MASuccess Magazine

by Perry William Kelly

“I always say that the path to greatness for all of us, for every single person on this planet, is suffering — suffering through failure, through adversity, through tragedy, through setbacks, obstacles, mistakes. It is that journey of suffering that brings out our greatness.”

— Chatri Sityodtong

You, the readers of MASuccess, probably are better acquainted with suffering than almost anyone else these days. You suffered through however many years it took you to become an instructor in your art. You struggled through the growing pains of building your school from the ground up. And over the past two years, you persevered through the worst health and business crisis in 100 years. Even though you’re bruised and battered, you’ve remained in the fight because you possess the warrior spirit — much like the hero of our story.

Chatri Sityodtong is the CEO of ONE Championship, a Singapore-based martial arts...

by Melissa Torres, MAIA Division Manager

As you read this issue of MASuccess, our team is hard at work preparing for our second virtual show, which also happens to be our 20^th anniversary! Virtual or in-person, the Martial Arts SuperShow is still the largest industry event on the planet, and we’re honored to host it. We could not be more excited to be able to deliver this valuable content to your living room or dojo — or wherever you choose to watch — despite the unfortunate circumstances brought on by COVID.

As you may know, in March, we had to make the difficult decision to cancel the live show in Las Vegas. Our team spends a full year working up to the event, and unfortunately, with the myriad details that go into the planning and execution, we realized that we couldn’t make the decisions we needed to make without knowing what the situation in Vegas would be in July. Instead, we opted for a virtual show and immediately focused our efforts on that.

We take...

Navy SEAL and Air Force Fighter Pilot Team Up to Inspire and Educate at the 2021 Virtual SuperShow

by Perry William Kelly

What happens when you put a master motivational speaker who used to be a Navy SEAL and a master business consultant who used to be an Air Force fighter pilot together and task them with inspiring and educating martial arts business owners? Well, no one knows because the 2021 Virtual SuperShow hasn’t happened yet. (At the event, which is scheduled for July 7-9, they will be the keynote speakers.)

One thing we do know now is that you won’t get “reel life” versions of a SEAL and a top gun — sorry, Mark Wahlberg and Tom Cruise. You will get “real life” versions of American heroes, specifically Brent Gleeson and Robert “Cujo” Teschner, both of whom have put their lives on the line for your freedom. These warriors went on to become successful businessmen and consultants, and when you sign up for the...

They say you are the culmination of the people you spend the most time with.

Well what kind of outcome do you think would occur if you hung out with these all-stars:

Chatri Sityodtong
Brent Gleeson
Robert Teschner
Frank Silverman
Cris Rodriguez
Mike Metzger
Shane Tassoul
Kelly Murray Gry
Eric Santamaria
Abid Benwali
Nick Peterman

Leveling up your inner circle is a sure-fire game plan to leveling up your life.
And the above list of all-stars are coming straight to your computer with the Martial Arts Industry’s biggest training and education event: The 2021 Martial Arts Super Show.

While in-person events are my personal favorite, with the pandemic and Nevada’s
restrictions, we had to go virtual for one more year.

What does this mean for you?

A super affordable Martial Arts Super Show with an amazing speaker line up!

After a year of running online classes, most of you are Zoom Wizards, but I wanted to share some tips to get the most out of our 2021 Super Show and...

by Terry L. Wilson

In the past four decades, Cynthia Rothrock has accomplished what many of us dream about but few of us achieve, and that is to nurture our traditional martial arts skills into an international career in fight films. Here’s a look back for those who are too young to have witnessed the rise of Rothrock.

Competition

Before she graced her first silver screen, young Cynthia Rothrock was a force to be reckoned with on the East Coast. She won numerous forms and sparring championships on the regional circuit, then graduated to the national scene, where she continued to dominate in weapons and kata. Known for blending disciplines — including tang soo do, taekwondo, eagle-claw kung fu, wushu and Shaolin kung fu — Rothrock used flashy moves that happened to catch the eye of a Chinese movie producer in 1983. Soon after, she found herself in Hong Kong starring in her first film.

It didn’t take long for the martial artist from Wilmington, Delaware,...

Every year, we get questions about our industry-leading event - The Martial Arts SuperShow. Learn more about the show and lock in your ticket today. https://www.masupershow.com/

By: Frank Silverman, MAIA Executive Director

I’m often asked if I could invest in just one thing what about it be...stocks, real estate, etc. and my answer is almost always the same- YOURSELF.

Most people think that investing has to be with putting money somewhere and getting a return. I would agree.

So, how about investing in your education or the education of your TEAM (staff).

The returns for knowledge far outweigh and outpace the return of buying a simple stock.

This is why MAIA and CENTURY have been hosting the SuperShow for 19 years.

If it cost you $1500 to fly, stay at and attend the show (which it could be far less) all you need is one new member to pay that back over a year.

And if you get two or three new members or learn something that helps you retain your students better the...

by Frank Silverman

Over the past few months, I’ve done quite a bit of shopping and buying: holiday gifts, upgrades and repairs to the house, a new car, kids’ birthday gifts and more. I was in an in-store and online buying frenzy — my own perpetual Black Friday.

My overall experience with all this shopping was great. Ultimately, I was able to purchase every item I wanted or needed. I paid what I consider fair prices, and I’m enjoying my purchases. That said, when I put on my consultant’s hat afterward, I couldn’t help but evaluate my transactions. How is the quality of the items I bought? How was the service leading up to the purchases? Do I have any buyer’s remorse? Was my shopping experience as good as it could have been? Was it better than expected? Were the salespeople friendly and the online retailers straightforward?

Evaluating everything in detail made me think of my schools in Orlando, Florida. I think I offer a great product....

Attending the Martial Arts SuperShow is a one of a kind experience. Last year was my first time going and I loved it, so I decided to write down my thoughts. If you haven't already locked in your tickets, do it today! https://www.masupershow.com/

By: Cris Rodriguez, MAIA Digital Marketing Specialist

February 2019.

Mike Metzger. Melody Johnson. Bill Clark. Shane Tassoul. Chuck Norris.

Those were the Speaker names that I read.

Those were the legends in our Industry that I would be sharing the stage with.

And man was I PUMPED!

Having the opportunity to share my love of Digital Marketing at the industry’s
largest and most established conference gave me chills.  It was an absolute honor.

My mentor, Mike Metzger (who sometimes has more faith in me than I do) was
the one that signed me up.  And I was super nervous!

This was going to be my VERY FIRST SuperShow…
And he had me speaking 4 times!

I knew the most important question I had to answer...

By Deb Cupples

I’ve been teaching karate for over 15 years and have owned my school, Community Karate and Fitness, for 14. Along the way, I have made friends with other martial arts school owners through tournaments, seminars and social media. I fostered a great community through my martial arts connections, but the more it grew, the more I found that we were all struggling with the same issues and some of us were feeling a little stagnant.

For years, I had wanted to attend the Martial Arts SuperShow, but kept talking myself out of it. I had all the normal excuses: it was too much money, I couldn’t take time away from my school, etc. But those excuses weren’t getting me closer to my goals or renewing my passion for my business; they were just excuses.

Then, one day, I just did it. I registered for the Show, booked my flight and thought, “Well, if it’s not worth it, at least I can say I went to Vegas.”

Within the first 24 hours at the Show,...