Hazlet Karate School Rebrands As United Martial Artist Academy

HAZLET, NJ — In the spirit of the community's response to the struggles of the pandemic, Mathew Weisfeld found the namesake for the now-rebranded martial arts studio he helped bring back to life: United Martial Artist Academy.

The Hazlet school recently hosted a grand reopening event, bringing together members of the community and even students from about half a dozen schools in other areas of New Jersey.

"As a school, we were re-welcomed into all these international organizations," Weisfeld told Patch.

The event started with an open house in the morning, at 10 a.m., followed by classes and demonstrations in the afternoon. Around 200 people came to check out the new and improved space, Weisfeld said, adding they were scattered in groups throughout the day as a COVID-19 precaution. The celebration kept going until around 11 p.m.

"We wrapped it up with a morning sword beach training the next morning," Weisfeld. "That was a wacky last-minute idea."

Formerly known as Amato's Karate & Weapons Academy, the studio was forced to close during the first months of the pandemic. It was brought back to life with a help of Weisfeld, who was a former teacher there and had stepped away from the sport almost a decade before, to take over the family business.

READ MORE: Former Instructor Helps Hazlet Karate Studio Reopen Amid Pandemic

The 36-year-old helped give the training studio a pandemic makeover last year: ripped out all the carpets, mats and old equipment, installed hardwood floors, enhanced the ventilation system and replaced body contact with training bags.

The black belt's return to karate was meant to be temporary, a way to give the school a little push to help it get through the pandemic.

But he hasn't stopped since. After acquiring the property last year, he also bought out the business from the old master.

"He was just shot. He told me 'Matt, buy me out,'" Weisfeld said.

Right now, he splits his time between the martial arts school, his two kids and wife and the family business, a Cliffwood-based turntable manufacturer, VPI Industries, which he is still running.

For Weisfeld, the martial arts school has become a passion project of sorts.

"This isn't about making money. It's about taking care of the people," Weisfeld said, adding that he's tried to help out parents who are still struggling with the financial impacts of the pandemic.

Weisfeld made the conscious decision to not name the school after himself.

"I always feel like a martial arts school should be greater than just one person," he said. "I wanted it to be something greater than me. It's a way of thinking he extends to business: "In my day job I've always brought competitors together."

For the past few months, Weisfeld moved forward with more renovations in order to allow the school to operate safely while the world recovers from the pandemic. There's a new HVAC system, which helps reduce transmission risk in enclosed settings, a renovated outside, actually training dummies and more space with hardwood floors.

Last year, the school set up tents in the parking lot for people to train while the inside was being renovated. It was eventually brought down, but Weisfeld wants to set up a more permanent outside training area that can be used year-round and be ready in the event indoor training is ever banned again.

The school also adopted a new curriculum and joined the karate organization Goju-Ryu Kenyukai.

"Right now I'm living a life I didn't expect but I absolutely love it," Weisfeld said. "I didn't even expect to be doing this."

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