Speaker 1: 0:33

Hey everyone, welcome back to the Uncommon Freedom Show. Today, you're in for a treat. I am joined by a good friend of mine, sean Green, who has over 30 years of experience in the martial arts arena and utilizes his background in education to aid in the cognitive and physiological development of his students. Sean holds a master's degree from both Arizona State University and Dartmouth College. Sean is a Christian husband and father.

Speaker 1: 0:58

He is a former Division I track athlete at Arizona State University and a former member of the US National Karate Team under the International Olympic Committee. To date, sean is the oldest individual to have made the US National Karate Team. Thus, he places emphasis on maintaining mobility with age. His passion is to help individuals improve and take them as far as they desire by working on disciplines such as focus, coordination, memory, motor skills, flexibility, discipline, cardio, balance and more. Sean has had the privilege of training with UFC Hall of Fame athletes like Mark Coleman, mark Kerr and Dan Severn, olympic gold medal wrestler Kevin Jackson, former UFC professional Anthony Smith and current UFC professional Waldo Cortez Acosta, who is ranked number nine overall in the UFC currently and rounds out the list of top athletes that Sean has coached in recent years.

Speaker 2: 1:54

Sean, that's quite the bio of top athletes that Sean has coached in recent years. Sean, that's quite the bio. Yeah, I don't know how that happened, but God just put me in that place, so it's just appreciative of all he's given.

Speaker 1: 2:06

Yeah, and so I met Sean while walking into church. It was about five years ago, I think it was during the summer of the infamous now infamous COVID era, when many churches had shut their doors, and I just remember you greeting me with a big, big smile and also being just struck by your military bearing and your level of physical fitness, which is one of the things that makes you uncommon. You were not in the military, is that correct?

Speaker 2: 2:36

I was not.

Speaker 1: 2:37

But you have that military bearing about you.

Speaker 2: 2:40

Yeah, I grew up in the Caribbean. I grew up in a Catholic school and back in those days you were allowed to discipline students and they were very much about the discipline. So when we would line up for class in the morning we had to line up in a straight line, uniform had to be pressed, everything clean, cut together. So I grew up with that kind of background. It just took it with me through life.

Speaker 1: 3:03

Yeah, so you kind of touched on that. You grew up in the Caribbean. Tell us a little bit about exactly where you grew up, what your family life was like, and then how you emigrated to the US.

Speaker 2: 3:09

So I grew up in Trinidad, beautiful country, very much a dangerous country right now. They listed as one of the top 12 places not to go. It's on the US list right now. I was back down there in September of 2024 and the street that I grew up on I couldn't even go there anymore because the cartels have such a huge influence. Came to America because in the Caribbean we always saw America as the land of opportunity. My mom was a nurse, so there was high demands for nurses, of course, and with that her and my dad came in. They settled and by the time they settled in they sent for my brother and I. So I came to America when I was in fifth grade, so basically 10 years old.

Speaker 1: 3:56

Okay, and roughly. What year was that?

Speaker 2: 3:58

brother and I, so I came to America when I was in fifth grade, so basically 10 years old, okay.

Speaker 1: 4:03

And roughly what year was that? That is a great question 1978. 1978. Okay, and so your parents came here and that you and your brother were still living in Trinidad with family before.

Speaker 2: 4:13

Correct, my mom is the oldest of 11.

Speaker 1: 4:15

So you had plenty of aunts and uncles to help out. Yes for sure Got it Okay. Um, how long were you separated from your parents before you came to the U? S?

Speaker 2: 4:24

uh, from pretty young, from, uh, you know, first grade on, but we would come during the summertime, so we would go to school in the Caribbean and then the summer we would spend the summers in America and go back to go to school and then, when the summer, we would spend the summers in America and go back to go to school and then, when you were 10 years old, that's when you came to the U?

Speaker 1: 4:43

S and stayed pretty much Okay, permanently. Yes, got it, and you grew up in New.

Speaker 2: 4:45

York. Is that correct? Yes, long Island, new York.

Speaker 1: 4:47

Got it Very good, very good. Um, what are some of the other, either people or life events? I assume, like moving from Trinidad to US was probably a very formational experience in your life. What are either some of the other experiences that you had or influences in your life that had a significant impact on the Sean that we know today?

Speaker 2: 5:11

You know, America was the land of opportunity. Trinidad is known as a quote-unquote third world nation. We never saw it like that growing up, but we knew that there were a lot more things in America. If you were in Trinidad you wanted to come to the American schools and universities. So I have a couple of cousins that have gone through the universities all up and down the East Coast, from Howard University to Cornell, the Ivy Leagues, so on and so forth.

Speaker 2: 5:43

So we just saw it as that and we wanted to take advantage of that opportunity to, in the end, make it a better place to be a better society. I can remember coming here and my very first teacher, ms Graziano, just greeting me with such comfort. You know, being a stranger in a new land and just, of course, terrified at 10 years old. And then even my first friend, a young man named Vaughn Smallwood, who just befriended me and just took me in under his wing, so it was quite the experience.

Speaker 2: 6:09

And then I was around a lot of people that were highly motivated, so that was my thing there as well.

Speaker 1: 6:16

Got it. Did you experience any bias or racism coming to the US from Trinidad?

Speaker 2: 6:28

I knew there was racism, but I did not experience it personally. I was always the type to see people as people and I think people reciprocated that? Have I ran into racist people?

Speaker 2: 6:39

yes, but to me that was their own issue yeah um, it didn't take away to my love for people, my love for diversity, that sort of stuff. So, um, yeah, it was there, but it was never prominent or prevalent, and that tends to be the case with most foreigners that come in, um, from places like the Caribbean or Africa or those type places. It's nothing, we don't look at that. We look at what is the goal that we're trying to accomplish and how we're going to make society a better place.

Speaker 1: 7:06

Yeah, based on your experience being born and spending the first 10 years or so of your life in Trinidad and then moving to the U? S, what makes the United States special or different to you? Oh, wow Cause I mean you love America, right, right, I know that about you You're a patriot.

Speaker 2: 7:26

Yeah, no doubt I mean what doesn't make America special? Like you have freedom of speech, right, but you also have um such benefits. I often tell people, man, I've become soft coming to America because you get into such luxuries that it's just really laid back from. I grew up in a country where we did not have hot and cold water. So like you're getting ready to take a shower and you're like racing yourself to just jump into that cold water.

Speaker 2: 7:53

We had one TV channel, right, that was it. The whole country watched the same station. Now, of course, they're more advanced with cable and everything like.

Speaker 2: 8:01

America but you. There was so many perks that it wasn't even funny. Just beautiful neighborhoods with trees and stuff to grow up. Of course I grew up with beautiful beaches, but just everything and just amazing opportunity as far as education jobs and just amazing opportunity as far as education jobs, the opportunity to excel in sports, so a lot of better venues, so to speak. And I grew up with a bit of an athletic background because my father used to body build and he used to compete in that. I found at an early age that, hey, I could play soccer well in America, but I was also fast and at the time I realized that soccer was still new to America when I was growing up, so it wasn't as easy to get an athletic scholarship in soccer.

Speaker 2: 8:43

So, I ended up choosing track.

Speaker 1: 8:45

Got it. Got it. All right, let's move on. I know we're going to talk about martial arts because that's probably your number one passion outside of your faith and your family, but you've also spent many years in education, and specifically Christian education. Can you share how you got into that field and some of your most satisfying accomplishments in education?

Speaker 2: 9:04

Oh man.

Speaker 1: 9:05

Because we've had a lot of conversations about the state of education in this country.

Speaker 2: 9:11

Yes, so I was in public education and just really was kind of tired of the mediocrity. And the opportunity posed itself to get into Christian education so I took it. And what a great opportunity to witness the students. So I was able to just reach out and just bring in solid pastors, all that sort of stuff, formulating a great commission.

Speaker 2: 9:34

So, many times people think like, hey, you're going to a Christian school, so it's very Christ-like. But that's not always the case. They think maybe all the kids are very Christ-like, but really it goes against what Scripture says. Scripture talks about the road being narrow, right and not many will enter. So in that capacity we know. Romans 10, 17 says faith comes by hearing, hearing the word of God. So I would just look for pastors. We've had gentlemen like Votie Bachman and things of that nature where we're just bringing a solid word and bringing truth.

Speaker 2: 10:06

So that for me, was a great way of just helping to formulate our future and helping in the Christian walk, and especially when you look at the young men and we look at biblical manhood and how society tries to make young men more effeminate. So my thing was yep, how do we do that? How do we mold that? Obviously, there's a lot of discipleship that takes place and things of that nature.

Speaker 2: 10:32

So setting up discipling programs within the school with men teachers and young men, and the same thing with female teachers for young females. But that was one of the main things and the driving forces for me.

Speaker 1: 10:47

Yeah, I know we've had many conversations about the importance of discipling and mentoring young men and from my perspective and I know I'm going to step on some toes with this, but that's just what I do I think that there's a massive shortfall of men in education. Yes, because the reality is and my wife has even noticed this that when our boys you know we've got three boys are all 14 and up at this point, when they turn 13, 14 years old and I think this is just part of the growing up process that God innately put in them they start to push back at the authority that my wife has over them and there's times where she's like Kevin, I just need you to step in here and take care of this. You know it might be conversations she's having with the kids and they just they do not take it Once they turn 13, 14 and that testosterone starts flowing. They don't take it the same from their mom as they do their dad.

Speaker 1: 11:48

And I think the same thing happens in school, and I love the female teachers. I know it's an incredibly difficult job. Becca was a teacher. Becca was a teacher. My dad was a teacher. Both my in-laws are teachers, so I know it's a very difficult job. They're underpaid. How do we get more men in education, whether it's at public schools or private schools?

Speaker 2: 12:11

Yeah, that is a very interesting thing. I think you look at the facet of what's out there and there's some ideas that we toy with. Is there a need for an all-boys Christian school?

Speaker 1: 12:24

Yes.

Speaker 2: 12:25

Right, the Catholics have it. They have all-boys Catholic schools and Jesuit schools and all-girls schools. But for some reason in the Christian ranks we don't have it, not for the most part yeah, not for the most part, yeah.

Speaker 2: 12:36

Not for the most part. Right, and that's what we're called to do. Right, we're called because the men are the cornerstone. We are the ones that are going to be held accountable for our families. Yep, and I have a daughter who's in her early 20s and when young men approach, I'm like, well, we said, we have this conversation and these young men don't sound any different from the world. So how do you give your most precious item that your family can give over to someone? And it's like that is not godly leadership, right? So there's the challenge there. So it becomes hey, if they're not there, can you create a system and I'm not talking about getting into programs, but a discipleship system to groom young men up right? And could one of those answers be an all-male Christian school?

Speaker 1: 13:26

Yeah, I think one of the realities that we, as you know, especially Christian parents, are going to have to face is that if we want more men in education since typically, you know, the man is the primary breadwinner One of the challenges is that they just don't get paid a lot, you know, as public school teachers and typically they make less as private school teachers. So it's kind of like you get what you pay for. Um, and I'm not saying like there are, my kids have been influenced by some great male and female teachers, but the reality is, if we want more strong, biblically minded men to be teachers and mentors in the education system, we're just going to have to pony up more money.

Speaker 2: 14:07

I totally agree and you see that in schools like Brophy here in Phoenix, right Brophy typically those teachers don't even leave till. They pretty much pass away or they're going to retire right Because they pay so well.

Speaker 2: 14:20

So I agree, you totally have to pony up. And I think in education a lot of times there's a lot of misplacement of money and mismanagement of money where instead of paying teachers, you're putting it in something else, like a fancy building. Well, how fancy can a building be? Right? It's not saying, don't have something, that's nice. But sometimes I think it's overdone where that money can be placed, where it's more beneficial.

Speaker 1: 14:47

Because, at the end of the day is you're looking to save souls, those buildings and stuff are going to burn down eventually, yeah, yeah. And I think the reality, especially when you talk about you know, you know we're really focused on raising uncommon men with this series, and when you create a sense of challenge and difficulty, like boys and men thrive on that Right. And you know, I remember hearing the story a long time ago. I don't remember where I heard it, but it was the story of, you know, a high school assembly. You had the Army, navy, air Force and Marine Corps recruiters come in and army, navy and air force uh, you know, they all gave their spiel and then the marine corps sergeant or gunny came out you know, paced across the stage with a pissed off look in his face and, you know, kind of scowled at the crowd.

Speaker 1: 15:30

he's like not a single one of you is good enough to join the marine corps, yeah, and the assembly's over and everyone went to the marine because it was like you can't do it and men want to. You know, when you tell most boys can't be done, they're like oh, let me show it to you. So I'm with you. Like our kids, they don't need to be in a perfectly temperature controlled environment, even here in Phoenix. It's okay If they're a little uncomfortable, uh, and we just we just have to microdose adversity, especially in our boys.

Speaker 1: 16:01

Yes, I agree wholeheartedly. All right, I'm putting you on the spot here. What are three of the biggest shortfalls in education today?

Speaker 2: 16:09

I think you have leaders that can't lead.

Speaker 1: 16:12

Okay.

Speaker 2: 16:12

Right, they're very inexperienced. I think we are still in this Everyone gets a trophy, everyone gets a medal type era. And then I think we are also socially promoting kids, kids that are not academically ready. We're just moving them along because, quote unquote some research out there says that, hey, it's going to hurt their feelings or their confidence if they don't move along, even though they may not be able to read, multiply or anything of that nature.

Speaker 2: 16:44

There was a recently, within the last few years here there was a lawsuit both in Massachusetts and Tennessee where a young lady got to college and found out she really couldn't read, but she had gotten all these awards for academia and stuff like that, so she filed a lawsuit. Yeah, I remember hearing about that, right, yeah, but she had gotten all these awards for academia and stuff like that, and so she filed a lawsuit, yeah.

Speaker 1: 17:02

I remember hearing about that, right yeah.

Speaker 2: 17:03

So, but it's going on all over the country. So I think those top three.

Speaker 1: 17:08

There are huge. Going back to the everyone gets a trophy. What is it, since? You've spent a lot of years in Christian education and you know high school education? What are your thoughts on? Everyone gets playing time in the academic and you know high school education. What are your thoughts on? Everyone gets playing time in the academic world or in the sorry, in the athletic world.

Speaker 2: 17:25

I don't, I don't believe in it. Okay, Because then you look at things like hey, when you have to go to war, you think about World War II. You had 16 year olds that's signing up to go to war. They was so patriotic. Yeah, I don't think you would see that today Not many, that's for sure. Right, and you take away that competitive edge. And then I even think of even during COVID times and you've seen commercials I remember watching what Russia would put out as commercials and what China would put out as commercials and then what America would put out as commercials. Our commercials were so much more feminine and everything else and they're just showing massive power.

Speaker 2: 18:04

And I'm not saying that males are better than females, but when it comes to masculinity and young men, our young men need to be young men. Back to the school situation. I've been in schools where something's wrong and a mom comes in to defend her son. And I'm like oh my goodness, when I was in high school, I would die if my mother ever walked through that front door to defend.

Speaker 1: 18:25

That is one of the biggest mistakes a mom can make. Right, absolutely.

Speaker 2: 18:28

So so those become the things there. So, yeah, I don't believe everyone should get playing time. Right? If you cannot get playing time, maybe there's another sport for you. Yes, it may not be the sport for you, right? But yeah, I don't believe in that at all.

Speaker 1: 18:43

Okay.

Speaker 2: 18:43

Because it hurts them overall in life as well, like how do you compete on the job market?

Speaker 1: 18:47

Yeah, right, yeah, okay. What are three things you'd like to see implemented in education that you think would positively impact our society?

Speaker 2: 18:55

Three things you'd like to see implemented or changed or changed you know, I see something going on at um, the national level with, uh uh, the nea national education association. Right, they're the largest union in america, um, but I don't see where they've benefited america, um, and because of certain things that they've done, it allows bad educators to stay in the field, which then turns around and causes good teachers to leave the field, because good teachers don't want to deal with mediocrity.

Speaker 1: 19:26

Yep Right.

Speaker 2: 19:27

So, and then just overall leadership, you have a lot of times these boards, where they have a personal agenda and that may not be the best agenda of the kid or the student or overall society when.

Speaker 1: 19:42

So you're talking about basically sanctioned incompetence, kind of the um, uh, what is the tenure is is the philosophy. I know that tenure exists in the college world. I don't know if it does in, uh, elementary or not, but the bottom line is basically you get enough seniority, you can be a crappy teacher and you're not going to get fired. And when you're a good teacher and you're surrounded and you see that sanctioned incompetence, you know, regardless of the company or the career people are going to leave.

Speaker 1: 20:10

The flip side is, as an educator, it can be very frustrating when you're passionate about what you're doing and you don't get the support at home. You know, because the reality is a lot of parents they're abdicating their responsibility to educate their child to the school. And as a teacher, it can be very frustrating when you know you're doing your part but you can only do so much as a teacher, how do we reward and how do you reward the good teachers and also figure out when a student's struggling? Is it the teacher's response, you know, is because the teacher's not good enough, or is it because the parents aren't doing their job?

Speaker 2: 20:46

Yeah, I mean, it could be a combination of things, right, it could be one of both. So, um, also the parenting as far as parenting, a lot of times parents may come to educators and say, hey, like I don't know what to do. Well, it's not our job to raise a child, it's our job to educate the child. But, first and foremost, it's the parent's job to educate the child right.

Speaker 2: 21:06

And so they just abdicate that to the teacher. But they have to have some support in there. I think, going back to schools and school systems, that don't respond. You see certain things like Virginia, where there's high parental involvement Teachers can't get away with the lack of the A school type atmosphere because, there's involvement in there. When there's lack of parental involvement schools tend to go very wayward with what they do.

Speaker 1: 21:34

Got it. So basically, if parents are involved, the parents are going to see through the BS of a good teacher or a bad teacher.

Speaker 2: 21:40

They are.

Speaker 1: 21:41

And if they see the bad teacher they file enough complaints, then the problem will probably take care of itself.

Speaker 2: 21:46

Yeah, in certain societies, and then in other societies, the parents aren't responding and they need to respond.

Speaker 1: 21:52

Like you said earlier.

Speaker 2: 21:53

The teacher cannot raise their child.

Speaker 1: 21:55

Absolutely.

Speaker 2: 21:57

So they want to abdicate that to the teacher.

Speaker 1: 21:59

All right, so let's move on to martial arts and karate, which is definitely one of your biggest passions. Um, how did you?

Speaker 2: 22:07

get into martial arts. Oh, wow, I got into martial arts because, again, growing up in Trinidad, we only had one system, so our movie theaters would only show uh, the Caribbean has a huge Chinese influence, so on Saturdays, kung fu movies were the only things that played in my head, right. So you grow up as a kid and you're like, oh man, martial arts is pretty cool, yeah. So fast forward, I come to America, I come out to Arizona State, I compete for Arizona State. Well, my strength and conditioning coach at Arizona State has coached four US Olympic wrestling teams in their strength and conditioning coach at Arizona State has coached four US Olympic wrestling teams in their strength and conditioning, so he got me into martial arts. So, through that, that's how, um, and that back then it was the early 90s, so a lot of the wrestlers were starting to enter into the UFC okay being successful at it.

Speaker 2: 22:55

Um, but my instructor, he also did um, my instructor, he also did my strength coach, he also did karate, he did judo, he did so, he did it all. So and I just rolled with him along in the. I rolled with him in all worlds, but I just specialized more in the karate realm.

Speaker 1: 23:12

Got it. Why are martial arts so important in your opinion?

Speaker 2: 23:16

I love it because of the fact that you know they talk about things like resistance training. So you have coordination combinations. Combination is a great for, um, you know, memory and Alzheimer's, especially as we age, things of that nature balance a lot of times. You know, when we get older we start falling all the calcification of bones because you're hitting pads. Uh, so I love every aspect of it and it gets the mind Uh, if you're hitting pads, so I love every aspect of it and it gets to mind.

Speaker 2: 23:45

If you're someone that has attention challenges, it helps with the focus in and dial in, because there's certain training that we have to know to say, hey, look, that person's right-handed, that person's left-handed, what are they right? And you have to be able to read things, what are their habits? So you really have to dial in focus-wise. So we do a lot of drills, whether it's light drills or certain types of footwork drills or certain types of reaction drills, to help with that. So it just covers so many aspects and at the national level and international level it's very different than 90% of your local dojos. So we believe in the tradition, but also we believe in usability, and so karate has taken a bit of a bad hit.

Speaker 2: 25:06

I wouldn't say a bit of a bad hit. It has taken a bad hit because within karate, you will have like 20 different organizations with 20 different styles. So when it came to the Olympics, they were like no, you need to have one set of rules, one set of styles. So when it came to the Olympics, they were like no, you need to have one set of rules, one set of styles. That's why there's only one true USA team. Now everyone will claim to have USA be a USA team member, but the one true USA team is backed by the Olympic training center and the U S Olympic committee.

Speaker 1: 25:27

Yeah and um, let's go on to that. So you are the oldest American U S karate team member. Yeah, how old were you when you got?

Speaker 2: 25:36

on the team I was 51. So in a typical age for the US team is 18 to 34.

Speaker 1: 25:41

Unreal. So you were almost 20 years older than the old end of that range.

Speaker 2: 25:48

Yeah, that year there was a 36-year-old, so I was 15 years older than the-.

Speaker 1: 25:54

How did that happen?

Speaker 2: 25:56

For me again. I never think of myself as talented, so I like to study. So, I got into more of the sports, science and the physics of it all, I realized I couldn't stand toe to toe with a 20 year old and move as fast as them, so I would just build momentum by bouncing in and out right and developing my momentum as I go in.

Speaker 2: 26:14

So as I'm attacking, I'm already full of momentum and just studying and then knowing what you can do physically, um, you know the formulas for for fighting, no matter what the fight is, whether it's judo, wrestling, jujitsu uh, karate, is timing and distance right. So how do you maximize your timing and distance with what weapons you may have?

Speaker 1: 26:37

So the life lessons there are, study your enemy.

Speaker 2: 26:40

Yes.

Speaker 1: 26:41

Exploit their weaknesses, yes, and leverage your strengths. Correct, okay, very good. What was it like being on the U S team? I mean, that's gotta be, you know, for for many athletes that's kind of like the the, the dream, and kind of the pinnacle.

Speaker 2: 26:54

Yeah, you know it was, um, it's kind of like the dream and kind of the pinnacle. Yeah, you know it was. It's kind of interesting because I was studying, because I studied so much, I was studying the best coaches, right, and the best coaches they say, never talk about wins, they talk about execution. So my thing was more execution and if you execute and you're talented enough, you'll get there. That was that would become the final goal. The season didn't start off with like, hey, I'm going to make the USA team or the USA team.

Speaker 2: 27:23

The season started with hey, if I'm good enough, let's see how good I can be, and if that takes me to the USA team, it takes me to the USA team. So that was more of my strategy. And you know, I was just living my scripture, so I would look at the fight game. Hey, first, corinthians 1031, whatever you eat, whatever you drink, you do it unto the glory of God. Okay, I'm called to excellence. So I would go to work, come home, hang out with my family 9 o'clock.

Speaker 2: 27:48

I'm in the garage, you know, with the bag, whatever the case may be, you go down real quick in a match and it's, you know, like romans 12, right, went into renewing your mind. Right, gotta get back. It's like a quarterback getting a sack. They got to come back to that line. Yep. So there was a lot of scripture that I used all throughout in my journey and stuff like that. That just was that sweet reminder. And and then, even then, um, saying like man, lord, like, why am I even here right now? 51? Like, cause I'm competing at 50. And then, you know, we make a final selection at 51 and it's like, why am I here? But along that journey he showed me certain things where I just got to share with a lot of guys on a team, you know, uh, giving them like little books of John and stuff like that. Guys were allowing me into that camp and I was just so gracious for that. It's like words can't express but the word of God can't Right. That's true love for for someone else.

Speaker 1: 28:44

Now some Christians might think it's impossible to reconcile a sport of fighting and being a Christian. Uh what? What would your rebuttal be to them?

Speaker 2: 28:57

I would say look at David, look at David's mighty men, look at Samson right, the greatest gladiators on the planet have been Christians. I've come from Christian descent. Very good, so, and again too, like who stands up right, because part of being a believer and a man is not only you have to be providers, protectors, priests, and a man is not only have to be providers, protectors, priests, prophets right In our own home. But how do you protect? Right, how do you protect? And it's definitely, it's just like we read the word right. If you want to get closer to God, you keep reading the word right. If you want to be able to protect your family, right, you train in that sense, and not everyone's a gladiator, but there's certain people that God has picked out and designed for that, and so you have to take what he gives you and be accountable with it.

Speaker 1: 29:38

Yeah, amen to that, love it. How does martial arts help our kids, and especially our boys and young men, develop the strong character of uncommon men.

Speaker 2: 29:46

Oh man, it helps with their focus. It helps with respect, right and the way I run.

Speaker 2: 29:51

in our dojo we do um little type uh, and the way I run in our dojo, we do little type sermonettes and stuff like that. So it's just what does a godly man look like, right? What is meekness? It is strength under control, right? So that's what we gear up young men with and that's what we teach them. So, and how do you deal with adversity and how do you live in a world that you're not a part of? Right, not of this world. Uh, I, I've definitely seen that, yes.

Speaker 1: 30:22

What are the things that, uh and we'll talk about your dojo here in Gilbert Arizona, but obviously some of my audience doesn't live around here what are the things that you would encourage parents to look for when exploring a possible facility for their child?

Speaker 2: 30:46

You know I would say, look for proof, um, for their child. You know I would say, look for proof, um, some you know a lot of dojos. You'll see guys talk and they don't understand what they're talking about. Like, what is your background, what are your credentials? Just like we would go for anything else, right? Whether we're looking for an attorney or we're looking for a house, we look for the best zip codes, all that sort of stuff. Uh, I'll give a classic example. I've seen in the area where it was advertised at a local rec center that this guy was offering martial arts and he said you'll be able to beat anyone, any size, any speed and anything of that nature. And I'm like no self-defense is fight or flight. Sometimes you're just not. There's a reason why we have weight classes in fighting, all the fighting.

Speaker 2: 31:29

So, how can you fight anyone, any size, any speed that's? And then I actually went out of curiosity to see the guy's class and I'm like, uh, yeah, that's not a guy I would want in my corner if I were in a fight situation. So, um, and then I saw another one on our local news a couple years back where a gentleman said well, if you're getting choked, you, you scream. And he was teaching a self-defense on TV. They were given a little snippet and I'm like, well, when someone gets tapped out, when they, there's a reason we tap out right.

Speaker 2: 31:59

Because you can't talk, you have no knuckles. So I would say research what you're doing and what are you looking for, right? What are you like? You can't, hey. If, what are you looking for, right? What are you like? You can't hey. If I'm going to go learn to fight, I'm going to go with the top UFC guys. Or if they have a gym that's open, that's where I'm going to go, right? Or hey, like a Navy seal or you know that, right, you know you have these guys like Jocko Willick, right, joe Rogan, all that sort of stuff, so you can see and watch, because a lot of people don't understand the fight game. It looks very sloppy at times.

Speaker 2: 32:31

They don't understand what's going on and things of that nature. But I would say, definitely, look at the person's experience. I don't want to know what you know, you're telling me you're going to do. I want to know what you've done.

Speaker 1: 32:43

Yep.

Speaker 2: 32:43

Because if you have no practical experience, if you've never been to war, so to speak, right, why would I take your advice? Yeah, right. So if you've never, you know, shot a gun, why would I take your advice? Right, like you're not an expert marksman, right? So, um, those are the kinds of things there that I see.

Speaker 1: 33:00

Okay, that's, that's good. Um, and I know, uh, you know, one of our boys has worked out and trained with you and, uh, our daughter will be at some point. We did not do it this summer because we valued our dinner hour. It was a very peaceful summer, but as things pick up here in the school year, we're looking forward to EV training with you. I just love your philosophy. Why do you think it's important for all of us, and especially Christians and, even more importantly, christian young men and men, to be healthy and fit?

Speaker 2: 33:33

Man. That's good, because not only being fit physically helps you physically, but it helps you health-wise longevity. You're called to go out there and make disciples right. You got to take care of the temple. We're called to take care of the temple right. There's a reason why we're taking care of the temple.

Speaker 2: 33:48

Right, we're here to do, to do the lord's work yeah it's good to look fit and be healthy, but then there's also that time when you're like you never know when you're going to be called on. I had a situation where, um, my daughter, uh, my wife asked us to uh stop by a walmart and pick up some uh foil. And it was just a neighborhood Walmart. My daughter, she was coming of age. So she's like, hey, dad, I'll run in and get it. So I'm like, okay, so I'm trying to give her independence, but at the same time I'm watching the door.

Speaker 2: 34:19

It's Walmart after all, so so she calls me on the phone and she's like dad you know, stay on the phone with me and I'm like what?

Speaker 2: 34:29

I didn't get what she was saying. And then she said it the second time. She was like dad, just stay on the phone with me. And for some reason it clicked because the Holy Spirit Right. And I said, is someone following you? And she was like, yeah, right. So of course I jump out the truck and and right away because, like I said, the things that martial arts teaches you, you see, certain things right, what is a person's framework, like when are they walking? I could just remember vividly he's on her right shoulder because I thought she was still in the store.

Speaker 2: 34:58

So, as I'm beating it to the store, she comes out the door, because what he did it was he checked out at the same time with her, after following her around, and then waited up front by the ice machines, and then, when she walked by by, he continued to follow her.

Speaker 2: 35:17

when I saw her I hung up the phone and he peeled off and so she was so shooken up you know I had to address her. Yeah, um, there's other times too where you know we're called to defend the weak. So there was another time we were walking through one of our local malls and, um, the young man at the kiosk would be in, harassed by like five high school kids, and my wife is like hitting me, like hey, check that out, check out what's going on over there. So anytime my wife does that like I got to pay attention to that.

Speaker 1: 35:42

Good man.

Speaker 2: 35:43

So I'm just standing there, so I go over, I act like I'm looking at something in the kiosk. The kids move to another kiosk, they start harassing that person, but by that time we're like hey call mall security. And I just stood there and just waited till mall security got there and stuff like that. So there's times, as believers, we are called period to defend the weak and if God has put that in you, then you owe that, because that's a resource that he gave you and you can't bury it right absolutely.

Speaker 1: 36:13

Yeah, I wish, uh, I wish everyone understood that there's really nothing that we do on earth that isn't enhanced by us being our best self, physically, right, uh and uh, that's great, that's great, all right. So now it's time to get to know you a little bit better. I'm going to ask you some preferences in four manly areas cars, cigars, guns and guitars. And this may or may not apply to you, but your favorite guitar or favorite car, it's either the one you have have had or your dream car.

Speaker 2: 36:44

Okay, so I think a couple of them. I miss my Toyota Tundra that was so cool. Okay, and I think my dream car may be like a Bugatti. Okay, I love the Bugattis.

Speaker 1: 36:56

Gotcha. Yeah, my boys would agree with you on that Cigar. You a cigar guy. I think you're more of a pipe guy, right.

Speaker 2: 37:04

More of a pipe guy, but I love cigars as well. Okay I have not had and would love to check out some cuban cigars okay how can you not right, if you're new to the cigar game, that's like the marquee cigar all right.

Speaker 1: 37:16

Well, I will keep that in mind. I will say, having had some, I think they're overrated, are they uh, in my opinion, um, but uh, I'll, I'll let you be the judge at some point when I get my hands on one favorite gun. So this one is either you're just your all time favorite gun, or if you could only have one gun in your arsenal, what?

Speaker 2: 37:37

would that be Boy? That's a good one. That's a good one, I think my favorite one in my collection right now is the SIG MPX.

Speaker 1: 37:45

Okay.

Speaker 2: 37:45

Cause you could single shot or you could rattle off 30 shots.

Speaker 1: 37:48

Is that a pistol, or what is that?

Speaker 2: 37:55

I'm not familiar with that one.

Speaker 1: 37:56

It's a nine millimeter it uses nine millimeter bullets okay, but it can shoot off automatic or semi-automatic. It's a carbine.

Speaker 2: 38:00

Yes, a rifle, uh it's, I don't know because when we were under the last administration we were going through some stuff where, if you had, right shoulder stock yep, they were starting to list things as rifles, and so I don't know technicalities.

Speaker 1: 38:13

Right, yeah, but it's more than a pistol. Yes, okay, got it, got it. Uh, and either favorite guitar, if you play, or guitarist, if you don't, or okay, man, that's a.

Speaker 2: 38:25

That's a rough subject. That's, uh, something that goes back to my high school days. Love the guitar, always wanted to learn the guitar, took it up in high school but I was a slower learner at it and my teacher used to like just quiz us like every other day and I'm like man, I'm just learning this stuff. So I ended up dropping guitar in high school, big regret. Um bought a guitar, never played it. My daughter took it, taught herself guitar right, so we have Mitchells at the house Taught herself guitar. So then I bought my own guitar again.

Speaker 1: 39:00

Okay.

Speaker 2: 39:01

And so that's probably a bucket list item that I got to learn to play the guitar.

Speaker 1: 39:05

Are you more of an acoustic or an electric guy?

Speaker 2: 39:08

I'm starting off at the basics acoustic Okay.

Speaker 1: 39:10

Yeah, all right, very good, very good. I love that. I love that. Okay, so one of the things that I love to ask people is their three favorite books, so three books that have had the biggest impact on you, or maybe three books that you would recommend that everyone read.

Speaker 2: 39:26

You know what Three favorite books? I could go with one all day long the Bible All right, right. So I know we're in a group currently reading a book on prayer, so I would say, any good book on prayer by a good author, right, it is.

Speaker 1: 39:49

That book is is in my top three.

Speaker 2: 39:51

Um, yeah, so yeah, so and um, I always say books, that I like to read a book, so I'm like physiology of it all, like sports and movement, um, love those kinds of books, but typically overall, uh, christian books are my top.

Speaker 1: 40:09

Okay, any third specific book that you would recommend um, there is.

Speaker 2: 40:16

I mean, there's so many books the gospel, primer, pilgrims, progress, um, so those are definitely up in there. Uh, so yeah, those would be running off my top three up there.

Speaker 1: 40:28

Okay, awesome, love it, love it. All right. How can people learn more about you If they're in the Gilbert Chandler area, how can they learn more about training with you and how can they follow you?

Speaker 2: 40:41

You could go to my website. It says Gilbert M, a, f, m as in Mary, a as in apple, f as in Frank. So it stands for Gilbert martial arts and fitnesscom.

Speaker 1: 40:55

Okay.

Speaker 2: 40:55

So on my website you can contact me. My cell phone is there. So, uh, I love to respond back as as fast as possible.

Speaker 1: 41:03

Excellent and on social media social media.

Speaker 2: 41:06

I am on Instagram and Facebook.

Speaker 1: 41:08

Very good, very good, all right. Social media I am on Instagram and Facebook. Very good, very good, all right. Sean, it's been great chatting with you. You are one of the uncommon men in my life. My life is enriched because you're in it. I just have a tremendous amount of respect for you and just your passion really to pour into our youth through education, through martial arts and fitness, and you're a strong soldier for Christ and I respect you for that and appreciate you for that.

Speaker 2: 41:37

Well, kevin, likewise I feel the same way about you From the first time we met. I know you didn't end up staying there, but it's like man. Who would have thought that years later we would be together like that? And you hold a very special place in my heart too. I love you. You're a man of your word, you're a man of integrity and stuff, and it gets back to why we're even having this conversation. Right, that's very far and few in between in today's society.

Speaker 1: 42:01

Amen. So, friends, I hope you enjoyed and keep listening. Remember to share and subscribe to this podcast and we'll catch you next time.