Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to John Lupone. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
John, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Let’s go back in time a bit – can you share a story of a time when you learned an important lesson during your education?
This story is about one of my students years ago. He was about 12 at the time and was not interested in taking classes in the studio. He only showed up to class when his parents threated to take away his electronics. Every now and again he would buckle down and get focused in the classes, but that was a rare event. One day he comes into class very excited, he was bouncing around the studio and could not focus at all. I talked to his parents after class, and they encouraged my young student to talk about his school day. As he started to tell me about an incident on the playground his eyes lit up and he started to speak very fast. I had to ask him to slow down a few times. The gist of his story was he was on the playground when a bully came up to him and tried to sucker punch him, without really thinking about it my young student threw up his right hand and blocked the punch of the bully. They way my student talked it was as if his hand moved without his help or thought. Like magic. The student was very amazed that “this karate stuff actually worked” as he said. He went on to talk about how all the other kids saw him react so fast. He did not punch the bully but drew his fist back into what we call the ready position. I can only guess the bully saw that and realized there was easier pray on the playground. My excitement was immediate, though I tried to compose myself. Feedback like this does not come back to me often.
As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?
I joined the army from Massachusetts for the excitement and the Army College Fund my recruiter told me about. Along the way I had a child. Her mother and I could never make it work but I knew I had to be in my daughter’s life so as soon as I was released from the army, after my four years were up, I moved to Texas. I soon realized how little I knew about children and enrolled in college to learn about child development. I also started to think about my role as a father and question if I could protect her. When my college program dictated, I needed some PE credits, self-defense was my first choice. The classes were held on campus in a classroom. We would move all the desks out of the way to move around. I saw the instructor after the semester was finished at a local deli and he asked how I was doing and if I wanted to come to the studio and sign up for regular classes. I related to him that being a college student and paying child support, I did not have any extra money. He asked if I had any skills that I could use to trade with. I told him that I was handy with a hammer and for the next five years I would work for him painting or setting tile or roofing or power washing his deck. Really anything he needed to repair I would come up with a fair estimate and then once I was finished with that project, he would mark me paid on my dues for the equal amount. It was a great system and worked well for both of us. Part of the program is to help teach. I quickly realized that I learned more from teaching than just attending classes. I asked if I could get my teaching certification and open a studio for myself.
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“Don’t become a teacher to be wealthy” we’ve all heard this many times. I love to teach and have had some of the same students for years but in a small town like Tomball my studio is not busting at the seams. People are a diverse group. I have had students in my traditional martial art school that have complained that we are too strict, and some complain that we should be stricter. I have heard that my prices were too high, and others say that they are too low. Some customers never want to wear a uniform and others are disappointed that don’t hit or do full contact sparring. My studio, in the 20 years it’s been at its current location on Main St. in Tomball, has seen floods and freezes and power outages and the loss of our street side parking and very low numbers of students. I do not want to gouge anyone, but I also want to be able to pay the rent. I think everyone should take martial arts, if not from me then someone. I have had to pay to keep my studio open. I have had to pay the bills from my own pocket. It’s very hard to have a small business in Tomball. I do not make any money from teaching. We have gone through many times which the number of students barely pays for the building. Durning good years the studio pays for my training and my Soo Bahk Do federation dues. I get depressed about the profitability of the studio location or the good I am actually doing. I have thought about closing my door many times, then a single parent comes in the studio and asks me to teach their child to defend himself or a local organization hires me to conduct a self-defense clinic and I get recharged and remember that this is helping people and many more people could be helped and benefit from training.
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Contact Info:
- Website: http://www.selfdefensetomball.com/
- Instagram: soobahkdotomball
- Facebook: Tomball Soo Bahk Do
- Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/tomball-soo-bahk-do-tomball