Victory Teaches More Than Just Martial Arts

For Chad Johnson, a longtime student of the martial arts and part-time personal trainer, teaching the ins and outs of Taekwondo at his Palm Harbor academy is easy. 

It’s teaching the life lessons that schools value over physical accomplishments that make his job tougher. 

Johnson, through his partnership with Victory, places the utmost value on shaping students into better human beings, rather than just producing robotic fighting machines. 

“We are a school of leaders and a school of life,” Johnson said before a recent class at his U.S. 19 facility. “What we teach at Victory goes beyond physical training.” 

“The life skills we emphasize — respect, belief, honesty, self esteem, communication and discipline — will affect the rest of your life," he said. "We’re not a fighting school that is interested in turning out a bunch of tournament participants. We’re not a ‘belt factory’." 

Values are prevalent in everything that happens at Victory, which has 25 schools and more than 5,000 students in six states.

Students greet the instructors with “Hello sir” when they enter the facility, stand quietly on the mats while waiting for commands, and respond to instructions by shouting, “Yes I can!” 

These actions are all responses to the four main steps of character development Victory emphasizes: structure, emotion, knowledge and legacy. 

According to Johnson, “Martial arts are all about empowerment and enrichment. If you can find that balance between passiveness and aggressiveness, and achieve assertiveness, it will make you a better person.” 

But don’t get the idea that classes at Victory are all work and no fun.

“Taekwondo, which means the way of the foot and the fist, is a collection of styles with traditional roots,” Johnson explained. “It is a high energy, fun and exciting striking art.” 

Students participate in class stages that reward success. They learn self-defense, physical conditioning, board breaking, weaponry and sparring.

As they progress up the levels, they achieve belts and colored stripes for their belts, which signify how well they have performed in each level.

Typical enrollment time is 36 months, but many fall off sooner and many stay in the sport much longer, according to Johnson, who taught Olympic-level Taekwondo at Michigan State and will celebrate the one-year anniversary of his school this month.

There are classes for all ages and skill levels, and Victory also offers a family program that is an ideal way for parents to bond with their kids.

But no matter what the reason is for joining, or how long you choose to stay, Johnson wants to be sure you learn something more than how to kick and fight.

“I think it was Zig Ziglar who said, ‘You will get all you want in life if you help enough other people get what they want.' That’s what I believe I’m doing here, helping people get what they want out of life.”

Victory Martial Arts

Address: 34238 U.S. 19 N

Phone: 727-787-4675

Hours: 11 a.m.-9 p.m., call for class times