Today we’d like to introduce you to Vanny Boon.
Hi Vanny, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
Martial Arts has been my path to a better life from the beginning. Some kids are incredibly bright academically, some are artistically inclined and have incredible imaginations, and some have the ability to take time and discover what they are interested in or good at. I knew that I had a gift for martial arts, but like any talent, it would take hard work and dedication to turn it into mastery.
Growing up, martial arts was not just a hobby for me but something ingrained in my culture and my family. My parents immigrated to the United States from Cambodia in 1981 during the Cambodian Genocide by the Khmer Rouge. Martial Arts is ingrained into Cambodian culture dating back 2000 years when warriors trained these skills for battle and protection. With that tradition, my uncle taught Martial Arts and after coming to America decided to continue teaching in the United States as well. Despite coming here with nothing, my family stuck together and worked and scraped by to pull themselves up and provide for us.
Growing up as one of the few Asians in Abilene, a very deep Texas city, I didn’t always fit in with my surroundings. So, I spent any time I was not in school either training, working, or dabbling in music and other creative interests. Training always came first, from a young age, I had an ability and passion to learn things on my own which kept me pushing beyond what someone taught me. I would spend hours watching movies and whatever I could get my hands on to learn how to do complicated kicks and other techniques. My friends and family would then take what we learned and create home movies making up our own action scenes and seeing who could outperform the other. It was those kinds of activities that really honed my abilities as a Martial Artist – I was always pushing myself to see how much more I could do or what else I could learn. I also began teaching other students at my uncle’s school, which helped form my teaching skills from a young age and I knew that one day I wanted to have my own school.
After high school, I moved to Dallas, looking for larger opportunities than Abilene could provide. In the beginning, I had to pay my dues. I started working as a busboy at a Chinese restaurant and I couch surfed, shared an apartment with 6 other roommates, and even on occasion just slept out of my car just grinding to make a life for myself in this city. I eventually started working as an instructor at different Martial Arts schools. Most significantly I joined Freddie Poole’s Martial Arts in 2011. Often times I was the only instructor running a full day of classes along with managing customers and administrative tasks. And while some could call it tedious or grinding work, I always felt energized being on the mat and teaching and inspiring others. Its having passion for what you do that carries you through the tough times. While I was improving my martial arts skill and teaching, I was also developing a new skill set in business and people management.
In 2015, I got one step closer to my goal when I purchased the school from Freddie Poole. It was like being pushed into the deep end of a pool. Learn and study as much as you want, but nothing will prepare you for owning a business other than just owning a business. I had to learn quickly and there were many times I felt like I either had no idea what I was doing, wasn’t going to make it, or did not know what or how to do what I needed to do. But failure was not an option since it meant giving up on my dream and passion. The difference between coal and a diamond is the amount of pressure it is exposed to.
The first 6 years of owning the school went to learning the business, perfecting the curriculum, finding a strong team, and putting all my energy into growing my school. In 2021, I rebranded the school to Boon Martial Arts and fulfilled my childhood goal of owning my own school.
But my story is not done there. Since then, my goals for the school and the Boon brand have only grown bigger. I wanted to be the premier Martial Arts school in Dallas. In November 2021 won the Top Choice Award for the best Martial Arts School in Dallas. Next is growing the brand to a local and eventually national level. In Martial Arts, just like many industries, stagnation equals death. In order to keep getting better you have to keep growing and pushing yourself and focus on the new heights that you want to reach and goals you want to accomplish. Talk to me in 5 years and we’ll hopefully have achieved certain goals and found new ones to take their place.
I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle-free, but so far would you say the journey has been a fairly smooth road?
I’m grateful my path has not been easy. It’s the challenges and struggles that really make you grow and teach you the most valuable lessons about yourself and what you are capable of.
One of the biggest challenges I struggled with, was having the confidence and belief in myself to do the things that no one taught me or ever thought I could do. Growing up as a minority, coming from an immigrant family, being one of the shorter guys, being bullied, and coming from humble circumstances, I was always told what I could do and what I would amount to. When I first moved to Dallas, plenty of people told me I’d fail and be back in Abilene in no time. It took me many years to realize that the people you surround yourself with can have a huge unseen but palpable effect on your spirit.
When I purchased the school from Freddie Poole in 2015, I felt out of my league – I was taking over the school from a well-known and respected Martial Artist who had made himself a household name in the community. Who was I to step in and put my unknown unfamiliar name on the doors? I was concerned rebranding the school would lose customers because who would want to learn from someone without all the successes of my predecessor? All that negativity and doubt kept me at bay for many years. Though I was still pushing and trying to make the school the best it could be, providing the best service, and putting my work before anything else, I never thought I was good enough to really be the owner of my school. It wasn’t until I started meeting people in my life who saw me in a way, I never saw myself and they gave me the push to want to be the person they thought I was. That was the moment I knew that I needed to surround myself with positive energy and people who believed in me and my vision. That’s not to say I needed “yes men,” but I needed people who believed in me even when I did not believe in myself. With their energy, I was able to overcome much of my self-doubt and insecurity regarding whether I would truly be able to be a success under my name and brand.
If I wanted to leave readers with only one takeaway it would be: “Ignore the naysayers, surround yourself with positivity.” We all have bad days or negative days, but living in that moment or mood will never benefit you. In order to achieve what you want, you must believe that you can do it, and sometimes to get that belief you need people around you who will support you and keep that belief even when your own belief falters.
Great, so let’s talk business. Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
Boon Martial Arts is the premier Martial Arts school located in the heart of Dallas. We specialize in Muay Thai, Brazilian jiu-jitsu, and Taekwondo for both kids and adults.
We pride ourselves in maintaining our standards and commitment to Martial Arts by recognizing that not every Martial Artist is made the same. In that sense, everyone’s journey is different, and therefore students advance in their journey based on their own abilities – not compared to the abilities of someone else. For example, a 13-year-old student will have a very different journey than a 50-year-old student. Our goals are to push each individual to their maximum potential and never just hand out belts or advancements simply because “you’ve been doing it a long time” or because the student feels like it is time, or because “that is what you paid for”. We treat our program like any school – you must study and put the effort in order to earn your degree at Boon Martial Arts. Nothing will ever be handed to you – which we believe holds the standard and reputation of our school to a higher level. We are not here to compete with others but make ourselves the strongest and best school for Martial Arts that’s we can be. We take pride in the fact that our students earn their rank through rigorous training while still maintaining a strong inclusive community.
We were voted the top Martial Arts school in Dallas and we think that can only come from the passion that drives what we do here. The teachers that are passionate about what they do always have the biggest impact on their students. At Boon Martial Arts, our first priority is making sure we are offering the best service to our students and that success will follow so long as we continue to put our students first.
We offer classes for both kids and adults so if you are in the Dallas area, we would love to see you come try out class and see how we can help improve or start your Martial Arts journey!
What makes you happy?
For me, happiness comes from finding and fulfilling my purpose in life: helping others. I am able to take my passion and love for Martial Arts and help make a difference in people’s lives.
Coming from difficult circumstances, I always felt the odds were against me, but Martial Arts was the one thing that brought structure, skill, and fun no matter what I was going through. I found that it was one thing that I could do better than anyone else and I threw everything I had behind it. After some time, I knew that I wanted to build my own school and brand around what I can do, but it took me by surprise just how much my teaching and martial arts could impact the lives of others.
When a student comes to my school, I enjoy the challenge of trying to find out what it is I can do to impact the life of that individual. Sometimes that is bringing the discipline or confidence back to that person’s life, or helping them feel seen in instances where they are always overlooked, or even providing a place where they can forget about whatever stress or difficulties they have in their life and have a fun and safe environment to simply train and learn new skills. Whatever the scenario is, it brings me the utmost pleasure to help those around me and especially the ones that need it the most. I want to be the person that I wish I had around me growing up – someone tough, but caring and always has your best interests at heart. To be that role model and mentor for someone that truly needs me brings me the utmost happiness. And it not only impacts my students but also makes me want to be a stronger person and coach and to keep perfecting my craft.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.boonmma.com
- Instagram: @boon_martialarts
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BoonMartialArts
- Youtube: Boon Martial Arts
- Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/boon-martial-arts-dallas
