Who Am I?
My name is Seth Heller and I’m a professional coach, mentor, and Martial Artist. I’ve been training in Martial Arts for nearly 20 years, and have spent the last 8 years as part of the leadership team, running the school in which I grew up.
Below is the story of my Martial Arts journey, from when I was a kid to where I am now. I detail all of the challenges, triumphs, and growth I’ve had along the way and how each experience has shaped me into who I am today.
If my story resonates with you, or you would simply like to connect, I’d love to hear from you via email or through one of my linked social media profiles.
Enjoy the journey!
The Little Gym
My journey in Martial Arts started when I was a toddler in a program called “Karatenastics” at The Little Gym in Marlton, NJ. Little did we know that the creator of this program would go on to found Budo Full Range Martial Arts and set the stage for my life’s passion and purpose!
When I was 4, my brother started his own journey at Budo, and mine was soon to follow…
Budo Beginnings
Budo’s program for kids started when they were 6 years old, which meant I would have to wait to step out on the mats myself. However, that didn’t stop me from watching, learning, and practicing as much as I could before I could get out there myself. Finally, in November of 2005, 2 months before my 6th birthday, I was able to officially start my training at Budo!
I quickly excelled in the program, rising through the ranks at a fast pace. This accelerated progress was partially due to my experience practicing with my brother and dad before enrolling, but also due to my drive and motivation to succeed from a young age.
When I was 8, after about 2 and a half years of training, I ranked out of the 6-8 year old class, meaning that I would move up early to the 9-12 year old program, a challenge I would accept on multiple occasions throughout my journey.
Advancing Through the Ranks
In November of 2011, 6 years after officially starting my journey, I tested to gain my invitation into the “Black Belt Challenge,” something that had only been taken on by one group of students prior.
It wasn’t until a year later we had an appropriate group of students that were ready to accept the challenge together. This process would start the most transformative experience of my life - and not for the reason I originally thought.
In February of 2013, myself and 3 other students embarked on the journey to earn the most prestigious rank in Martial Arts as Budo’s second ever “Black Belt Challenge” began.
I went in with confidence, and in all honesty, lots of arrogance. I expected the work to be hard, but assumed that I would pass with flying colors given my experience and training up to this point.
Black Belt Challenge
After 10 brutal weeks of training including 2 hour “Black Belt Prep” classes on Sundays, plus up to 4 other Mixed Martial Arts classes throughout the rest of the week, we had arrived at the 3-Day Prep Test that would award us with our Probationary Junior Black Belts.
Day 1 was all about Kata, forms from traditional Martial Arts styles that honed in a practitioner’s focus, discipline, balance, coordination, and body control.
Day 2 centered around live application and technique demonstration of Kickboxing and JuJutsu.
Day 3 was a test of mental and physical fortitude including an extensive, high-intensity workout, followed by a short lunch break. The 3rd day of testing concluded with live applications of MMA, combining all of our skills against Black Belts in the school, as well as Sensei Aka and Sensei Carlo (my instructors since the beginning and founders of Budo) themselves.
After all was said and done, it took about 2 weeks to tabulate the final results. When I finally received the email, I opened it eagerly to find out if all my hard work had paid off. After reading through, I found out that by just 1.42%, I had FAILED…
I was absolutely devastated. Not only did I work so incredibly hard to achieve this goal, but I felt like I had done well and deserved to pass. After 7 years of dedication and commitment, I contemplated giving it all up and accepting that it just wasn’t meant to be.
Black Belt Challenge… Take 2
After a few weeks, discussing the situation with my parents, friends, training partners, and instructors, I realized that quitting would not help me achieve my goal. I still wanted to get my Black Belt, and I was becoming more determined than ever to achieve that goal.
Over the next 2 years, I trained harder than ever before, waiting for the next opportunity I’d have to test for my Black Belt. During this time I committed to losing weight (I was always on the huskier side as a child), improved my nutritional habits, started lifting weights on my own, and increased my training to 5 classes per week at Budo.
I went in to the next Black Belt Challenge with an attitude of CONQUERING versus simply just surviving… I knew generally what to expect, and this time blew the doors off of the test, passing with flying colors!
Like I mentioned, this experience would end up being one of the most, if not the most, influential experiences of my life. It taught me about perseverance, and how failure can be used as fuel to improve versus something to harp on and use as an excuse to quit. These values have stuck with me, and continue to be my primary motivation for helping others through Martial Arts.
My Coaching Journey Begins
In 2016, I took on a more prominent role in Budo, coaching classes on my own, daily operations, events, marketing, and whatever else I could get my hands on in the business.
I had been helping out with classes since I was 11, since it was a requirement for rank advancement, but I continued past the requirements because I really fell in love with giving back and leading the next generation of Martial Arts athletes.
Martial Arts Business Summit (MABS)
In 2018, I attended the Martial Arts Business Summit (MABS) in New York as my first large event in the Martial Arts industry. This event was game-changing in my understanding of business and personal development. I walked away with a different mindset when it came to improving myself and teaching others how to do the same.
MABS inspired me to learn more about the business world and how I could use the skills I was learning to impact my students and further Budo’s mission of helping others build strong bodies, stronger minds, and the strongest spirit!
Getting Certified in the SPEAR System
In 2019, I attended my first Blauer Tactical seminar to become certified to teach Tony Blauer’s SPEAR System, an evidence-based self-defense system designed around the human reaction to violence and unexpected stimuli (the flinch). The SPEAR System also covers fear and conflict management, making it the most comprehensive personal defense system in the world.
Since I began my training at Budo, I had been learning and practicing the SPEAR System because it was integrated into the curriculum and philosophy. Finally having the opportunity to attend a seminar with Coach Blauer and his team was an amazing experience and one that would set the stage for more growth with the system throughout my career!
2020…
In January of 2020, after completing my Associate’s Degree in Business Administration at Rowan College and beginning to pursue a Bachelor’s in Business Management, I made the difficult decision to pause my formal education and become more involved with the management of daily operational activities at Budo.
This would include more time spent coaching and working with students, learning about and managing the business, and becoming a more prominent figure in Budo’s marketing and sales efforts.
However, in March for 2020, we all know what happened…
The Covid-19 pandemic had a massive impact on everyone’s lives, and one that ended up accelerating my path towards leadership.
Lockdown
When the lockdown hit, we at Budo quickly made the transition to a virtual program. As a team, we started running virtual group classes over Zoom, holding 1-on-1 accountability check-ins with our students, providing daily challenges, creating an online university, and more! We were frequently working 14 hour days, making sure everyone was getting what they needed to stay involved and focused through this challenging time.
Over the next few months, I worked with the team to help keep our students physically active and in a positive state of mind in order to push through the pandemic. However, it became increasingly more difficult as families were leaving the program, our team was having a tough time working together, and we were beginning to lose faith in ourselves and the program.
Then, in July, our team leader resigned from his position, leaving me and my brother to take over and rebuild the program.
Recovering from the Lockdown
Not only were we without our team leader now, but we had also lost over 100 students, nearly half of our student-base, due to the initial pandemic lockdown.
At that point I took over as the team leader and program director, leading the charge running classes, checking in with current students, marketing the school to new students, running intro lessons, managing our social media, attending workshops and seminars to help grow the school, and more.
A few weeks later, we were finally inviting new students into the school again and making a push towards growing back to where we were, and beyond.
Rebuilding
By the fall of 2021, we had revitalized the school back to 190 students! This was a huge milestone, since we accomplished this feat with just a team of 2 running the day-to-day, while previously there were up to 6 of us managing that number of students.
This period of time was one of the most challenging in my career because the tasks seemed never-ending. There was more work than ever with just 2 of us and we no longer had the guidance we previously had to help us avoid making simple mistakes.
Accelerating the Growth
Once the school’s growth had stalled, Sensei Aka and Sensei Carlo (the owners) decided it was time to get more involved with the business again to invest in the team and the overall growth of the student-body.
Over the next 3 years, we would bring on new team members, attend weekly coaching workshops, participate in marketing and sales training, travel to Blauer Tactical events and seminars, and more all to improve the experience for our students and better manage the school.
Through the increased involvement of the owners, I would also take on an even more prominent role. I started leading a larger team, worked closely with the owners to manage the direction of the school and our growth efforts, and continued studying to become the best coach, leader, and businessperson that I could.
Where Am I Now?
I am the team leader at Budo Full Range Martial Arts. The school has now grown to over 260 students and is the healthiest it’s ever been since conception in 2002.
On a daily basis I’m working with my team to keep in constant communication with our students, manage operational activities, maintain our high standards of performance for both employees and students, and support wherever else I’m needed.
Beyond daily operations, I manage long-term projects, special events, the Budo birthday team, and community engagement for the company.
After all these years working with families, learning about the business world, and developing as a Martial Artist, coach, and leader, my goal is to bring Budo’s message to the world. I want to open schools in all different areas, hiring and training strong teams with strong leaders that can inspire kids and adults alike to become the best version of themselves through Martial Arts and personal development.
Thank you for reading my story! I’d love to connect and learn more about how what I do resonates with you. Please feel free to contact me via email at sethheller.budo@gmail.com or visit one of my linked social media profiles and send me a message.