We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Victor Young a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Victor, appreciate you joining us today. Let’s kick things off with your mission – what is it and what’s the story behind why it’s your mission?

My mission at Shaolin Mixed Martial Arts is to teach ordinary people of all ages, real martial arts for better self-defense, fitness, and sport to help make them physically, mentally, and socially stronger individuals. This purpose is very dear to me because martial arts changed the entire trajectory of my adulthood and purpose in life.

I began my training of martial arts when I was 18. I was not naturally talented, didn’t play sports in school and found myself frustrated when watching my classmates having more success with less effort or drive. However as the days, weeks, and the months passed I started to see my progress grow as I past my peers who were inconsistent and even quitting. I was learning not only how to become a martial artist but also how to teach myself how to learn more efficiently. What I discovered is that martial arts like many endeavors in life is an acquired skill. With consistency and discipline you can become proficient in almost anything with the right approach.

Once I discovered this, I took the same approach with confidence in all aspects of my life. This allowed me to use the same blueprint when learning how to be a successful salesperson, RadioShack manager, college student, stuntman, a successful martial arts school owner and now open a second location.

So I believe my calling is to help others reach their potential, using martial arts as a vehicle for self improvement in all aspects of life and not just in self-defense or fighting. A life full of purpose and continual growth.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

My introduction to martial arts came when my mom showed me the original “Drunken Master” starring Jackie Chan. Although I was only 4 years old I became the biggest Jackie Chan and martial arts movie fan. Despite this new found love for Kung Fu cinema it would take me 14 years and a failed attempt at training Karate before I began my journey in Kung Fu in 1998.

After only a few months of training I never looked back or slowed down. I knew early on that martial arts would always be a driving force in my life. The lifetime friendships and bonds I made with classmates and instructors through the hard training endured and time spent together both on and off the mats could not replaced. Martial Arts was everything to me and I knew that one day I would open my own school so others could experience what we did. At the time I thought my Kung Fu family was everything and I was never leaving.

In 2004, after training for several years and receiving my blackbelt I started wanting more. My instructor always told us that we needed to attend seminars and cross train but I never gave it much thought up until this point. The UFC and BJJ was gaining popularity and I could no longer ignore the fact that I couldn’t properly defend myself on the ground.

This is when my transformation from a traditional martial artist to a true mixed martial artist began. Shaolin Kung Fu will always be my base and foundation but my training in Jeet Kune Do, Filipino Kali, Muay Thai, BJJ, Submission Wrestling and even French Savate was my rebirth.

For the next 20 years I trained these arts and spent the last decade traveling the world training with world renown martial artists like Sifu Ron Balicki, Sensei Erik Paulson and Nicolas Saignac. During this period I have received instructorships in Jeet Kune Do, Combat Submission Wrestling, STX Kickboxing, Savate and have also received my brown belt in BJJ.

I opened Shaolin Mixed Martial Arts in 2018. A school were you can get training in Jeet Kune Do, Kali, Kickboxing, Boxing, Submission Wrestling and even Tai Chi all in one. A school I always dreamed of attending myself but had to create after traveling the world.

I am proud that I was able to create an environment where individuals from all walks of life and ages with different goals can train martial arts at a high level in the same place and become a family.

How did you put together the initial capital you needed to start your business?

Having the finances to fund my business was the biggest hurdle I had to overcome. I almost gave up on my dream entirely. Every time I would save a little money I would have some kind of financial crisis. I was constantly starting over and didn’t see a realistic way to make my vision happen. I was getting ready to accept the fact that I could always teach small groups and privates but that would be it. I would never own my own martial arts school.

This was starting to be a reality that I thought I would have to accept. However, my disdain for working retail sales and the career I had been trapped in would not allow me to fully accept this . I had been in the wireless phone industry for over 14 years. I wanted to do something that benefited lives and made me feel like I made a difference.

It was at this point while working at T-Mobile that I came to the realization that I should break my 401K. It had never been an option before because I was from that old school mindset that you never touched your retirement. Despite this belief, I decided to bet on myself and broke my 401K. It was the greatest decision I ever made.

How about pivoting – can you share the story of a time you’ve had to pivot?

When the pandemic hit and we were forced to close our doors for business I instantly pivoted. Many of my peers who had schools took a wait and see approach. I knew doing nothing was not the solution. We shifted to online content and Zoom classes immediately to keep giving our students value. Although a majority of our students did not take advantage of our online classes they appreciated our willingness to do what we could and maintained their payments until the shutdown was over. Many of the other school owners that took the wait and see approach were not as fortunate and had mass cancellations.      

Contact Info:

• Website: shaolinmixedmartialarts.com
• Instagram: @shaolinmixedmartialarts
• Facebook: facebook.com/shaolinmixedmartialarts/
• Youtube: https://youtube.com/@ShaolinMixedMartialArts