Sensei Ed Briz welcomes Mike Gillespie, a third Dan from Sarasota, Florida, to discuss his martial arts journey. Mike began in the late 1980s at age eleven, inspired by The Karate Kid and persistent requests to his parents. He previously played soccer and ran cross country.
Mike identifies the “blue belt blues” as a significant early challenge, a term coined by his first instructor Jim Graydon, describing when practitioners gain enough knowledge to recognize their shortcomings, creating a motivational hurdle before advancement. The speaker discusses the critical challenge of the intermediate belt phase in martial arts training, where many students quit due to discouragement. Unlike those seeking quick results like becoming a Ninja Turtle, the speaker found early training enjoyable and only faced difficulty at blue belt.
A key insight shared is that earning a black belt is not an endpoint but merely the beginning of a lifelong journey. Many students quit after achieving black belt, missing the opportunity for continued growth. The speaker emphasizes that martial arts teaches persistence through difficulty, a lesson that transfers to all life pursuits and enables people to achieve goals previously thought impossible.
Mike reflects on how martial arts training at a young age instilled mental discipline and confidence that later enabled him to pursue a PhD, recognizing that martial arts is approximately eighty-five percent mental. He emphasizes that martial arts teaches crucial life skills like respect, discipline, and perseverance, helping students learn to push through challenges they don’t want to face. However, he notes a concerning trend where some schools operate as “black belt mills,” awarding belts too easily to maintain enrollment and profit, which undermines the integrity of martial arts training and creates false confidence in students who haven’t genuinely earned their skills or discipline.
He discuss the challenge of retaining martial arts students in today’s instant gratification culture. They explain that many students view earning a black belt as the end goal rather than the beginning of their journey, leading them to quit immediately after achieving it. One speaker emphasizes the importance of creating a welcoming training environment where people want to show up and practice consistently, rather than just attend classes.
Another highlight is how some instructors take offense when advanced practitioners seek a place to train rather than receive instruction, and notes that collaborative relationships between different martial arts schools enrich the learning experience, though many instructors refuse to interact with other schools out of fear of losing students. Martial arts extends far beyond physical techniques like punching and kicking, offering profound mental and physical discipline applicable to all life domains. Drawing from personal experience, they explain how martial arts training cultivated intellectual humility and process-focused thinking that enabled them to earn a PhD in organizational psychology.
They emphasize core tenets like courtesy, integrity, and perseverance found in Taekwondo and other disciplines, which serve as valuable life guides similar to biblical principles. Regarding commercialization, the speaker suggests the issue isn’t commercialization itself but rather the mentality studios encourage, stressing that thoughtful curriculum design remains crucial for meaningful martial arts instruction. The speaker discusses the tension between commercializing martial arts schools and preserving the art form itself.
While using existing curricula and training students in striking techniques can be profitable, he emphasizes that schools must balance financial viability with artistic integrity. He cites David Bybee as an example of someone who successfully built a thriving mixed martial arts facility through hard work, discipline, and earning investor confidence, though he acknowledges this represents only one percent of schools. The speaker identifies as a striker specializing in karate, taekwondo, hapkido, and tongsudo, noting that practitioners often maintain these disciplines throughout their lives despite physical demands.
The speaker reflects on a significant regret from his martial arts journey: stopping training during college due to pride when he couldn’t find a school meeting his standards. This years-long gap left him out of shape, and when he resumed, his body suffered considerably, possibly leading to needing hip replacements. He emphasizes wishing he had continued training anywhere rather than quitting entirely.
Both agree that life interrupts training, but their desire to practice brings them back. The speaker identifies his most transformative experience as the intense period between earning his first and second karate degrees, training four hours daily with dedicated partners, which naturally developed his technical foundation. Beyond the dojo, martial arts gave him the confidence to de-escalate real-world conflicts through calm, confident communication rather than physical confrontation.
The speaker emphasizes how martial arts principles extend beyond physical training into life philosophy. Drawing from practices like Tai Chi, Push Hands, and ancient strategy games, they advocate for redirecting rather than opposing force. A key lesson learned was intellectual humility—recognizing that no single martial arts style is superior and that valuable insights come from all disciplines and people.
The speaker stresses the importance of consistent daily practice outside the studio and shares how they now teach martial arts freely in retirement, believing knowledge should be shared generously with those genuinely interested in learning. During this podcast discussion, speakers reflect on their journeys in martial arts and teaching. They recall attending seminars led by high-ranking black belts who generously shared their knowledge with lower-ranked students.
Explained his decision to teach at the YMCA for free, emphasizing his love for teaching over profit. The speakers highlight how witnessing students’ learning moments and “aha” experiences inspired them to become educators themselves. This passion for teaching and mentoring ultimately shaped their careers, demonstrating that true fulfillment comes from sharing knowledge and helping others grow rather than pursuing commercial success.
A psychologist discusses how ego clouds judgment by prioritizing reputation over sound decisions. He explains that psychological distancing techniques, such as referring to oneself in third person while journaling or adopting an observer perspective, help bypass ego-driven thinking. By viewing situations as a neutral observer rather than from a first-person perspective, people gain clarity and make better choices.
You can find more about Mike Gillespie as he’s easily accessible through Google searches, social media platforms like Facebook and LinkedIn, and through his book “Distancing” available on Amazon.
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