We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Joshua Duncan. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Joshua below.
Joshua, so good to have you with us today. We’ve always been impressed with folks who have a very clear sense of purpose and so maybe we can jump right in and talk about how you found your purpose?
My martial arts journey began back in 1984 with my stepfather as a way to build our relationship. It wasn’t an activity that I previously expressed interest in, but was more just a chance opportunity to share an activity through a local park program, Lomita Park Tang Soo Do (Now Lomita Park Soo Bahk Do). I never thought this would be the springboard to take me to where I am in life nor have the impact that it has.
As I trained through elementary, middle and high school I tried other activities and clubs but found that they always took second place in terms of my priority. If at any point it came to a decision of doing one activity over the other, martial arts always won out. As a result of this dedication and enthusiasm I was given many opportunities for extra training, to attend special events and eventually invited to help as an assistant instructor. This is where my passion grew and what lead to the foundation of turning my passion into something much bigger.
Through teaching I got the opportunity to share what I loved while doing what I loved. But more than that I got the opportunity to help others learn and grow as well. Being in my late teens, this is something that I didn’t really grasp at the time as I didn’t totally understand the impact I could have on others until later. For now this was just me teaching martial arts on a physical level without the real understanding of what was really happening.
In 1996 is where my passion took the turn from just a passion to a purpose. My instructor, Master John Huff, was set to retire from his career as a postal worker and would soon move out of state. He taught the park program on the side for 10 yrs, but wished to keep it going so I was asked if I would like to take over as the head instructor. Being 22 and still trying to figure what I wanted to do with my life I was excited by the prospect of becoming a martial arts instructor. Up to this point I haven’t really considered that as an option for a career.
As his retirement came and his last class was taught there was a big get together and celebration. Along with all his current students, there were many past students who took their time to show up to say their good byes, and “thank you”s for what he had given them through his instruction. This is where I started to see the true impact of being an instructor. I now looked at the students I had worked with as an assistant instructor from a different perspective. I didn’t just see them in the day to day sense of going to class and training, but rather I took a bigger view of them from where they were when they walked in the door to where they were now. How this class helped them not just learn how to perform their physical techniques, but also affected their lives through improved confidence, mental strength and the general positive growth. This is what I wanted to do, what I wanted to be a part of.
My first class after my instructor moved away, I remember looking at those in attendance and feeling like I found what I was meant to do.
Let’s take a small detour – maybe you can share a bit about yourself before we dive back into some of the other questions we had for you?
Next year will be my 40th year in the martial arts. Looking back to the beginning to when I started my training at the age of 10, to taking over a studio program at 22, spending the next 10 years building it up into a bigger program that branched out to include more classes and locations, to moving on to to regional then national leadership roles in my late 30’s and mid 40’s, it has given me a broad perspective on the many stages of martial arts. Crunching that all down for me, it boils into 2 areas; bettering myself and helping better others.
I think I was very fortunate to start my martial arts journey when I did and with the support of instructors/mentors who embraced their roles and the impact that it had. This was during a time in my life that I was most able to be molded and be given a good foundation both from a physical standpoint and also in terms of character and values to grow into someone who could contribute back to our society or at the very least someone who was disciplined and confident enough to be a good person. Again, the hidden gems from lessons that we may not see on the surface, but that sink in over time even though we may not notice until we look back.
As I trained and was encouraged to take on bigger roles and participate in events outside the studio (clinics, camps and tournaments), I was exposed to a bigger community that was full of individuals who I quickly started looking up to as well as others who were on the same path as myself. These opportunities and communities provided me the foundation to not just grow as a martial artist, but gave me additional resources to build myself as a leader and instructor and keep me motivated through harder times.
These years where my “schooling”, my university. The time and place where I learned my craft and specialized in the field. I didn’t know it at the time. It was just something I enjoyed doing. My passion until it was my purpose.
As I moved on from being just a student and becoming an instructor I took inspiration from those years, taking what I had been given, developed and earned along the way and tried to give that back to those students who were now coming to me. To pass on that passion and all that came with it. This was the focus of my path. To make sure students who came to me leave in a better place than they started. Though I learned rather quickly that that end result was often different from person to person and their experience wouldn’t all be the same as mine was. Never the less, with each journey there could be their own rewards.
For most students, it was just the general development that martial arts provided. For others it was deeper; how to stand up for themselves, to learn how to make eye contact with others, to just learn to stand taller and believe in themselves. I had to learn to listen as well as observe those in my classes to see what they needed.
Each time I saw a breakthrough, that key moment when a spark ignited, it fed into my own fire as an instructor and kept my passion burning.
It is so fulfilling and humbling to see my students overcome obstacles (mentally, physically and emotionally), to develop confidence and self discipline and then to speak to them or their parents years later after they have moved on to hear how their training has positively affected their lives in one way or another.
There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?
As I look back and reflect on where I am and how I got here I have to say that it is a combination of passion for what I am doing, good mentors/community, and seeing the positive effect my chosen path has on both my life as well as others. It sounds so basic and even cliché, but I think a lot of life can boil down to simple things if we just let it.
Passion. Without passion and enjoyment we have a flimsy base in which to build our business or career. Passion is what motivated me to build the skills needed to get to a point that I was able to turn something I love to do into a career path. Once I was able to make that transition from “hobby” to a career passion is what has kept me going even when there were times when I thought I couldn’t. Things will not always been easy. Challenges in life and in our careers will inevitably pop up, and it is the passion in what we do that will keep us pushing ahead, growing and learning. Without passion our career path quickly becomes a chore and stone that sinks you and kills motivation. Passion can wax and wane, so it is important to find ways to keep it burning and if it goes out to determine if it can be reignited or a new passion will take it’s place.
Mentors and Community. Having good mentors who took interest in me and pushed me to challenge myself and grow was what gave me the foundation that I needed to get to where I am. Being able to find mentors who I connected with and fit me was important as they were there to help me get up after tripping over obstacles and to give me advice during those times that I wasn’t sure what I was doing. Beyond my instructors/mentors there was the martial art community that I became a part of that helped me continue and expand my education, giving me diversity of thoughts and ideas on how to grow and face challenges that I inevitably faced as an instructor and business owner. This community also helped to “recharge my batteries” in those times that I needed it.
In terms of mentors I have to speak on a more personal level. As of the time this article was going to be published I was informed of the passing of my instructor, John Huff Sa Bom Nim (Sa Bom Nim is a title for Master level instructors in our art). This news caused me to reflect a bit deeper on the importance mentors play in our journey. I have several people that I consider mentors or big influences in my life, but John Huff Sa Bom Nim was by far the top of that list and as a mentor his teachings gave me the foundation that I needed to be able to grow into a man who could live his passion and fulfill his purpose. His wisdom and passion continued to guide me as I moved into adulthood and moved forward along my path in life. So many lessons, often hard taught and not all about just punching and kicking, will forever be with me and I hope to continue to honor him, his memory and legacy through my actions and teachings. We are lucky if we can find the right person to be there and fill that role of mentor while we find our way in life. It is a person like him that I hope to be like as he was the model for my purpose. He will be missed dearly by myself and the many others who’s lives he had touched, but his lessons and memory will continue on. Rest in Peace Huff Sa Bom Nim
Look for the positive effects of what I do. Things are not always easy and at times you can feel that you aren’t getting the results you want and that fire starts to flicker a bit. It is these times that I take a step back and look at the bigger picture. What have I accomplished not just recently but also up to this point. Reflect on the victories and see if I am still on that right path or if I need a redirection. Taking into account what has been off or what has gone wrong is an important part of this step as you need to address those issues to keep growing, but seeing the positive will serve as the lifeline to keep you from drowning in those waters. When you see that you are effective and moving forward, you strive to keep the momentum and build off of it.
Is there a particular challenge you are currently facing?
Like everyone else who starts their own business and sticks around for any amount of time, there have definitely been growing pains and obstacles. For me in my specific field some of those have varied from how to effectively teach classes for different age groups to how to deal with troubled students or their parents. On the more universal side, the basic running of a business problems that included how to stay on top of requirements from cities to how to establish an LLC. But with each problem you just have to figure it out and continue to move forward.
Being in the martial arts for 40 yrs on one hand is a something that I take pride in, but it has also placed me in the midst of my current obstacle…. growing older and dealing with limitations that come along with it. As someone who is in a field that is very much physical, age is not your friend and along with an aging body there is also the accumulation of injuries that come along with it. At a certain point I notice that I cannot do what I once was able to do and I started looking a little further down the road and where this all leads. Not only on a business level, but also a personal level.
To be very honest, as I was starting to look at this issue it was very much a thing of pride and ego. I have always been very active with my teaching and wanted to paint that picture for my students. Lead through action and setting the example. This is slowly becoming much harder to do and from a emotional side I was taking a hit and wondering if I could still be an effective teacher. But as I stepped back and got over myself I started looking at it as any other problem that I had to face so far. Keep it simple, what is it and how do I get past it.
That, to me, means embracing what my limitations are and what they are not. What can I do and what can I source out? What opportunities does this problem present or doors it may open? How to keep it all moving forward?
My passion and purpose haven’t changed, but my process on how to accomplish them may need to shift as time moves on. There are things that are becoming more difficult to do, but these things that I can’t do can be used to further empower the students and the next generation of instructors, just like what was done with me. Continue to
Similar to any other business over time, there is the desire to keep everything going even as you age or the field evolves. For me, even as I encounter these new challenges it means making adjustments in my physical activity, evolving my methods and empowering my students to step up to the next levels. Trust in what I have built and the people in my circle to take the reigns and help me move forward and grow. In the end, for me, that was a always a big part of my purpose. So what do I do? Just keep embracing my purpose, but learn to be flexible on how I achieve it.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lomitaparksoobahkdo/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/lomitaparksoobahkdo
Image Credits
Sally Flowers
