MASuccess Winter 2022

MASUCCESS

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WINTER 2022

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HOW CAN YOU ACHIEVE THE MAIA LIFESTYLE? MAIA has developed a Pathway to Success which guides school owners to the program they should be in based on their active count, revenue, and goals.

Schools with 50 students and schools with 250 students have different needs, which means they should have different types of coaching and resources. This step-by-step program will lead you to the reach your goals and achieve the MAIA lifestyle.

YOUR RESOURCE TOOLBOX FOR SUCCESS

BUILDING BLOCKS TO SYSTEMATIZE YOUR SCHOOL

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ACHIEVING PERSONAL FINANCIAL SUCCESS FOR YOUR LEGACY

BEGIN YOUR PATH TO SUCCESS TODAY. TALK TO A COACH AND GET STARTED TODAY AT MAIAHUB.COM/CONNECT

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CONTENTS FEATURES 24 BARE MINIMUM

BY TERRY L. WILSON

In “Using a Traditional Art to Solve a Modern Problem Involving the Use of Force,” Damon Gilbert — a 25-year California police officer and an eighth-degree black belt in kajukenbo — explains how Gracie jiu-jitsu is helping officers across the country protect the public.

36 LEVEL UP IN THE NEW YEAR

BY CRIS RODRIGUEZ

The best way to grow your business is to invest in yourself. And the best way to invest in yourself is to attend a training event organized by the Martial Arts Industry Association, the same folks who bring you this magazine. Here’s the breakdown of their offerings.

44 TIME CAPSULE: MAS OYAMA

BY ANDY ADAMS

This classic article about one of the most iconic figures in the martial arts comes from the September 1966 issue of our sister publication Black Belt. Written by the magazine’s Japan correspondent, it provides a rare glimpse of the training in which the founder of kyokushin karate engaged.

52 ADULT EDUCATION

WINTER 2022

COLUMNS 32 BLACK BELT LEADERSHIP

BY NGUYEN “TOM” GRIGGS

Don’t Overlook the Small Things!

34 IN THE CLASSROOM

BY DAVE KOVAR

Just a Matter of Perspective

58 TURNING POINT

BY HERB BORKLAND

For His Final Column, Herb Borkland Interviews Himself!

60 HEALTH KICK

BY ERIC P. FLEISHMAN

Adapt or Die

62 YOU MESSED UP! NOW WHAT?

8 MASUCCESS

10 FROM THE

DIRECTOR’S DESK 14 IN THE KNOW 16 HEAR FROM

YOUR PEERS 18 PRODUCT SPOTLIGHT 20 THE MAIA REPORT 22 MARKETING RESOURCE 64 SCHOOL SHOWCASE

BY KATHY OLEVSKY

We Need to Remember How to Be Normal

66 CONSULTANT’S CORNER

QUOTE OF THE MONTH

BY SHANE TASSOUL

4 Questions to Convert Trials Into Students

68 MASTERFUL RETENTION

BY CHRISTOPHER RAPPOLD

Teaching Techniques the Smart Way

70 THE KICK YOU NEVER SAW COMING

BY BETH A. BLOCK

Beware of the Workers’ Compensation Police!

BY ROBERT G. ROSE, PH.D.

This insightful article, which presents one man’s opinion on what works and what doesn’t in dojo operations, should not convince you to alter your school’s advertising and marketing.

However, it might convince you to start a new adult class or run an ad that targets adults.

DEPARTMENTS

72 THE LEGAL LANDSCAPE

BY PHILIP E. GOSS JR., ESQ.

Wage-Related Issues Involving Your Employees

74 INSPIRATION OVATION

BY KAREN EDEN

Learning How to Not Run

“To fight another is wrong, but to lose a fight with another over principles you deem honorable is worse.”

— JACK HWANG

24 36 52 44 WINTER 2022 9

FROM THE DIRECTOR’S DESK

In Honor of a Fallen Friend

BY FRANK SILVERMAN

MAIA EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

“When I was tasked with helping launch the Martial Arts Industry Association, one of the first people I asked to come on board — in this case, as a legal consultant — was Phil Goss.”

T

he martial arts industry has lost a dedicated servant, and I have lost a dear friend. After a 19-year courageous battle against cancer, longtime MASuccess columnist Phil Goss passed away.

Phil was so much to so many: father, husband, lawyer and son. To me and the community of martial arts professionals that he served, he stood out as a great friend and a talented educator.

I first met Phil, along with his wife Mary and their children, on the KICK USA tournament circuit more than 25 years ago. I was serving as a judge, and Phil had children who were competing. In addition, he was volunteering as a score keeper and a runner — basically, doing anything he could to help. Eventually, the Goss family and mine became friends and had a monthly tradition of dining together after the tournaments.

Fast-forward five years. When I was tasked with helping launch the Martial Arts Industry Association, one of the first people I asked to come on board — in this case, as a legal consultant — was Phil Goss. He went on to become our legal eagle in the magazine, as well as a frequent speaker and roundtable guest at the Martial Arts SuperShow.

He served in that role from MAIA’s inception until the end of his life.

Phil reached countless martial arts professionals through his columns in MASuccess. His essays helped school owners and instructors better understand parts of the business that normally we wouldn’t pay attention to. He explained everything in a manner that enabled us all to comprehend the details. Much more than an attorney, he was a true educator.

Through the years, Phil spoke at many MAIA Elite and MAIA Wealth seminars, and never once did he asked to be paid. He would say, “Just let me know if the participants get anything from my presentation.”

Yes, Phil, they got a lot. They — and I — learned more from you than you could ever imagine, and we will be eternally grateful for this.

Most of us have noticed that as the years pass, we don’t find as much time to talk with our friends as we would like, but that is not an indication of a waning friendship. It’s a reminder to make an extra effort to stay in touch and speak every few months, which I did with Phil. Of course, I enjoyed spending face time with him at the annual SuperShow.

When we learned that Phil had a relapse of his cancer, David Wahl, Century Martial Arts’ Senior Vice President, and I began biweekly calls with him in an effort to keep up to date. The three of us would chat for 20 or 30 minutes, not about the martial arts per se but about life. Phil made sure we knew how well his wife Mary was taking care of him and how he planned to be at the “next” SuperShow.

On one of our calls, we asked him if he was afraid of dying. Without hesitation, he said, “Not at all.

I’ve lived a wonderful life surrounded by people I love and who love me. I’m a blessed man!”

Every call ended the exact same way. David and I would say, “Talk to you in a couple of weeks, Phil.”

And Phil would reply, “I love you both.” We would say the same to him.

I’ll close with a final message to Phil: You bravely fought the good fight and were a role model for all of us because of your grace, strength, humility and courage. On behalf of the martial arts industry, I would like to say that we love you and will miss you.

Peace be with you, my friend.

To contact Frank Silverman, MAIA’s executive director, send an email to teamcfck@aol.com. Find him on Twitter and Facebook at @franksilverman.

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10 MASUCCESS

STAY OPP

CURIOUS HOW THE TOP OWNERS AND INSTRUCTORS IN THE INDUSTRY ARE SO SUCCESSFUL?

WE HAVE THE SYSTEMS TO IMPACT YOUR BUSINESS. CHECK OUT OUR UPCOMING EVENTS AND HEAR OUR EXPERT COACHES FIRST-HAND.

MAIA ELITE LIVE! ORLANDO, FLORIDA, FEBRUARY 25-26, 2022 Open to all MAIA Elite members plus limited seating for non-members.

Event is 2 days with multiple seminars and workshops for school owners, program directors, and instructors.

MAIA WEALTH LIVE! ASHVILLE, NORTH CAROLINA, MAY 12-13, 2022 Open to MAIA Wealth members with a few seats open to nonmembers for the first time. Event is 2 days and covers multiple wealthbuilding strategies that go beyond your school and help you plan for your future.

MAIA’S SUPERSHOW! LAS VEGAS, NEVADA, JULY 18-20, 2022 The industry’s largest event featuring 4 different speaking or training tracks, 80+ exhibitors, Opening Night industry party, networking opportunities, martial arts celebrities, actionable knowledge, and so much more. Open to school owners, program directors, instructors and staff.

STAY CONNECTED WITH WHAT MAIA EVENTS AND OPPORTUNITIES ARE COMING SOON AT MAIAHUB.COM/EVENTS.

©2021 MAIA,LLC. #20666

STAFF

FROM THE DIRECTOR’S DESK

FRANK SILVERMAN IS THE

MELISSA TORRES IS THE DIVISION

Executive Director of the Martial Arts Industry Association, and the owner and operator of 11 martial arts schools in Orlando, FL. He’s also the author of Business Is Business: Passion and Profit in the Martial Arts Industry. Follow Frank on Twitter and Facebook @franksilverman.

Contact him at teamcfck@aol.com.

Manager of the Martial Arts Industry Association. She is a practitioner of kung fu san soo, Cage Fitness and yoga. She is passionate about helping school owners succeed and achieve their goals.

She can be reached at mtorres@masuccess.com.

THE MAIA REPORT

DAVE KOVAR OWNS AND OPERATES NGUYEN “TOM” GRIGGS, ED.D.,

BLACK BELT LEADERSHIP

is a sensei in Japanese jujitsu at TNT Jujitsu under Hanshi Torey Overstreet in Houston, TX. He’s the owner of Lead Connect Grow, LLC. Organizations hire him to develop black belt-level professionals in the areas of Teams, Leadership and Conflict Management. Feel

IN THE CLASSROOM

free to email him at tom@ntgriggs.com.

a chain of successful martial art schools.

Additionally, he operates Pro-Mac (Professional Martial Arts College), dedicated to helping martial artists become professionals in Business Management, Mat Mastery, Sales Mastery, Wealth Management and CuttingEdge Classroom Concepts. In 2010, he was the recipient of the Martial Arts Industry Association’s Lifetime Achievement Award.

Contact him at dave.kovar@kovars.com or check out his blog at kovarsblog.kovarsystems.com.

HERB BORKLAND WAS ONE OF

TURNING POINT

Jhoon Rhee’s original white belts at America’s first taekwondo school and, later, a closeddoor student of Chinese “soft” styles pioneer Robert W. Smith. For three years, starting on ESPN, he hosted the weekly Black Belts TV show. He did the screenplay for Cynthia Rothrock’s HBO-featured Honor and Glory and is an Inside Kung-Fu Hall of Fame martial arts writer. He can be reached at herbork@comcast.net.

CHRISTOPHER RAPPOLD IS THE

MASTERFUL RETENTION

founder of a successful martial arts organization, Personal Best Karate, headquartered in Norton, MA. He’s a five-time world karate champion and is currently the executive director of the world-renowned Team Paul Mitchell, a championship team supported by sport-karate’s longest-running sponsorship.

Rappold is the author of the landmark MAIA program Retention Based Sparring. He can be reached at founder@personalbestkarate.com.

SHANE TASSOUL IS A MARTIAL

CONSULTANT’S CORNER

Arts Industry Association consultant and the owner of Championship Martial Arts in Appleton, WI. He is dedicated to helping school owners achieve their goals and dreams and can be reached at (920) 450-5425 or shanetassoul@gmail.com.

BETH BLOCK, A 4TH-DEGREE BLACK

THE KICK YOU NEVER SAW COMING! 12 MASUCCESS

belt in karate, is the president of Block Insurance in Orlando, FL. Block has protected businesses that serve children for the past 24 years. She is the writer of Martial Arts Minute, a weekly riskmanagement newsletter. You can reach her at (800) 225-0863 or beth@blockins.net.

STAFF MASUCCESS IS PUBLISHED BY

SARAH LOBBAN IS THE ASSOCIATE Publications Editor for the Martial Arts Industry Association. She has trained and fought in MMA and muay Thai, and currently trains in jeet kune do. She can be reached at slobban@centurymartialarts.com.

IN THE KNOW KATHY OLEVSKY IS THE CEO

YOU MESSED UP! NOW WHAT?

of Karate International in Raleigh, North Carolina. She and her husband Rob operate three schools together. Kathy is an eighth-degree black belt with 41 years of experience teaching martial arts and operating martial arts schools. She can be reached for questions or comments at kathy.olevsky@raleighkarate.com.

ERIC THE TRAINER (ERIC P.

HEALTH KICK

Fleishman) is a Hollywood-based celebrity personal trainer with over 28 years’ experience. He has worked with top actors and musicians, MMA fighters, and the military. He hosts the popular TV show “Celebrity Sweat,” which you can watch on Amazon Prime. His enthusiastic message of living a healthy life has been adopted by many groups, most recently the American Culinary Federation. For questions or comments, contact Eric the Trainer at Mainemonster@gmail.com.

PHILIP E. GOSS JR., ESQ., WAS a member of the Florida and several other Federal Bar Associations.

THE LEGAL LANDSCAPE KAREN EDEN IS A 7TH-DEGREE

INSPIRATION OVATION

master of tang soo do. She’s a broadcast journalist who has appeared nationally on CNN, FOX and Animal Planet as well as on local affiliates for NBC and PBS. Karen is also a published book author and magazine columnist who has written for or been featured in every major martial arts magazine globally. Contact her at renedenherdman@gmail.com.

VOL. 23, NO. 1 // WINTER 2022 EDITOR EMERITUS John Corcoran

MAIA LLC, 1000 Century Blvd., Oklahoma City, OK 73110; (866) 626-6226.

EDITOR Robert W. Young EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR MARTIAL ARTS INDUSTRY ASSOCIATION Frank Silverman MAIA DIVISION MANAGER Melissa Torres ASSOCIATE EDITOR Sarah Lobban MAIA INTERNATIONAL CONSULTANTS Cris Rodriguez Kurt Klingenmeyer Shane Tassoul Mike Metzger Adam Parman ADVERTISING DIRECTOR Donna Diamond ART DIRECTORS Paul Duarte Stacy Robertson DIRECTOR OF MEDIA AND PUBLISHING DEVELOPMENT Patrick Sternkopf COLUMNISTS & CONTRIBUTORS

David Barnett Beth A. Block Herb Borkland Karen Eden Eric P. Fleishman Philip E. Goss Jr., Esq. Nguyen “Tom” Griggs IBISWorld.com Perry William Kelly Kurt Klingenmeyer Dave Kovar Sarah Lobban

Mike Metzger Kristin Miller Kathy Olevsky Adam Parman Suzanne Pisano Christopher Rappold Cris Rodriguez Frank Silverman Shane Tassoul Melissa Torres Dwight Trower

CORRESPONDENTS

Herb Borkland (VA) Karen Eden (CO) Andrea F. Harkins (AZ) Andre Lima (CA) PUBLISHER

David Wahl

Perry William Kelly (CANADA) Terry L. Wilson (CA) Keith D. Yates (TX)

Return postage must accompany all manuscripts and photographs submitted to MASUCCESS, if they are to be returned, and no responsibility can be assumed for unsolicited materials. All rights for letters submitted to this magazine will be treated as unconditionally assigned for publication and copyright purposes and as subject to the editorial staff’s right to edit and to comment editorially.

MAIA, its owners, directors, officers, employees, subsidiaries, successors and assigns are not responsible in any manner for any injury that may occur by reading and/or following the instructions herein.

As publisher, MAIA makes no endorsements, representations, guarantees or warranties concerning the products and or services presented or advertised herein.

We expressly disclaim any and all liability arising from or relating to the manufacture, sale, distribution, use, misuse or other act of any party in regard to such products and/or services. MASUCCESS is a trademark of the MAIA. © 2022 MAIA LLC. All rights reserved.

Reproduction in whole or in part without permission is prohibited.

The mission of MAIA is to grow, promote and protect the martial arts industry, and to provide benefits to its members to help them become more successful.

WINTER 2022 13

IN THE KNOW

BY SARAH LOBBAN

WORDS OF WISDOM FOR ME, THE MARTIAL ARTS IS A SEARCH FOR SOMETHING INSIDE. IT’S NOT JUST A PHYSICAL DISCIPLINE. — BRANDON LEE

MARTIAL ARTS TRIVIA 1

Judo was added to the Olympics in 1964. Which country hosted the Games that year?

2

Approximately what year does the sport of boxing date back to?

A) 1600 AD C) 2000 BC

3

How many children did Brazilian jiu-jitsu legend Carlos Gracie have and how many went on to become BJJ black belts?

A) 7 and 6 C) 21 and 13

4

B) 600 AD D) 3000 BC

To win a match in ssirum (traditional Korean wrestling), what part of your opponent’s body must you force to touch the ground?

B) 13 and 4 D) 17 and 7 ANSWERS: 1) Japan. 2) 3000 BC. 3) 21 and 13. 4) Any body part that’s above the knee.

14 MASUCCESS

YOU ASKED DID YOU TEACH AT YOUR SCHOOL OR AT ANOTHER LOCATION BEFORE OPENING YOUR OWN SCHOOL? STATS SPEAK

I taught at one of my mentor master Chun Rhee’s locations for two years before buying the school from him.”

— TOMMY LIGHTFOOT, LEAD BY EXAMPLE TAE KWON DO, FAIRFAX, VA

Yes, I taught for my instructor, then through a rec center, before opening a location.”

— CHRIS HAMM, LEGACY MARTIAL ARTS, HARKER HEIGHTS, TX

CENTURY MAKES APPROXIMATELY

1

MILLION Yes. That allowed me to build my teaching skills while helping students. It was a very rewarding way to learn the trade.”

— KEVIN NEVELS, COPPELL TAEKWONDO ACADEMY AND CHAMPIONSHIP MARTIAL ARTS, LAS COLINAS, COPPELL AND IRVING, TX

MARTIAL ARTS BELTS EVERY MONTH. SOURCE: CENTURY MARTIAL ARTS

I taught for my instructor nearly a decade before opening my own school.”

— DAVID CHURCH, CHURCH’S TAEKWONDO AMERICA, MARYVILLE, TN

WINTER 2022 15

HEAR FROM YOUR

PEERS 16 MASUCCESS

1 2

HOW MANY MAIA PROGRAMS DOES YOUR SCHOOL USE?

12 % 5% 4% 1% 78 %

1 2 3 4 or more None

WHICH MAIA PROGRAMS DO YOU USE IN YOUR SCHOOL?

5% 2% 6% 12 %

PreSKILLZ Flow System Weapons MADrills MAIA Edge

1% 2% 5% 67 %

Foundations Retention Based Sparring MADrills MAIA Edge

WINTER 2022 17

PRODUCT SPOTLIGHT

STUDENT SPARRING HEADGEAR Century®

www.CenturyMartialArts.com

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The open-face design provides maximum visibility for the wearer. Pressure-release outlets at the ears ensure comfort. An elastic chin strap with hook-and-loop closure keeps it in position. Made of 0.875-inch dipped foam. Imported.

STUDENT SPARRING PUNCHES Century®

2

www.CenturyMartialArts.com

These hand pads stay in place thanks to an adjustable hook-and-loop closure. Made of 0.625-inch dipped foam. Imported.

STUDENT SPARRING KICKS Century®

3

www.CenturyMartialArts.com

These foot pads are held securely in position by an adjustable hook-and-loop closure. Made of 0.625-inch dipped foam. Imported.

For more information on these and other great Century products, call a helpful Century Sales Representative at (800) 626-2789 or visit www.CenturyMartialArts.com.

18 MASUCCESS

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THE MAIA REPORT

Renew Your Business in the New Year

BY MELISSA TORRES

MAIA DIVISION MANAGER

“If your school didn’t quite hit your revenue goals or if you have plateaued, now is the time to get educated on the business systems that can take you to the next level.”

20 MASUCCESS

I

t’s the beginning — again. We made it through another year. Maybe you were able to celebrate accomplishing all your goals over the past year.

Maybe you accomplished only some of them. Or maybe you never set any goals to begin with.

The start of every year can be overwhelming.

There’s goal setting, reflecting, decompressing from the crazy holiday season and anxiously awaiting the excitement the new year will bring. Sometimes you can get a little down or frustrated that you didn’t hit your goals or accomplish what you wanted or that you’re just not as far along as you thought you would be.

But the important thing to focus on is to keep going and not be too hard on yourself. As an entrepreneur, you should continuously set higher goals, push yourself beyond your comfort zone, celebrate wins and learn from losses, but you shouldn’t be too harsh on yourself if you aren’t where you thought you would be. The most important thing is that you’re moving forward. It’s never too late to start, and it’s never time to quit.

If your school didn’t quite hit your revenue goals or if you have plateaued, now is the time to get educated on the business systems that can take you to the next level. If you haven’t tried MAIA Foundations, the new year is the perfect time to make the commitment to grow your school.

It’s just eight weeks total, with one Zoom call every other week and top-notch support from our coaches Mike Metzger and Shane Tassoul.

Over the course, they will walk you through the four fundamental systems that will help you recruit more students, retain current students and increase your revenue. You’ll have direct help to make sure you understand all of them, and you’ll have access to a Facebook group where you can share your progress, ask questions and network

with other schools that are facing the same challenges you are. Those four systems are: • Pricing structure — Learn why it’s not about what you charge your students but how you charge them.

• Class schedule — Develop expertise in setting up a schedule that maximizes student count, quality, programs and retention.

• Upgrade programs — Discover the correct way to offer upgrades in your school and why they can be your biggest profit center.

• Mass intros — Find out more about the fastest way to increase your student count.

You may be the best instructor out there, but you’ll still benefit from getting help with the foundational building blocks of business training. The new year is the time to finally make the decision, do the hard work and watch that hard work pay off.

I want you to be set up for success this year. For our MASuccess readers, I’ll even offer you $100 off the price for both months of the course. Just visit MAIAFoundations.com and when you check out, enter the coupon code MASUCCESS for the discount. Valid until the end of January.

Commit to growing your school in 2022. I can’t wait to see your progress! Be sure to share your story and your growth on our MAIA Facebook group MAIA Hub.

To contact Melissa Torres, send an email to mtorres@masuccess.com.

MARKETING RESOURCE

22 MASUCCESS

GAMENESS.COM © 2020 Gameness. #19911

24 MASUCCESS

USING A TRADITIONAL ART TO SOLVE A MODERN PROBLEM INVOLVING THE USE OF FORCE

BY TERRY L. WILSON

WINTER 2022 25

“ A MINIMUM PUT TO GOOD USE IS ENOUGH FOR ANYTHING. ” - JULES VERNE, AROUND THE WORLD IN 80 DAYS

Photos by Robert W. Young

26 MASUCCESS

In August 2021, HBO’s Real Sports With Bryant Gumbel aired a segment titled “Force for Change.” The 20-minute-long portion of the monthly newsmagazine dealt with the search for a solution to the problem of excessive force being applied during arrestand-control procedures.

HBO’s report eventually took viewers to an MMA cage to present an unlikely solution that could enable the police to get a better grip on the problem using a traditional art from Japan that came to America via Brazil: jiu-jitsu. As all martial artists know by now, the grappling system teaches unique methods for controlling an opponent using only the minimum amount of force.

The cameras wisely focused on Damon Gilbert, a 25-year veteran of the Oakland (California) Police Department. As an eighthdegree black belt in kajukenbo and a certified Gracie Survival Tactics instructor, the Black Belt Hall of Famer was just the martial artist to provide analysis and commentary.

BIG WIN

“I think the Real Sports piece was a big win for law enforcement, especially for those agencies that will become proactive when it comes to reasonable use-of-force and de-escalation tactics,” Gilbert said. “The segment allowed us to show law-enforcement agencies everywhere that we are proactive. We want to help and assist, to make it safe for the officer, the suspect and the community. And what better way to do that than to use the great concepts and principles taken from Brazilian jiu-jitsu programs?”

Gilbert’s goal: Convey the effectiveness of BJJ holds, which never resort to excessive force but still allow body-to-body control — and thereby sow the seeds for police officers around the country to update their tactics.

“There are police departments still following procedures that have been in place for 30 or 40 years,” Gilbert said. “Those old rules of engagement may be very punch heavy, elbow heavy, knee-strike heavy and baton heavy. HBO focused on new methodologies that have been proven effective, not only for the officer’s safety but for the subject, as well. This is a win-win for law enforcement and civilians alike.”

GAME CHANGER

When it comes to learning a new defensive-tactics system to replace what you’ve been doing possibly for years, you can’t expect to become an expert overnight. The key is given in the tongue-in-cheek response to the old question, “How do I get to Carnegie Hall?” The answer, of course, is “Practice, practice and more practice.”

REAL SPORTS WITH BRYANT GUMBEL: USE OF FORCE The aforementioned Real Sports report questioned the amount of force a police officer should be allowed to use during an arrest. It began with a series of cellphone video clips of worst-case scenarios from different cities, where officers were caught using excessive force to gain control of suspects.

Next, the producers interviewed Rener Gracie and did a brief history of Gracie jiu-jitsu that included a demonstration of the system’s nonlethal control techniques. The focus was on how a smaller and weaker person can control a larger and stronger adversary using Gracie Survival Tactics, a program that’s billed as a nonviolent alternative that’s perfect for law-enforcement agencies. Interviews with other martial arts experts and police veterans gave mixed reviews, some in favor of giving the idea a shot, some against it and a few on the fence.

Overall, the story gave a mostly positive spin to the notion of using BJJ to safely subdue an out-of-control suspect. Only time will tell if it flies — or never makes it off the ground.

During a segment of the show tapped in the Bay area, Damon Gilbert was interviewed. He recalled a negative encounter as a teenager in which he was beaten by officers working for a department that’s based, ironically, next door to the Oakland Police Department.

“I was 17 in high school and was standing near a fight,” he said. “I wasn’t involved. Then suddenly I was grabbed, thrown to the ground and punched repeatedly by the police.”

Instead of harboring hate and resentment, Gilbert decided he wanted to be part of the solution: He became a cop.

“I wanted to make a change from the inside,” he said.

“Now I want to use BJJ to rebuild a bond of trust between the police and the community. And that trust can only come from the way we react and communicate with the citizens we serve.”

WINTER 2022 27

WHO GETS A BELT? Question: If a police officer who has never trained in martial arts completes the Gracie Survival Tactics course or takes Damon Gilbert’s Open Mat Training, will he or she receive a belt rank?

Answer: “Those officers who participate in our certification course as a representative of the police department do not need to have any previous experience in karate, judo or any martial art,” Gilbert said. “They just have to put the time in and pass the examinations and the physical requirements. Once completed, they will be a certified instructor at their department to teach the lawenforcement basic arrest-and-control techniques. They do not achieve any martial arts rank or belt from a specific jiujitsu organization or school.”

Although they may have learned how to execute various techniques that would be taught in a regular martial arts class, that does not make them eligible for rank, he said.

“Our instructor’s course is strictly to certify that officers have the ability to be recognized by their state as a POSTcertified defensive-tactics instructor. With that said, many who have taken the POST class eventually put on a gi and a white belt to officially start their martial arts training under a specific style or system.

“The biggest takeaway from the classes I’ve participated in as an assistant instructor for GST is that from day one, it jump-starts a student’s interest in studying jiu-jitsu on their own. After learning jiu-jitsu concepts for law enforcement, they want more and often enroll as a full time jiu-jitsu student.

“The goal is to encourage that lifetime commitment to training.”

28 MASUCCESS

“Training, training and more training is necessary to stay up to date on what’s current and what’s new when it comes to control procedures,” Gilbert said. For that reason, he added, the Gracie Survival Tactics program has been a game changer for his department.

“Over 10 years ago, I started my training in Gracie Combatives,” he said. “A few years after that, I took my first GST class, and it was Rener Gracie who suggested that I offer our officers multiple training sessions every month. We’ve been doing that for more than seven years now, and I have seen our department’s use-of-force levels, officer injuries and injuries to subjects go down drastically.”

Rener and his brother Ryron Gracie, sons of Rorion Gracie, have shared the techniques, concepts and methodologies of GST with law-enforcement agencies around the world.

“The Marietta, Georgia, police department has received funding where the city pays for officers to train in BJJ,” Gilbert said. “Their numbers and stats were staggering after implementing GST — 48-percent reduction in injuries to officers and 53-percent reduction in injuries to suspects. The data also showed that there was 200-percent more chance of injury to a subject by a non-BJJtrained officer. It was unbelievable how quickly they improved after implementing BJJ into their program.

“The success we’ve had has been noticed by other departments.

They know that we have an effective system and we are willing to help.”

STEP ONE

As a veteran Oakland cop, Gilbert understands that change takes time and starting a jiu-jitsu program may seem like applying a Band-Aid to a gaping wound, but it’s a start.

“As law-enforcement officers and martial artists, we are trying to do our part,” he said. “Will jiu-jitsu training exclusively help regain community trust? No. But it’s one of many steps that need to be taken to achieve that — especially when you are talking about neutralizing violence, repairing relationships between law enforcement and the community, and having a reverence for human life.

“The first thing we need is to correct the willingness to admit that there is a problem, which is a deficiency in law enforcement across the country. A lot of that spins from our lack of consistent training and the lack of effective training, and that is what we’re trying to address on a worldwide platform.

“To be calm and effective under chaos comes from having the proper skill set and mind set. It doesn’t just come magically after you are issued a badge and gun.”

MINIMUM FORCE

A non-martial artist might view an MMA match and see jiujitsu as nothing more than a tool being used in a “street fight.”

To understand its real value, the uninformed would do better to watch a judo or jiu-jitsu contest in which victory comes from submitting an opponent without the use of strikes, kicks or elbows.

“A jiu-jitsu-influenced program is all about controlling a situation with as little force as possible,” Gilbert said. “[It] teaches officers how to respond when they’re under attack.

“Instead of using mace or a baton, trainees learn how to defend using basic grappling escapes when on the ground or from a mounted position and how to get out of head locks. We instruct officers on how to work from positions of advantage such as the mount, side mount, guard and standing position, and how to defend against two or more attackers.

“And to reverse that scenario, we teach how to effectively use two officers when you have one attacker or an arrestee that’s trying to flee or fight.”

Affirmation of his point comes from a clip in the HBO program that shows a suspect with his hands clasped to avoid being handcuffed. A crowd of screaming citizens gets dangerously close, recording the struggle on video as the two arresting officers punch the suspect repeatedly in an attempt to separate his hands so they can cuff him.

That’s Gilbert’s cue to explain how, using jiu-jitsu, that situation could have been controlled without excessive violence, thus creating a safer outcome for everyone involved. “We teach leverage-based techniques,” he said. “That way, the officer doesn’t need to use an impact weapon like a baton.

“In this situation, the officer could have used his knee as a wedge, creating distance on the suspect’s arm to control the wrist. That [would] allow the officer to remove the suspect’s hands from beneath his body without the need for a higher level of force.”

The GST program addresses every aspect of dealing with a combative or resisting person, whether that person is standing or on the ground, at medium distance or close quarters, using a weapon or attempting to take one away from the officer, Gilbert said. “The person who manages the distance manages the damage, so we really get into all those aspects of training for law enforcement.”

WINTER 2022 29

TRAINING STANDARDS

Before a recruit has a badge pinned to his or her uniform, that person has to undergo mandated training and testing, the specs of which were created by the commission on Peace Officers Standards and Training, or POST. The group includes police officers, deputy sheriffs, school-district officers and district attorney investigators.

“With any defensive-tactics program, a person must attend and pass a POST-certified defensive-tactics instructor course,” Gilbert said. “When I took it, the course was two weeks: 80 hours of instruction [with] physical, written and oral tests. Then after passing, a certificate of completion was issued. Afterward, there was updated training that had to be completed to maintain the POST certification.”

Presumably, it will be similar if and when jiu-jitsu is adopted.

“You can get a certificate to teach your cadre, but you also need to continue with the additional training to stay current,” Gilbert said.

“The biggest hurdle in law enforcement is the lack of training.”

An annual refresher isn’t sufficient — which is why it’s essential to have certified instructors who keep their training up to date, he added. “This is how we’re going to reduce the negative issues related to excessive force.”

LIFELONG PURSUIT

In addition to his years of martial arts training and teaching, Gilbert is a certified instructor in GST, a multi-level course that’s based on Gracie jiu-jitsu and that incorporates time-tested techniques designed to enable offices to prevail against larger and stronger opponents using many of the non-striking techniques seen in MMA matches.

“My career in martial arts started with kajukenbo, a mixed martial art that consists of karate, judo, jujitsu, kenpo and boxing,” Gilbert said. “Because I come from a mixed-martial arts background that incorporates judo and jujitsu, learning Gracie jiujitsu was the icing on the cake for me. I have been addicted to expanding my growth in Gracie jiu-jitsu ever since.”

In addition to holding 14 world titles in sport karate, Gilbert is a subject matter expert on use of force, a certified litigation specialist and the lead defensive-tactics instructor for the Oakland PD. As such, he believes that martial arts should be a mandatory component of the training all police officers undergo.

“I have always had an arrest-and-control base curriculum at my school,” Gilbert said. Many of his law-enforcement clients are from the greater Bay area, and they appreciate that he’s created a program specific to their needs under California’s regulations.

“It’s important to have a high-level, hands-on, experienced defensive-tactics instructor with a credible martial arts base —

30 MASUCCESS

that’s why I believe that the GST format should be implemented wherever possible,” he said. “When I started to study new concepts from Rener and Ryron Gracie, my knowledge base was greatly expanded, allowing me to better instruct those in my cadre. It’s also been a great learning process for me because I am a student for life. All the additional training is a way for me to keep my sword sharp because the biggest issue for officers is complacency.”

Gilbert’s faith in the solutions that the martial arts offer runs deep; his dad was a cop and a black-belt instructor, too. Both men relied on rigorous training to keep their skill set as sharp as a tack.

A few years after connecting with the Gracies, Damon Gilbert ramped up his dad’s old program.

“I created a program for the Oakland Police Department called Open Mat Training that embraces and expands our jiu-jitsu base,” he said. “On top of the one mandated class a year, we now teach approximately six classes each month that are two hours in length. I also teach defensive tactics at my school Best in the West Martial Arts Academy in San Leandro, California.”

Law-enforcement officers throughout the state are fortunate to have access to such an instructor. If you’re a police officer who would like to learn more, call Damon Gilbert at (510) 347-2939.

If you’re a civilian who would love to learn what the police learn, well, you’re out of luck.

“I teach that [program] strictly to security, personal-protection and law-enforcement personnel,” he said.

About the author: Terry L. Wilson is a multiple Emmy Awardwinning show host, freelance writer and martial artist. To contact him, send an email to tleewilson@gmail.com.

LEGALITY OF CHOKES FOR LAW ENFORCEMENT Not long ago, the debate over the use of chokes as a legal restraint method blew up like a Fourth of July powder keg.

The subject remains controversial.

From the early days of judo, shime waza (chokeholds or strangleholds) has been a basic part of the curriculum taught to students of all ranks and ages. It also has been accepted as an effective tool for subduing an opponent in competition and self-defense. Most cops will tell you these techniques are valuable alternatives to lethal force.

But the recent public outcry has led some cities and states to prohibit police from using the techniques. Among them are New York, Minneapolis, Denver, Dallas, Houston, Washington, D.C., and California.

In the October/November 2020 issue of Black Belt, Damon Gilbert discussed in detail the situation with shime waza. The following is a brief synopsis of his remarks: “Typically, in most police departments, chokeholds are prohibited, barring a life-or-death situation. The term ‘chokehold’ is something that does not work for law enforcement. A chokehold attacks the trachea.

“What we use is a bilateral wrap, or neck compression of the carotid arteries and jugular veins at the sides of the neck. No direct compression is applied to the structures at the front of the neck, and the subject retains the ability to breathe. If used properly, this type of vascular neck restraint is absolutely safe — but like any technique, if abused or not done correctly, serious injuries can occur.”

Since Gilbert is an officer in Oakland, California — a state that prohibits the use chokeholds by the police — these specific jiu-jitsu techniques are not taught in his POST classes. However, students who wish to learn how to safely use the numerous forms of shime waza can seek instruction from other sources, including most judo and jiu-jitsu schools.

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BLACK BELT LEADERSHIP

Don’t Overlook the Small Things!

E

BY NGUYEN “TOM” GRIGGS

“When the instructor performed the move on me, the force of the reap caused my legs to go completely over my head.

I landed facedown on the mat. I was actually unconscious for a few seconds while he applied a shoulder lock.”

arly in my martial arts career, I attended a seminar at a taekwondo/jujitsu school.

I was excited because doing so marked my return to the arts after taking a break from aikido, which I had trained in for a year.

My friend Ned, who got me into the martial arts, told me there would be a Saturday demonstration followed by a Sunday seminar. He said that the visiting instructors from New York focused on the combat applications of jujitsu and taekwondo, which would make for an incredible weekend.

The Saturday demo was amazing and dynamic, so I was eager to attend the Sunday seminar. When I arrived at the school for the training, I discovered that I didn’t have my white belt, so I asked for one.

The instructor said he didn’t have any spares, but he agreed to lend me a purple belt.

As the day progressed, one of the visiting black belts worked with me on a self-defense technique that ended with a hard and fast outer leg reap.

When the instructor performed the move on me, the force of the reap caused my legs to go completely over my head. I landed facedown on the mat. I was actually unconscious for a few seconds while he applied a shoulder lock.

After finishing the technique, the instructor asked if I was OK, and I managed to mumble, “I think so.”

He then admonished me for falling poorly because I was — wait for it — a purple belt and should have known how to perform a better breakfall.

He then told me to get some water and fresh air.

As I stood outside and contemplated my near-death experience, I decided to continue my martial arts journey at this school. Looking back, I laugh at how many dumb and truly dangerous things happened that day. However, all humor aside, the incidents do give us a chance to explore three important lessons.

Don’t Forget Due Diligence The fact that I had put on a purple belt didn’t mean I had the same ability or level of training as a purple belt in that school’s system (regardless of whether I’d earned that color anywhere). I was not able to perform high-level techniques and, therefore, could have been seriously injured.

This situation could have been averted if the guest instructor had asked a few simple ques-

32 MASUCCESS

tions. He could have asked me to demonstrate the requisite fall to see if I could perform it adequately.

He could have asked me if I was a student at that particular school. He could have asked other questions about my background.

As a leader, you need to be the one who asks the pertinent questions in any situation. If you have a trusted instructor and that person seems a little off during a lesson, don’t assume he or she will be OK. The same level of care you give in asking questions of prospective students is needed when you interact with current students and team members. Likewise, be open to letting others care for you when, as the leader, you’re having a difficult time.

Communicate Accordingly The local instructor should have told the guest instructors that I was borrowing a purple belt and that I was just a white belt in aikido. I imagine that the black belt who performed the technique would have acted differently had he known those details.

As a leader, you wouldn’t leave one of your new junior instructors to handle an upset parent without backing up that team member or informing the parent that the instructor was still learning. Remember that deliberate communication is a key to improvement, so never let your silence create problems for your staff members or clients.

Adjust and Allow The guest instructor who performed the technique on me later explained that in New York, that’s how they train. They were adherents to the old-school “blood and guts” mentality. But if I had been injured or killed, how useful would that explanation have been to my family or in the courtroom?

Your instructors and staff members are unique people, but they choose to be part of your team. Adjusting to them as individuals in a way that allows them to learn and grow is essential to their success and yours.

You can’t expect to groom versatile, well-rounded team members when you’re a one-size-fits-all leader.

I encourage to think about how you lead and interact with everyone who walks through your door — newcomers as well as current students and parents. Do everything you can to ensure that you and they enjoy the journey. Keep earning your stripes, my friends.

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IN THE CLASSROOM

Just a Matter of Perspective

BY DAVE KOVAR

“Very few things will change your spirit and give you a sense of optimism about the future more than a good, productive day’s work. As they say, ‘When you take care of the days, the years take care of themselves.’”

34 MASUCCESS

very now and then, the universe finds a strange way to put everything in perspective and provide us with a glimpse of just how good we really have it. I would like to share a story about when it did that for me.

A few years back, I bought a nice little sports car at the auto auction for 50 cents on the dollar. It was beautiful, gold on gold, rag top, fully loaded — I loved that car. There was just one problem: The back seat was really more of a large glove compartment with seatbelts than it was a place for passengers to ride. With two kids and plenty of carpooling duties, it didn’t cut it. I had to get something larger, so I settled on a four-door sedan. For a while, I kept the sports car, too. It was fun, and I was having a hard time parting with it.

One day, while backing out of the garage, I managed to scratch the entire left side of the sports car with the right side of my new sedan. In an instant, both cars became body-shop-bound. On realizing what I’d done, my immediate response was anger: How could this happen? This is going to cost a fortune! I can’t believe it!

Then it hit me. My biggest problem in life was that I’d backed one of my cars into the other. I’m not sure any one person should even be allowed to own two cars at the same time, let alone complain about the repair bills that go with them. In a flash, my anger vanished, and I found myself in a fit of uncontrollable laughter. I mean, how lucky can one person get? Life was good.

Afterward, I didn’t lose one minute of sleep worrying about that bill. I just paid it and moved on. In fact, this story has continued to serve as a reminder of how blessed I really am.

Since then, many other challenges have come and gone, with COVID-19 being the biggest one.

COVID challenged all of us in ways we were never expecting. For me, maintaining the right perspec-

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tive, however hard it was, allowed me to keep fear and doubt from controlling my life. Instead, I made a conscious effort to do two things daily.

No. 1: I start every day by counting my blessings.

Talking about gratitude is very cliché, but it’s cliché because it really makes a difference.

No. 2: I strive to be as productive as possible.

Very few things will change your spirit and give you a sense of optimism about the future more than a good, productive day’s work. As they say, “When you take care of the days, the years take care of themselves.”

So the next time I find myself complaining about being too tired to teach an advanced class, having to deal with a delayed flight, cutting my sauna time short because I have an early morning call, having to rake the leaves in my backyard or being disappointed that the weather isn’t exactly to my liking for my morning run, I hope I remember that I get to live my dream of impacting the world in a positive way by teaching martial arts and helping school owners across the globe be more successful.

It’s just a matter of perspective.

To contact Dave Kovar, send an email to dave.kovar@kovars.com.

36 MASUCCESS

KARATE TRAINING AT ITS MOST RUGGED This classic article about one of the most iconic figures in the martial arts comes from the September 1966 issue of our sister publication Black Belt.

It was written by the magazine’s Japan correspondent.

Mas Oyama is a great barrel of a man, seemingly with the strength and constitution of an ox. Karate history in Japan is filled with stories of his feats of strength and his sensation-seeking stunts such as killing bulls and ferocious dogs with his bare fists.

Oyama winces a little now when reminded of his days with the dogs and bulls. He’s older now, in his 40s, and heads his own kyokushinkai school with branches in many countries. He prefers the role of elder statesman of karate and leaves the publicity chasing to younger men.

But about one thing, Oyama hasn’t changed. And that’s his love for exuberant outdoor training that stretches the karate man or woman to the utmost in physical endurance. Blessed with a powerful frame, he’s always practiced this type of rugged training and thinks his students and followers should, too.

BY ANDY ADAMS

WINTER 2022 37

Karate is not my hobby. It is my life.

— MAS OYAMA

Although a little older and heavier, Oyama still takes a band of his more adventurous followers into the outdoors twice a year for a type of training rarely practiced outside Japan. Every winter right after the new year, he can be seen chugging along barefoot at the head of his troops as they trudge across the snowy slopes of Mt. Mitsumine. During the summer, the hardy band either continues mountain training or descends to the shore and gives battle against the mighty waves that roll in from the sea.

Mas Oyama and Sean Connery 38 MASUCCESS

STRENGTH AND POWER Oyama’s views on the benefits of outdoor conditioning tie in with his general philosophy of karate training. Until recently, he believed in strength and power. It has certainly not been a soft style of goju karate that he has taught. Strength, combined with speed and technique, have been the three pillars of his system.

It’s only been lately, as he’s grown more mature, that Oyama has begun to appreciate increasingly that brute strength alone is not enough for great power, but that a focusing of the mind can help accomplish the same ends. Nonetheless, in his outdoor training, it is the Oyama of old — with a simple and lesscomplicated philosophy — that heads to the mountains for the type of training that tests one’s endurance.

Oyama has always loved the mountains, ever since he spent a year and a half enduring their most primitive hardships when he was in his early 20s. At that time, he was seeking to discipline himself and perfect his karate. He’s written eloquently of the trials he underwent on Mt. Kiyozumi.

YOUNG PUPIL CAN’T TAKE IT Oyama originally went into the mountains with one of his early students, but after some months, the youth could take no more and ran away. It’s easier to understand why after one reads a brief description of their training.

“We rose at 5 in the morning, trained ourselves by running up and down the steep hill, practiced seiken tsuki 2,000 times against the stumps of trees, and broke sprigs down with shuto, looking upon them as opponents.

“We continued our training every day. Moreover, to cultivate the strength of our arms, we practiced the benchpress several hundred times daily with a barrel made of stone weighing 130 pounds. We pounded on sandbags thousands of times, and we practiced jiyu kumite.”

Being deep in the mountains and alone during the first several months was a test of their courage. At night, “the wind sounded as Satan’s footsteps,” Oyama says. “We had nightmares and were awakened many times. Every night we felt solitude and horror as if we were left behind at the end of the earth or in some abyss of hell.”

Some karate men come to me and say they have practiced karate for a long time and have no black belt. They want to know why. Maybe they don’t practice hard enough. Maybe they have the wrong instruction. Maybe they have the wrong spirit.

— MAS OYAMA

When Oyama came down off the mountain that first time, he was a superb physical specimen. His stay in the wilds had taught him discipline as well as technique, as he soon showed. Shortly after his descent, he entered competitions and beat everyone in sight in Japan. (Oyama was born in Korea but at the age of 15 came to Japan, where he has made his home ever since.)

Today, in winter and summer, it’s back to the mountains for training, this time to Mt. Mitsumine where he maintains a dojo at the Mitsumine Shrine. The shrine and dojo are located 90 miles west of Tokyo in a pine-forested region where the first shrine was said to have been founded some 2,500 years ago.

For his summer training, Oyama usually attracts about 125 men and women. In the mountains, they make runs of several miles up and down narrow roads every morning. The days are spent in long sessions of exercise and kumite, interspersed with periods of zazen meditation.

WINTER 2022 39

KARATE FOR THE MIND AND BODY “Karate is a training and discipline of the mind and body,” Oyama says, and neither is neglected in his outdoor sessions.

The students sleep in special quarters set aside for them at the shrine. The women are quartered in one section and the men in another. Otherwise, for the summer training, the women participate right along with the men in the full program of exercises and conditioning.

The days begin early, before daybreak, when the students arise and cook their own meals. Then they clean up the dojo before setting off for a run through the mountains and the day’s exercises.

Oyama is a strong believer in training in rivers and streams. He feels that it builds good balance in the students and forces them to extend themselves to the utmost as they try to follow through on kumite and forms when bucking the resistance of the water.

If a man is smart, fast and strong, if he has good instruction and if he practices at least two hours every day, he can earn a first degree in a year. Otherwise, it can take as long as five years.

— MAS OYAMA

Because of his delight with water training, he’s started bringing his group down from the mountains during the summer to the seashore to test themselves against the waves. This is water training at its most difficult. The waves are high and can flatten a man or woman who isn’t in top physical condition.

The pull of the waves, both going in and rolling back out to sea, builds the leg muscles and teaches a sense of balance. A person trying to resist being bowled over by their force and still keep up kumite against an opponent is going to be ready for just about anything that comes when he’s on dry ground.

The waves roll with such force that when members of the group practice in the surf, they have to tie a long rope around one another to keep from being sucked out to sea.

40 MASUCCESS

WINTER TRAINING DEMANDS ENDURANCE The summer training is a pleasant outdoor excursion for Oyama and his followers, but it’s the winter training that separates the men from the boys. It’s incredibly demanding, and only some 30 of the toughest karateka choose to accompany him and endure the week of hardship. Occasionally one or two women will go along, but their training is restricted.

The temple grounds are poorly heated, and the karate men sleep under thin blankets during the freezing cold nights. It’s all designed to discipline the mind and body.

After rising around 5 a.m., the group engages in meditation with the temple priests from 5:30 to 6:30. Needless to say, it’s quite cold when the meditation begins, yet the karateka are expected to sit immobile and show no sign of cold or discomfort.

After that comes breakfast and the cleaning of the dojo and temple grounds. The group then engages in outside exercises and kumite for the rest of the morning. All this is done while clad only in a thin gi. Coats and sweaters are never worn, and neither are shoes.

WINTER 2022 41

My advice to Americans who want to learn karate is to learn more discipline and more karate spirit.

— MAS OYAMA

After lunch comes the high point of the day as far as sheer physical endurance is concerned. With Oyama at the head, the group takes off for a run and hike through the woods and down to a waterfall several miles distant. At the edge of the lake, the group plunges into the icy water and engages in forms and kumite. The men then remove their gi jackets, and one by one they wade across the water to stand under the waterfall.

There, with the freezing water pounding on them, they try to stand rigid and endure the cold by concentrating furiously and attempting to meditate away their discomfort. Needless to say, it’s not all that easy to ignore the cold, and few ever do completely. The experience can be quite taxing. One of Oyama’s students, Tadashi Nakamura, explained to Black Belt what it’s like: “It’s quite painful to stand under the waterfall. It’s not only the cold, either. The force of all that water coming down beats on you. And since you’re already so cold and your skin is blue, the water strikes you like thousands of needles, each stinging terribly.”

While women come along to participate in waterside exercises, they don’t go under the falls. This is reserved for the men.

After coming out from under the falls, the men don a dry gi jacket that they’ve carried along, and the group hikes back up the mountain. The round trip takes about two hours, during which they never go inside to get warm or even approach a fire to thaw out chilled bones and flesh.

With such rugged training, it’s a wonder the participants don’t come down with pneumonia. Surprisingly, few even catch colds.

One reason is that most of those who go for winter training are in top physical condition before they assault the heights of Mt. Mitsumine.

Mas Oyama and his wife Chiyako

42 MASUCCESS

FROSTBITE FOR THE BEGINNERS The white belts who insist on coming along suffer the most, often from frostbite. A member of the group who’s had medical training is always there to care for those who get frostbitten and to provide any other medical aid.

“But advanced students — the black belts — usually don’t suffer from frostbite,” Nakamura says. “They are used to this kind of training, and they have hardened their bodies and trained their minds. Their ki is developed and strong.”

After hiking back from the waterfall, the group still does not go inside and warm up. Instead, they participate in more exercises in the snow to “cool off” after the exertion of the hike.

Any who have suffered from frostbite during the excursion are allowed to go inside, of course, where they’re given lukewarm baths. If the injured tissue becomes infected, medication is applied. Every year, no more than four or five people come down with frostbite.

But they don’t quit and go home. They stay around the temple a day or two, practicing their kata inside. Then they often plunge right back out into the snow and under the falls again.

Once the exercise is over, there’s still no time for rest. First there are baths, and then the evening meal has to be prepared and eaten. From 8 p.m. to 9 p.m., the group holds a meeting and perhaps engages in a little more meditation before retiring to bed. The next morning, they’re at it again.

This is the type of training that Oyama has always loved and understands best. It’s the sort of thing that demands of students that last bit of effort, which they might never have thought possible. As long as he’s able, Oyama will continue to climb that mountain, searching for something better in himself and teaching his students to do the same.

The best reason for learning karate is to develop character — to make a good man first and a strong man second. This must be understood to advance.

— MAS OYAMA

WINTER 2022 43

44 MASUCCESS

THE BEST WAY TO GROW YOUR BUSINESS IS TO INVEST IN YOURSELF!

BY CRIS RODRIGUEZ

WINTER 2022 45

“ PERHAPS IT’S TRUE THAT THINGS CAN CHANGE IN A DAY. THAT A FEW DOZEN HOURS CAN AFFECT THE OUTCOME OF WHOLE LIFETIMES. ” - THE GOD OF SMALL THINGS, BY ARUNDHATI ROY

46 MASUCCESS

When I look back on my martial arts career as a student, an instructor and finally a school owner, specific “moments of impact” flash through my memory.

As a student, those moments include winning my first tournament, being recommended for acceptance in the Black Belt Club, starting to assist with the teaching of classes and earning my black belt.

As an instructor, those moments encompass awarding a belt for the first time, coaching my competition-minded students at the IBJJF World Championships and watching all my students transform into better martial artists right before my eyes.

As a school owner, those moments comprise signing my first lease, building out my academy, hiring my first team members, growing my student body to 300-plus, being able to offer staff members a career with retirement and health benefits, and attending my first martial arts business conference.

Of all those moments of impact, the one that was most powerful, that left an indelible mark on my life as a martial arts business owner, took place back in 2015: My wife Stephanie and I found out there was a martial arts conference right in our hometown of Tampa, Florida, and we decided to go.

We went not knowing exactly what to expect, but our academy had taken off and we knew we needed someone to help us make the best decisions. The hours that followed would change the course of our business — which ultimately means those hours altered the course of our lives.

Hosted by the Martial Arts Industry Association, the conference featured MAIA Executive Director Frank Silverman. Through the words he spoke that day, we learned that there was a better mousetrap. We also came to realize that there were people out there just like us who were struggling with the same challenges.

The connections we made at that MAIA event forever changed the path our school was on — for the better. Such is the power one can get from attending a quality educational event. Problem is, not all events are created equal.

I’ve attended conferences all over the United States, and I can tell you with confidence that MAIA organizes the most professional events for martial arts school owners. Why? Because they provide the absolute best marketing, sales and systems training. Let’s look at what specifically makes MAIA conferences different.

IT’S ABOUT PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT

MAIA events are not just about leveling up your business. Our events — full disclosure: I teach for MAIA — are also about enabling you to level up as a person.

One of my favorite quotes of all time comes from Jim Rohn: “Work harder on yourself than you do on your job.” For those in our business, the meaning is clear. You can implement the best strategies for creating systems in your school, for marketing to get new students in your door and for empowering your team, but if you’re not committed to your personal growth, it’s going to be very difficult to implement these strategies successfully.

MAIA events ultimately help you “sharpen your saw.” If you’re a fan of Stephen R. Covey and you’ve read The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, you know exactly what sharpening the saw refers to: seeking continuous improvement and renewal both professionally and personally. It means preserving and enhancing the greatest asset you have: you. It means having a balanced program for self-renewal in four areas of your life: physical, social/emotional, mental and spiritual.

The physical and spiritual realms are your department. The social/ emotional and mental areas, however, are where MAIA shines. Its live events are designed to help you sharpen the saw in regard to your life, and the best investment you can make as you pursue excellence in any endeavor is an investment in yourself.

School owners are always looking for the latest method for signing up more members, but at the end of the day, it’s more important to invest in improving your own personal skill set. Doing this will have a direct impact on your efforts to improve your business.

When you’re finished with a MAIA educational event, you’ll have learned not only the best methods for recruiting new students, retaining the ones you have and increasing overall revenue but also proven leadership strategies, productivity hacks and plans for managing your finances more efficiently.

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THE SPEAKERS ARE SCHOOL OWNERS JUST LIKE YOU Another aspect of MAIA events that really sets them apart from the competition is that the presenters are school owners just like you, which means they’ve been in your shoes and faced the same challenges you face. The takeaway? They can tell you in real time what’s working and what isn’t. That “real time” component is important because the world is changing nowadays more quickly than it ever has.

Each consultant on the MAIA team specializes in a specific department. They include: Frank Silverman — MAIA Executive Director and Wealth Adviser Mike Metzger — MAIA Lead Consultant and Expansion Specialist Shane Tassoul — MAIA Large School Specialist Cris Rodriguez (me) — MAIA Digital Marketing Specialist Kurt Klingenmeyer — MAIA Launch Specialist Adam Parman — MAIA Afterschool and Summer Camp Specialist With expertise in these areas, the MAIA team can help you solve any problem that you could experience as a school owner.

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MAIA IS A FAMILY It’s often said that a rising tide lifts all ships, and it’s true. As a martial arts school owner, you should strive to surround yourself with other school owners who are on the same ladder to success that you’re on. Some might be a few rungs higher, and some might be a few rungs lower, but that’s fine. Every school owner on the MAIA team is here to lift you up.

One of the best aspects of the events MAIA organizes is getting to see and hang out with your fellow school owners, many of whom will become like family. Some of the best friends I have — people I consider to be members of my extended family — I’ve met at these industry events.

Furthermore, being surrounded by like-minded individuals helps improve your circle of influence. They say that every person is the sum of the five people he or she is closest with. Consider: What would happen to your school if you started hanging out with some of the most successful school owners in the martial arts world?

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LEARN PROVEN GROWTH STRATEGIES ALONG WITH BRAND-NEW ONES It’s my belief that all school owners should become “skill collectors.”

Personally, I love collecting new skills, and this is one of my favorite reasons for attending in-person events. As someone who’s a lifelong learner, I find that these events give me an opportunity to expand my education and acquire and then develop new skills that will help me become a better leader, boss, role model and businesswoman.

You will enjoy the same benefits. Attending events will give you immediate access to the best new tools, tips and tactics that have been shown to work right now in our industry.

Another thing that will occur is that you’ll be motivated to refocus on actions that boost your bottom line. It’s a reminder to continue to do the things that you’re doing well.

Now that you understand what sets MAIA events apart from the rest, let’s unpack the four types of events that you can attend throughout the year.

MAIA ELITE LIVE For 20 years, MAIA has been the top consulting firm helping school owners reach their goals through its MAIA Elite Coaching Program. As a part of the package, Elite members get to attend three live events throughout the year. These take place in February in Orlando, Florida; in July in Las Vegas (The Martial Arts SuperShow); and in October at a different hotspot destination each year.

For the first 19 years during which these events were held, they were members-only. Then in 2021, they were opened to non-members, who were allowed to attend once to sample the strategies that were offered to improve schools and boost business.

This outreach has been a huge success. All the additional spots at those 2021 events were sold to non-Elite members. The next opportunity will be in Orlando on February 25-26. Act now before it’s too late to join us.

MARTIAL ARTS SUPERSHOW One of my favorite trips of the year is the one that takes me to Las Vegas for the biggest and best industry conference in the world: the Martial Arts SuperShow. Silverman says, “We often get asked, ‘If I could invest in just one thing, what would it be: stocks, real estate, 50 MASUCCESS

etc.?’ The answer is always yourself. The SuperShow is a mustattend event for self-education and self-investment.”

What exactly is the SuperShow? It’s an annual expo that attracts school owners and instructors who see the value in furthering their education in all things martial. Included are 40-plus breakout sessions from speakers with backgrounds in everything from martial arts training and marketing to sales and business promotion.

At the venue, you’ll be among 1,800 or so like-minded martial arts professionals who are ready to take their businesses to the next level. To assist them, 70-plus exhibitors and sponsors are on hand to offer their products and services.

Before each SuperShow begins, attendees can participate in preconference events and the Martial Arts Business Forum.

These sessions typically run longer than the 60-minute seminars that take place during the regular show. As such, they offer more intensive training and even a chance to earn certifications.

One of the most impressive aspects of the SuperShow is its vastness. Instructional seminars are conducted in four rooms, each of which has a specific track that focuses on a different facet of running an academy. Two tracks revolve around physical training/ instructor training while two focus on business, sales, marketing and operations.

It’s literally a school owner’s dream come true. Which is why I consider it a must-attend event for every school owner. Love Las Vegas or hate it — the SuperShow is an educational event you can’t afford to miss.

NEXT LEVEL SUMMIT As noted above, one of the benefits you get when working with MAIA is the consultants are school owners just like you, and they’ve walked miles in your shoes. Metzger and Silverman own eight schools in the Orlando area, and they oversee the Championship Martial Arts licensee program, which administers to more than 100 schools.

These academies run like well-oiled machines, and Metzger and Silverman are eager to share their secrets through MAIA’s Next Level Summit. This event takes place in Orlando on the first weekend in December. It gives school owners a full day of business training, then the next day provides them with the opportunity to see exactly how to host a successful holiday event.

These events, typically four hours long, can yield profits in the five- and six-figure range — and the MAIA team tells you exactly how you can do it yourself.

In any business, either you run the year or the year runs you, and Academy Intensive is the most cost-effective way to make sure you’re in the driver’s seat — with no travel required. It includes instructional presentations, workbook activities, group discussions in breakout rooms, and prizes and giveaways.

Best part is it’s all designed to be engaging. In other words, it’s not just eight hours on Zoom, which we’ve all done way too much of during the past two years.

RECAP It’s common knowledge that if you want to grow your business the smart way, hiring a mentor can help you get there. The question then becomes, How do you choose which mentor or group to invest in?

Clearly, by now you know that the answer in which I — and thousands of your peers — believe is to take advantage of a MAIA training op. If possible, choose a live event and meet the team in person. You will get to see if your values are in sync, and you’ll also get to meet their tribe of followers. If you find evidence that what they’re teaching could work for you and that you “vibe” with them, it’s time to commit.

We would love to see you in Orlando on February 25-26.

Go to www.AllSystemsGo2022.com to lock in your early-bird savings. Remember that this might be the one decision that changes the course of your business and the rest of your life.

Cris Rodriguez has a black belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu and a third degree in taekwondo. The co-owner of Gracie PAC MMA, she has 25 years of experience in the martial arts and 18 years of experience as a teacher. Based in Tampa, Florida, Rodriguez has studied internet marketing for eight years and is the founder of Grow Pro Agency, a digital-marketing firm that runs Facebook and Instagram ads for martial arts school owners.

ACADEMY INTENSIVE Because not everyone enjoys traveling, once a year MAIA hosts what it calls an Academy Intensive. This virtual event takes place at the end of the year to help school owners prepare for the new year and includes keynotes from all the MAIA consultants.

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ONE MAN’S OPINION ON WHAT WORKS AND WHAT DOESN’T IN DOJO OPERATIONS

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Photo by Shutterstock.com

Photo by Shutterstock.com

Photo by Shutterstock.com

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I’m a 50-something educated businessman, and I drive past your martial arts studio every day. Chances are I won’t come in, but you’re probably saying to yourself, “No great loss.” After all, you’ve been successful without me — and you might not even like me.

But know this: I have disposable income, and sometimes I’m so bored I’ll spend that money on anything that’s new and fun. There are millions of guys like me, and probably 10,000 are within easy driving distance of your studio.

Now that I have your attention, I’ll offer a few ideas and observations on what appeals to me and many of my peers.

Photo by Shutterstock.com

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PITCHES THAT DON’T WORK FOR GUYS LIKE ME

Photo by Shutterstock.com

“Family Martial Arts — Bring the Kids!” The martial arts are great for children, and I could probably train with them and learn a lot. But I won’t. I do not want to train with kids. And in some cases, teachers who focus on youngsters don’t know how to — or even want to — train adults, especially adults over 40.

“Develop Your Mystical, Spiritual Inner Self!” I appreciate the importance of building character and acquiring spiritual values.

But you know what? I was doing those things before many blackbelt instructors were born. If I were 16, I might need you to help me grow up. Heck, I might need it now in my 50s! But that pitch is not going to work for me.

“Be Invincible and Unbeatable!” I’m amazed at the number of teachers who advertise their ability to turn me into an invincible fighting machine. I can’t prove them wrong, but here’s an offer I will make: If any of those “fear no man” teachers will pay me $1 million, I’ll follow their training advice to the letter for 14 days (or 14 months) and then repay them $20 million out of the purse I win when I knock out the heavyweight boxing champion.

PITCHES THAT WORK — AND WHY

Photo by Shutterstock.com

Practical and concrete stuff: A local kenpo master was mentioned as soon as I started asking for recommendations. But since I comparison-shop everything, I had already called people and visited websites by the time I spoke with him, so I had my list of questions ready.

“How much time do I have to spend meditating on developing my inner being?” I asked.

“That’s not my area,” he said. “I’m going to teach you some practical self-defense.” (So far, so good.)

No-hype realistic optimism: His practical answers brought me in the door. Why did I stay? Well, here’s an example: After a few hours of training, he told me I would never have the speed or stamina of a kid and probably never had been a natural athlete. (Facts.)

He also noted that I had good body strength, good leverage and a good head for learning techniques. “Be true to yourself and know your limitations,” he said. “Size up your opponent because no matter how strong he is or what weapon he uses, he has limitations, too. If you know yourself, if you know your opponent, and if you’ve trained, you always have options.” (That made perfect sense.)

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Logic: I’ve lived long enough to know that miracles sometimes happen. If you have some inner force that allows you to control gravity, bend steel and violate other laws of physics, great. But gray-haired guys like me look for the logical basis first and put little faith in miracles on demand. And kenpo as an art, especially with this man as its teacher, is supremely logical.

Every student knows the concept of “marriage of gravity.”

It simply says that if, for example, you have your leg in the air and you’re not balanced, gravity will take over. Why not use that natural fall and marry it to the force of a strike? Kenpo is filled with — some would say based on — that same logic. There’s not a single kenpo move that a good instructor cannot reduce to high-school physics and basic human anatomy. (That continues to speak to me.)

The instructor emphasized logic for another reason. “A logical thought process with no conflict is going to lead to faster

decision-making, and that speed is the key to success,” he said.

(It just makes sense.)

No ego: The question most teachers hate is, “Why?” And the answer students frequently get is, “Because I’m the teacher, that’s why!”

My instructor’s response to such an inquiry was always the same: “Try it your way, then try it the way I showed you and see which one works better.” And it just so happened that in 999 out of 1,000 cases, his way was superior. But I still needed to prove things to myself. And by the way, in the one out of 1,000 cases where my way worked, he would nod and say, “I’ll try that from now on.”

A man who knows his stuff doesn’t have an inflated ego any more than a brave man has to pick bar fights.

PARALLELS WITH THE BUSINESS WORLD Other things that kept me coming back to the dojo were the principles of the martial arts that I recognized as principles that apply everywhere — especially in the business world.

Direct communication works: One night early in my training, I came home, sore and frustrated, seeking sympathy from my wife.

“My instructor was polite about it, but he told me I was lacking in finesse, trying to substitute power for technique,” I grumbled. “As a result, he said I not only lacked power in my techniques but also looked stupid doing them.”

It was the wrong place to seek sympathy. When my wife finished laughing, she said: “You’re a great guy, but you’re also stubborn, impatient and arrogant. If he’s that honest and insightful, you don’t want to lose him as a teacher.”

That, of course, made me think of how often I, as a consultant, had come close to being fired because, all consultant jokes aside, it’s important to tell the truth. My teacher was giving me what I’m obligated to give my clients: the truth, whether it feels good or bad.

Practicing the basics is essential: In kenpo, we practice techniques over and over. Once I had my instructor fine-tune my rendition of the art’s “five swords” — two years and 1,000 repetitions after I first learned it. If that doesn’t sound boring, let me go on.

I had some two-hour individual classes in which the entire time was spent with him correcting my heel-toe alignment with a broomstick and measuring the depth of my stance to the nearest inch. Then he would hold out his hand to see how much my head bobbed up and down as I moved across the floor. It wasn’t always fun.

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My business clients groan when I say, “Hire good people, train them, treat them well, close the sale, serve the client, collect the money and make a profit for the owners.”

“Yes,” they say, “we know that. Why talk about it? What about this new idea for business success? What about this new forecasting formula? What about this revolutionary new interview technique?”

“The new ideas are great,” I say, “but when businesses fail, it’s usually because they neglected one of the basic ideas, and people who follow those basic ideas succeed.”

As my teacher once said: “Some of the techniques I teach are very sophisticated and elaborate. They expand the boundary of your knowledge. But you must have the savvy to know where fantasy ends and the real world begins. Put your trust in basic techniques that you have drilled over and over so they become instinctive when you need to react.”

Yeah, that’s what I try to tell my clients.

Photo by Shutterstock.com

WHAT I TOOK BACK TO THE BUSINESS WORLD A lot of what I learned in the dojo had credence because it mirrored what I already knew to be true in my working world. But there were also some new things. Despite my cynicism, I found that in learning kenpo, I had — to my surprise — tapped into some spiritual stream I didn’t know existed. And aside from those abstractions, I had concrete ideas to use in self-defense and, oddly enough, to take back to work.

Here’s an example: Much of my study involved knife-defense.

Of course, my instructor would tell students to run from a knife when possible, but when you can’t, you have to fight, he said. In that vein, the first lesson was a hard one.

“In the beginning, you’ll feel the need to keep a healthy distance between yourself and the opponent and his weapon,” he said. “That will not work. You must disarm him, and that means you have to first control the arm that controls the weapon. You can’t do that unless you’re very close. That means you have to close the gap, not make it larger.”

If you’ve ever worked with knives, you know moving away is as reflexive as jerking your hand away from a hot stove. And then you find yourself trapped against the wall with your assailant in front of you, still armed.

In a business meeting I was mediating some three months into my knife training, the boardroom suddenly erupted. Business meetings often do. “Experts” talk about the flow of information and collegial quality circles. Fact is, the academic MBA world has about as much of a relationship to real business as “wire fu” martial arts flicks have to street fights. Business people, if they’re successful at all, are passionate, and passionate people often have hot tempers.

A man named Jack stood and began cursing. His anger spread.

A man named Ward, not to be outdone, got up and said, “Jack, do you want my money? Here, take my money!” and threw his billfold across the room.

I could — many would say should — have adjourned the meeting.

But sometimes running away just doesn’t work. And I heard my teacher speak to me.

I walked around the table to where Bill, another man at the meeting, was sitting. I asked him, quietly, why he was mad and what we could do about it. As he grew louder, I pulled my chair closer and asked again what the problem was and what needed to happen to fix it.

Fifteen minutes later, the meeting was over, people were shaking hands and a long-standing deadlock was broken. Bill said, “I was ready to fire you because I couldn’t figure out what you were doing to earn your fees. Now I want you to keep coming to our meetings.”

I had closed the gap, controlled the hand that held the blade and disarmed the opponent. And that, to me, was some of the best martial arts work I’d ever done.

Photo by Shutterstock.com

HOW TO APPEAL TO PROFESSIONAL ADULT STUDENTS • Lose the hype. “An invincible fighting machine in 10 days,” you say? Guys like me will never buy it.

Try something like, “If you train with me for a year, I will triple your self-defense capability.” That’s plenty strong.

• Dump the ego. We don’t know the martial arts as well as you do, but we do know that in most fields, confident people are not defensive about explaining why they’re successful or listening to someone else’s ideas.

• Emphasize the practical. We probably will gain some character-building insights from training, but don’t sell that on the front end. Tout the real and very practical advantages of self-defense instead.

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TURNING POINT

For His Final Column, Herb Borkland Interviews Himself!

“In this column, we examine the pivotal point in a prominent black belt’s career, the event that launched him or her toward success in martial arts business, sports or films.”

A

MASuccess: Where did you grow up, and what did your dad do?

Herb Borkland: I was born and grew up in Washington, D.C., where Bergson & Borkland became the most prominent antitrust firm in the country as noted in the 1960s bestseller The Superlawyers.

MAS: How did you first hear about the martial arts?

Borkland: On our family’s 12-inch black-and-white TV screen — Humphrey Bogart, James Cagney and John Wayne all featured judo fights in their World War II movies. The climax to Cagney’s Blood on the Sun is the longest judo fight Hollywood ever filmed, and the movie begins with Cagney in his white gi training at the Kodokan.

MAS: When did you realize the martial arts would be a lifelong passion for you?

Borkland: As a teenager in 1963, I hosted an Emmy Award-winning show called Teens. I was honored to be the first American to interview grandmaster Jhoon Rhee on TV. At his personal invitation, I went on to become one of the founding members of the “L” Street School, the first TKD school in the USA. Nobody remembers me because at the time, I was a freshman at the University of Virginia, where I was also reading Mas Oyama’s This Is Karate and practicing breaking rocks in a kitchen sink.

After college, I changed dojangs from grandmaster

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Rhee to ninth-dan grandmaster Jung Il Kim because unlike Rhee’s important disciples, I had no interest in sport karate. My first published article on martial arts was about grandmaster Kim’s ability to break 4 inches of pine with his fingertips. And I know the boards were not baked first or soaked in salt water because I was the one who bought the wood.

Studying tai chi with CIA agent Bob Smith was a life-changing privilege. A genuinely great all-around guy, Bob made the most esoteric of fighting arts seem accessible and exciting. Under his tutelage, I made progress in using chi for combat and health.

MAS: How did your writing career develop?

Borkland: It has been my privilege to write for three great [martial arts magazine] editors. Inside Kung-Fu’s Dave Cater put me in the magazine’s hall of fame.

Robert Young of Black Belt published my article on the Navy SEALs’ SCARS self-defense training. I was the first journalist invited to train in the system, a “rhythmic cascade of harm” without a single block, which the Navy formally considers to be unbeatable.

This became the only piece I ever wrote where I got phone calls from strangers for years afterward.

John Corcoran published my articles, got me work editing books for martial arts industry leaders and created Turning Point for me. His death shocked and saddened us all. To this day, his contributions to American sport karate are insufficiently appreciated. He was ornery when it suited him, but without Corcoran, 20th-century martial arts would never have been the same. John always told me I should be my own guest for the last Turning Point column.

Thank you so very much, all of you. Good luck and goodbye. [courtesy bow, Shaolin salute]

To contact Herb Borkland, send an email to herbork@comcast.net.

Photo Courtesy of Herb Borkland

BY HERB BORKLAND

man of contrasts, Herb Borkland is both a hard stylist and a soft stylist.

He has a fourth-degree black belt in taekwondo, and he trains in tai chi chuan. His TKD lineage links him to Kukkiwon in South Korea, and his tai chi lineage descends from Cheng Man Ching, China’s last undefeatable “soft boxer,” via renowned author Robert W. Smith, who accepted Borkland as his first closed-door student.

Borkland also has worked as a screenwriter for HBO and a weekly host for ESPN. His screenplay God of War won the gold award at the 1998 Houston International Film Festival. He’s written more than 300 martial arts articles, columns and essays.

Photo Courtesy of Herb Borkland

HEALTH KICK

Adapt or Die

BY ERIC P. FLEISHMAN

“We are martial artists. Our traditions are strong and have been passed down over generations. It’s our mission to keep the world in harmony, and until our final breath, we will continue to do so. In our presence, you are safe.”

F

or many in the martial arts community, the COVID-19 pandemic not only has brought their businesses to a halt but also is threatening to break their spirits. The positive momentum you had built up likely has been interrupted. However, in times of crisis, the strong rise to the occasion, helping themselves and others through the momentary darkness. Isn’t that what being a martial artist is about — helping restore balance during times of chaos?

It’s time to get off the couch, turn off those movies you’ve been watching and lead your students on the greatest journey. Here’s how to put the KABOOM back into your dojo.

Stay on Brand Have you noticed that the colors you chose, the logo you created and the tagline you’ve used since you opened your school have started to feel a little tired and outdated? Why not take this opportunity to rebrand your dojo with fresh messaging?

Brainstorm with friends and associates who know you and your business. Choose a spirit animal and make new patches and T-shirts. Think about how far you’ve taken your business and where you want to go next. Update your name, logo and slogan in a way that updates your image.

Rally the Troops A good leader stays in close contact with his or her peeps to guide, motivate and inspire them through rough terrain. Even if your business is temporarily closed, check in with your instructors and reassure them that everything will be all right. Lead them to a place of mental and emotional security, and they’ll reflect your positive attitude toward your students.

To that end, implement a phone tree that enables you to delegate the task of calling parents and students. Charge your staff with making students feel happy and with reminding them that their training can continue as planned, just in a slightly more socially distanced way. Your instructors, staff, parents and students are your army; step up and lead them.

Clean Up Your Act This COVID crisis centers around the spread of a

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virus. Stopping it can be accomplished only by keeping unwanted germs to a minimum. Even when we “go back,” there will be some who remain skeptical of your ability to maintain a germ-free environment inside the dojo.

Begin reassuring them now by giving your school a deep cleaning. Scrub the floors, disinfect the mats, spray the gloves, vacuum the carpets and repaint the walls white if they’re looking a little tired. You can even put a mask on BOB. Take a video of your efforts and edit it down to 59 seconds with a fat beat behind it. Voila!

It’s the perfect “reopening soon” social media post.

Don’t forget to use the hashtag #cleanestdojoever.

Ask for Help With your doors shut, it’s nearly impossible to get by financially, let alone thrive. That’s why Congress passed several multi-billion-dollar stimulus packages meant to assist small businesses and reignite our economy. That’s the good news. The bad news is you won’t receive any financial aid unless you apply for it.

Use Zoom To make sure your class schedule isn’t interrupted, teach your students on Zoom, the industry standard for digital meetings. Students can see and hear their instructor, and the instructor can see and hear them — from their homes.

You can give your students homework and demand proof of completion by having them post videos of their practice sessions on social media. This can draw attention to your school. You can host free virtual “bring a friend” days when students invite their pals to join their Zoom class. Consider recruiting a famous instructor in your art — even though he or she may live on the other side of the country — to teach a Zoom class.

Make It Big When it comes time to get back to normal, make a big splash. Host a giant reopening celebration, complete with a food drive that supports a local food bank. The party will convey a powerful underlying message: We are martial artists. Our traditions are strong and have been passed down over generations. We take care of people in our community and help those in need. It’s our mission to keep the world in harmony, and until our final breath, we will continue to do so. In our presence, you are safe.

OBSTACLES AVAILABLE FROM:

OFFICIAL NINJA TRIX SUPPLIER

YOU MESSED UP! NOW WHAT?

We Need to Remember How to Be Normal

BY KATHY OLEVSKY

“I’ve written this column for 10 years now, telling the world how I’ve survived 45 years in the martial arts business despite having made many mistakes.

In fact, I have not even begun to cover them all.

I share my stories to help you learn from them — and because it’s important to know that you, too, may blunder along the way but that your school can survive.”

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T

he new year is almost here, and my team and I have decided that we need to remember how we used to operate our schools. During the pandemic, we had to decide which programs to continue offering and which events to cancel. Now it’s time to put our normal schedule back in place and resume doing all those things that helped make us great.

In our schools, we studied our 2019 calendar and used it as a guide for what we want to produce for 2022. In the process, we found that there were many events that we’d forgotten.

We’re starting the new year with a packed schedule. One program we resumed is our JumpStart Fridays. For two days in January, we’ll have 10 instructors in the building who will conduct 20 private lessons, each lasting 30 minutes, in a one-hour time slot. The goal is to jump-start our students and get them thinking about the requirements for their next rank.

Some of our smaller schools operate the same program with fewer instructors by using benchstrength assistants when needed. Instead of working for one hour, they schedule two hours, with each person teaching four 30-minute private lessons. The methods may vary, but the results are the same: a jump-start.

We get our black belts to volunteer to help so our students receive the personalized instruction they need. They do so because they remember when this program benefitted them before they reached black belt.

We also have resumed our free monthly feelgood events, as well as our paid monthly events.

We restarted our parents-night-outs in house, along with community functions at schools and festivals. It was great to put Mother’s Day classes in May and Father’s Day classes in June back on the

calendar, in addition to parent/coach classes. We also added in-house tournaments, summer camps, end-of-summer pizza party/Nerf wars, a Halloween celebration and various holiday events in December.

During the past two years, we have not done our Warrior Challenge, which is our version of a martial arts triathlon for our students, so we added that back in, too. And we scheduled multiple days on which we’re offering three different clinics per hour for five hours so our students can explore topics that appeal to them.

Looking back, we concluded that we’d also neglected our staff during the pandemic, so we made plans for multiple instructor-training clinics, an annual black-belt lunch and a first aid class.

In our 2022 planning session, we found that for two years, we had been forced to drop some of the special activities that made our staff and students happy. We decided it’s time to get back to normal and restart the things that made our people happy.

We have always known how to focus on good technique and how to create amazing students; we just needed a reminder to go back to being a martial arts school that always goes the extra mile.

To contact Kathy Olevsky, send an email to kathy.olevsky@raleighkarate.com.

School Showcase Winter 2022 School Owners

Mark and Jamie Moore School Name

The Growth Dojo Sewell, New Jersey Styles/Disciplines

A blend of krav maga, boxing, muay Thai and karate 64 MASUCCESS

Photos Courtesy of The Growth Dojo

Location

Photos Courtesy of The Growth Dojo

Why did you begin teaching martial arts?

At 13, I was skinny, had acne, and wore braces and glasses.

I had no interest in sports, struggled academically and was dealing with a broken home life. Martial arts provided a safe place that allowed me to work on my low self-image and confidence, and gave me hope for a better future.

What is your school’s name and how did you choose it?

The Growth Dojo. We wanted our name and the way we teach our curriculum to tell someone right away what we do.

We are a personal-growth dojo that helps any and all students grow from the inside out. Many of our students have learning disabilities, autism, ADHD or depression — or they come from a background of being very inactive. We don’t and can’t have one standard for black belt. The Growth Dojo builds a bridge for a better future from where our students are, and our goal is to inspire our students to their next level of growth.

What is your personal teaching philosophy?

“Lead by energy, enthusiasm and example.”

Energy: Set the positive tone of a vibrant dojo. Enthusiasm: Bring the joy and hope of a better future for your students.

Example: When what you say and what you do are congruent, you become such an empowering leader.

How long have you been teaching?

For 24 years, and I’ve owned my school for 15.

Who or what inspires you?

My grandfather and father both committed suicide due to mental health issues. Unfortunately, depression runs in my family, so I am inspired every day to sharpen my own positive mental health in order to combat negativity. And since suicide is the second leading cause of death for adolescents, I am all in on making a positive difference in as many lives as possible.

What is something unique that your school or your student body does well?

We tell people our dojo is positive therapy. We don’t go back to our students’ pasts and work on issues; we meet them where they are and start improving from there.

If you could give one bit of advice to fellow martial arts school owners, what would it be?

We are in a service-based business. We get paid to get people results. The more your students’ lives improve because of your martial arts school, the longer they will stay. John Maxwell says, “If you wake up every day and ask yourself this one question, you will live a successful and significant life.” That question is, Who can I add value to today? Remember: The more you serve, the more you will deserve!

WINTER 2022 65

CONSULTANT'S CORNER

4 Questions to Convert Trials Into Students

BY SHANE TASSOUL

MAIA CONSULTANT

“When your trial comes in for the first lesson, you must understand what the parents want the child to learn from your program and why.

It’s crucial to find out the why.

This is where you get the parents’ emotions involved and discover the real reason they want their child to train.”

W

ith all the talk about paid trials these days, it’s easy to lose focus on what you’re actually trying to accomplish.

Remember that you’re not in the business of selling paid trials. Paid trials do not pay your rent, your utilities, your payroll or any of your other bills. In fact, most paid trials that I see owners promoting end as either break-evens or loss-leaders.

Please don’t misunderstand me. I’m all in favor of paid trials. However, I see schools working hard to generate paid trials month after month, only to enroll very few of them as new students. The purpose of a paid trial is to get qualified prospects into your school and convert them into paying students.

If they’re not converting, the trial was wasted.

It’s important to have a system in place to convert your paid trials into enrolled students. It doesn’t matter what kind of trial you sell — two weeks for $19.95, four weeks for $49, six weeks for $69 or any other deal you can dream up. It could even be a free trial! Having a system is the key to conversions.

When your trial comes in for the first lesson, you must understand what the parents want the child to learn from your program and why. It’s crucial to find out the why. This is where you get the parents’ emotions involved and discover the real reason they want their child to train. Once you understand the why, you can deliver exactly what the parents are looking for.

Next, schedule the first three classes before they leave that day. Schedule a “progress check” during the child’s third lesson. Explain to the parents that you’ll be meeting after the third class to see how they’re enjoying the program and answer any questions they have.

You may also want to hold their (metaphorical) hand during the first three lessons by conducting confirmation calls or sending texts to keep them on track with their class schedule.

The following are the four questions you must ask before converting a trial into a student: How Are You Enjoying the Program?

This is an important question for finding out if the parents are seeing the value and benefits of your program. The answer to this question should obvi-

66 MASUCCESS

ously be positive. If not, you need to evaluate and revise your approach to teaching that student to help create that value.

How Is Your Child Enjoying Class?

Again, the answer should be very positive. If you aren’t getting a positive response, you need to make your classes more fun and exciting.

Can You See How Our Program Teaches This Benefit and Will Help Your Child Over Time?

This goes back to the very first class and having a clear understanding of what, specifically, the parents want the child to achieve with your program.

You must be delivering and demonstrating this benefit on the floor.

Notice that I did not ask, “Can you see a difference in Johnny’s discipline?” Johnny has only had three lessons with you, after all. You need to make it clear to the parents that the changes they hope for will happen over time. However, based on the structure of the class, the parents should be able to clearly see how your program delivers the benefits they’re looking for.

Would You Like Me to Show You How You Can Save Some Money on Our Program?

Ask this question only after determining that the parents and child love the trial. Make sure they clearly see the program’s worth and how it will help the child with whichever benefit the parents value most.

At this point, you simply review your program and pricing options and give them an incentive to get started today. An example might be $100 off the down payment and the first payment isn’t due until after the trial expires.

You’ll find most parents will take advantage of the savings and get started immediately. However, others will need to think about it — and that’s OK. Simply schedule a follow-up appointment during their next class and extend the special until that class.

To contact Shane Tassoul, send an email to stassoul@masuccess.com or call (920) 450-5425.

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MASTERFUL RETENTION

Teaching Techniques the Smart Way

BY CHRISTOPHER RAPPOLD

“Sometimes, the best thing we can do to help our students learn functional martial arts is spend time on the variations they might need in order to deal with the variations their opponent might use against them, rather than teaching them new techniques.

Some of the best fighters in the world have two or three techniques that their entire game is based around.”

68 MASUCCESS

I

believe in using a progressive approach to teaching martial arts that allows everyone to learn functional skills. I also believe in teaching one technique, one movement and one principle at a time. Whether I’m training beginners or world-class competitors, experience has shown me that the more I break down a skill and present it in a way that’s easy to grasp, the faster the student will progress.

To accomplish this in the classroom, an instructor or performance coach needs a trained eye. He or she must ensure that the training partner is giving the right level of energy and pressure to the student. To illustrate this point, let’s look at an incident involving the jab.

About 10 years ago, I took a sparring lesson from a great fighter I’d admired since the 1970s: Paul Vizzio. After the session, I realized that we hadn’t worked on anything except the jab. We’d practiced seven ways to throw it: as a snap jab, a stiff jab, a grinding jab, an offset jab and so on.

I mention this story to remind you of what you already know: A move can be effective as an offensive technique, a defensive technique or a countertechnique if it’s been taught properly.

To apply this notion in your classes, start by having your students execute a basic parrying technique. It can be in response to an offensive move like a jab or side kick. Have the training partners throw the offensive technique in a predictable and relaxed manner, and let the students experience what it feels like to parry — or to be hit (lightly).

Next, ask the partners to step in to cover more distance with the offensive technique. Most likely, the students will have to move slightly away from the attack before executing their parry so it deflects the move as intended.

Although students often are taught only one way to execute a technique, it won’t always work because of the variations the opponent might use. Properly orchestrated free sparring is one way you can lead them to discover this limitation and its solutions.

Sometimes, the best thing we can do to help our students learn functional martial arts is spend time on the variations they might need in order to deal with the variations their opponent might use against them, rather than teaching them new techniques. Some of the best fighters in the world have two or three techniques that their entire game is based around; everything else is just time spent working on offensive and defensive variations.

What does this mean? Students who want to develop their skills to expert level should not feel handicapped by their inabilities. Rather, they should invest their time in the two or three skills that work for their body type and commit to practicing them diligently. One size often doesn’t fit all.

By taking the skills your students already possess and having them focus on the different pressures they might face in free sparring, you’ll build their self-confidence while you educate them on how to vary their techniques when it’s their turn to go on offense.

As instructors, we should make sure our students possess depth of knowledge and have ample opportunity to practice against different approaches in training so they have the ability to respond to those variations in real time.

To contact Christopher Rappold, send an email to founder@personalbestkarate.com.

THE KICK YOU NEVER SAW COMING

Beware of the Workers’ Compensation Police!

BY BETH A. BLOCK

“Workers’ comp is hard to find for martial arts studios because companies are scared of our industry. They think of the kind of head-banging gyms that were common in the 1970s.”

70 MASUCCESS

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ecently, I watched a 32-year-old martial arts instructor attempt to teach a full-rotation, head-level roundhouse kick. It was during the first class of the day, and he hadn’t worked out yet because he’d been driving, picking up students at school and bringing them to the studio for the afterschool program.

I know I need to warm up my muscles before using them. When I don’t, I pay for it with pulls, strains and pain. Sometimes, I’ve paid for it with rips.

I also know it’s a good idea for students of any age to warm up their muscles before challenging them. My chiropractor has explained the long-term effects of abusing my muscles. Even if I don’t feel the strain, a muscle can get a microtear. Over the years, these can result in knotty, scarred muscles. Owww!

Because the instructor was 32, he was young enough to think he could do the kick cold. What he found out was that he was old enough to sustain a torn hamstring. A hamstring tear can take one to three months to heal — and he still needed to pay his rent and buy food while recovering.

Last I heard, the instructor was six weeks into the healing process. He had lots of medical bills. As soon as he told his doctor how the injury happened, the doctor had to lock him into the workers’ compensation track. This is a state law in Florida.

Required by law — how could this be true? The studio provided him with health insurance. He wanted to know why he couldn’t use that insurance.

As it turns out, any kind of injury that happens at work must be handled through workers’ comp.

There are a lot of insurance reasons for this law, but the fact remains that any time the injury is work-related, it must go through workers’ comp.

This studio did not have workers’ comp. The owner had several reasons for not having it. First, the owner prioritized health insurance for the instructors. That was a benefit.

Second, workers’ comp is hard to find for martial arts studios because companies are scared of our industry. They think of the kind of head-banging

gyms that were common in the 1970s. We still have some of those gyms, but we also have many familyfriendly fitness studios. Unfortunately, the insurance companies are still focused on the ’70s.

Third, workers’ comp can be expensive. Many of us are building our schools. Building any business means we have to carefully budget our money. As we’re budgeting, we don’t always realize there might be laws regulating the choices we make.

Every state in America has laws that spell out whether we have to buy workers’ comp. In some states, the law requires coverage even if there’s just one employee. Unless we file to exempt ourselves, we are that one employee. Part-time employees are included in the count. Texas is the only state to make workers’ comp optional.

If you don’t have coverage and an incident like this happened to you — even in Texas — you would be held responsible. The instructor’s medical coverage would not pay the medical bills. Nothing would replace his lost income. It all would be on you.

To make matters worse in this situation, a state official later showed up at the studio. He fined the owner $2,500 — with an extra $1,000 per day until workers’ comp was obtained. The official gave him seven days to get the coverage; otherwise, the school would be closed.

The studio could not get workers’ comp because it was required to have it but had never bought it before. I know — it doesn’t seem logical. But if you need the coverage and don’t have it, insurance companies won’t take you until you’ve had the coverage for a few months. That means you have to start in your state fund.

Some state funds make it tough to buy coverage. In the state for the studio being discussed here, it took eight days. The official was understanding and saw that the owner had been working hard to get coverage, so the school was not shut down.

Avoid this challenge in your studio. Check your requirements today. If you need assistance, contact me.

To contact Beth A. Block, send an email to beth@blockins.net or call (800) 225-0863.

SCHOOL OWNERS: YOU HAVE THE CHANCE TO POSITIVELY IMPACT A TON OF LIVES! Hello, my name is Dr. Robyn Silverman. As a Child and Adolescent Development Expert, I realize just how important and valuable your school is to your community. You can become the resource needed to help many families THRIVE. Many of our Powerful Words clients are enjoying great success right now because they’ve discovered exactly what parents are looking for from a great martial arts academy... a safe and fun place for their children to develop physical fitness and character. Parents have made one thing clear; the academy they choose must teach both...and they must teach both PROFESSIONALLY. I’d like to personally invite you to test drive our internationally-acclaimed Character Development System RIGHT NOW and watch your school’s success skyrocket. Visit our website at www.PowerfulWords.com and click on the GET STARTED NOW Button or give us a call at (877) 769-3799 now and we’ll help you with a system to attract, enroll, develop and retain more high quality members than ever before...and have a blast while doing it!

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THE LEGAL LANDSCAPE

Wage-Related Issues Involving Your Employees

BY PHILIP E. GOSS JR., ESQ.

As you learned in Frank Silverman’s From the Director’s Desk column in this issue, Philip E. Goss Jr. passed away.

The staff of MASuccess is deeply saddened by this turn of events. Clearly, it won’t be easy to find someone to fill his shoes.

For that reason, we are rerunning this tutorial he penned several years ago.

— Editor

72 MASUCCESS

A

s a regular contributor to MASuccess, I derive great satisfaction from two things. One is receiving positive feedback in regard to my coverage of certain issues. The second is when someone lets me know that a problem I covered, which had previously flown under the radar, has become a hot-button issue.

On that note, I will bring up two topics that I’ve touched on and that are generating controversy in various jurisdictions: wage theft and salary inquiries. The second topic spans two issues: the everincreasing prohibition against asking prospective employees about their previous salaries and the practice of paying similarly situated male employees more than females.

Wage Theft In the past, local governmental entities were hesitant to become involved in employment-related issues. When it came to wage and hour issues, protection of private-sector employees was minimal at best. Previously, an employee who suffered harm because an employer violated the law typically had to engage in the byzantine process of filing a claim with the state or federal EEOC. Receiving relief required many steps — as is common with underfunded and overburdened governmental agencies.

While those with meritorious cases would eventually prevail, justice delayed is justice denied.

The other option was to hire a private attorney or sue on a pro se basis, but those remedies were time consuming and not always cost efficient.

Recently, however, many local governments have enacted wage-theft statutes. Just the term “wage theft” should frighten employers because such statutes clearly are not drafted with the intent of protecting business owners.

These jurisdictions are trying to truncate the legal process. Instead of having to endure a lengthy procedure, an aggrieved employee can make his or her claim — with or without an attorney — and the employer must respond. If the matter isn’t settled in a timely

manner, a hearing is held and a neutral decider of fact (typically, a retired judge) renders a verdict.

A wage-theft judgment, as opposed to a legal judgment, normally requires immediate payment (pending a due-process-required appeal). Under certain circumstances, personal liability can be imposed against the owner or the facility’s managers. A successful employee likely will also recover three times the sum due, plus interest.

My default setting is that all martial arts school owners are ethical. However, any business owner operating under the assumption that he or she can “run out the clock” or that an employee in a jurisdiction where wage-theft statutes are in effect will not seek remedy under such statutes is playing with fire.

When I first discussed this in MASuccess, wagetheft statutes were relatively uncommon. Such is not the case today.

Salary Inquiries and Inequitable Pay The issues surrounding the illegality of asking about previous salary information when interviewing prospective employees and of paying females less than similarly qualified males are spreading like wildfire.

Many states have enacted such statutes, and the reason is self-evident. Society has passed the time when men can expect to earn more because of their status as the “breadwinner” for their family — which is often not the case — or because of some perceived superiority in the workplace.

My advice is clear: Never ask prospective employees about their salary history, implicitly or explicitly.

If you believe there’s a prudent and defensible reason to have a different pay scale or schedule for similarly qualified employees, regardless of gender, you’d be wise to have a written articulation of such decisions, prepared and documented well in advance of any claims. The day may come when you’re required to defend your position in the witness box.

INSPIRATION OVATION

Learning How to Not Run

BY KAREN EDEN

“I was threatened, my tires were slashed and there were at least two gangrelated shootings just steps from where I was teaching. But … my heart and my spirit told me I needed to stay.”

74 MASUCCESS

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have had the pleasure of working with some great athletes in the martial arts industry, yet occasionally I still find it hard to fathom why an instructor with the experience I have would be teaching students how to not run. But I’ve taught this for years, and you probably have, too.

When I was asked to teach martial arts in a Denver ghetto, I found myself having to oversee the entire community center. No one in management wanted to be there after hours when night fell and the crowd got really rough. “You can do it, Karen,” they said. “We’ll pay you.”

Trust me — I didn’t do it for the money. On average, 200 kids came into that building every evening. Some of them were, quite literally, street kids, and the center was the closest thing they had to a permanent residence. I was told by every caring person in my life to run away from that position. I decided to run toward it instead.

I was threatened, my tires were slashed and there were at least two gang-related shootings just steps from where I was teaching. But I looked at those kids and thought about how the overwhelming majority of them came from broken homes.

Many were not taken care of properly and had not eaten all day when they arrived at the center. My heart and my spirit told me I needed to stay.

Two other program directors before me had quit in a matter of weeks thanks to similar threats of violence. I look back now and think of how I was the mother of a young child myself. I was risking a lot, but I wasn’t going to quit on those kids like the others had.

Do you know that feeling you get right before you step in the ring to fight? If you have any doubt or fear, it’s too late at that point. You have to run toward your opponent, not away from him or her.

Running toward someone when you have no idea if the person can beat the heck out of you is a unique experience. Many martial artists do not compete

for this very reason.

I didn’t really like fighting in competition, but I did it anyway. And I encourage all my students to do the same, even if it’s just once in a lifetime.

Why? Because competition will teach you how to not run.

When you’re a martial artist, you don’t run when the going gets tough. You don’t run when doubt and fear creep into your head. You don’t run when you dislike someone or some situation. As instructors, we teach our students to run toward the challenges of life, not away from them.

After three years of running toward that community center in the ghetto, I unknowingly had turned the entire establishment around. The people there now have no idea how bad that place used to be, and I never received so much as a “thank you.” But that’s OK. I smile when I drive by, knowing that it was a petite girl with a black belt and a lot of courage who changed the way things are done at that center.

It was the biggest challenge of my life, and one of my greatest accomplishments — not because I know how successful I can be but because I know how strong I can be. That’s the final irony of not running away. Exposing yourself instead of trying to protect yourself when things get tough creates a rare attribute in a person. I’m thankful my training has taught me how to not run.

Karen Eden was recently promoted to seventhdegree black belt. To contact her, send an email to renedenherdman@gmail.com or visit the Facebook group “The Eden Assignment.”

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I am proud to introduce our newest division, Century Mat Solutions. CMS doesn’t just sell mats – we assist you in facility design, mat customization and help you find solutions that give your school the competitive edge you need to stand out!

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