedule and confirm all classes during this trial period,<br />
limiting attendance to no more than twice per week. The mantra<br />
here is to Confirm, Confirm, Confirm—establishing a solid foundation<br />
to avoid the dreaded “White Belt Flight.”<br />
2. Personalized Progress Check Appointments<br />
During the basic trial program presentation, plant<br />
the seed of progression by mentioning a progress<br />
check appointment a couple of weeks post-enrollment.<br />
This not only shows commitment but also sets<br />
the stage for them to envision themselves as future<br />
black belts.<br />
3. Earning the Black Belt Invitation<br />
Present trial students with simple<br />
tasks before each lesson, laying the<br />
groundwork for their invitation into<br />
the black belt program. Tasks<br />
could range from memorizing the<br />
student oath to demonstrating<br />
respect through various actions,<br />
creating a sense of achievement<br />
and belonging.<br />
4. Nurturing Citizenship and Goal Setting<br />
Engage trial students by reviewing the citizenship form,<br />
understanding their specific improvement goals. Reinforce their<br />
commitment through small gestures like sending thank-you cards<br />
to parents and congratulatory cards to the students.<br />
5. Weekly Celebrations and Orientations<br />
Host a Parent and Student Celebration/Orientation Class every<br />
week for new students, dedicating 45 minutes to instill values, culture,<br />
philosophy, and the mission of your academy. Share insights<br />
on etiquette, protocol, and the Dos and Don’ts, creating a sense of<br />
community.<br />
6. Leadership Workshops and Involvement<br />
Introduce a 45-minute Leadership Workshop every week,<br />
ensuring parents actively participate. Preview the curriculum, delve<br />
into the characteristics and responsibilities of a Black Belt Leader,<br />
and emphasize the importance of leadership in all aspects of life.<br />
7. <strong>Special</strong> Invitations and Recognition<br />
Extend invitations to trial students for various events, outings,<br />
and seminars, showcasing your academy’s diverse offerings. Celebrate<br />
their progress by presenting Leadership Program nominations,<br />
creating a memorable experience that involves family and friends.<br />
8. Personalized Outreach and Enrollment<br />
Engage trial students personally by visiting their schools, inviting<br />
them for lunch, and maintaining regular communication. Call to congratulate<br />
them on their Leadership Program nomination and set up<br />
appointments during the day, leading to a smooth enrollment process.<br />
By implementing this comprehensive strategy, martial arts<br />
academies can elevate the trial student experience, unlock<br />
leadership potential, and cultivate a loyal community of skilled and<br />
dedicated martial artists. Remember, in martial arts, as in life, the<br />
journey is as important as the destination.<br />
GRANDMASTER LAWRENCE ARTHUR has been a martial artist, specializing in Karate, Kung<br />
Fu, Kenpo, Shotokan, and Goju Ryu, since 1968. He owns 40 Super Kick Karate locations and is founder of the<br />
American Freestyle Karate Association (AFKA). A world champion and hall of famer, Lawrence also runs the<br />
Black Belt Success Systems consulting firm, which trains martial arts instructors on proper business practices<br />
and is used by schools all over the country.<br />
100 MARTIAL ARTS WORLD NEWS VOLUME <strong>24</strong> | ISSUE 5
MARTIAL ARTS PHILOSOPHY<br />
The Day I Thought I Was Getting<br />
Arrested for Being Funny! (Part 1)<br />
By Sensei Gary Lee<br />
It was a typical day at the Astroworld Amusement<br />
Park where I was working. It was 1981 and I<br />
had signed my first big contract doing live shows<br />
in front of thousands of people at one of the<br />
largest amusement parks in the country.<br />
I was the comedian Karate Guy that the park<br />
hired to draw some different ideas into the park<br />
plus I was hired to be creative for the park’s<br />
future.<br />
“Gary is an historian, an educator, an actor,<br />
an entertainer, a Samurai and a Big Kid rolled<br />
up into one heck of a role model for kids, young<br />
adults and parents. I have really enjoyed watching<br />
his talent grow into the force of a sport karate<br />
museum for the world. There is no one I know<br />
who has the elite history he does in sport karate,<br />
after all he sold me back in 1981<br />
to be the first martial arts show<br />
at Astroworld. He has helped<br />
create many shows after<br />
that year with fight scenes,<br />
high falls, tricks, weapons, and comedy. The<br />
Hollywood Stunt Show was a big hit and Gary<br />
played the lead. Gary is like a Tsunami, this<br />
huge wave that hits you without any warning,<br />
but you love the ride, and you cannot wait to<br />
get hit again and again!<br />
If Gary puts his passion into<br />
The Sport Karate Museum<br />
like he has his acting and<br />
showmanship, it will be<br />
another winner!”<br />
– Bob Logan<br />
Entertainment<br />
Director, Astroworld,<br />
U.S.A<br />
I had just finished my set of back-to-back shows and I am in my<br />
trailer taking my break before my second show set and there’s a<br />
knock on the trailer door. It was park security, and they wanted me<br />
to follow them to the park’s office. They told me there was a security<br />
problem and Mr. Logan, the entertainment director, wanted to<br />
see me up in the front office.<br />
I arrived in his office and there was a lady, Mr. Logan and about<br />
six police officers, and I was wondering what was going on here.<br />
Then I was told at one of my shows it was witnessed I had done<br />
child abuse and that the lady in the office was the complainant.<br />
She was an executive of child abuse services in the Houston area,<br />
and she had brought her kids to Astroworld and had watched the<br />
karate show. She had witnessed me picking up a kid and then<br />
slamming him down in the show. She had felt it was inappropriate.<br />
To Be Continued Next <strong>Issue</strong>…<br />
SENSEI GARY LEE, the American Samurai, is a 9th Dan black belt, a USA Karate<br />
Federation gold medalist, winner of five Super Grand National Titles, a featured actor in<br />
the movie Sidekicks, and is the founder of the National Sport Karate Museum.<br />
102 MARTIAL ARTS WORLD NEWS VOLUME <strong>24</strong> | ISSUE 5<br />
Photograph (right) by fotokostic
MANAGEMENT EXCELLENCE<br />
One Easy Step to Solve All Your<br />
<strong>Martial</strong> <strong>Arts</strong> Business Problems<br />
by Grandmaster Kirk Pelt<br />
What’s the ONE step that will solve all your martial arts business problems? Easy:<br />
Close your school!<br />
Face it, if you have a business, you are going to have problems.<br />
The only way to get rid of ALL your problems is to get rid of your<br />
business.<br />
Since that’s probably not an option, what can you do to get rid<br />
of some of your biggest problems quickly and easily?<br />
Most martial arts schools have two kinds of problems:<br />
Money and people who complain about<br />
money.<br />
AMS can help you solve both problems at the<br />
same time.<br />
How much time do you and your staff spend<br />
on chasing students who aren’t paying? The<br />
simple answer is too much. You and your staff<br />
should be focusing on enrolling new students<br />
and providing outstanding instruction, not on bill<br />
collecting. AMS can save you time, headaches,<br />
and money by handling your tuition billing for you.<br />
Our team of professionals are trained in the<br />
latest techniques and technology to<br />
get you more of your money.<br />
In addition, AMS has proven<br />
low-cost, high-impact promotions<br />
that will help your school<br />
grow. Each new student can<br />
add between $1,000.00 and<br />
$5,000.00 to your income.<br />
Wouldn’t it be smarter to<br />
focus on gaining new students<br />
rather than arguing<br />
with current students?<br />
Over time, adding<br />
$5,000.00 to your<br />
monthly income can go a long way toward solving your money<br />
problems. Many schools double and even triple their monthly<br />
income after joining AMS. What difference would that make to your<br />
peace of mind?<br />
Could your school use an additional $5,000.00 to $10,000.00<br />
a month?<br />
Would you like to have fewer headaches and more time to<br />
devote to better instruction?<br />
AMS can go a long way toward relieving your most stressful<br />
business problems. We can’t take them all away, but we can<br />
reduce them dramatically. AMSbilling can handle those student<br />
payment problems, while our unique marketing programs help you<br />
earn additional income quickly.<br />
Call 1-800-275-1600 to take the one easy step that can solve<br />
most of your school’s biggest problems.<br />
Just for calling, we’ll send you our popular in-depth report, “The<br />
Top 10 Ways to Create Win-Win Relationships with your School<br />
System,” valued at $197.00.<br />
GRANDMASTER KIRK PELT is an 8th degree black belt and is the President of a multi-million<br />
dollar, multi-school organization, has a 30-year track record of success, and is currently on the leading<br />
edge of martial arts curriculum and business innovation.<br />
104 MARTIAL ARTS WORLD NEWS VOLUME <strong>24</strong> | ISSUE 5
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THE WARRIOR WAY<br />
Confidence Factors<br />
by Grandmaster Bill Clark<br />
Network with other Winners<br />
The seventh factor in building confidence is to form your<br />
own “mastermind” or support group comprised entirely<br />
of winners: people who inspire you, make you laugh, and<br />
encourage your success. It’s a fact of life that most winners<br />
are more than happy to share their success and enthusiasm<br />
with others.<br />
Remember, birds of a feather flock together. Make it your<br />
habit to form relationships with winners. The more confident<br />
and positive the people you network with, the more it will<br />
rub off on you. Nothing breeds optimism and confidence<br />
like the company of positive people, and nothing drains it<br />
faster than pessimists.<br />
Develop a list of high quality contacts in as<br />
many different fields as you can --not just your own.<br />
Keep every business card you are ever given<br />
instead of throwing most away and enter them in a<br />
CRM program or your electronic address book.<br />
With all the different people you contact,<br />
unless you are blessed with a photographic memory,<br />
many of the people you meet soon fade into<br />
the shadows of your mind. Be a source<br />
of information for others when you.<br />
Send emails with information<br />
on the comings and goings<br />
in your industry that may<br />
be of interest to them.<br />
Send out links to articles,<br />
book or videos<br />
of interest, along<br />
with a simple note<br />
saying, “I saw<br />
this and thought<br />
you would be<br />
interested. Best<br />
wishes, Bill” to<br />
key people.<br />
In short, keep<br />
in constant contact, and show them you are interested in the<br />
things that interest them.<br />
Turning Defeat into Victory to Boost Confidence<br />
The eighth factor in building confidence is positive self-talk. Do<br />
not get in the habit of beating yourself-up mentally when things go<br />
wrong or mistakes are made. There are plenty of other people in<br />
the world more than willing to do it for you. You must focus all of<br />
your energy on remaining positive and refocusing your efforts on<br />
the successful accomplishment of your vision.<br />
It’s an interesting fact that you will almost never hear great leaders<br />
or sports stars use the word failure.<br />
They will use experience, glitch, problem, challenge, or almost<br />
any other word in the dictionary, except the word failure.<br />
Successful people deliberately and consciously re-interpret<br />
their failures as mere delays or mistakes.<br />
They make the deliberate, conscious effort to judge themselves<br />
and their experiences in a positive way—a way that improves<br />
rather than undercuts their self-confidence.<br />
Use positive self-talk when dealing with negative situations<br />
and reframe each loss or failure from the perspective of how you<br />
will learn from the experience to do better next time. Never allow<br />
your own or your staff’s self-esteem or confidence to be adversely<br />
affected by a business problem.<br />
GRANDMASTER BILL CLARK is a 9th degree black belt and a former PKA Fighter of<br />
the Year. He is widely considered one of the top experts in martial arts business with over 50 years<br />
of leadership and innovation, having been inducted into almost every Hall of Fame in the industry. He<br />
is one of the largest multi-school owners in the world.<br />
106 MARTIAL ARTS WORLD NEWS VOLUME <strong>24</strong> | ISSUE 5<br />
Photograph (top) by Jacob Wackerhausen
The Latest Guide<br />
All <strong>Martial</strong> <strong>Arts</strong> School Owners<br />
NEED TO READ<br />
Grandmaster Zulfi Ahmed’s<br />
newest book, “The Science & Secrets<br />
of Becoming a Master <strong>Martial</strong> <strong>Arts</strong><br />
Instructor,” is the latest must-have<br />
industry guide for martial arts school<br />
owners and instructors.<br />
The world of martial arts is a very<br />
complicated one, where you can soar<br />
to the heights of the profession or<br />
quickly hit rock bottom, all depending<br />
on your mindset, discipline, and skills.<br />
“The Science & Secrets of Becoming<br />
a Master <strong>Martial</strong> <strong>Arts</strong> Instructor” is<br />
designed to teach you everything<br />
you’ll need to know to avoid the pitfalls<br />
and succeed as an instructor in the<br />
modern era.<br />
Featuring contributions from<br />
some of the best martial arts minds,<br />
including Grandmaster Ernie Reyes,<br />
Grandmaster Stephen Hayes, and<br />
Hanshi Dave Kovar, “The Science &<br />
Secrets of Becoming a Master <strong>Martial</strong><br />
<strong>Arts</strong> Instructor” will no doubt help you<br />
take your career to the next level!<br />
To get your copy today for $29.95,<br />
simply go to Lulu.com and search by author.
TACTICAL SELF-DEFENSE<br />
Line of Fire<br />
By Grandmaster Tom Patire<br />
As we all know, there are many forms of martial arts as well as even more instructors<br />
that teach the arts.<br />
Majority of instructors have their own way of teaching and will<br />
tweak a technique to what they believe would make it a better and<br />
a more proficient self-defense move. With that being said what I<br />
want to discuss is the topic of handgun disarms. There are various<br />
debates about whether you grab onto the gun hand<br />
or lock onto the weapon or redirect the weapon.<br />
If the technique is executed wrong and does<br />
not work, unlike a punch in the face which you<br />
can recover from, once the bullet leaves the<br />
chamber you can’t call it back, and if it hits a<br />
vital area in most cases, it will be your demise.<br />
So, when you’re training in handgun disarms<br />
pay special attention to the line of fire. Some<br />
people move themselves out of the way first.<br />
Some move the gun out of the way, while others<br />
rely completely on speed. In my opinion it’s a<br />
combination of everything. Since,<br />
in many cases, the gun will<br />
outweigh the hand, you<br />
have leverage in your favor,<br />
leverage to the point<br />
that a movement on the<br />
hand, which holds the<br />
mass of the gun, will<br />
be easy to deflect<br />
while moving yourself<br />
out of the way.<br />
It is a key essential<br />
for people that do<br />
any type of weapon<br />
disarms to know the<br />
weapon. As in the<br />
case of a handgun,<br />
if you’re dealing with<br />
a semi-automatic in order to get the gun to malfunction or jam, it is<br />
not a hard thing to do. If you’re dealing with a revolver, it’s a whole<br />
other animal. Statistically in robberies, carjackings and home<br />
invasions the weapon of choice on the street is a semi-automatic<br />
handgun. To be complete in your training when learning techniques<br />
for disarming a handgun make sure that you understand<br />
the weapon system. It is ideal to know how it fires, functions,<br />
and jams - because it could all play in favor of your disarm. They<br />
say expect the unexpected so if the gun discharges expect that<br />
sound, expect some flash burns, but also expect if you get onto<br />
the weapon system on the right angle and locked into position the<br />
gun will malfunction. It’s important to have all of that ingrained in<br />
your brain because if you flinch or delay things will go bad quickly.<br />
This is something that is not taught live with real guns due to safety<br />
precautions and probably insurance liability. In most cases a rubber<br />
or plastic type weapon is used in your classroom so be sure to<br />
understand the difference between rubber/plastic weapons versus<br />
the real McCoy because the substance is a bit different to disarm.<br />
Expect that on an actual weapon that your hands may get cut up or<br />
have a slight burn if the weapon discharges but it’s not something<br />
that should throw off your disarm because of focus, concentration<br />
and adrenaline. When you make your move, it’s on commitment<br />
and you don’t get a second chance, so do it with speed and<br />
efficiency but again make sure you’re out of the line of fire. If the<br />
gun discharges, it’s not going to discharge towards you. The only<br />
time that would change is if there was a third party or loved one,<br />
or if you work in my profession as an executive bodyguard where<br />
redirection of your body depends on where the person you’re<br />
protecting is. It is true when they say that the hand is quicker than<br />
the eye. Speed and proficiency will win every time as long as the<br />
weapon is within distance, and your movement is precise and your<br />
technique is sound.<br />
Remember Safety First Because You May Not Get A Second<br />
Chance! ®<br />
GRANDMASTER TOM PATIRE, is known as “America’s Leading Personal Safety Expert” and has appeared<br />
on Good Morning America, The CBS Morning Show, The Colbert Report, Montel, plus in mainstream publications such as<br />
Family Circle, Redbook, Fortune <strong>Magazine</strong>, and The Wall Street Journal. He has written several books and has personal<br />
safety programs that can be incorporated into your martial arts school, available at TomPatire.com.<br />
108 MARTIAL ARTS WORLD NEWS VOLUME <strong>24</strong> | ISSUE 5
Join a Winning Team!<br />
W Want a Truly Inspiring Career?<br />
W Want to Join a Growing, Creative, Vibrant Organization?<br />
W Want to Help Make the <strong>World</strong> a Better Place<br />
by Expanding the Reach of the <strong>Martial</strong> <strong>Arts</strong>?<br />
If So, We Want to Meet You!<br />
We’re Expanding Our Teams!<br />
Seeking:<br />
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OurAMS.com/Careers
Tools & Tactics<br />
Experience Spooktacular Success<br />
with Halloween Campaigns to<br />
Grow Your <strong>Martial</strong> <strong>Arts</strong> School<br />
by Ms. Chris Lee<br />
Halloween always presents a unique opportunity for martial arts school owners to kick<br />
their marketing into high gear.<br />
Not only is this season perfect for engaging current students,<br />
but it’s also a golden opportunity to attract new leads and boost<br />
enrollments. Leveraging the spooky spirit of Halloween can lead<br />
to a surge in student interest, increased loyalty, and more community<br />
recognition for your school.<br />
Why Halloween Campaigns Work for <strong>Martial</strong> <strong>Arts</strong> Schools<br />
Halloween is a time when families are actively seeking fun,<br />
engaging, and safe activities for their children. This makes it an<br />
ideal season for martial arts schools to stand out and<br />
offer value to both current and potential students.<br />
By tapping into the excitement, you can create<br />
campaigns that not only attract new leads but<br />
also deepen the connection with your current<br />
students.<br />
Benefits of a Halloween Campaign:<br />
1. New Leads: Seasonal campaigns naturally<br />
draw interest, especially when they<br />
include unique, themed events or offers.<br />
Halloween-themed campaigns can attract<br />
families looking for new activities,<br />
translating into valuable leads for your<br />
school.<br />
2. New Enrollments: A well-executed<br />
Halloween event can turn interested<br />
leads into new students. By showcasing<br />
your school’s environment and what<br />
you offer, you can convert curiosity into<br />
commitment.<br />
3. Elevated Student Loyalty: Engaging<br />
current students with festive activities increases their emotional<br />
connection to your school, fostering loyalty and encouraging<br />
them to stick around for the long haul.<br />
2 Halloween Campaign Ideas<br />
1. “<strong>Martial</strong> <strong>Arts</strong> Costume Contest”: Host a costume contest<br />
during a special Halloween-themed class. Encourage students<br />
to dress up as their favorite martial arts character or superhero,<br />
with prizes for the best costumes. This not only brings excitement<br />
but also gives parents a reason to share their child’s experience<br />
with friends, potentially bringing in new leads.<br />
2. “Haunted Dojo Tour”: Transform your school into a haunted<br />
dojo for a day or weekend. Offer guided tours and mini martial arts<br />
challenges throughout the event. This is a fantastic way to attract<br />
local families and create buzz in your community.<br />
2 Strategies for Gaining New Leads<br />
1. Social Media Blitz: Create eye-catching graphics and<br />
videos to promote your Halloween events across all social media<br />
platforms. Use targeted ads to reach parents in your local area,<br />
emphasizing the limited-time nature of the event.<br />
2. Referral Incentives: Encourage your current students to<br />
bring a friend to your Halloween event by offering a small reward<br />
for each referral. This can be anything from a free class to branded<br />
martial arts gear.<br />
Halloween is more than just a time for candy and costumes—it’s<br />
an incredible opportunity for your martial arts school to shine. By<br />
embracing the season and creating engaging, themed campaigns,<br />
you can attract new leads, boost enrollments, and deepen student<br />
loyalty. Start planning your spooktacular Halloween campaign<br />
today, and watch your school grow!<br />
MS. CHRIS LEE is a martial arts business development consultant with a background in online and social media marketing.<br />
110 MARTIAL ARTS WORLD NEWS VOLUME <strong>24</strong> | ISSUE 5
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ADVERTISER INDEX<br />
Action Mega Convention<br />
ActionMegaHoh.com ..............................61<br />
Atlas Marketing Studio<br />
AtlasMarketingStudio.app ......................19, 95<br />
Atlas <strong>Martial</strong> <strong>Arts</strong> Software<br />
Atlas<strong>Martial</strong><strong>Arts</strong>Software.com ...............2, 44, 97<br />
Action Hero Photos<br />
ActionHeroPhotos.com ...........................103<br />
Adventures of Harry & Friends<br />
AdventuresOfHarryAndFriends.com ................25<br />
Amazing <strong>Martial</strong> <strong>Arts</strong> Websites<br />
Amazing<strong>Martial</strong><strong>Arts</strong>Websites.com. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11, 87<br />
An-Shu Stephen K. Hayes<br />
NinjaSelfDefense.com .............................51<br />
AMS Billing<br />
OurAMS.com ..............................27, 76, 122<br />
AMSkids<br />
OurAMS.com/AfterSchool ......................39, 89<br />
Break Like a Champ<br />
TeamChipTKD.com ................................85<br />
Budo International <strong>Magazine</strong><br />
BudoInternational.com ............................ 113<br />
Budo the Karate Mouse<br />
BudoTheMouse.com ............................... 17<br />
Extraordinary Marketing<br />
ExtraordinaryMarketing.com ........................79<br />
Master Karen Eden<br />
Century<strong>Martial</strong><strong>Arts</strong>.com ............................15<br />
Grandmaster Jessie Bowen<br />
ElitePublications.org and RevPublish.com .......73, 105<br />
Kick Start Kids<br />
KickStartKids.org ..................................21<br />
Kovar Systems<br />
KovarSystems.com ................................55<br />
Learn the Sword<br />
LearnTheSword.com ...............................31<br />
Lee Milteer<br />
Milteer.com ........................................97<br />
MA Biz Academy<br />
MABizAcademy.com ...........................59, 115<br />
<strong>Martial</strong> <strong>Arts</strong> Business Institute<br />
MaBusinessInstitute.com .......................34, 111<br />
<strong>Martial</strong> <strong>Arts</strong> History Museum<br />
MAMuseum.com .................................101<br />
<strong>Martial</strong> <strong>Arts</strong> Industry Innovations<br />
tinyurl.com/mawnewsvideo .....................23, 99<br />
Ninja Fighting Techniques<br />
tuttlepublishing.com ...............................34<br />
Otomix<br />
Otomix.com .......................................13<br />
Sport Karate Museum<br />
SportKarateMuseumArchives.com .................103<br />
Grandmaster Tim McCarthy<br />
4d-2d.com ........................................92<br />
Grandmaster Tom Patire<br />
TomPatire.com ....................................38<br />
Warrior Certification<br />
WarriorKravMaga.com/events ......................63<br />
Warrior Defence Lab<br />
https://bit.ly/20<strong>24</strong>Warrior ...........................83<br />
Grandmaster Y. K. Kim<br />
YkKim.com ....................................49, 75<br />
Grandmaster Zulfi Ahmed<br />
Lulu.com .........................................106<br />
Kids Point MMA<br />
PointMMA.com ....................................93<br />
114 MARTIAL ARTS WORLD NEWS VOLUME <strong>24</strong> | ISSUE 5
EVENTS<br />
Official ISKA<br />
Sport Karate Rankings<br />
POST-ISKA WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS 20<strong>24</strong><br />
Photo Courtesy: Lindsey Little Photography<br />
116 MARTIAL ARTS WORLD NEWS VOLUME <strong>24</strong> | ISSUE 5
EVENTS<br />
Official ISKA<br />
Sport Karate Rankings<br />
POST-ISKA WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS 20<strong>24</strong><br />
Photo Courtesy: Lindsey Little Photography<br />
MARTIAL ARTS WORLD NEWS VOLUME <strong>24</strong> | ISSUE 5 117
EVENTS<br />
Official ISKA<br />
Sport Karate Rankings<br />
POST-ISKA WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS 20<strong>24</strong><br />
Men’s Open Weapons<br />
C: Esteban Tremblay<br />
1. Ben Jones<br />
2. Dawson Holt<br />
3. Phillip Brumme<br />
4. Brennan Green<br />
5. Alex Mancillas<br />
Women’s Open Weapons<br />
C: Haley Glass<br />
1. Samantha Mitling<br />
2. Sara Campbell<br />
3. Andrea Guzman<br />
4. Kaitlyn Vong<br />
5. Rose Rheaume<br />
Men’s Open Forms<br />
C: Phillip Brumme<br />
1. Esteban Tremblay<br />
2. Will Nevitt<br />
3. Dawson Holt<br />
4. Shaquan Parson<br />
5. Brennan Green<br />
Women’s Open Forms<br />
C: Haley Glass<br />
1. Lilli McGuire<br />
2. Noell Jellison<br />
3. Kaitlyn Vong<br />
4. Andrea Guzman<br />
5. Cassidy Williams<br />
Men’s Trad Weapons<br />
1. Jake Presley<br />
2. Dawson Holt<br />
3. Ben Jones<br />
4. Esteban Tremblay<br />
5. Alec Jahanvash<br />
Women’s Trad Weapons<br />
1. Haley Glass<br />
2. Rose Rheaume<br />
3. Lilli McGuire<br />
4. Katelyn McMillan<br />
5. Melina Pecci<br />
Men’s Trad Forms<br />
C: Joey Castro<br />
1. Mason Stowell<br />
2. Caio DaSilva<br />
3. Luca Ricotti<br />
4. Jeff Doss<br />
5. Diego Rodriguez Florez<br />
Women’s Trad Forms<br />
C: Amber Rutherford<br />
1. Gabrielle Rudolph<br />
2. Lilli McGuire<br />
3. Kaitlyn Vong<br />
4. Melissa Baillargeon<br />
5. Kaelyn Kowalski<br />
Men’s Team Sparring<br />
C: Top Ten Team USA<br />
1. Team Paul Mitchell<br />
2. Team Straight Up<br />
3. Team DMND G3<br />
4. Team Legend<br />
5. Team Impex/KTOC<br />
Women’s Team Sparring<br />
C: Team Paul Mitchell<br />
1. Team Revolution<br />
2. Team Straight Up<br />
3. Team Legend<br />
4. Team Army Strong<br />
Men’s Open Weight<br />
C: Kristhian Rivas<br />
1. Bailey Murphy<br />
2. Enrique Letona<br />
3. Avery Plowden<br />
4. Darren X<br />
5. Mason Bumba<br />
Women’s Sparring<br />
C: KiTana Everett<br />
1. Katarina Herman<br />
2. Francesca Ceci<br />
3. Tahirah Abdul Qadir<br />
4. Savannah Wolaniuk<br />
5. Alexi Jimenez<br />
118 MARTIAL ARTS WORLD NEWS VOLUME <strong>24</strong> | ISSUE 5
EVENTS<br />
Official ISKA<br />
Sport Karate Rankings<br />
POST-ISKA WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS 20<strong>24</strong><br />
Men’s LW Sparring<br />
1. Bailey Murphy<br />
2. Enrique Letona<br />
3. Martin Balint<br />
4. Tyreeke Saint<br />
5. Jack Buckley<br />
Men’s HW Sparring<br />
1. Avery Plowden<br />
2. Kameren Ali<br />
3. Devon Hopper<br />
4. Dwayne Morin<br />
5. Dimitrios Economo<br />
Senior Men’s Sparring<br />
1. Kevin Walker<br />
2. Yoskar Gamez<br />
3. Pablo Moreno<br />
4. Brayan Rodriguez<br />
5. Coca Guzman<br />
Senior Women’s Sparring<br />
1. Silvana Shamuon<br />
2. Mouse Millner<br />
3. Andrea Busa<br />
4. Samantha Miller<br />
5. Robyn Lebuffe<br />
Senior Men’s Weapons<br />
C: Tim Conkel<br />
1. Kevin Kowalczik<br />
2. Samuel Diaz Ill<br />
3. Jeff Doss<br />
4. Eric Tremblay<br />
5. Brett Thomason<br />
Senior Women’s Weapons<br />
1. Melanie Strauss<br />
2. Ashley Bartlett<br />
3. Amy Williams<br />
4. Melanie Cantin<br />
5. Curcha Marks<br />
Senior Men’s Forms<br />
1. Kevin Kowalczik<br />
2. Tim Conkel<br />
3. Samuel Diaz III<br />
4. Jeff Doss<br />
5. Eric Tremblay<br />
Senior Women’s Forms<br />
1. Ashley Bartlett<br />
2. Ana Lucia Conde<br />
3. Tere Barrosso<br />
4. Melanie Strauss<br />
5. Clarissa DeHoyos<br />
Junior Boys Open Weps<br />
C: Judah Sagawa<br />
1. John Lorenz<br />
2. Jackson Hensley<br />
3. Wassim Dridi<br />
4. Xristos Triantafillou<br />
5. Gavin Dollarhite<br />
Junior Girls Open Weps<br />
C: Averi Presley<br />
1. Kodi Molina<br />
2. Jada Cloud<br />
3. Savannah Agosto<br />
4. Alyss Groce<br />
5. Erica Goldt<br />
Junior Boys Trad Weps<br />
1. Noah Sansait<br />
2. Nolan Grunwald<br />
3. Wassim Dridi<br />
4. Jackson Hensley<br />
5. Gavin Dollarhite<br />
Junior Girls Trad Weps<br />
C: Sofia Rodriguez Florez<br />
1. Averi Presley<br />
2. Emmersyn Cottingham<br />
3. Kodi Molina<br />
4. Ava Becker<br />
5. Quinlynn Brooks<br />
MARTIAL ARTS WORLD NEWS VOLUME <strong>24</strong> | ISSUE 5 119
EVENTS<br />
Official ISKA<br />
Sport Karate Rankings<br />
POST-ISKA WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS 20<strong>24</strong><br />
Junior Boys Open Forms<br />
C: Judah Sagawa<br />
1. Aidan Guernsey<br />
2. Wassim Dridi<br />
3. Zeke Gomez<br />
4. Xristos Triantafillou<br />
5. Caysen Junell<br />
Junior Girls Open Forms<br />
C: Alyss Groce<br />
1. Averi Presley<br />
2. Jada Cloud<br />
3. Savannah Agosto<br />
4. Sofia Rodriguez Florez<br />
5. Asia Asesor<br />
Junior Boys Trad Forms<br />
C: Noah Sansait<br />
1. Matthew Gruitia<br />
2. Sebastian Villanueva<br />
3. Henry Hawkinson<br />
4. Trey Dietrich<br />
5. James Fernandez<br />
Junior Girls Trad Forms<br />
C: Sofia Rodriguez Florez<br />
1. Quinlynn Brooks<br />
2. Emmersyn Cottingham<br />
3. Kodi Molina<br />
4. Alyss Groce<br />
5. Erica Goldt<br />
Youth Boys Open Weps<br />
C: Adomas Rackauskas<br />
1. Michael Molina<br />
2. Carter Underwood<br />
3. Jett Kowalczik<br />
4. James Potter<br />
5. Lukas Drevinskas<br />
Youth Girls Open Weps<br />
C: Madalynn Wiersma<br />
1. Abigail Hunck<br />
2. Camille Trippodo<br />
3. Piper Miller<br />
4. Norah Belverud<br />
5. Olivia Cano<br />
Youth Boys Trad Weps<br />
1. Adomas Rackauskas<br />
2. Michael Molina<br />
3. Oscar Pecci<br />
4. James Potter<br />
5. Kaiden Camacho<br />
Youth Girls Trad Weps<br />
1. Madalynn Wiersma<br />
2. Olivia Cano<br />
3. Amanda Duarte<br />
4. Demi Rodriguez<br />
5. Abigail Hunck<br />
Youth Boys Open Forms<br />
C: Jaiden Graciani<br />
1. Jayvin Jones<br />
2. Carter Underwood<br />
3. Michael Molina<br />
4. Adomas Rackauskas<br />
5. Jett Kowalczik<br />
Youth Girls Open Forms<br />
1. Madalynn Wiersma<br />
2. Amanda Duarte<br />
3. Alicia Sanmiguel<br />
4. Abigail Hunck<br />
5. Olivia Cano<br />
Youth Boys Trad Forms<br />
C: Adomas Rackauskas<br />
1. Aiden Ramirez<br />
2. Kaiden Camacho<br />
3. Oscar Pecci<br />
4. James Potter<br />
5. Angel Perez<br />
Youth Girls Trad Forms<br />
C: Amanda Duarte<br />
1. Madalynn Wiersma<br />
2. Raegan Campbell<br />
3. Charlize De Gannes<br />
4. Olivia Cano<br />
5. Nora Potter<br />
120 MARTIAL ARTS WORLD NEWS VOLUME <strong>24</strong> | ISSUE 5
EVENTS<br />
Official ISKA<br />
Sport Karate Rankings<br />
POST-ISKA WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS 20<strong>24</strong><br />
Synchronized Forms<br />
C: Dawson Holt & Ben Jones (Open)<br />
Joey Castro, Cameron Klos,<br />
Amber Rutherford (Trad)<br />
Diego & Sofia Rodriguez Florez<br />
Will Nevitt & Noell Jellison<br />
Samuel Diaz III & Gabrielle Rudolph<br />
Phillip Brumme & Wassim Dridi<br />
Xristos Triantafillou & Max Swierczek<br />
Synchronized Weapons<br />
C: Ben Jones & Esteban Tremblay<br />
Kodi & Michael Molina<br />
Dayton Gale & Austin Murray-Ohmart<br />
Michael & Samuel Brumme<br />
Will Nevitt & Cougar Harkins<br />
Oscar & Melina Pecci<br />
Team Demonstration<br />
C: Team Competitive Edge<br />
Team Freestyle<br />
Team Infinity<br />
Team Leclerc<br />
Team Intensity<br />
Team FSMAA<br />
MARTIAL ARTS WORLD NEWS VOLUME <strong>24</strong> | ISSUE 5 121
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