Black_Belt_-_October-November_2019

A student of kenpo, he took Niland
to a class and introduced him to the
instructor/owner.
“I signed up for lessons on the
spot,” Niland recalled. “That was the
day I took my first step toward my
goal of becoming a black belt and
toward my long-range goal of owning
a karate school.”
Kenpo quickly became a lifestyle
for Niland. He embraced it with
unbridled enthusiasm and devo-
tion — until a new job forced him to
relocate to a city that offered no way
for him to continue his particular
martial pursuit. Once again, it was
life-interrupted.
“I moved to St. Augustine, Florida,
for a new job,” Niland said. “Unfortu-
nately, there wasn’t a kenpo school
anywhere near where I lived. Since
I only wanted to train in kenpo, I
stopped altogether.
“But as time went on, I began to
explore different styles. That led me
to taekwondo.”
That decision to try his hand at
other arts would prove pivotal for
Niland. It eventually expanded his
knowledge of martial arts as a whole.
And the cross-training it precipitated
would play an important role when
he became a school owner, one who
specialized in spreading the message
that fighting for a trophy is very dif-
ferent from fighting for your life.

IN FLORIDA, Niland was exposed to
another art that bears a strong self-
defense orientation. “While there, I
met an instructor who taught hap-
kido,” he said. “After watching his
class for a few days, I knew I had to
learn that art, too — but not until I’d
earned a black belt in taekwondo. I
went on to receive my second dan in
ITF taekwondo and opened a school
called All American Martial Arts.”
Niland quickly learned that being a
good instructor doesn’t automatically
translate to running a successful
school. He knew that he had to earn a
different kind of black belt, one that
revolved around business.
While struggling to make ends
meet, he worked as a police officer.
He came close to losing his home at
one point because the school wasn’t

bringing in enough revenue to sustain

itself. Fortunately, he ran into Mike

Metzger of the Martial Arts Industry

Association. Using the group’s struc-

tured programs, Niland was able to

turn things around. The school went

from being in the red to being in a

nice shiny shade of black. With 200-

plus students bringing in $35,000 a

month, he knew it was time to turn in

his badge and gun and become a full-

time martial arts instructor.

“I wouldn’t be where I am today

without Century and MAIA,” he

said. “I’ve been with them for six

years, and it was with their help and

guidance that I’ve grown my school

beyond my wildest expectations.”

TO ENHANCE HIS CURRICULUM even

further, Niland took up krav maga

and eventually became a certified

instructor. “It was at this time that I

realized while taekwondo gave me

so many valuable skills, I was using

it mainly as a sport. I competed in

many AAU and other sanctioned

tournaments, and now I had my stu-

dents doing the same thing.”

However, Niland wanted his stu-

dents to be able to defend themselves

outside the ring. “We sparred to score

points and only kicked above the

waist,” Niland recalled. “I said we

were teaching self-defense, but was

sparring really self-defense? I needed

to re-evaluate my program.”

He began reviewing his kenpo

notes, then did the same with his

krav maga notes. Next, he combined

the best of both worlds with the les-

sons he’d learned from taekwondo. “I

incorporated the speed and balance

with the long-range weapons of tae-

kwondo,” he said. “Then I added the

‘thundering hammers’ of kenpo and

the attack-the-attacker attitude that

creates an aggressive mindset. From

krav maga, I inserted RCAT, which is

the ‘redirect, control, attack and take’

principle, along with various ground

techniques.”

Where did that mix leave him?

To answer the question, he cited

the example of the round kick: “If

I could plant a perfectly executed

round kick on my opponent’s head

in a sparring ring, why not teach

the [kick with the] same speed and

accuracy to the knee? Same kick,

different location. Of course, utiliz-

ing more of the shin and not just

the instep was something I needed

to teach — that came from my krav

maga background.”

HIS NEW AND IMPROVED WAY of

doing things wasn’t limited to just

kicks. “We would all agree that a

punch is not just a punch,” he said.

“Just ask Hawaiian-kempo master

John Hackleman. And in Encyclo-

pedia of Taekwon-Do by Gen. Choi

Hong-hi, there are literally pages on

punches and punching techniques.

“In kenpo, the ‘mace’ is the fist.

Kenpo means ‘fist method’ or ‘way

of the fist’ — this is related to the fist

acting like a mace. A mace is a blunt

weapon that uses a heavy head on

the end of a handle to deliver power-

ful blows. Each style gives a little

something that, if bits and pieces

are taken from each one, will create

a well-rounded practitioner in both

self-defense and sport fighting.

“As I look back at the very struc-

tured positions I was taught in tae-

kwondo for just the side kick — that

was all well and good for forms, but

does it need to be this structured in

an attack on the street? Usually not.

But by already having this type of

exactness ingrained, students are

better for it.

“On the flip side, when I try to teach

students about keeping their hips

square to the attacker — according

to the attack-the-attacker mentality

— they often revert to their Olympic-

sparring style, which looks much

different. I must remind them of the

difference between sparring and

fighting for real.”

This is precisely the message —

that self-defense overlaps with but

does not equal competition — that

Niland strives to convey at All Amer-

ican Martial Arts. And if financial

success is a measure of his mastery

of the material, he’s got a very good

grip on the subject.

For more information about All

American Martial Arts, visit

staugustinetaekwondo.com.

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