October 10, 2025 • 21 mins
The impending Fall Nationals is the focal point of our discussion, as we eagerly anticipate the gathering of martial arts enthusiasts. This episode features Senior Master Michael Estep from Pittsburgh, who epitomizes the dedication and passion inherent in our community. We delve into the enriching experiences garnered from recent training camps, highlighting the importance of physical training and historical appreciation within the ATA. Furthermore, we underscore the significance of participation in upcoming competitions, emphasizing the extended registration period for those who wish to join the national event. As we prepare for this momentous occasion, we encourage our listeners to seize the opportunity to compete and further develop their skills.
Takeaways:
- In the upcoming weeks, we will have the Fall Nationals event, which is a significant occasion for our community.
- Our recent regional training camp was a resounding success, fostering camaraderie and skill development among participants.
- The opportunity to register late for the Fall Nationals provides flexibility for participants who wish to compete.
- Engaging with fellow ATA members at events enhances relationships and deepens our shared martial arts experience.
- Training consistently and setting personal goals are essential for both personal growth and community inspiration.
- Master athletes, like Senior Master Estep, play a pivotal role in encouraging students through their ongoing commitment to competition.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
(00:00):
We're just two weeks from FallNationals and we have an athlete
from Pittsburgh.
Let's get started.
Welcome to the Ata Nation podcast.
Welcome back to the Ata Nation podcast.
(00:21):
This is episode 171 and I'myour host, Senior Master Zach Hayden.
I hope you have been having anexcellent time out there in at nation,
Training, competing, testing,you know, teaching all of the, all
the things.
I have been spending some timedoing some training out at our regional
(00:44):
camp.
We had an excellent time atthe Region 102B training event.
It was cool.
Love sitting around the fireat the end listening to great stories
about the history of ata.
You know, it was, we, we hadthe event over the weekend that had
Founders Day in it and so wetalked about Eternal Grandmaster.
You know, got to do some great training.
(01:04):
I got to teach on the 10 classmanagement skills, which I just love.
I got to do some training.
Oh, we did some, some goodtechnique, you know, working on some
attributes down in the waterat the beach at this event.
You know, there was a lot ofawesome training things.
Those are just two of thethings I got to teach and I love
teaching.
You know, we don't talk aboutit much on the podcast cause I'm
(01:27):
always interview people, butat heart I am an instructor.
That's what I love to do.
I love to teach and it's justso much fun.
Got to talk to a couple oflicensees about business and things
which I also really enjoy doing.
I love to just listen to whatother people are doing, you know,
get input, you know, talkabout what, what I've done in the
(01:50):
past, what I've messed upwith, what I've gotten better at.
These, these camps are just agreat opportunity to not just get
some physical training in, butlearn history, get to surround yourself
with fellow ATA members andjust build relationships.
So lots of fun for me thislast weekend.
But let's talk about whatwe've got in two weeks is Fall Nationals.
(02:12):
Now I want to remind you thatI just saw that out there in Facebook
land.
They have extended lateregistration competition so you can
get register still for national.
This is a great opportunity, guys.
And it is, you know, you cango compete on Saturday, come home,
(02:33):
you don't have to, you know,if you're, if you're last minute,
this is like a last minutedecision you're gonna make.
You don't have to make this aweek long event and you can pop in,
do your competition, pop outas a, you know, if this is a last
minute decision for you, Ilove to use the Whole week, you know,
do the whole thing.
But you know, if you're justlike, hey, I can get some extra points
(02:55):
or hey, I think we can getover there late.
Registration has been extendeduntil Monday, October 13th at noon
Central time.
You don't want to miss out onthat, guys.
That, that is an awesomeopportunity to save some money, have
fun, get some points.
And for somebody like where weare in my community, it's not that
bad a drive out there.
You can drive out.
(03:16):
Depends on your ring, is youmight be able to drive out that morning,
compete and drive home, forgoodness sakes.
Oh, and all over the eastcoast that would be easy to do.
So I want to go over a couplemore things.
With Fall Nationals, if youaren't, you know, making plans to
attend, you're missing out onsome great things.
But before that, I want to hit.
We have our athlete of theweek this week.
(03:38):
Super, super awesome to haveanother awesome high ranked athlete
of the week and straight fromthe Pittsburgh area.
So let's get to our athlete ofthe week, ATA Nation.
We are excited to have with usnot just an athlete of the week,
but a master athlete as well.
(03:59):
Sir, can you introduce yourself?
Yes, I am Senior MasterMichael Estep from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
And we'll be out there, youknow, just another week or so.
We're all going to be joiningyou out there in Pittsburgh.
So Senior Master Estep, canyou first give us a little background?
How did you get started inmartial arts?
Sure.
(04:20):
So it was in 1989, being justa young little boy, four years old,
and getting bullied and picked on.
And my dad was like, you knowwhat, we need to do something so
that you can learn how tostand up for yourself.
And I started in Westview Plaza.
It was Senior Master BrianShipton, who's no longer with the
ata, but that's who I started with.
(04:40):
And that's kind of, that'skind of where it all kicked off.
Very cool.
And as a, Were you an athlete before?
Did you do any athletic thingsor, you know, were you involved in
athletes in school?
I mean, starting so young, at4, I mean, it's like, you know, it's
kind of hard to tell.
I did baseball for many years.
(05:01):
I started around the same time.
I did that till maybe I wasabout like 14 or so.
And then I felt like I neededto make a decision because once you
get to that age, it's like yougotta fully commit to whatever sport
you're in because it's so demanding.
Right.
So that's when I made thatdecision that, like, Taekwondo was
the way to go, and I just kindof fully committed to that and was
(05:23):
teaching a lot and competingand all that, and that's kind of
the route that I decided togo, and I'm super happy that I went
that way.
So, yeah, it seems to turnout, you know, senior master seems
to turn out, turned out prettydecent for you.
So did you gravitate to, youknow, early on in your martial arts
training, did you gravitateto, you know, a certain side or a
(05:45):
certain part of the martialarts that was more like, hey, this
is what I, you know, this isthe kind of competition I really
enjoy doing.
Sure.
Definitely sparring wassomething that interested me more.
And I feel like there's likethe forms and weapons people and
then the sparring people.
Right.
So I definitely gravitatedmore towards the sparring side.
(06:05):
I love it all, but I mean,competition, I'm all sparring in
combat.
I mean, you can ask all of my competitors.
They pretty much know that I'mnot going to do my form or my weapon
or anything like that, you know.
So, yeah, I'm all sparring incombat all the way, for sure.
And you're, you're a kind oftall guy, so those long legs probably
were pretty beneficial in, inthat kicking thing.
(06:28):
They definitely help.
They definitely help out.
And even distance control incombat, it helps because I can keep
a little bit of a biggerrange, you know, so that, that definitely
is a benefit for sure.
Yeah.
Now, how has it been for youas, as you've transitioned?
So there's, you know, this,you know, as a, as a student only,
you get, you know, to competewhen you start teaching, and then,
(06:51):
you know, really, you know,doing lots of teaching, you're still
competing, but there can be a,you know, a, a switch in how you
deal with that.
And then as a master, youknow, now you get to compete like,
you know, three times a yearor whatnot.
How are, have thosetransitions been for you as you've
gone through from student toinstructor to master?
(07:11):
Sure.
So, yeah, just like you said,as a student, there's more opportunities.
I feel like even the more guidance.
When you're a student, you'retraining regularly with your instructor,
you know, and so you havesomebody kind of pushing you and
motivating you and everything.
Yeah.
You're competing all the time.
So it's, it's almost likethere's no off season.
It's like there's acompetition this month and then next
(07:32):
month.
You know what I mean?
As you start teaching more.
I feel like, especiallywhenever I was really running the
school and more in the schoolowner position and everything like
that.
You're not getting likeregular training.
Like there's, it's not likeevery week I'm going to class three
times a week.
Like I'm training a lot on my own.
I can remember, you know,staying after classes on Saturdays
(07:53):
for a couple hours, just doingmy own thing, practicing my form,
you know, and doing this anddoing that and just trying to keep
myself accountable.
And then when you transitionto the master kind of side of it.
Yeah, it's only three times a year.
But I mean, honestly, as I'vegotten older, I've just, I've gotten
more intense and more intenseas far as my training.
(08:15):
I don't know, I just use it as motivation.
I always want to be better andget better.
You know, I honestly, I couldcompete any day of the year.
I'm always ready.
I train all the time.
So it's just something that Ijust enjoy.
I just can't get enough of it.
So that's awesome.
You know, I, I hadn't thoughtabout it until just now, but having
that three times a yearopportunity for Masters almost, almost
(08:37):
makes it easier.
Sometimes in setting up atraining block and getting ready
and, you know, you have these boom.
This is the performance where,you know, athletes these days in,
in, you know, the ata, youcould be at a tournament every weekend
in part of these seasons.
And that makes it a little bitharder to set up, you know, a really
efficient training system.
(08:57):
So maybe we have, have thebetter option there.
I don't know.
What about, what about thetransition from yourself as the main
athlete to helping other athletes?
How is, how has that been?
How have you been maybe, maybeinspired, maybe new avenue to do
that, athletic pursuit?
Sure.
I feel, feel like part of thereason we, we have a pretty good
(09:21):
competition team and peoplethat do compete and everything.
And I feel like a lot of thatis because myself, I'm still training,
competing.
My students can't wait forfall nationals.
They get to come and watch,you know, senior master E step compete
and midterm and all that stuff.
So I think it really isinspiring for other students to see,
(09:41):
you know, me still out theretraining, you know, and not using
my age as an excuse that I getto take a break and relax now.
And I've done it for this longand I'm still pushing myself and
everything.
And there's no greater feelingthan, and I'm sure, you know, seeing
one of your students be Successful.
Seeing a student overcomesomething or win a title, it's just
like the greatest feeling inthe world.
(10:03):
So I mean, that, that'sprobably a higher focus for myself
now than, than me reallyearning anything.
I just, I love to compete.
To compete, but to see themaccomplish that, it's just huge.
Yeah, that it's true.
I mean, getting to watch ourstudents succeed is just, you know,
a special thing for you.
What kind of goals do you haveset or looking at for the future?
(10:24):
And that doesn't, I mean, itcan be competition, it can be personal.
What kind of things are youlooking at as we go into, you know,
2026 coming up.
Holy moly.
And the future there.
Sure, sure.
I feel like the main thing onthe horizon right now is scheduled
to test for 8th degree thisnext worlds.
So definitely the main focus now.
(10:44):
I'm going to get my lastmidterm in at Fall Nationals.
I may.
My plan is to compete with myform at Spring Nationals and I do
that intentionally just tohold myself accountable, you know
what I mean?
Like if I'm going to betesting so, you know, and not that
like I do enjoy.
I, I'm pretty good at a form,you know, it's definitely strong
and I always do well.
(11:06):
But I'm a big fan of, youknow, do what you love the most.
Right.
Put the most energy into that.
It's, it's very hard to befantastic at all four categories.
It's just, you know what I mean?
So I put my focus and energyon it.
But a three definitely is the,the top of the goal sheet right now
for sure.
Really focusing on that.
(11:28):
That's awesome.
Oh, well, that, that's.
I, I love the idea that you'regoing to go and, and compete with
that just to stay, you know,make sure you're, you're staying
up with it.
You're going to go test withit anyways.
I mean, and you're like, welook at these masters divisions,
I mean, to be tops on, on allof them is just, I mean, that's an
(11:48):
insane feat because we havesome amazing talent.
There's, I mean, across theata, but these masters divisions
are just.
Yeah, for sure.
Okay.
So, hey, as we, as we getready to wrap up here, what does
it mean to you to be anathlete that goes beyond the belt?
I mean, I think it means everything.
(12:08):
It's.
The biggest thing is I'm nota, I'm not a big talker.
I don't, I don't post stuffon, on Facebook or Instagram or anything.
Like, that I'm like, hey, thisis my workout.
This is what I did.
I'm a very behind the scenes.
I'm kind of like a man of action.
So I think just, I mean, makesure you're doing something every
(12:29):
day.
Pushing yourself, you know,working towards the goal.
I think that's, that's, that's big.
And I think that's the onething that people know, like, if
I'm, if I'm at competition,you know, I'm prepared and I'm ready.
And I think that thatdefinitely shows.
So it's the behind the scenesstuff that you do that nobody really
sees that really, you know,makes the biggest difference.
(12:49):
Well, that's a, I mean, that'sa, that's a big.
That's an important thing to,to mention.
I mean that the, the outwardappearance is only so much.
You've got to be doing thework, you know, taking action to
move forward.
I love that.
That's really great.
Well, hey, sir, thank you somuch for your time today.
We look forward to seeing youout there in just another, what,
(13:09):
like, week or two for FallNationals out in Pittsburgh.
How's the weather today out there?
The weather's actually upuntil today.
It's a little rainy today, butit's literally been like 80 degrees
every day.
Like, it's been really, really nice.
So I don't know If I want 80.
Come on now.
We need a little bit coolerthan that.
Pull it off a little bit.
Maybe we'll get some nice 70degree days for you guys when you
(13:30):
roll into Pittsburgh.
So.
Perfect.
Awesome.
Well, we look forward to it, sir.
Thanks so much.
Yes, sir.
Have a great day.
How cool to have a SeniorMaster as our athlete of the week.
Pretty awesome.
If you've ever seen SeniorMaster Estep compete, he is, he is
quite the competitor.
You can check him out at FallNationals or Spring Nationals.
(13:51):
And speaking of SpringNationals, ATA has put some information
out about hotels for Spring national.
So you want to make sure thatyou check that information out right
away.
Those always book up quick.
And we want to make sure thatwe are making the reservations early
so you can get started with that.
I'm sure I don't have anyinside knowledge, but I'm sure that
(14:15):
the registration is.
All that kind of stuff forSpring Nationals will start, I'm
sure, probably shortly afterFall Nationals.
Speaking of Fall Nationals,hey, what are you training?
My plan is to make it out forthe Master's training.
I have signed up for that.
I haven't been able to makethat for A little while and I would
love to go.
And I was just talking to mylegacy students last night about
how important it is to getsome training with people outside
(14:39):
of your regular instructor.
And this is where I love to goand train with the master's counselor,
with chief Master's Childs or,you know, different instructors that
I can learn some differentthings too.
So that is huge.
If you're a master out there,hey, make the opportunity, if you
can, to head to that master's training.
You know, they've.
They've introduced some newthings this year at fall nationals.
(15:02):
We talked about them a whileago, but some of these business seminars,
I'm pretty sure I'm signed upfor this.
10 Simple Strategies to doright now to increase enrollment
and revenue.
I'm pretty sure I signed upfor that one.
Making sure that I'm workingon my business as well.
But I got some physicaltraining I want to do.
The legacy program.
Building your bench throughinternships with Chief Master Wegman.
(15:24):
I've taken that seminar forhim before.
Licensees.
That's a fantastic one tocheck out.
Definitely something good, man.
If you haven't taken a selfdefense seminar with grandmaster
Crusoe, you are missing out.
This is a no ATA black beltshould get through their training
without taking a self defenseseminar from Grandmaster Caruso.
So PPCT competitive seminar.
(15:46):
He's offering that thereamazing things.
10 class management skills.
I don't know if I'm signed upfor that one this time, but that's
a.
That's good.
The ATA sparring frombeginners to champions.
How you're training that it'snot just what you're doing, but how,
how you're teaching thatthrough, you know, strategic level
ATA max.
Building a teams from theground up.
I'm taking that one.
I've signed up for that.
(16:08):
So you'll see me at that.
Combat sparring from beginnerto champion.
How you're training that atournament culture.
I took that at world championships.
Fantastic.
Really good.
We had a review of that onbusiness beyond the mat a couple
of weeks ago.
The future of martial arts.
Harnessing AI to grow and scale.
I'm pretty sure I'm signed upfor that as well.
(16:30):
Ooh.
Legacy program enhancements.
Class planning for success.
I don't know if I'm signed upfor this one.
I'm in a little like a littleanxious that I'm not signed up for
that one.
Because that sounds really good.
I am one of these guys wholoves, loves, loves, loves to learn
more.
I am signed up for the songsong on forms detailed review.
I want to do that.
(16:51):
Make sure that I'm updatingmyself on the Chung San and Sokbok
so Bong.
Getting that increased then.
Guys, I don't know if you sawthe post just came out from Senior
Master Isaacs just a littlebit ago, but Train Like a Champion
seminar is back.
You don't want to miss this.
Two hours of sparring and twohours of combat sparring and you
(17:13):
can do one or the other or both.
And this, you're gonna gettrained with the best of the best
with Team usa.
The athletes, the coaches you need.
Like if you are aiming to be atop level competitor in sparring
or combat, you should be at that.
Okay, you hear Senior MasterIsaac say it all the time.
You got to be in the room.
You're going to be one of thebest of the best.
(17:34):
You got to train with the bestof the best.
So get registered.
You guys can still do this.
You still register for these events.
You're not going to miss outif you, if you register now.
So Train Like a Championseminar ata Max Battle Royale.
Always entertaining to watchas well and be part of.
Check that out.
So all kinds of great stuff.
Guys.
Don't miss out on these opportunities.
(17:54):
Just because we're, you know,a couple weeks away doesn't mean
you can't still make plans toattend, you know.
And you know, if you are ahigh rank out there, you know, fourth
degree and above that islooking at your plans to test.
You need to be looking atthings like Camp Jongsu and looking
at your personal developmentpoints and like are you earning these
(18:18):
and doing these trainings personally?
Developing yourself at theseevents like all nationals is how
you get those.
So you don't want to miss out.
Okay, These are, these areawesome events.
And I know travel can be aconcern and whatnot, but it's, it's
worth it guys.
It's so worth it.
So if you're not making it toFall Nationals, start now, look at
(18:39):
your calendar and make plansto hit spring Nationals in St. Louis.
That way you can get thattraining in be part of the adventure
there.
Or hey, here's another opportunity.
Not as much trainingopportunities, but fun, competition,
some other things going on.
Well, you do have the trainingopportunity at Camp Jeongsu, at World
(19:00):
at Headquarters.
And then right after is theHuli Classic gonna be a lot of fun.
They're bringing some funstuff to that event.
And it's in Little Rock.
And Little Rock is just fantastic.
If you've never been to ATA headquarters.
You need to go to that.
You need to check out themuseum, see where it all happens.
You know, this is the home ofSongam Taekwondo.
(19:22):
Little Rock is like a, youknow, a place that I just love to
go to.
Little Rock.
You know, I've been going tothe Little Rock for 30 years and
it's, it's just like anotherhome for us.
So the HU League Classic.
You can get that informationonline as well.
And then, hey, I know I'm justlike a broken record with some of
these events, but I am such afan of hitting up these training
(19:44):
opportunities.
Don't miss out on the LegacyAcademy online training as well.
They've got one of these everymonth through the rest of the year
and I don't know, maybe 20, 25or 6, excuse me.
These are through Zoom, whereyou're going to get some additional
training again.
I was talking to my legacyguys about this last night as an
opportunity to learn fromother people where you're getting
(20:07):
just a little differentperspective on things.
Maybe just different wordingon how to learn certain things and
that it just clicks with you different.
So the Legacy Academy, you cancheck those out on the ATA martial
arts website as well.
I know I've talked about allthe training things, hit all that.
But you know, if you're goingto be an awesome athlete like Senior
(20:28):
Master Estep, you got to bedoing the training.
You got to be taking advantageof these kind of things.
Training with the best, beingpart of the experience.
I think that's going to wrapit up for us today.
I really appreciate your time.
Hit the subscribe button onYouTube, your favorite podcast player,
all the places.
Share with a friend and let usknow who you'd like to hear on the
(20:49):
show.
We've got our athletes of theweek at all nationals.
I hope to get some in personinterviews again with some people
and I know I, I've got toreach out and be with some, you know,
some, some other awesome people.
But I'd love to hear who youwould like to hear from.
Okay, until next time, get outthere and go beyond the Belt ATA
(21:10):
Nation podcast.
Be sure to subscribe and sharewith your ATA family.
We're just two weeks from FallNationals and we have an athlete
from Pittsburgh.
Let's get started.
Welcome to the Ata Nation podcast.
Welcome back to the Ata Nation podcast.
(00:21):
This is episode 171 and I'myour host, Senior Master Zach Hayden.
I hope you have been having anexcellent time out there in at nation,
Training, competing, testing,you know, teaching all of the, all
the things.
I have been spending some timedoing some training out at our regional
(00:44):
camp.
We had an excellent time atthe Region 102B training event.
It was cool.
Love sitting around the fireat the end listening to great stories
about the history of ata.
You know, it was, we, we hadthe event over the weekend that had
Founders Day in it and so wetalked about Eternal Grandmaster.
You know, got to do some great training.
(01:04):
I got to teach on the 10 classmanagement skills, which I just love.
I got to do some training.
Oh, we did some, some goodtechnique, you know, working on some
attributes down in the waterat the beach at this event.
You know, there was a lot ofawesome training things.
Those are just two of thethings I got to teach and I love
teaching.
You know, we don't talk aboutit much on the podcast cause I'm
(01:27):
always interview people, butat heart I am an instructor.
That's what I love to do.
I love to teach and it's justso much fun.
Got to talk to a couple oflicensees about business and things
which I also really enjoy doing.
I love to just listen to whatother people are doing, you know,
get input, you know, talkabout what, what I've done in the
(01:50):
past, what I've messed upwith, what I've gotten better at.
These, these camps are just agreat opportunity to not just get
some physical training in, butlearn history, get to surround yourself
with fellow ATA members andjust build relationships.
So lots of fun for me thislast weekend.
But let's talk about whatwe've got in two weeks is Fall Nationals.
(02:12):
Now I want to remind you thatI just saw that out there in Facebook
land.
They have extended lateregistration competition so you can
get register still for national.
This is a great opportunity, guys.
And it is, you know, you cango compete on Saturday, come home,
(02:33):
you don't have to, you know,if you're, if you're last minute,
this is like a last minutedecision you're gonna make.
You don't have to make this aweek long event and you can pop in,
do your competition, pop outas a, you know, if this is a last
minute decision for you, Ilove to use the Whole week, you know,
do the whole thing.
But you know, if you're justlike, hey, I can get some extra points
(02:55):
or hey, I think we can getover there late.
Registration has been extendeduntil Monday, October 13th at noon
Central time.
You don't want to miss out onthat, guys.
That, that is an awesomeopportunity to save some money, have
fun, get some points.
And for somebody like where weare in my community, it's not that
bad a drive out there.
You can drive out.
(03:16):
Depends on your ring, is youmight be able to drive out that morning,
compete and drive home, forgoodness sakes.
Oh, and all over the eastcoast that would be easy to do.
So I want to go over a couplemore things.
With Fall Nationals, if youaren't, you know, making plans to
attend, you're missing out onsome great things.
But before that, I want to hit.
We have our athlete of theweek this week.
(03:38):
Super, super awesome to haveanother awesome high ranked athlete
of the week and straight fromthe Pittsburgh area.
So let's get to our athlete ofthe week, ATA Nation.
We are excited to have with usnot just an athlete of the week,
but a master athlete as well.
(03:59):
Sir, can you introduce yourself?
Yes, I am Senior MasterMichael Estep from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
And we'll be out there, youknow, just another week or so.
We're all going to be joiningyou out there in Pittsburgh.
So Senior Master Estep, canyou first give us a little background?
How did you get started inmartial arts?
Sure.
(04:20):
So it was in 1989, being justa young little boy, four years old,
and getting bullied and picked on.
And my dad was like, you knowwhat, we need to do something so
that you can learn how tostand up for yourself.
And I started in Westview Plaza.
It was Senior Master BrianShipton, who's no longer with the
ata, but that's who I started with.
(04:40):
And that's kind of, that'skind of where it all kicked off.
Very cool.
And as a, Were you an athlete before?
Did you do any athletic thingsor, you know, were you involved in
athletes in school?
I mean, starting so young, at4, I mean, it's like, you know, it's
kind of hard to tell.
I did baseball for many years.
(05:01):
I started around the same time.
I did that till maybe I wasabout like 14 or so.
And then I felt like I neededto make a decision because once you
get to that age, it's like yougotta fully commit to whatever sport
you're in because it's so demanding.
Right.
So that's when I made thatdecision that, like, Taekwondo was
the way to go, and I just kindof fully committed to that and was
(05:23):
teaching a lot and competingand all that, and that's kind of
the route that I decided togo, and I'm super happy that I went
that way.
So, yeah, it seems to turnout, you know, senior master seems
to turn out, turned out prettydecent for you.
So did you gravitate to, youknow, early on in your martial arts
training, did you gravitateto, you know, a certain side or a
(05:45):
certain part of the martialarts that was more like, hey, this
is what I, you know, this isthe kind of competition I really
enjoy doing.
Sure.
Definitely sparring wassomething that interested me more.
And I feel like there's likethe forms and weapons people and
then the sparring people.
Right.
So I definitely gravitatedmore towards the sparring side.
(06:05):
I love it all, but I mean,competition, I'm all sparring in
combat.
I mean, you can ask all of my competitors.
They pretty much know that I'mnot going to do my form or my weapon
or anything like that, you know.
So, yeah, I'm all sparring incombat all the way, for sure.
And you're, you're a kind oftall guy, so those long legs probably
were pretty beneficial in, inthat kicking thing.
(06:28):
They definitely help.
They definitely help out.
And even distance control incombat, it helps because I can keep
a little bit of a biggerrange, you know, so that, that definitely
is a benefit for sure.
Yeah.
Now, how has it been for youas, as you've transitioned?
So there's, you know, this,you know, as a, as a student only,
you get, you know, to competewhen you start teaching, and then,
(06:51):
you know, really, you know,doing lots of teaching, you're still
competing, but there can be a,you know, a, a switch in how you
deal with that.
And then as a master, youknow, now you get to compete like,
you know, three times a yearor whatnot.
How are, have thosetransitions been for you as you've
gone through from student toinstructor to master?
(07:11):
Sure.
So, yeah, just like you said,as a student, there's more opportunities.
I feel like even the more guidance.
When you're a student, you'retraining regularly with your instructor,
you know, and so you havesomebody kind of pushing you and
motivating you and everything.
Yeah.
You're competing all the time.
So it's, it's almost likethere's no off season.
It's like there's acompetition this month and then next
(07:32):
month.
You know what I mean?
As you start teaching more.
I feel like, especiallywhenever I was really running the
school and more in the schoolowner position and everything like
that.
You're not getting likeregular training.
Like there's, it's not likeevery week I'm going to class three
times a week.
Like I'm training a lot on my own.
I can remember, you know,staying after classes on Saturdays
(07:53):
for a couple hours, just doingmy own thing, practicing my form,
you know, and doing this anddoing that and just trying to keep
myself accountable.
And then when you transitionto the master kind of side of it.
Yeah, it's only three times a year.
But I mean, honestly, as I'vegotten older, I've just, I've gotten
more intense and more intenseas far as my training.
(08:15):
I don't know, I just use it as motivation.
I always want to be better andget better.
You know, I honestly, I couldcompete any day of the year.
I'm always ready.
I train all the time.
So it's just something that Ijust enjoy.
I just can't get enough of it.
So that's awesome.
You know, I, I hadn't thoughtabout it until just now, but having
that three times a yearopportunity for Masters almost, almost
(08:37):
makes it easier.
Sometimes in setting up atraining block and getting ready
and, you know, you have these boom.
This is the performance where,you know, athletes these days in,
in, you know, the ata, youcould be at a tournament every weekend
in part of these seasons.
And that makes it a little bitharder to set up, you know, a really
efficient training system.
(08:57):
So maybe we have, have thebetter option there.
I don't know.
What about, what about thetransition from yourself as the main
athlete to helping other athletes?
How is, how has that been?
How have you been maybe, maybeinspired, maybe new avenue to do
that, athletic pursuit?
Sure.
I feel, feel like part of thereason we, we have a pretty good
(09:21):
competition team and peoplethat do compete and everything.
And I feel like a lot of thatis because myself, I'm still training,
competing.
My students can't wait forfall nationals.
They get to come and watch,you know, senior master E step compete
and midterm and all that stuff.
So I think it really isinspiring for other students to see,
(09:41):
you know, me still out theretraining, you know, and not using
my age as an excuse that I getto take a break and relax now.
And I've done it for this longand I'm still pushing myself and
everything.
And there's no greater feelingthan, and I'm sure, you know, seeing
one of your students be Successful.
Seeing a student overcomesomething or win a title, it's just
like the greatest feeling inthe world.
(10:03):
So I mean, that, that'sprobably a higher focus for myself
now than, than me reallyearning anything.
I just, I love to compete.
To compete, but to see themaccomplish that, it's just huge.
Yeah, that it's true.
I mean, getting to watch ourstudents succeed is just, you know,
a special thing for you.
What kind of goals do you haveset or looking at for the future?
(10:24):
And that doesn't, I mean, itcan be competition, it can be personal.
What kind of things are youlooking at as we go into, you know,
2026 coming up.
Holy moly.
And the future there.
Sure, sure.
I feel like the main thing onthe horizon right now is scheduled
to test for 8th degree thisnext worlds.
So definitely the main focus now.
(10:44):
I'm going to get my lastmidterm in at Fall Nationals.
I may.
My plan is to compete with myform at Spring Nationals and I do
that intentionally just tohold myself accountable, you know
what I mean?
Like if I'm going to betesting so, you know, and not that
like I do enjoy.
I, I'm pretty good at a form,you know, it's definitely strong
and I always do well.
(11:06):
But I'm a big fan of, youknow, do what you love the most.
Right.
Put the most energy into that.
It's, it's very hard to befantastic at all four categories.
It's just, you know what I mean?
So I put my focus and energyon it.
But a three definitely is the,the top of the goal sheet right now
for sure.
Really focusing on that.
(11:28):
That's awesome.
Oh, well, that, that's.
I, I love the idea that you'regoing to go and, and compete with
that just to stay, you know,make sure you're, you're staying
up with it.
You're going to go test withit anyways.
I mean, and you're like, welook at these masters divisions,
I mean, to be tops on, on allof them is just, I mean, that's an
(11:48):
insane feat because we havesome amazing talent.
There's, I mean, across theata, but these masters divisions
are just.
Yeah, for sure.
Okay.
So, hey, as we, as we getready to wrap up here, what does
it mean to you to be anathlete that goes beyond the belt?
I mean, I think it means everything.
(12:08):
It's.
The biggest thing is I'm nota, I'm not a big talker.
I don't, I don't post stuffon, on Facebook or Instagram or anything.
Like, that I'm like, hey, thisis my workout.
This is what I did.
I'm a very behind the scenes.
I'm kind of like a man of action.
So I think just, I mean, makesure you're doing something every
(12:29):
day.
Pushing yourself, you know,working towards the goal.
I think that's, that's, that's big.
And I think that's the onething that people know, like, if
I'm, if I'm at competition,you know, I'm prepared and I'm ready.
And I think that thatdefinitely shows.
So it's the behind the scenesstuff that you do that nobody really
sees that really, you know,makes the biggest difference.
(12:49):
Well, that's a, I mean, that'sa, that's a big.
That's an important thing to,to mention.
I mean that the, the outwardappearance is only so much.
You've got to be doing thework, you know, taking action to
move forward.
I love that.
That's really great.
Well, hey, sir, thank you somuch for your time today.
We look forward to seeing youout there in just another, what,
(13:09):
like, week or two for FallNationals out in Pittsburgh.
How's the weather today out there?
The weather's actually upuntil today.
It's a little rainy today, butit's literally been like 80 degrees
every day.
Like, it's been really, really nice.
So I don't know If I want 80.
Come on now.
We need a little bit coolerthan that.
Pull it off a little bit.
Maybe we'll get some nice 70degree days for you guys when you
(13:30):
roll into Pittsburgh.
So.
Perfect.
Awesome.
Well, we look forward to it, sir.
Thanks so much.
Yes, sir.
Have a great day.
How cool to have a SeniorMaster as our athlete of the week.
Pretty awesome.
If you've ever seen SeniorMaster Estep compete, he is, he is
quite the competitor.
You can check him out at FallNationals or Spring Nationals.
(13:51):
And speaking of SpringNationals, ATA has put some information
out about hotels for Spring national.
So you want to make sure thatyou check that information out right
away.
Those always book up quick.
And we want to make sure thatwe are making the reservations early
so you can get started with that.
I'm sure I don't have anyinside knowledge, but I'm sure that
(14:15):
the registration is.
All that kind of stuff forSpring Nationals will start, I'm
sure, probably shortly afterFall Nationals.
Speaking of Fall Nationals,hey, what are you training?
My plan is to make it out forthe Master's training.
I have signed up for that.
I haven't been able to makethat for A little while and I would
love to go.
And I was just talking to mylegacy students last night about
how important it is to getsome training with people outside
(14:39):
of your regular instructor.
And this is where I love to goand train with the master's counselor,
with chief Master's Childs or,you know, different instructors that
I can learn some differentthings too.
So that is huge.
If you're a master out there,hey, make the opportunity, if you
can, to head to that master's training.
You know, they've.
They've introduced some newthings this year at fall nationals.
(15:02):
We talked about them a whileago, but some of these business seminars,
I'm pretty sure I'm signed upfor this.
10 Simple Strategies to doright now to increase enrollment
and revenue.
I'm pretty sure I signed upfor that one.
Making sure that I'm workingon my business as well.
But I got some physicaltraining I want to do.
The legacy program.
Building your bench throughinternships with Chief Master Wegman.
(15:24):
I've taken that seminar forhim before.
Licensees.
That's a fantastic one tocheck out.
Definitely something good, man.
If you haven't taken a selfdefense seminar with grandmaster
Crusoe, you are missing out.
This is a no ATA black beltshould get through their training
without taking a self defenseseminar from Grandmaster Caruso.
So PPCT competitive seminar.
(15:46):
He's offering that thereamazing things.
10 class management skills.
I don't know if I'm signed upfor that one this time, but that's
a.
That's good.
The ATA sparring frombeginners to champions.
How you're training that it'snot just what you're doing, but how,
how you're teaching thatthrough, you know, strategic level
ATA max.
Building a teams from theground up.
I'm taking that one.
I've signed up for that.
(16:08):
So you'll see me at that.
Combat sparring from beginnerto champion.
How you're training that atournament culture.
I took that at world championships.
Fantastic.
Really good.
We had a review of that onbusiness beyond the mat a couple
of weeks ago.
The future of martial arts.
Harnessing AI to grow and scale.
I'm pretty sure I'm signed upfor that as well.
(16:30):
Ooh.
Legacy program enhancements.
Class planning for success.
I don't know if I'm signed upfor this one.
I'm in a little like a littleanxious that I'm not signed up for
that one.
Because that sounds really good.
I am one of these guys wholoves, loves, loves, loves to learn
more.
I am signed up for the songsong on forms detailed review.
I want to do that.
(16:51):
Make sure that I'm updatingmyself on the Chung San and Sokbok
so Bong.
Getting that increased then.
Guys, I don't know if you sawthe post just came out from Senior
Master Isaacs just a littlebit ago, but Train Like a Champion
seminar is back.
You don't want to miss this.
Two hours of sparring and twohours of combat sparring and you
(17:13):
can do one or the other or both.
And this, you're gonna gettrained with the best of the best
with Team usa.
The athletes, the coaches you need.
Like if you are aiming to be atop level competitor in sparring
or combat, you should be at that.
Okay, you hear Senior MasterIsaac say it all the time.
You got to be in the room.
You're going to be one of thebest of the best.
(17:34):
You got to train with the bestof the best.
So get registered.
You guys can still do this.
You still register for these events.
You're not going to miss outif you, if you register now.
So Train Like a Championseminar ata Max Battle Royale.
Always entertaining to watchas well and be part of.
Check that out.
So all kinds of great stuff.
Guys.
Don't miss out on these opportunities.
(17:54):
Just because we're, you know,a couple weeks away doesn't mean
you can't still make plans toattend, you know.
And you know, if you are ahigh rank out there, you know, fourth
degree and above that islooking at your plans to test.
You need to be looking atthings like Camp Jongsu and looking
at your personal developmentpoints and like are you earning these
(18:18):
and doing these trainings personally?
Developing yourself at theseevents like all nationals is how
you get those.
So you don't want to miss out.
Okay, These are, these areawesome events.
And I know travel can be aconcern and whatnot, but it's, it's
worth it guys.
It's so worth it.
So if you're not making it toFall Nationals, start now, look at
(18:39):
your calendar and make plansto hit spring Nationals in St. Louis.
That way you can get thattraining in be part of the adventure
there.
Or hey, here's another opportunity.
Not as much trainingopportunities, but fun, competition,
some other things going on.
Well, you do have the trainingopportunity at Camp Jeongsu, at World
(19:00):
at Headquarters.
And then right after is theHuli Classic gonna be a lot of fun.
They're bringing some funstuff to that event.
And it's in Little Rock.
And Little Rock is just fantastic.
If you've never been to ATA headquarters.
You need to go to that.
You need to check out themuseum, see where it all happens.
You know, this is the home ofSongam Taekwondo.
(19:22):
Little Rock is like a, youknow, a place that I just love to
go to.
Little Rock.
You know, I've been going tothe Little Rock for 30 years and
it's, it's just like anotherhome for us.
So the HU League Classic.
You can get that informationonline as well.
And then, hey, I know I'm justlike a broken record with some of
these events, but I am such afan of hitting up these training
(19:44):
opportunities.
Don't miss out on the LegacyAcademy online training as well.
They've got one of these everymonth through the rest of the year
and I don't know, maybe 20, 25or 6, excuse me.
These are through Zoom, whereyou're going to get some additional
training again.
I was talking to my legacyguys about this last night as an
opportunity to learn fromother people where you're getting
(20:07):
just a little differentperspective on things.
Maybe just different wordingon how to learn certain things and
that it just clicks with you different.
So the Legacy Academy, you cancheck those out on the ATA martial
arts website as well.
I know I've talked about allthe training things, hit all that.
But you know, if you're goingto be an awesome athlete like Senior
(20:28):
Master Estep, you got to bedoing the training.
You got to be taking advantageof these kind of things.
Training with the best, beingpart of the experience.
I think that's going to wrapit up for us today.
I really appreciate your time.
Hit the subscribe button onYouTube, your favorite podcast player,
all the places.
Share with a friend and let usknow who you'd like to hear on the
(20:49):
show.
We've got our athletes of theweek at all nationals.
I hope to get some in personinterviews again with some people
and I know I, I've got toreach out and be with some, you know,
some, some other awesome people.
But I'd love to hear who youwould like to hear from.
Okay, until next time, get outthere and go beyond the Belt ATA
(21:10):
Nation podcast.
Be sure to subscribe and sharewith your ATA family.
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