Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Sifu Courtney “Colo” Taskowitz. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Alright, Sifu Courtney “Colo” thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Do you have a hero? What have you learned from them?

There is one person that immediately comes to mind when I think of a hero, more specifically MY hero. That person was my Grandma, Joan Elizabeth Taskowitz (Joanie). She was the most heroic, brave, caring, understanding, supportive, and unconditionally loving person, Growing up, my brother and I were “raised by a village;” parents, aunts, uncles, grandparents, babysitters, etc.. There was always something to learn from each part of our “village,” and that’s what made us so adaptable in our lives (which as many entrepreneurs know and understand, is a necessity as a business owner). Grandma and Grandpa’s house in particular, always offered a safe haven full of love, strength, music, company and good conversation, not only for immediate family, but for anyone passing through that needed it. They were guiding lights in some of the darkest times, and were even brighter in the best of times. That is what we hope to be and have been for our past, current and future students. Task O’Fit Martial Arts & Fitness is built on heart, experience, community, and a strong martial arts lineage. We strive to continue to help our students develop the mindset that through practice, consistency, dedication and discipline, anyone can make the seemingly impossible, possible.

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 am black belt in Bruce Lee’s art and concept of Jeet Kune Do/ Kali (Filipino Martial Arts), and have my master’s degree in Sports Science from California University of Pennsylvania. I am the founder and head instructor at Task O’Fit Martial Arts & Fitness. I received my black belt in 2019 by Sifu Dan Anderson of Anderson’s Martial Arts Academy in New York City. Later that year, I would go on to receive my instructor certification under legendary Guro Dan Inosanto. I now hold the rank of Lakan Guro L3 IIMAIA-Filipino Martial Arts and Apprentice Instructor L3 IIMAIA-JKD. In October of 2021, I moved to Hawai’i, and am currently working to share my knowledge, experience, and expertise in the art and concept of Jeet Kune Do with the people of Hawai’i through group classes, private lessons, and seminars.

Task O’Fit Martial Arts & Fitness was officially established in 2020. It was founded in order to help others be able learn how to protect themselves more efficiently and not feel intimidated when they walk through our doors to learn. We teach in person classes and private lessons (in person and virtual), on the island of Oahu in Kailua, in Hawaii.

We want to continue to be able to help anyone interested in learning martial arts to start their journey through a progressive program that will help them learn faster and easier. That is the very essence of Jeet Kune Do in both art and philosophy. No matter what age, gender, race, or ethnicity you are, it is your right to be able to know how to protect yourself and your family. It is also an incredible way to get in shape that will keep you moving for life. Our specialized curriculum adapts with each of our students and stays current in the times we live in.

What’s been the most effective strategy for growing your clientele?

So far it’s really been a combination of word of mouth, promotion via social media and podcast, and updating our website that we can direct interested parties to for more information. Word of mouth has come from sources all over the country and world. We have to especially thank the community and our students here in Hawai’i. They believe in what we do, what we stand for, and they are more often than not, happy to promote us on their own accord. It has been incredibly humbling, and also extremely eye opening to what it is that we can do for the community and offer. We have also been keeping up more consistently on social media more than ever before. Last but not least, we realized the importance of having a user friendly, elegant and welcoming website to direct potential new clients to. We could not do that alone (we tried, and it was not great- but it was a start). A very good friend who is way more technologically inclined, accepted a trade to work on a better more efficient website for us at Task O’Fit Martial Arts & Fitness. That friend was able to work with us tirelessly to build a beautiful website that you see today: www.taskofit.com. They also taught us how to work with the website ourselves to keep it updated as necessary (though we are still admittedly learning and needing guidance on occasion). We would be nothing without the support of our family, friends, community and of course our lineage within the martial arts and fitness under legendary names such as Sifu Dan Anderson, Guro Dan Inosanto, and the founder of the art we teach, Sijo Bruce Lee.

What do you think helped you build your reputation within your market?

We are still working to build a reputation, and with each passing day we believe it is getting more known and recognized. What has helped our reputation thus far has been our consistency in being open and honest in what we strive to do with those we share space with, work with and teach. Honor, integrity, honesty, loyalty and the ability to be able to collaborate with others in the field has been a big driving factor. We look forward to continuing to build our school, brand, and community. We hope that our reputation will grow so that all who find us and look to train with us, will find a safe place to learn and practice martial arts; a sanctuary to be able to improve their skill, knowledge and understanding of the arts; and improve their overall health through dedication, discipline, and best all- FUN through consistent training and attendance. We want everyone who comes to train with us at Task O’Fit Martial Arts & Fitness to be able to feel more confident in their lives and be able to protect themselves better than they could before they walked into our school.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://taskofit.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/taskofit/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/taskofit/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@taskofit/featured
• Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/task-o-fit-martial-arts-and-fitness-kailua

Image Credits
Kim Griffin, Arlene Metzker