September 5, 2025 • 19 mins
This podcast episode delves into the intriguing intersection of clubs and extreme martial arts, highlighting the rich heritage of the ATA organization. We are privileged to feature Chief Master Bass, who elucidates the foundational aspects of ATA’s club structure and discusses innovative opportunities for instructors and potential licensees to foster growth within their communities. Additionally, we present an engaging interview with our athlete of the week, Alex Rubio, a distinguished third-degree black belt who shares his experiences and aspirations in the realm of extreme martial arts. Throughout our discussions, we aim to inspire and inform our audience about the myriad pathways available within the martial arts landscape. Join us as we explore the profound impact of martial arts on personal development and community engagement.
Takeaways:
- This podcast episode emphasizes the importance of community engagement within the ATA Martial Arts organization, highlighting the value of collaboration and support among members.
- Our discussions with Chief Master Bass reveal the exciting initiatives focused on the establishment of martial arts clubs, aiming to foster a nurturing environment for instructors and students alike.
- The episode showcases the remarkable journey of Alex Rubio, a young martial artist, who has achieved significant success in extreme martial arts competitions, highlighting the dedication required to excel in the sport.
- Listeners are encouraged to explore the ATA Martial Arts YouTube page to view the annual Mastership Ceremony, which serves as a vital celebration of achievements within the martial arts community.
- The podcast underscores the necessity for martial artists to pursue their passions, whether in teaching or competing, while maintaining a strong connection to their roots in martial arts.
- We remind our audience to participate in upcoming events and register early to ensure a smooth experience, as timely planning enhances participation in significant tournaments.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
(00:00):
Time to talk clubs and extrememartial arts.
Let's get started.
Welcome to the Ata Nation podcast.
Welcome back, Ata Nation foranother episode of the Ata Nation
podcast.
This is episode 166 and I amthrilled to be your host, Senior
(00:25):
Master Zack Hayden.
Always a pleasure to be with you.
We've got amazing guests,amazing athletes to feature, and
just an amazing community outthere in ATA Nation.
One thing I wanted tohighlight real quick, if you haven't
done so, go over to the ATAMartial Arts YouTube page and you
can check out the 2025Mastership Ceremony.
If you've never watched themastership ceremony, it is by far
(00:48):
one of my favorite eventsevery single year.
I remember going to world championships.
The first time I went to worldchampionships, our plane got delayed
and we missed the master ceremony.
And I was just so upsetbecause it was the one thing that
I really wanted to go see.
I just.
I love the master ceremony.
So if you weren't able to bethere in Phoenix, you need to go
(01:11):
check it out on YouTube.
After you finish watching thisepisode on YouTube or you finish
listening to it on yourfavorite podcast feed and then go
ahead and watch that.
But first you've got to, youknow, check out what we've got here
today.
We've got two great interviewsfor you today.
I caught up with Chief MasterBast at world Championships this
(01:33):
year and he has got this coolthing he's working on with clubs
and stuff.
We just talked a little bitabout his starting and whatnot and
we've got an interview withhim and then we're going to transition
from that interview right intoour athlete of the week, which was
a great one this week.
So stay tuned.
Let's get started with those interviews.
(01:55):
Okay.
HA Nation, we have with us anawesome chief Master.
Chief Master Bass.
You are from.
I live in Fort Collins, Colorado.
Fort Collins, Colorado.
Okay, give us your littleorigin story.
How did you start in martial arts?
I was riding by a HA school mybike when I was 12 years old and
saw a class and went, thatlooks pretty cool.
(02:16):
Walked in, talked to theinstructor and he said, if you come
back with your mom.
So I went home that night,talked to my mom, and enrolled the
next day.
Really?
It's so neat to see how manyATA like, like high ranks.
It was ATA from the beginning,you know, born and bred.
Only organization I've everbelonged to.
(02:37):
That's awesome.
And were you in Colorado thewhole time or somewhere else before?
Yeah, I grew up in northwestFlorida in Fort Walton Beach.
Okay.
Just 45 minutes up the roadGrandmaster Soon Ho Lee and Grandmaster
MK Lee.
So my original instructorswere under those guys.
And so.
And then I left Florida when Ijoined the Army Reserves and on my
(02:57):
way to college.
Okay, and then what broughtyou landing in Colorado?
So it was too cold.
It was too hot in Florida.
Too humid.
Too humid, no.
After college, I ended up inSacramento, California.
I had an opportunity after school.
I went to school for theaterand had an opportunity to work in
(03:18):
theater.
Did that for a year.
Really?
Theater.
Oh, that's exciting.
So that's what I went tocollege for.
But Grandmaster Jaimeobviously was in that area, and I
just happened to look him up,and he said, what are you doing?
I was like, well, I'm tryingto figure out if I want to renew
my.
My contract with this theateror not.
(03:40):
And he goes, how about youstart next week with me?
I went, okay.
And so I started working forhim that next week.
How so?
I'm sidetracking here becausethis theater thing's fascinating
to me.
Have you.
Did you find that.
That.
That education helped in theinstruction side of things?
I think because sometimesbeing an instructor is being a performer
in some ways.
Acting and whatnot.
(04:01):
It is totally.
It's there.
I mean, yeah, they'redifferent, but you're in front of
people, and you have to be on,and you have to perform.
That's what it is.
So, yeah, absolutely.
And I think all the training Ihad prior to entering my theater
program in college helped with that.
And then they just kind of.
It's like, you know, they justhelped each other.
They work together that way.
That's very cool.
What's you.
(04:23):
Plays.
So it was.
I went to school for as a.
As an actor.
Performance.
Very cool.
Any.
Any, like, plays that peopleknow that you would have been in?
I mean, you know, everything.
Everything from Shakespeare tomodern st.
Very cool.
Okay, now you are doingsomething really cool with ata.
They've kind of talked aboutit at world championships here, focused
(04:45):
on clubs.
Can you tell us a little bitabout that?
So we have this really amazingopportunity to go back to our roots
of the ata.
The ATA was really founded onthis club foundation, and so I'm
here to help potentialinstructors and licensees who are
looking to grow.
Maybe it's a licensee who'slooking to expand to another location,
but they want to start with aclub to begin with or an instructor
(05:07):
who has their professionalcareer and they're on track to do
what they do professionally.
But maybe they.
They love taekwondo, they loveteaching, and they like to do it.
They're not going to be a fulltime school owner.
Right.
But they have this opportunityto go open a club and contribute
to the culture and lineage ofour organization.
I think this is really neat.
I think there's a lot of, youknow, people who might be listening,
(05:28):
watching the, the, the podcastthat are.
That didn't know this was anoption, you know, because we, we
see a lot of these bigprofessional schools that are doing
amazing things and they go,well, I'm going to go to college
and be a teacher.
I'm going to go to college andbe a nurse.
I can't teach martial arts then.
But this is something that,like you said, the ATA was founded
(05:51):
on a lot of, but it hasn'tbeen talked about as much or a lot
of people don't know about it.
Yeah.
And so we're trying to reallyprovide that education process and
then really develop a processof how do I go from, I don't know
anything about running a clubto from point A to point B?
What are the steps I need totake to find a location open?
(06:11):
What are the things I need tobe looking for?
Considering.
So just helping ourinstructors through that process
of opening club.
Very cool.
I think this is really exciting.
If somebody is interestedfirst, I'm sure they should talk
to their instructor.
If you're listening, talk toyour instructor first.
Always do that.
But then with them or whatnot.
Reach out to headquarters to you.
(06:32):
Yeah.
So you can go through thelicensing part department and contact
Master Jacobs and then he'llreach out to me or, you know, reach
out to me directly.
You know, either way is goingto be perfectly fine.
Awesome.
Well, I think this is really cool.
If people have questions, makesure you check it out.
And thank you for your time, sir.
Absolutely.
My pleasure.
Thank you, sir.
Cool.
Awesome.
(06:55):
ATA Nation.
We are excited to have with usan awesome athlete of the week.
Hey, can you introduceyourself, sir?
My name is Alex Rubio.
I'm a third year black beltfrom Roanoke, Texas and I'm excited
to be on the podcast.
We're super excited to have you.
So who's your instructor therein Texas?
My instructor is Senior MasterMichael Morrison.
Whoa.
Sorry.
My instructor is Senior MasterMichael Scott Morrison.
(07:16):
Master Morrison, Fantastic.
We love Master Morrison.
He's a great guy.
So third degree black belt.
Can I ask how old you are?
Yes, sir.
I'm 17.
Seventeen.
Very cool.
Okay.
So what got you started inmartial arts?
How'd you get started?
Honestly, I was a bas baseballkid back in my days.
I really liked baseball, butthen my sister tried Martial arts.
And I wanted to try it too,because I saw them kick boards and
(07:40):
kick butt, and I was like, Igotta try this.
So we started as white beltsback in 2017, and I've been here
ever since.
It's been there ever since.
You still play any baseball?
No, I quit in 2021 for MTA.
All about doing the taekwondo.
Smart man.
Smart man.
Okay, so you.
You're a martial arts athlete here.
(08:02):
The.
The ambassadors have pickedyou as one of the athletes to go,
you know, be famous now on theInstagrams and stuff.
So what kind of.
We.
We wrapped up last season.
We're onto the new season.
What kind of tournamentcompetition is kind of like your
favorite thing to do?
My favorite thing has alwaysbeen craven extreme.
(08:22):
I've always.
I've always wanted to have thecreative will of making my own stuff
and putting into out there toperform, and I've always loved doing
that, specifically XMAweapons, because that's what I hold
my titles in.
Okay, what kind of titles doyou got?
I have two world titles andXMA weapons from 2022 and 2023.
Try to go for another one thisyear, but it didn't make it.
(08:43):
But it's okay.
We've got next year, hopefully.
That's a good attitude to have.
What weapon do you do for your extreme?
I do both stuff.
Okay, very cool.
Excellent.
Um, okay, so I. I always liketo see what people's favorite things
are, and then I think it'sneat to.
To kind of see, like, hey, noteverybody is a pro at everything
(09:03):
usually.
I mean, we've got some peoplewho are just like, pros at everything,
but most of us humans are.
You know, we have one event ortwo events that maybe not be our
favorite.
So what if we had to say, hey,maybe on the.
The other end of favorites,what would be the event that might
not be your top one?
This is really easy for me.
But traditional forms, if youever watch traditional forms, you
(09:25):
know.
Yes, sir.
Traditional forms, it's okay.
But it's definitely not myfavorite event.
Really.
Okay, that's very interesting.
Usually we find that people.
I mean, this is a stereotype,and not all stereotypes are true,
so I should be careful.
But, you know, usually thepeople who are extreme and creative
kind of people, sometimes thething they don't like is the, like
the sparring side of it.
(09:46):
But for you, it's thetraditional form.
You don't like to be in that box.
Like, you got to tell me whatto do and.
And do it this way.
Yes, sir.
That's why forms just seems so boring.
Not boring.
I don't mean to put it in that sense.
Forms just seems like, not ascreative for me.
That's why I just don't enjoyit as much as other events.
Sparring, I like doing, I likemoving around.
(10:07):
I like kicking people.
I like the fighting aspect too.
I've just always been betterat the extreme martial arts events.
But I love all the events.
That's awesome.
So I got a.
As an extreme martial artist,what's your, what's your process
for making a form?
And then with that, are youlike each season do you make a new
one?
Do you stick with the oneyou've got?
(10:29):
Do you kind of tweak itthroughout the year?
What's your process?
My process is I'll usuallystart a form in December or around
November.
December, January.
Because that's when Tech.
In Texas, we don't have anytournaments around that time.
So then I can get those formsdone there, practice them and see
if they're ready incompetition in some of the tournaments
(10:49):
leading up to spring nationalsand districts, and then keep them
until the next December.
Okay.
Usually I like to have fun.
I like to have fun when I'm competing.
So I sometimes tweak stuffwhile I'm doing the forming competition
or I'll tweak it around as Igo throughout the season.
So you've got a littlefreestyle while you're doing it as
(11:10):
well.
You know, you, you know how totweak it and stuff while you're going?
Yes, sir.
Do you do that?
So do you do that like even atlike, like Worlds and National, like
the big events, do you sometimes.
Do you like, you tweak ithere, There too?
Or do you stick with what youhave there or know that like, hey,
this one little part, I know Ineed to tweak this at Worlds because,
(11:35):
you know, I'm feeling it,going through it and I know I have
a next level thing in thislittle section and so I'm going to
throw that next level thing.
Is that how you do it atWorlds, Nationals, like bigger events?
So usually at Worlds andNationals, I do keep my set form
so I don't mess up.
But sometimes if I know eitherI've got a good chance at winning
this event.
I'll throw something in therejust for fun while I'm doing the
(11:57):
form.
If I feel like it, orsometimes if I know I need to throw
something crazy to win, I'llthrow that.
Okay.
Okay.
Very cool.
Oh, man.
How I. I can tell in the Wayyou think about forms and stuff,
that kind of thing.
How traditional forms wouldn'tbe your thing because you got to
just like.
No, I just got to do this theexact way.
(12:19):
There's no throw an extra coolor anything like that.
Yeah.
Back in the day, I used tofreestyle on my open hand crit of
an XMA on the spot everysingle tournament, but I've got rid
of that.
So you probably get too many.
Like, it goes really well andthen doesn't go well.
Well and, you know, too much inconsistency.
(12:40):
Then that's what happened.
Cool.
Now, what about this new season?
We're.
We're just starting off.
We've got a couple.
I don't know.
You guys had the Texas Twistera couple weeks ago.
What kind of goals do you havefor the new season?
New season, my main goals arejust to improve my forms the best
I can.
And honestly, this season Iwant to get my form down more solid
(13:03):
just so I can go to TLC more prepared.
I think last season in my XMAweapons especially, I changed around
a little too much.
I wasn't as prepared.
Gotcha.
Yeah.
Last season, my creativeweapons was really good, and I kept
it the same the whole season.
So I think that's a strat now.
That makes sense.
Yeah, yeah, yeah.
But I will.
Yeah.
What I always do, though.
(13:23):
Every term I do switch mysongs around, so I like experimenting
with songs.
I want to keep doing that, seehow that works out, and then find
my song for toc again.
Okay, cool.
So when you switch a song, howmuch does that change your form in
the presentation of it, in thetiming of it?
(13:45):
Do you have a lot of adjustingthat you have to do or just like
a little bit?
Just a little bit.
Because I know almost all my songs.
Here, let me show yousomething real quick.
I already know if I switch itto this song, I'll just need to add
an extra beat in the intro.
If I switch it to this onehere, it can change the overall vibe
depending on if it's a happysong, sad song, intense song, something
(14:06):
like that.
That's awesome.
A lot of people in my ringhave the same mindset when it comes
to that.
They'll just choose theirsongs on the spot.
I have around a folder of.
I think this is 200 songs Icould use for competition.
Whoa.
Okay, so where do you findyour songs?
How do you.
How are you picking music foryour competition?
So back in the day, I used tobuy music for a competition.
(14:30):
I know a lot of people do that now.
And then In December of 2023,I thought, what if I could start
making those my own, on my own?
What if I could start doing that?
So in January 2024, I startedactually making my own music from
the songs that are already online.
I just remix them and use themfor my own competition.
(14:51):
Okay.
I remix over 400 songs in thepast year, and I still.
I sell those two on.
On my page, on my mixing page.
Oh, excellent.
What.
What's your mixing page?
We'll shoot.
Shout it out for everybody.
It's at Rubio Remixes.
Awesome.
Well.
Well, make sure people checkthat out if they need a good remix.
Sounds like you're the man.
Yes, sir.
(15:11):
Awesome.
Well, good.
I finished my summer sale, butI'm gonna have a seat soon.
Yeah, good, good.
Okay.
Well, I.
That's.
That's excellent.
I. I love.
I've never been a big, extremecreative guy, but I love to dig into
talking to people who do itextreme and creative and kind of
see what their process is, seehow that works.
Because I'm the opposite of you.
(15:31):
I'm like a forms guy, and I'mlike, no, tell me the next move,
and then tell me the next moveand tell me exactly how it's supposed
to go.
So when it comes to thecreative thing, no, that's something
I've got to really work on.
So I love hearing kind of yourprocess and how you go about it.
What about outside of tournaments?
Do you have any martial artsgoals that you're working on outside
(15:53):
of the regular competitive season?
Yes, sir, I do.
I'm trying to get more out.
This also applies kind of inthe venues.
I'm trying to get more outthere because I do want to open a
school when I'm older, and Iwant to get into more teaching as
a head and coach.
Head instructor.
Very cool.
Yes, sir.
Those are my goals.
Just keep teaching and one dayopen my own school.
(16:13):
I love that.
Fantastic.
What great goals.
So, hey, what does it mean toyou to be an athlete that goes beyond
the belt?
To yo.
Beyond the belt means to me here.
How do I put this into words?
It means not to show thatrespect and courtesy, not just on
the mat, but outside.
Specifically, for me, it meansto be doing that inside the tournament
(16:34):
venue.
So when I was little, I was alittle nervous at tournaments.
I was scared to talk to people.
And then I talked to Mr. EthanFeinstreiber back in the day.
I think this was Worlds Expo2019, and that was the kindest person
I had met at a tournament so far.
And he inspired me to keeppushing onwards.
And I think that's the type ofattitude we should have in nature.
(16:54):
Gta.
Not just being kind in thering, but when you're in the venue,
watching everyone walkingaround, being a kind person and being
open to everyone.
I love that.
Yeah, I, I, I'm right therewith you.
Especially, I mean, becausethat at the tournament can be a tough
place to do it sometimes.
You know, I mean, it gets alittle, can get a little heated,
can get that nerves and, andyou know, all those competitive juices
(17:17):
going on in the, in thetournament venue can be rough.
So I love that idea of goingbeyond the belt there.
So, sir, thank you so much foryour time today.
Thank you for being aninspiration for ATA nation out there.
Keep up the good work andwe'll see in an event soon.
Thanks so much.
Thank you for having me here.
It was a lot, it was a lot of fun.
(17:42):
Well, those were some great interviews.
I really love to kind of probein and figure out how people are
making their extreme forms andstuff like that, just because it's
something I haven't done.
And I always find itinteresting to see other people's
process when they are doingthose kind of things.
Now, real quick, couple of reminders.
(18:02):
Last week we talked aboutregional camps, so make sure you're
checking those out.
You've got from the time thisepisode airs, only like two weeks,
a little less than two weekswith the regular pricing for Fall
Nationals.
So if you are planning to goto Fall Nationals and compete, go
and register.
If you are thinking about it,you should probably just go and register.
(18:24):
You're going to save moneythat way.
It's going to help you andheadquarters get everything organized
and stuff.
Well, so go and check that out.
I know there's been somechallenges in getting hotel rooms
and that's just the, I mean,that's just the world we live in
when there's so many otherthings going on.
Um, they've got two big gamesin Pittsburgh that weekend, so it's
(18:48):
just tough.
But hopefully this reminds us.
It reminded me because Ididn't do it as fast as I usually
do, that we need to registeror get our hotel rooms early.
That is just a good reminderto all of us because I didn't get
my hotel room early and thathurt a little bit because usually
(19:08):
I get, you know, Airbnb earlyor whatever it might be.
So remind us, start a little earlier.
I'm going to do that for St.Louis for spring Nationals, make
sure I get my stuff done.
Nice and early, so check those out.
It's going to be some great times.
We've got some great eventscoming up, some awesome tournaments.
The first Legacy trainingonline was just last week or so.
(19:31):
If you did that, let me knowhow you liked it.
We had another event going onthat we had to go to, so I couldn't
make it, but I hope to do someof them in the future.
Lots awesome training goingaround ATA Nation.
So get out there, make adifference, Go beyond the belt, guys.
We'll see you next week.
ATA Nation Podcast Be sure tosubscribe and share with your ATA
(19:54):
family.
Time to talk clubs and extrememartial arts.
Let's get started.
Welcome to the Ata Nation podcast.
Welcome back, Ata Nation foranother episode of the Ata Nation
podcast.
This is episode 166 and I amthrilled to be your host, Senior
(00:25):
Master Zack Hayden.
Always a pleasure to be with you.
We've got amazing guests,amazing athletes to feature, and
just an amazing community outthere in ATA Nation.
One thing I wanted tohighlight real quick, if you haven't
done so, go over to the ATAMartial Arts YouTube page and you
can check out the 2025Mastership Ceremony.
If you've never watched themastership ceremony, it is by far
(00:48):
one of my favorite eventsevery single year.
I remember going to world championships.
The first time I went to worldchampionships, our plane got delayed
and we missed the master ceremony.
And I was just so upsetbecause it was the one thing that
I really wanted to go see.
I just.
I love the master ceremony.
So if you weren't able to bethere in Phoenix, you need to go
(01:11):
check it out on YouTube.
After you finish watching thisepisode on YouTube or you finish
listening to it on yourfavorite podcast feed and then go
ahead and watch that.
But first you've got to, youknow, check out what we've got here
today.
We've got two great interviewsfor you today.
I caught up with Chief MasterBast at world Championships this
(01:33):
year and he has got this coolthing he's working on with clubs
and stuff.
We just talked a little bitabout his starting and whatnot and
we've got an interview withhim and then we're going to transition
from that interview right intoour athlete of the week, which was
a great one this week.
So stay tuned.
Let's get started with those interviews.
(01:55):
Okay.
HA Nation, we have with us anawesome chief Master.
Chief Master Bass.
You are from.
I live in Fort Collins, Colorado.
Fort Collins, Colorado.
Okay, give us your littleorigin story.
How did you start in martial arts?
I was riding by a HA school mybike when I was 12 years old and
saw a class and went, thatlooks pretty cool.
(02:16):
Walked in, talked to theinstructor and he said, if you come
back with your mom.
So I went home that night,talked to my mom, and enrolled the
next day.
Really?
It's so neat to see how manyATA like, like high ranks.
It was ATA from the beginning,you know, born and bred.
Only organization I've everbelonged to.
(02:37):
That's awesome.
And were you in Colorado thewhole time or somewhere else before?
Yeah, I grew up in northwestFlorida in Fort Walton Beach.
Okay.
Just 45 minutes up the roadGrandmaster Soon Ho Lee and Grandmaster
MK Lee.
So my original instructorswere under those guys.
And so.
And then I left Florida when Ijoined the Army Reserves and on my
(02:57):
way to college.
Okay, and then what broughtyou landing in Colorado?
So it was too cold.
It was too hot in Florida.
Too humid.
Too humid, no.
After college, I ended up inSacramento, California.
I had an opportunity after school.
I went to school for theaterand had an opportunity to work in
(03:18):
theater.
Did that for a year.
Really?
Theater.
Oh, that's exciting.
So that's what I went tocollege for.
But Grandmaster Jaimeobviously was in that area, and I
just happened to look him up,and he said, what are you doing?
I was like, well, I'm tryingto figure out if I want to renew
my.
My contract with this theateror not.
(03:40):
And he goes, how about youstart next week with me?
I went, okay.
And so I started working forhim that next week.
How so?
I'm sidetracking here becausethis theater thing's fascinating
to me.
Have you.
Did you find that.
That.
That education helped in theinstruction side of things?
I think because sometimesbeing an instructor is being a performer
in some ways.
Acting and whatnot.
(04:01):
It is totally.
It's there.
I mean, yeah, they'redifferent, but you're in front of
people, and you have to be on,and you have to perform.
That's what it is.
So, yeah, absolutely.
And I think all the training Ihad prior to entering my theater
program in college helped with that.
And then they just kind of.
It's like, you know, they justhelped each other.
They work together that way.
That's very cool.
What's you.
(04:23):
Plays.
So it was.
I went to school for as a.
As an actor.
Performance.
Very cool.
Any.
Any, like, plays that peopleknow that you would have been in?
I mean, you know, everything.
Everything from Shakespeare tomodern st.
Very cool.
Okay, now you are doingsomething really cool with ata.
They've kind of talked aboutit at world championships here, focused
(04:45):
on clubs.
Can you tell us a little bitabout that?
So we have this really amazingopportunity to go back to our roots
of the ata.
The ATA was really founded onthis club foundation, and so I'm
here to help potentialinstructors and licensees who are
looking to grow.
Maybe it's a licensee who'slooking to expand to another location,
but they want to start with aclub to begin with or an instructor
(05:07):
who has their professionalcareer and they're on track to do
what they do professionally.
But maybe they.
They love taekwondo, they loveteaching, and they like to do it.
They're not going to be a fulltime school owner.
Right.
But they have this opportunityto go open a club and contribute
to the culture and lineage ofour organization.
I think this is really neat.
I think there's a lot of, youknow, people who might be listening,
(05:28):
watching the, the, the podcastthat are.
That didn't know this was anoption, you know, because we, we
see a lot of these bigprofessional schools that are doing
amazing things and they go,well, I'm going to go to college
and be a teacher.
I'm going to go to college andbe a nurse.
I can't teach martial arts then.
But this is something that,like you said, the ATA was founded
(05:51):
on a lot of, but it hasn'tbeen talked about as much or a lot
of people don't know about it.
Yeah.
And so we're trying to reallyprovide that education process and
then really develop a processof how do I go from, I don't know
anything about running a clubto from point A to point B?
What are the steps I need totake to find a location open?
(06:11):
What are the things I need tobe looking for?
Considering.
So just helping ourinstructors through that process
of opening club.
Very cool.
I think this is really exciting.
If somebody is interestedfirst, I'm sure they should talk
to their instructor.
If you're listening, talk toyour instructor first.
Always do that.
But then with them or whatnot.
Reach out to headquarters to you.
(06:32):
Yeah.
So you can go through thelicensing part department and contact
Master Jacobs and then he'llreach out to me or, you know, reach
out to me directly.
You know, either way is goingto be perfectly fine.
Awesome.
Well, I think this is really cool.
If people have questions, makesure you check it out.
And thank you for your time, sir.
Absolutely.
My pleasure.
Thank you, sir.
Cool.
Awesome.
(06:55):
ATA Nation.
We are excited to have with usan awesome athlete of the week.
Hey, can you introduceyourself, sir?
My name is Alex Rubio.
I'm a third year black beltfrom Roanoke, Texas and I'm excited
to be on the podcast.
We're super excited to have you.
So who's your instructor therein Texas?
My instructor is Senior MasterMichael Morrison.
Whoa.
Sorry.
My instructor is Senior MasterMichael Scott Morrison.
(07:16):
Master Morrison, Fantastic.
We love Master Morrison.
He's a great guy.
So third degree black belt.
Can I ask how old you are?
Yes, sir.
I'm 17.
Seventeen.
Very cool.
Okay.
So what got you started inmartial arts?
How'd you get started?
Honestly, I was a bas baseballkid back in my days.
I really liked baseball, butthen my sister tried Martial arts.
And I wanted to try it too,because I saw them kick boards and
(07:40):
kick butt, and I was like, Igotta try this.
So we started as white beltsback in 2017, and I've been here
ever since.
It's been there ever since.
You still play any baseball?
No, I quit in 2021 for MTA.
All about doing the taekwondo.
Smart man.
Smart man.
Okay, so you.
You're a martial arts athlete here.
(08:02):
The.
The ambassadors have pickedyou as one of the athletes to go,
you know, be famous now on theInstagrams and stuff.
So what kind of.
We.
We wrapped up last season.
We're onto the new season.
What kind of tournamentcompetition is kind of like your
favorite thing to do?
My favorite thing has alwaysbeen craven extreme.
(08:22):
I've always.
I've always wanted to have thecreative will of making my own stuff
and putting into out there toperform, and I've always loved doing
that, specifically XMAweapons, because that's what I hold
my titles in.
Okay, what kind of titles doyou got?
I have two world titles andXMA weapons from 2022 and 2023.
Try to go for another one thisyear, but it didn't make it.
(08:43):
But it's okay.
We've got next year, hopefully.
That's a good attitude to have.
What weapon do you do for your extreme?
I do both stuff.
Okay, very cool.
Excellent.
Um, okay, so I. I always liketo see what people's favorite things
are, and then I think it'sneat to.
To kind of see, like, hey, noteverybody is a pro at everything
(09:03):
usually.
I mean, we've got some peoplewho are just like, pros at everything,
but most of us humans are.
You know, we have one event ortwo events that maybe not be our
favorite.
So what if we had to say, hey,maybe on the.
The other end of favorites,what would be the event that might
not be your top one?
This is really easy for me.
But traditional forms, if youever watch traditional forms, you
(09:25):
know.
Yes, sir.
Traditional forms, it's okay.
But it's definitely not myfavorite event.
Really.
Okay, that's very interesting.
Usually we find that people.
I mean, this is a stereotype,and not all stereotypes are true,
so I should be careful.
But, you know, usually thepeople who are extreme and creative
kind of people, sometimes thething they don't like is the, like
the sparring side of it.
(09:46):
But for you, it's thetraditional form.
You don't like to be in that box.
Like, you got to tell me whatto do and.
And do it this way.
Yes, sir.
That's why forms just seems so boring.
Not boring.
I don't mean to put it in that sense.
Forms just seems like, not ascreative for me.
That's why I just don't enjoyit as much as other events.
Sparring, I like doing, I likemoving around.
(10:07):
I like kicking people.
I like the fighting aspect too.
I've just always been betterat the extreme martial arts events.
But I love all the events.
That's awesome.
So I got a.
As an extreme martial artist,what's your, what's your process
for making a form?
And then with that, are youlike each season do you make a new
one?
Do you stick with the oneyou've got?
(10:29):
Do you kind of tweak itthroughout the year?
What's your process?
My process is I'll usuallystart a form in December or around
November.
December, January.
Because that's when Tech.
In Texas, we don't have anytournaments around that time.
So then I can get those formsdone there, practice them and see
if they're ready incompetition in some of the tournaments
(10:49):
leading up to spring nationalsand districts, and then keep them
until the next December.
Okay.
Usually I like to have fun.
I like to have fun when I'm competing.
So I sometimes tweak stuffwhile I'm doing the forming competition
or I'll tweak it around as Igo throughout the season.
So you've got a littlefreestyle while you're doing it as
(11:10):
well.
You know, you, you know how totweak it and stuff while you're going?
Yes, sir.
Do you do that?
So do you do that like even atlike, like Worlds and National, like
the big events, do you sometimes.
Do you like, you tweak ithere, There too?
Or do you stick with what youhave there or know that like, hey,
this one little part, I know Ineed to tweak this at Worlds because,
(11:35):
you know, I'm feeling it,going through it and I know I have
a next level thing in thislittle section and so I'm going to
throw that next level thing.
Is that how you do it atWorlds, Nationals, like bigger events?
So usually at Worlds andNationals, I do keep my set form
so I don't mess up.
But sometimes if I know eitherI've got a good chance at winning
this event.
I'll throw something in therejust for fun while I'm doing the
(11:57):
form.
If I feel like it, orsometimes if I know I need to throw
something crazy to win, I'llthrow that.
Okay.
Okay.
Very cool.
Oh, man.
How I. I can tell in the Wayyou think about forms and stuff,
that kind of thing.
How traditional forms wouldn'tbe your thing because you got to
just like.
No, I just got to do this theexact way.
(12:19):
There's no throw an extra coolor anything like that.
Yeah.
Back in the day, I used tofreestyle on my open hand crit of
an XMA on the spot everysingle tournament, but I've got rid
of that.
So you probably get too many.
Like, it goes really well andthen doesn't go well.
Well and, you know, too much inconsistency.
(12:40):
Then that's what happened.
Cool.
Now, what about this new season?
We're.
We're just starting off.
We've got a couple.
I don't know.
You guys had the Texas Twistera couple weeks ago.
What kind of goals do you havefor the new season?
New season, my main goals arejust to improve my forms the best
I can.
And honestly, this season Iwant to get my form down more solid
(13:03):
just so I can go to TLC more prepared.
I think last season in my XMAweapons especially, I changed around
a little too much.
I wasn't as prepared.
Gotcha.
Yeah.
Last season, my creativeweapons was really good, and I kept
it the same the whole season.
So I think that's a strat now.
That makes sense.
Yeah, yeah, yeah.
But I will.
Yeah.
What I always do, though.
(13:23):
Every term I do switch mysongs around, so I like experimenting
with songs.
I want to keep doing that, seehow that works out, and then find
my song for toc again.
Okay, cool.
So when you switch a song, howmuch does that change your form in
the presentation of it, in thetiming of it?
(13:45):
Do you have a lot of adjustingthat you have to do or just like
a little bit?
Just a little bit.
Because I know almost all my songs.
Here, let me show yousomething real quick.
I already know if I switch itto this song, I'll just need to add
an extra beat in the intro.
If I switch it to this onehere, it can change the overall vibe
depending on if it's a happysong, sad song, intense song, something
(14:06):
like that.
That's awesome.
A lot of people in my ringhave the same mindset when it comes
to that.
They'll just choose theirsongs on the spot.
I have around a folder of.
I think this is 200 songs Icould use for competition.
Whoa.
Okay, so where do you findyour songs?
How do you.
How are you picking music foryour competition?
So back in the day, I used tobuy music for a competition.
(14:30):
I know a lot of people do that now.
And then In December of 2023,I thought, what if I could start
making those my own, on my own?
What if I could start doing that?
So in January 2024, I startedactually making my own music from
the songs that are already online.
I just remix them and use themfor my own competition.
(14:51):
Okay.
I remix over 400 songs in thepast year, and I still.
I sell those two on.
On my page, on my mixing page.
Oh, excellent.
What.
What's your mixing page?
We'll shoot.
Shout it out for everybody.
It's at Rubio Remixes.
Awesome.
Well.
Well, make sure people checkthat out if they need a good remix.
Sounds like you're the man.
Yes, sir.
(15:11):
Awesome.
Well, good.
I finished my summer sale, butI'm gonna have a seat soon.
Yeah, good, good.
Okay.
Well, I.
That's.
That's excellent.
I. I love.
I've never been a big, extremecreative guy, but I love to dig into
talking to people who do itextreme and creative and kind of
see what their process is, seehow that works.
Because I'm the opposite of you.
(15:31):
I'm like a forms guy, and I'mlike, no, tell me the next move,
and then tell me the next moveand tell me exactly how it's supposed
to go.
So when it comes to thecreative thing, no, that's something
I've got to really work on.
So I love hearing kind of yourprocess and how you go about it.
What about outside of tournaments?
Do you have any martial artsgoals that you're working on outside
(15:53):
of the regular competitive season?
Yes, sir, I do.
I'm trying to get more out.
This also applies kind of inthe venues.
I'm trying to get more outthere because I do want to open a
school when I'm older, and Iwant to get into more teaching as
a head and coach.
Head instructor.
Very cool.
Yes, sir.
Those are my goals.
Just keep teaching and one dayopen my own school.
(16:13):
I love that.
Fantastic.
What great goals.
So, hey, what does it mean toyou to be an athlete that goes beyond
the belt?
To yo.
Beyond the belt means to me here.
How do I put this into words?
It means not to show thatrespect and courtesy, not just on
the mat, but outside.
Specifically, for me, it meansto be doing that inside the tournament
(16:34):
venue.
So when I was little, I was alittle nervous at tournaments.
I was scared to talk to people.
And then I talked to Mr. EthanFeinstreiber back in the day.
I think this was Worlds Expo2019, and that was the kindest person
I had met at a tournament so far.
And he inspired me to keeppushing onwards.
And I think that's the type ofattitude we should have in nature.
(16:54):
Gta.
Not just being kind in thering, but when you're in the venue,
watching everyone walkingaround, being a kind person and being
open to everyone.
I love that.
Yeah, I, I, I'm right therewith you.
Especially, I mean, becausethat at the tournament can be a tough
place to do it sometimes.
You know, I mean, it gets alittle, can get a little heated,
can get that nerves and, andyou know, all those competitive juices
(17:17):
going on in the, in thetournament venue can be rough.
So I love that idea of goingbeyond the belt there.
So, sir, thank you so much foryour time today.
Thank you for being aninspiration for ATA nation out there.
Keep up the good work andwe'll see in an event soon.
Thanks so much.
Thank you for having me here.
It was a lot, it was a lot of fun.
(17:42):
Well, those were some great interviews.
I really love to kind of probein and figure out how people are
making their extreme forms andstuff like that, just because it's
something I haven't done.
And I always find itinteresting to see other people's
process when they are doingthose kind of things.
Now, real quick, couple of reminders.
(18:02):
Last week we talked aboutregional camps, so make sure you're
checking those out.
You've got from the time thisepisode airs, only like two weeks,
a little less than two weekswith the regular pricing for Fall
Nationals.
So if you are planning to goto Fall Nationals and compete, go
and register.
If you are thinking about it,you should probably just go and register.
(18:24):
You're going to save moneythat way.
It's going to help you andheadquarters get everything organized
and stuff.
Well, so go and check that out.
I know there's been somechallenges in getting hotel rooms
and that's just the, I mean,that's just the world we live in
when there's so many otherthings going on.
Um, they've got two big gamesin Pittsburgh that weekend, so it's
(18:48):
just tough.
But hopefully this reminds us.
It reminded me because Ididn't do it as fast as I usually
do, that we need to registeror get our hotel rooms early.
That is just a good reminderto all of us because I didn't get
my hotel room early and thathurt a little bit because usually
(19:08):
I get, you know, Airbnb earlyor whatever it might be.
So remind us, start a little earlier.
I'm going to do that for St.Louis for spring Nationals, make
sure I get my stuff done.
Nice and early, so check those out.
It's going to be some great times.
We've got some great eventscoming up, some awesome tournaments.
The first Legacy trainingonline was just last week or so.
(19:31):
If you did that, let me knowhow you liked it.
We had another event going onthat we had to go to, so I couldn't
make it, but I hope to do someof them in the future.
Lots awesome training goingaround ATA Nation.
So get out there, make adifference, Go beyond the belt, guys.
We'll see you next week.
ATA Nation Podcast Be sure tosubscribe and share with your ATA
(19:54):
family.
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