I had a chance to sit down with Andrew, owner of Integrity Martial Arts in Murrieta, a local studio that opened just last year and is already looking to expand due to it's success in the area. I want to share with our readers more about Andrew's journey through Martial Arts and what led him to open his own studio. I find his story inspiring and I know you will too!
When did you first become interested in Martial Arts?
I was born into Martial Arts! Growing up, my older brother did Taekwondo and I always looked up to him. I was just a baby when I attended my first Taekwondo tournament for my brother, and from there as I grew up, I was constantly stealing his gear from his bag and trying to copy him when he was practicing and wanted to be just like him. After years of watching from the sidelines, my parents finally enrolled me in Taekwondo classes when I was 5 years old, and I fell in love with it.
What studios and masters have you studied under and for how many years?
I have 15 years of training experience in Taekwondo. I started my training in Atlanta, Georgia under Master Choi, who was part of the World Taekwondo organization. Over the next several years I trained in several Taekwondo organizations under various instructors. Currently I am training with Senior Master Martin of Champions Martial Arts in Las Vegas, Nevada. He is by far the best instructor/mentor that I could have asked for! Despite the distance he is always here for me both on and off the mat. In fact, recently I had a ribbon cutting/grand opening celebration and he drove all the way here from Las Vegas to take part in the event and then drove back to Las Vegas same night because he had new student starting the next day, but he still wanted to be there for me! I’m beyond grateful for the wisdom and support I’ve received since training under Senior Master Martin!
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What awards and achievements have you won?
Throughout my years as a competitor, I have consistently ranked in top 10 in state, district, and world rankings! In 2022, I had the honor of being the State Champion in Form, Weapon, Combat Sparring and Sparring! Currently with GTMA, I am ranked in the top 5 in the global rankings for this year in Form, Weapon, Stick Sparring and I am also ranked First in Sparring! Our season will be over in June and in July I will be competing for the Global titles, so stay tuned for updates!
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What is your favorite thing about Martial Arts?
Martial arts has played a huge role into becoming the person I am today. Without martial arts I wouldn’t have the opportunity to do what I love for a living or meet the incredible people I have over the last 15 years. While the titles and tournaments are always amazing and rewarding, the best part of martial arts is the inner growth. Martial arts gives you a sense of confidence, physical fitness, improved mental health and valuable life skills I learned as a young child that I carry into my life and business now as an adult. Martial arts is so much more than just fighting, it’s a lifelong journey to self-improvement and growth that I have loved seeing within myself over the last few years and more importantly I love seeing that growth within my students today.
What made you want to open your own studio?
When I was 13 years old, I got my 1st degree black belt, and I told my parents that one day I want to have my own Taekwondo studio! I knew in that moment that I wanted to share my love of martial arts and help kids and adults achieve their own goals! Ever since then, I started helping in classes and teaching and I loved the feeling I got from seeing these young students improve and succeed! I knew I wanted to be able to continue helping students be their best and I was going to do whatever it took to make that happen! Taekwondo changed my life and gave me a confidence within myself that I never would’ve had without it, and I knew without a doubt I wanted to help make an impact in the lives of others through Taekwondo.
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What makes Integrity Martial Arts different from other local studios?
We are part of the GTMA organization - Global Traditional Martial Arts! GTMA is only 2 years old, but within those two years, has established a name for themselves in the martial arts industry as one of the fastest growing organizations! We currently have over 200 schools in 16 countries, and I am so proud for Integrity Martial Arts to be one of those schools! One of the things that make us different from other studios is that we pride ourselves on being a family-oriented place where everyone can train together! We offer family style classes where students of all ages and ranks can come together! The goal of this system is to expose our young students to the example set by all the adults around them. We help everyone have fun taking on new challenges and we bring you and your loved ones closer together with a new family tradition! We also have our Shadow Moogi program, for our young students ages 4-6! This program was created by award-winning children's developers, professional teachers, and world-champion martial arts instructors. This GTMA program aims to teach young children the importance of martial arts alongside crucial life skills focusing on communication and personal responsibility! We also are proud to offer a unique program called Adrenaline Action Design! We are the only studio in the area to offer this! If your kids have ever wanted to fight like their favorite superhero or power ranger this is the program for them! We teach our students how to safely perform movie stunts, and the art of film fighting! Before you know it, your kids will be ready for the big screen! Finally, I think the biggest thing that makes us stand out and what we are most proud of is the family aspect of Integrity Martial Arts. The students build an incredible bond and friendship with one another on the mat just like the parents build friendships watching their children take this new journey on together. The Integrity Martial Arts wolf pack is a true family that always sticks together. We Train together, We Believe in one another, and We Achieve great things together!
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What are your future goals for Integrity Martial Arts?
I opened Integrity Martial Arts in Murrieta - the city I grew up in - and my biggest hope is to raise the next generation of martial artists and help kids and adults of all ages reach their goals and dreams! We’ve helped our students break out of their shell, find a self-confidence within themselves, learn new skills, start new family traditions with our family program and have produced multiple top competitors on a global standing! At Integrity Martial Arts, our mission is to provide a professional environment for students of all ages where we can help them grow as individuals and help them become confident, strong leaders in our community. As our Murrieta location continues to grow, I look forward to expanding Integrity Martial Arts further and opening more schools!
Why do you think martial arts is so important for children?
There’s truly no better way to help your child stay active and develop well-rounded character skills that will serve them for the rest of their lives than through martial arts! The focus, discipline, and confidence are just a few of the skills taught at Integrity Martial Arts that can be used for the rest of your children’s lives and open countless opportunities for them! At Integrity Martial Arts, we do everything we can to meet the needs of every child who walks through our doors! Whether your child is a complete beginner or a seasoned martial artist, we’re here to help them thrive! We hold our Kids Martial Arts classes in a small group environment where every student enjoys individual attention! Your child will enjoy learning effective self-defense skills, proven bully prevention strategies, well- rounded athleticism and build lifelong friendships and self-confidence within themselves! Our kids programs can even help in the classroom! Our team here at Integrity Martial Arts is helping kids across our community learn discipline in a classroom setting, improve their memory and retention skills, find excitement in the learning process and stay motivated to challenge themselves every day!
Huge congrats to Andrew on his most recent achievement!
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Looking for a Summer Camp? See what Integrity Martial Arts has to offer!
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When visiting events and local businesses, be sure to tell them Macaroni KID sent you... and don't forget to tell all your friends!
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