Meet Jeff Grant of Dallas Kajukembo

Today we’d like to introduce you to Jeff Grant.

So, before we jump into specific questions about the business, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
I got started in the martial arts as a kid when my father took me to my first class at the age of 10. I loved it right away. But my father was in the military so I was not there for long. When my father retired we moved to the Dallas area. I was about 13 years old. As luck would have it I found a school to train at. I trained there until I left in 1989 for college in Arkansas. It wasn’t about a year later that some life events found myself serving in the Air Force. During this time I took advantage of the on base rec centers, and good for me that there was always an instructor at these facilities. Because of the military lifestyle I had the opportunity to learn from many different instructors as either they or I moved around. In 1994 I finished my tour and moved back to Dallas. It was not long before I found myself back in the dojo. Since then I have not looked back. After 20 years I find myself still involved as both an ongoing student and the head instructor of my own school. I currently hold the rank of 4th degree black belt in the art of Kajukembo. I have a small but dedicated group of students.

We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
There are always struggles in life. I tell my students that life has a way of getting in the way of our training. But it is up to each one of us to persevere. We all have families, boyfriends, girlfriends, work, etc., and any and all of that can affect our commitment. It is how you manage all those things and still find the time to show and train that makes a great student and a better individual. I have had my personal struggles through the years, but I look forward to my training days. Those are the days that I allow myself to escape; to leave the world behind; and do something that is purely for me. It is my downtime and this is how I choose to deal with things.

We’d love to hear more about your business.
Well, for those that do not know what Kajukembo is; it is a formalized system of five arts. These arts are Karate (Tang Soo Do), Judo/Jujitsu (Danzan-ryu jujitsu), Kenpo (Kara ho), and Chinese/American Boxing. The system was created in Hawaii between 1947 – 1949, when 5 instructors from the different arts started to meet and exchange ideas. The purpose of this was to fill gaps in each of the styles weakness and thus create a complete style that would allow the practitioner to adapt to any attack. It was said that every technique in the system was street tested in bar fights and street fights. Those techniques that did not work were discarded or modified. To this day we hold true to these teachings, that Kajukenbo above all else is a self defense art. We give the students the tools needed to protect themselves against punches, grabs, kicks, sticks, and knives.

We train the way the art was intended. We condition the body to receive punches and kicks in order to learn to deal with and absorb the strike. It is better to condition the body through training than it is to never train this way and receive your first punch when you are attacked in the street. We are known for our hard training. If a student is looking for a self defense school then please by all means avoid those that do not encourage contact in class. It breeds an air of false self-confidence. You need to know how to take a punch and give a punch. They are wasting your time and stealing your money.

We specialize in nothing but self defense. I run a small school that does not teach anyone under the age of 14. This certainly does keep my numbers down as most of today’s schools have turned into daycare. But my students are loyal and our base is slowly growing. It was never my intent to have a large school but to teach the art I love to those that want to learn it. I have been lucky to have a small group of dedicated and loyal students.

What were you like growing up?
Growing I think I was like any other boy. I would get excited with anything that had to do with Chuck Norris or Bruce Lee. My father would indulge me with trips to the movies to watch anything martial arts. And that of course led him to take me to my first class. I was and always have been a very competitive person. Once I get involved in something I do not want to be merely good at it, I want to try and be the best at it. This has of course led to my wife hating to play games with me?! I guess that is one bad thing about it, since I miss playing board games. But I will say that it makes me take a vested interest in making sure that my students get the best teaching and that they strive to be the best they can be. I try not to take my self too seriously and I think I bring a good mix of serious and light heartedness to my life and my teaching. I am pretty boring; my interest do not venture beyond Kajukembo and anything that helps me become better at the art I love.

Pricing:

• My fees are a flat $80 a month

Contact Info:

• Address: 1406 Capital Avenue
  Suite #100
  Plano, TX 75074
• Website: www.DallasKajukembo.com
• Phone: 4694501881
• Email: dallaskajukembo@gmail.com
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/KajukemboofDallas