How it all started...
In the closing months of 1986, Paul McCoy, a bicycle racer at the time, flipped over on his bicycle at 35 miles per hour and, due to the toe clips holding his feet to the frame, landed on his head, then left shoulder, shattering his left shoulder. The emergency room determined that he had multiple fractures on the left scapula and perhaps a separated shoulder but did not notice or inquire about a possible head injury. Later, Paul found himself accelerating his car into oncoming traffic, having concluded that his life was not worth living. At about 100 feet, it occurred to him that he was not only ending his own life but perhaps the lives of those in the on-coming car as well, and he skidded to the other side of the road to recover his senses.
The realization that he had tried to kill himself caused him to seek medical attention, and his physician rationally determined that he was depressed and prescribed Xanax just because. After a few months, he was sent to a counselor who, upon shaking his hand, had already determined he was not depressed but had sustained a brain injury and sent him to a neuropsychiatrist at Yale. As it turned out, the physician, whom his counselor had trained under, was the world-leading researcher in what was then a little-known injury known as Traumatic Brain Injury. After a few dozen tests and two weeks of examination, it was determined, in the words of the physician, that Paul would be at least two of the following, if not all of them, within a year, following a statistical determination of the outcome of the TBI and its associated diagnoses:
1) Dead by suicide.
2) Divorced due to the difficulty of dealing with the non-recoverable injury of TBI.
3) In jail, as a result of the behavioral outcomes of TBI and its associated conditions due to the severity of Paul’s condition.
4) In a mental institution for the rest of his life.
The doctor misjudged the prognosis but correctly acknowledged the injury’s lasting nature. In brief, the counselor Paul continues to depend on Anne’s and Paul’s faith, as well as their previously hidden talent for teaching martial arts, which has opened pathways for others to succeed. Their daughter’s life has enabled Anne and Paul to positively impact society without triggering the negative outcomes that were forecasted. We established MAK, the one-of-a-kind martial arts organization dedicated to our mission of transforming the world, one student at a time.
The realization that he had tried to kill himself caused him to seek medical attention, and his physician rationally determined that he was depressed and prescribed Xanax just because. After a few months, he was sent to a counselor who, upon shaking his hand, had already determined he was not depressed but had sustained a brain injury and sent him to a neuropsychiatrist at Yale. As it turned out, the physician, whom his counselor had trained under, was the world-leading researcher in what was then a little-known injury known as Traumatic Brain Injury. After a few dozen tests and two weeks of examination, it was determined, in the words of the physician, that Paul would be at least two of the following, if not all of them, within a year, following a statistical determination of the outcome of the TBI and its associated diagnoses:
1) Dead by suicide.
2) Divorced due to the difficulty of dealing with the non-recoverable injury of TBI.
3) In jail, as a result of the behavioral outcomes of TBI and its associated conditions due to the severity of Paul’s condition.
4) In a mental institution for the rest of his life.
The doctor misjudged the prognosis but correctly acknowledged the injury’s lasting nature. In brief, the counselor Paul continues to depend on Anne’s and Paul’s faith, as well as their previously hidden talent for teaching martial arts, which has opened pathways for others to succeed. Their daughter’s life has enabled Anne and Paul to positively impact society without triggering the negative outcomes that were forecasted. We established MAK, the one-of-a-kind martial arts organization dedicated to our mission of transforming the world, one student at a time.
Expanding the vision...
Since opening its doors in 1994, M.A.K has gone through many transformations, and thankfully, the facility's core has remained the same: its mission of reaching the community through martial arts. Changing the world one student at a time was and is the purpose for each instructor to step on the floor. We were not merely training warriors, a simple activity in which athletes learned how to fight. It was more than just karate. M.A.K was enhancing athletes' lives to be world changers through the tools of their training.
An incident such as the one Anne and Barbara McCoy experienced in 2016 shows the fortitude of M.A.K’s core and character. They choose and each day chooses to live not like victims but survivors, the world changers they have been training to be. This trauma shook M.A.K. on an emotional level; it, however, gave way to a more impactful outreach to the community in which M.A.K. is located. We have often been taught that we learn martial arts to physically protect our bodies without fully engaging the importance of protecting our minds and spirits as well, though mind-body-spirit is constantly discussed. Tapping into knowing your worth and living a life that values protecting all three aspects of our humanness (mind-body-spirit) is where M.A.K finds itself. The life skills taught in each program became not only a foundation to live our best lives but a hedge of protection in all we do, in how we train on the mat, and in the world.
An incident such as the one Anne and Barbara McCoy experienced in 2016 shows the fortitude of M.A.K’s core and character. They choose and each day chooses to live not like victims but survivors, the world changers they have been training to be. This trauma shook M.A.K. on an emotional level; it, however, gave way to a more impactful outreach to the community in which M.A.K. is located. We have often been taught that we learn martial arts to physically protect our bodies without fully engaging the importance of protecting our minds and spirits as well, though mind-body-spirit is constantly discussed. Tapping into knowing your worth and living a life that values protecting all three aspects of our humanness (mind-body-spirit) is where M.A.K finds itself. The life skills taught in each program became not only a foundation to live our best lives but a hedge of protection in all we do, in how we train on the mat, and in the world.
Where we are headed...
M.A.K. envisions a future where individuals of all ages are empowered to express their creativity, humanity, and empathy through enhanced safety, guided by our motto that the Privilege of Power is Service. We regard M.A.K.’s Black Belts as influential figures who wield moral, physical, intellectual, and experiential power, empowering them to chase their dreams and enabling them to support others in achieving theirs. We foresee a better world through the sharing of power with our students to the fullest extent possible. We perceive #MAKLife as a vision of love empowered by strength. We don't seek your trust merely because we are martial arts instructors; instead, we invite you to trust us based on our established track record of assisting others in reaching their goals while applying these methods in both our lives and those of our families. Our mission is to help you accomplish your objectives, a commitment we’ve honored for over 30 years.
