We recently connected with Victor Teran and have shared our conversation below.
Victor, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Do you have any advice regarding quality control and maintaining quality as your brand grows?
When we talk about quality control in martial arts, we talk about quality training and the overall quality of a student after a certain time in training.
The instructor MUST put in the time to the students; and the students must put in the hard work and sweat equity on the mats to build confidence, self-assurance and discipline. When we get a new join, we always go over rules and regulations, what is expected of them, and how are they to carry themselves on and off the mats.
After several classes, I always ask them to understand their “WHY”… Why are you here? Why do you want to learn martial arts? Why is self-defense important to you?
There are some factors that has to be put in place in order to create that strong foundation in a student. Without discipline and rules, there will be chaos. The idea of martial arts is to become a better version of yourself. To become a leader in our society. To carry yourself with the upmost respect, not just you but with your peers, friends, family and others. It is about respecting other people’s property and being a helping hand to those who needs it.
Many martial arts schools, focuses on the numbers of students rather than the quality of their students. It all starts with the instructor. If we have an instructor who does not care about the training; rather counts a student as a number… Then you get what you paid for.
Quality training, world class training, and quality martial arts schools are hard to find. We have to put the time and work in order to see results. Results in your students, not your pocket book!
As the school grows, I need to be aware of those students who may be lacking the motivation, the drive, the pursue of knowledge and self-improvement. That is the reason why a strong foundation is needed, and that has to start as soon as the new join becomes a member of the school. If I don’t want my house to crumble down, I will need a strong foundation to last me a lifetime. Wouldn’t you agree?
One way to know my students are learning their new skill and abilities, is by attending local, regional and National competitions. It reinforces the student’s skills and gives parents the confidence that their child is learning and on the right track.
There’s a lot of businesses who always worry about the “competition”, in this case similar businesses. I personally, do not worry about others, and usually never categorize my training center as a business. But let’s put it into respective: If I produce a great quality product, then people will notice and will want it.
My sole purpose is to guide my students and give them the quality training they deserve. I let my work speak for itself. Instead of worrying about what others are doing; I dedicate my time to produce well trained, quality martial artists. I do not see my students as numbers, I see them as people joining me in this amazing journey while learning new skills. They are my legacy. They are my success!
Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers?
I’m from Hoboken, New Jersey and moved to Arvada, Colorado in July 2020. I’ve started my martial arts training at a very young age. It instilled the discipline, the courage, the intestinal fortitude to continue what I have started. Fourteen years later, I joined the United State Marine Corps, and that reinforced everything I have learned as a child.
To be able to give your very best in everything that you do, is perhaps one of the best traits to have. To love what you do, makes it easier to continue and move forward. It’s about heart and always seeking self improvement. There has been many challenges throughout my time… I have served in the United States Department of State as an agent-in-charge in the diplomatic service for 10.5 years in Iraq.
Just like any instructor, it makes me very happy to see my students are wanting to train. It is not about coming for an hour and sweat like a regular gym. It is about growing together as a team! The fact that my students want to stay the extra time, speaks for itself!
September 2021, we opened our training center to our community in Arvada. We are a very competitive school, and have produced many State, Regional and National champions while in New Jersey and that is something I am bringing to my training center and to those who want to train with me; in our new home in Arvada, Colorado.
We take great pride in our school and ourselves. Their hard work never goes unnoticed, and it makes me proud to see each student grow at their own pace.
Have you ever had to pivot?
Prior to opening my martial arts school, I was working with the U.S. State Department, Diplomatic Service as an agent-in-charge. Our primary duties was conduct personal protection to U.S. Diplomats and Foreign dignitaries in Iraq. After years overseas and in the security/personal protection line of work, I decided to resign my position to return to the States and open my training center.
Martial arts has open so many doors for me and has given me the opportunity to strive and have the confidence to know I can do anything, as long as I work hard for it. The discipline martial arts has instilled in me, has assisted me become a better person and to succeed in my workplace, whatever that may may be!
I’ve had a great career, but it was time to give back to our younger generation and give them the same opportunities, this art has given me.
We’d love to hear the story of how you built up your social media audience?
I have never been so active on social media until I opened my training center. I’ve had to learn from my teenage students. Let’s put it this way – In a very comical way, it was almost like Johnny Lawrence from “Cobra Kai”. I had no idea about any social platform, let alone keeping track on what was new today. The only explanation is that I was out of tune with all of these new platforms because of my career. It dealt with security and it did not needed to be shared with anyone outside my circle.
I am very active on these platforms now, and always post training videos, tips, events, or just highlights of some training lessons. It has been taken well by the general public, and I will continue to provide that to our community.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://internationaltkdacademy.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/internationaltkdacademy/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ITAKICK
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/victorteran/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/ITA_KICK
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCtfYDpezEKcMDPFVSwX8ROA
- Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/international-taekwon-do-academy-arvada?osq=taekwondo
- Other: https://www.victorteran.com/