Martial Arts Bio. Mr. Holgerson

My name is TJ Holgerson, owner and creator of Empowered Martial Arts. This is a short biography of my journey through the martial arts over the last 13 years. At age nine I started taking a Korean style of traditional taekwondo and loved it from the very first class. I then began to set goals such as: join the leadership team, compete in as many tournaments as possible, and earn my black belt. These goals evolved and adapted as I grew older and continued to persevere to even higher levels of rank, and level of instructor. At age 18 I received my 4^th degree black belt, level 4 or fully certified instructor, and numerous competition state titles through the American Taekwondo Association. Feeling a strong calling on my life to open up my own martial arts studio, I began taking steps towards learning about entrepreneurship and how to work the business side of my passion. Wichita State University gave me some great tools and resources towards building a base, and Hackerott’s Leadership Academy taught me the ins and outs of marketing, advertising, and student retention. During this journey I have also acquired my blue belt through Gracie Jiu Jitsu, green sash in Tai Chi, completed many (PPCT) Pressure Point Control Tactics courses, and have competed in two Mixed Martial Arts fights. In the end it is not about what I know or what I can do, but how I and the instructors of EMA can help you reach YOUR goals one class at a time.