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Two Locations:
Martial Arts Center
Maumee - Monclova
Shops at Fallen Timbers
3100 Main Street, STE 715
Maumee, OH, 43537
For those looking for Martial Arts in Perrysburg - Waterville - Whitehouse
Martial Arts Center South Toledo
5055 Glendale @ Reynolds
In front of Kroger beside Marco's
For those looking for Martial Arts in Toledo and South Toledo
Contact us by email
or phone at:
419.385.1000
Why is our dojo so special for young people?
Listen to Sensei Hurtsellers personally explain our program
by clicking on the play button in the player below!
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Kids don't care how much you know until they know how much you care. Almost thirty years ago, when I first started teaching Martial Arts, I learned a lesson from the best teacher of children I've ever seen, I asked him: "What is it that makes your classroom so magical, how do you get such great results?" "It's really simple." He said. "You've got to love them."
How martial arts changed my life I (Sensei Hurtsellers) base our instruction on my own experiences starting lessons in a real dojo over thirty years ago. This was before the era of the modern "commercial" schools. I was just about as un-athletic and uncoordinated as I could be. I had never played sports except for a few attempts that ended in embarrassment. I had enormous self-esteem issues, I didn't speak to many people and stayed to myself a lot. My grades in school were poor, and I had few friends. I guess it would be fair to say it - I was lost.
To me, being in a real dojo was a breath of fresh air: Here was a place where the standard was really challenging, yet everyone was treated the same! Unlike the sports in my Academic Schools, I realized that a dojo was a place anyone could succeed. Real martial arts was for everyone, not just the popular and talented, but anyone who wanted to succeed could if they were willing to work for it! As a result of being in this environment, my life changed for the better. My confidence soared, I became strong, confident, and learned what it was like to really take care of myself. I will never forget what my Sensei (Martial Arts teacher) and my dojo did for me, and those lessons I use every day and will remember forever. The cold naked truth! This is the part where I'm supposed to tell you all the benefits of martial arts. Why it's good for children and what great things it will do for your child. Maybe I could even offer a money back guarantee and tell you how wonderful it all is. I could even talk about my rank and how great it is to be a Black Belt, etc. etc.. But I just can't do that. If you've taken the time to read this then you deserve more. I'm going to spend a little time, look you straight in the eye and tell you what I really think. I've been teaching Martial Arts since I was sixteen years old. Martial Arts is the only profession I've ever known, the only job I've ever had, the only way I've ever made an income. Almost all of those years have been full time; fifty or more hours a week, fifty-two weeks a year. I'm not bragging when I say this; there is a real possibility that no one else in America has spent more time in a dojo than I have. As a consequence, I've had just about every possible success in my field - and made about every possible mistake. Here's a little something I've learned and want to tell you that you will never hear from anyone else. Teaching Martial Arts and operating a dojo is a horrible profession! For the most part I wouldn't wish it on my worst enemy. The money is awful and inconsistent, there is no retirement or health benefits of any kind, the hours are long and fatiguing, and you give your entire heart to your students and everyone ends up breaking your heart in the end. To make matters worse martial arts school competitors come and go all the time. Most have abandoned the old ways that I believe in so much, and have turned to aggressive marketing and sales tactics. Some have even greatly accelerated the rank promotion process, promoting even children to the rank of Black Belt in droves-- mostly because it brings more money to the bottom line. Now we live in an era where the students of these watered down black belt factories are now opening their own schools. - In other words this new generation of school owner doesn't even know there was once another way. I understand these commercial schools because I made many of these mistakes when I was younger. You're trying to raise a family, and when there isn't always enough money you do what you can. I'm not criticizing, .I'm just telling you that these things are no longer right for me and I stopped chasing them many years ago. So why do I do it? Truth is I can't not do it! It's as if the mats have a gravitational pull of their own and keep pulling me back. I think I know what causes them to be so magnetic. Not very often, but every now and then, martial arts make a big difference in someone's life; just the way they did in mine! - And even though it's rarer than I'd like it to be, those moments are the moments that keep me going strong, year in and year out. Do the Martial Arts really teach self-confidence, concentration and self-discipline? Yes.......well sort of. Look back on your own life and remember the greatest teacher you ever had. The question is; was it the subject that made the teacher great, or did a great teacher make the subject great? If you're like me, you realize that it was always the teacher-- a great teacher could have taught you tiddly-winks and you would have found a way to love it! Here's the truth. You can have the greatest subject in the world but it is only as valuable as the teacher! Martial Arts doesn't teach children self-confidence; a great teacher shows them how to have confidence and uses the Martial Arts as the vehicle. In other words what I'm saying is; Martial Arts, with a great teacher, in the right environment, absolutely will change lives the same way it changed mine. But you have to have the right teacher and the right environment! A Martial Art Lifestyle Everyone says it; "Self-Discipline, Self-Control, Self-Confidence" and so on. But the question we have have is: "Exactly how are you going to give that to a child?" Here's our answer; we don't give any of these "self" words to our kids, we give them the opportunity to find these benefits for themselves. The only place that self-confidence can come from (even in a young person) is from the inside. What we do is provide incremental goals and opportunities for acceptance and achievement within a highly structured and disciplined environment. Every time your son or daughter works for and finds improvement, you will notice their confidence will increase. Pretty soon they begin to get the idea that they can do just about anything that they set their mind to! This is what real self-confidence is; and it can't be talked into your child, it can't be tricked into them by tieing a color around their waist, it has to be found by them. But the good news is; when a child finds confidence for themselves, NO ONE CAN EVER TAKE IT AWAY! Meat and Potatoes.
Who teaches the class? Between our two owners (Sempai Blanco and Sensei Hurtsellers) we have been teaching Martial Arts for over forty years! - Not to mention the experience we have both received from raising our own four children together. (Today 16,18, 19 and 21 years old.) You would be hard pressed to find anyone to work with your child that has more experience anywhere on the planet! Both Sempai Blanco and I (Sensei Hurtsellers) are actively involved in the vast majority of our classes. We care deeply about what is happening on our mats, and the few classes that other staff members do teach are only taught by people who have spent hundreds of hours training and learning directly with us. We do not turn our classes (or subgroups within classes to teenage instructors who graduated some obscure "instructor training program." There simply is no substitute for a mature adult working with your child! We view teaching as the most important part of what we do and it's what were best at. Remember the easiest thing a Martial Arts teacher will ever do is give out belts; it keeps kids happy and parents paying! But it's far more difficult to insure that every student is receiving the real benefits of Martial Arts; coordination, confidence, self-control and real self-discipline! Our classes are age specific What would happen if you put a five year old in a group of ten year olds? What if you asked a teenager to attend a class with six year olds? What about children attending a class with adults? Unfortunately, that is exactly what is going on in many of today's commercial schools. We are the only area school that so specifically divides classes based on the age of the students. Sometimes parents ask if it's possible for them to attend classes with their children, so that the family can have something to do together. Our answer is absolutely yes; as a matter of fact we encourage it. But the difference is we only allow an adult to attend a younger class, but do not allow children to attend adult classes. In this way we can then teach to the level that is appropriate and beneficial to everyone. No games with pricing At our dojo our price is given directly over the phone and posted here on our website; there will be no surprises later. It's very common for commercial sales oriented schools to quote you one price, and even sign your child up at this rate, only to turn around a few weeks or months later and try and "up sell" the program at a higher cost with a long term contract. Often a certain colored belt is wrapped into the reward for this "upgrade". What saddens me most about these sales tactics is that they take away exactly what made Martial Arts so beneficial to me as a young person! The right to set and achieve a goals and reap rewards based on effort is exactly how a child learns self-confidence! Rank is not paid for with money; it's paid for with sweat and everyone should have the same chance to succeed. As a consequence of this way of doing business there is a built in incentive for the instructor to promote children based on how much their parents are paying instead of their true mastery of the material. When this happens both the child and parent are getting cheated out of the real benefit of study. The price of a program should be known to you up front - I don't have an issue with what a school charges - believe me good Martial Arts is a priceless investment- what I do object to is starting you out at one rate and then ambushing you later on with another; and then using (wether purposefully or not) the amount you pay as the criteria for rank promotions! This tactic is literally killing Martial Arts in this country; it's devaluating rank, especially Black Belt, and it's stealing your child's chance at discovering how wonderful and life changing real Martial Arts actually can be.
No testing fees Rank and testing is a vital part of our program. Most commercial schools charge these fees and do not divulge them when you sign up; instead you are surprised with them later. Rank and testing fees are included in your registration with us. We are the only area school that does not charge for rank or testing. (In some cases these fees can be substantial!) We have the most complete schedule. We offer classes for our students five evenings per week, as well as daytime classes during the summer months (except for our "Little Tigers"). Do our students attend all five classes? Most don't, however, if you are used to coming to class on Mondays and Wednesdays, but you have to skip a Wednesday due to something like parent-teacher conferences, you feel good knowing that you can make up that Wednesday with three other choices! And although we do offer an unlimited attendance program in addition to our regular program, unlimited means as many as five days per week. Many schools brag about having only an unlimited program, but they only offer classes for your child two days per week, that doesn't help when you have to miss a day. At our dojo we take our full time commitment to teaching our students seriously and have a full time schedule. (see the link for the schedule below) Our beautiful facility In Zen there is a saying; "How you do one thing is how you'll do everything." If you walk in our facility you will know in an instant we are serious about the work we do. You will notice a bright, clean, and well decorated space. We use the most expensive and safest mats in the world, and use the best training methods available today. We have spared nothing in order to create one of the most beautiful, professional and organized dojo's in America. Why should you give us a try? Is our dojo right for your child? I don't know; but the truth is neither do you. I remember when my son was younger, I kept thinking the same thing; all I wanted for him was to find something that he really liked, something he could really love. I don't think you're any different than me. We just want to have our kids find a niche in something they can succeed in. Something they will really love and work hard to get good at. I don't know if our school is right for your son or daughter, but I do know it's absolutely important that you try. The only promise that I can give you is the same promise I give everyone. We will do our best to share the Martial Arts with your child the best way we know how, the way we believe it was intended. There is a chance, and it's not a high one, but there is a chance that our school, our teaching, could absolutely make a huge difference in the life of your child. You have nothing to lose, and everything to gain. Having come this far, and reading what you've read, I think you have put yourself in a position of responsibility. You sort of have to find out if this can be one of those magical things that really changes your child's life for the better. It's your job to take the next step. Please call today and we'll give this a try together. *Students can start at any time of the year and our tuition is as low as 99.00 per month. Call 419-385-1000 to have your child try a free class and to get all the details. Class Schedule: For a complete schedule Maumee, Toledo and Sylvania Martial Arts Lessons
Above is our Maumee Location; we are also blessed to have a location in South Toledo
City Pages Grand Rapids Ohio Martial Arts Bowling Green Ohio Martial Arts Monclova Ohio Martial Arts |
The number one quality you must have in order to teach kids is this; you must really care. The best part of our day is when we step on the mats. And when a student finally gets something we're teaching; well there is no greater reward than the look on their face. To put it directly - it's caring about our kids, and helping them grow that makes our program so special.
But joining a real dojo changed my life! I found in the Martial Arts a place where there was a high standard of courtesy, discipline, and respect. While everyone was friendly and helpful, it was made clear to me from day one that no one was going to do the work for me. If I wanted to be successful then there was a standard that I would have to meet, classes that I would have to make sacrifices to attend, and work that I would have to do - no exceptions! But one thing for sure; everyone was treated equally! I mean, if you were a superstar athlete, really popular, or even if your parents were rich, it didn't matter at all. There was a high standard that everyone had to meet equally to succeed, but the best part was if you were willing to do the work, anyone could succeed.
If you decide to bring your son or daughter to us I know you will need to have good reasons to explain to your friends why you think we are a great choice. These items are simple, direct and unemotional reasons why I think our dojo is the best choice. I hope you agree: