We recently connected with Warrior Garden and have shared our conversation below.

Warrior Garden, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. How did you come up with the idea for your business?

I’ve been studying martial arts for about 30 years. After 25 years at SWAM FuJuKa Boxing Academy and years in other disciplines (Fannul Harb – The Art of Combat, Kenjutsu, Aikido, Ninjutsu), I wanted to create a community to share, teach, learn, and cultivate the Warrior Arts from my perspective. This is the natural progression and is the “art” in the term “martial arts”. The science of combat is the same and has existed since war began but the perspective, philosophy, and focus is different for each system.

I founded Warrior Garden Combat & Fitness to share the Way of the Warrior with the world. The name Warrior Garden is based on an ancient Chinese proverb, “It is better to be a warrior in a garden than a gardener in a war”.

The world unfortunately is becoming more and more violent. People are afraid, traumatized, angry, egotistical, and have no emotional control. What we offer can help people find their inner peace, confidence, & strength and turn their lives in a positive direction. This path helped me turn my life in a positive direction and countless others so I know it works. That’s why I believe in what I’m doing and continue to push forward when things get difficult.

Warrior Garden, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

I was always intrigued by the mystical movement of the master warrior artist. I wanted to be a ninja when I was a kid. As an adult I aim to train with that same “white belt” mentality and to remember why I started this path. I didn’t start studying the arts for a title or for money. I did it because I genuinely love it. Bringing that level of enthusiasm to my current training helps me stay inspired and to inspire others.

It’s easy to get distracted by the accolades, attention, and leadership roles you play as a “master”. The truth is that the real Master is the Most High and that we are all “mastering” our disciplines/arts. That means we all have to put the work and time in and that great results are attainable by any sincere and consistent student. That’s what makes martial arts pure. It’s a meritocracy not a dictatorship – as some instructors seem to think it is.

Warrior Garden is focused on cultivating the True Warrior Spirit called “Bushido” in Japanese systems. Our training consists of meditation, strategy, situational awareness, de-escalation, mental and physical conditioning, emotional intelligence, empty hand combat, sparring/aliveness, weapons (knives, sticks, EDC, guns, swords), grappling, striking, choking, and escape techniques.

Our philosophy is “Superior Knowledge. White Belt Mentality. Pure Technique.”

We are a family society of high rank martial artists offering classes in person and online. We offer “Warrior Fitness” (Combat/MMA Conditioning), “SWAM Atlanta South FuJuKa Boxing, SWAM Qigong, & Seishin Kenjutsu (Arts of the Samurai & Ninja). More classes will be added soon.

Have any books or other resources had a big impact on you?

Miyamoto Musashi’s, “A Book of Five Rings”, is a book about swordsmanship but it applies to leadership and strategy on any level. Large companies use it’s principles daily. My Kenjutsu instructor, Grandmaster Zen Takai, taught me about the Five RIngs concepts and other leadership techniques used by the Samurai of Ancient Japan. I implement Samurai leadership strategy & principles in the business every day.

Sun Tzu’s, “The Art of War”, Jim Kwik’s, “Limitless”, & “Psycho-Cybernetics” by Dr. Maxwell Maltz have helped me develop a mindset that I can do anything. That spirit along with the confidence and strength cultivated from consistent training allow me to take calculated risks without fear and to inspire the team.

Any stories or insights that might help us understand how you’ve built such a strong reputation?

As Earl Nightingale, author of “The Strangest Secret”, once said, “excellence always sells”. I remind myself to strive for excellence in everything I do.

My mindset is:

It’s bigger than me.
Master what I’m doing.
Be accountable.
Always add value to the team and students.
Get 1% better daily.
Remember what’s important.
Share.

It was once said that people like people that are like them or people that they want to be like. The qualities mentioned above are my concepts of virtue. I believe virtues will always have value and will always be in high demand.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.warriorgarden.net
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/warriorgardencombat/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/warriorgardencombat/
• Youtube: https://youtube.com/@warriorgardencombat
• Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/warrior-garden-combat-and-fitness-east-point

Image Credits
Images by Kason Carter Media.