Today we’d like to introduce you to Joseph Dotson.
Hi Joseph, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
When I was 4 years old, I watched way too much Television. I didn’t want to get bullied entering grade school, so I started practicing Tae Kwan Do. But after 7 years of practice, it felt like they weren’t teaching anything new. With the gnat-like attention span of a child, I was bored. When we moved away, I quit. Then 2 years passed, and coincidentally, I met a kid my age who practiced Kung Fu since he was 4. One day our bus ran late, and he asked me to spar with him. Sparring is practice fighting with controlled blows. I agreed, we went to the corner of the cafeteria, he told me the rules, and we punched each other. For context, in the 7 years practicing Tae Kwan Do, they never had us spar once. When we started, I got into a basic Tae Kwan Do stance. He dropped into this unorthodox low crouching position with his arms flared out dramatically. When he said go, all I remember thinking was “How did I ended up on my back staring at the ceiling?” He helped me up and said, “That was great! Wanna go again?” We sparred several more rounds and couldn’t stop talking on the ride home. The next 2 years, along with one other friend, we all practiced every day after school together.
I fell in love with Kung Fu because we didn’t only learn to fight. The history, the philosophy, and the artistic nature made me feel as if there was never a definitive end to what I could learn or how far we could go. I knew by this point, I wanted to be a martial arts instructor. We planned our school together, dreaming of how three brothers in martial arts would create something great. Unfortunately, our Kung Fu friend moved away and we stopped practicing. I looked for more Kung Fu, but where I lived, all that was available was Tae Kwan Do or Karate. I tried them, but it was the same as before. Nothing new. So, with no other options, I took my final chance and looked through the yellow pages of a phone book (yes, an actual phone book) to find the only school, with the smallest add, offering Kung Fu around a half hour away.
To get there, my mom drove me down a dirt road at night, in the middle of the woods, were a man invited me, a 15-year-old boy, into his garage offering Martial Arts training with there was no signs or indication that a martial arts school ever existed at this residential home … I was skeptical but proceeded inside with a large amount of optimism. And I’m glad I did. By the end of class, I knew he was an exceptional instructor and began practice once again. Every season for years we trained outside on gravel, in his confining garage space, and on uneven ground. His dogs dug holes in that ground, landmines of chicken poop peppered his yard that I’d avoid him throwing me into, he had trees for punching, stacked bricks to balance on, and we sparred barehanded or with various wooden or metal martial art weapons every day.
For over 20 years, I’ve practiced with him learning a combination of Gao Style Ba Gua Zhang Kung Fu and Shaolin Tiger Kung Fu. He named it Tien Hu Ba Gua Zhang. Within those 20 years, I practiced other styles of Martial Arts intermittently, such as Tai Chi Chuan, Xing Yi Chuan, Brazilian Ju Jitsu, Wing Chun, Judo, Aikido, Karate, MMA, and Jeet Kune Do. I have participated in amateur fighting and local point-sparing tournaments. I’ve participated in and conducted various martial arts demonstrations and seminars. I began teaching over 10 years ago and have grown a school to be proud of called Full Circle Kung Fu.
The passion I’ve had for martial arts is what I aim to instill in each of my students. We learn to fight to prevent a fight and the goal if someone does try to hurt us is to go home safe at the end of the day. We learn to run, avoid, or talk down hostile situations. I teach how to deal with weapons and how to fight against multiple opponents of larger or smaller stature. I’ve never claimed to be the best, but I can say I’m confident in both my ability and my students’ abilities to protect themselves or others. No matter how far we go or how much we practice, there will always be something new to learn, to teach, and to share with others. What started out as my fear of the unknown evolved into a lifelong passion.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Most difficulties came when I was older figuring out how to balance work, personal life, personal practice time, and teaching Kung Fu. I always found a way to make things work by listening to others, working with their needs, and communicating effectively. It was also difficult coming from a small martial arts school. I think the training was higher quality, but to make the school grow, I had to learn more business management on my own. I was very fortunate that I was financially stable with a career in Criminal Justice and was never in a hurry to grow fast. I took my time learning and tweaking aspects of my curriculum and becoming a part of the community before growing to where I am today.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
Outside of teaching Kung Fu, I have been working in the field of Criminal Justice for over 10 years. I went through a year of training with the Virginia State Police Academy learning about firearms, police tactics, and Virginia law. In the last phase of training, I was told my “command presences” wasn’t what they wanted in a Trooper. Basically meaning, I was too nice to people. Instead, they gave me a civilian position keeping track and checking up on sex offenders in my area. Social work proved to be a better fit for me than policing and I stayed in the field. About 3 years ago I left the Virginia State Police and was hired as a Probation Officer. Even though martial arts do teach you to be hands on. The other aspect is talking down a situation and helping people to understand. We don’t learn to fight so we can get into fights. It’s also to learn how to stay calm and be safe under pressure. I get to practice this aspect of martial arts as a probation officer and have been proud to serve our community in this way for over a decade.
What do you like and dislike about the city?
The City of Newport News is great location. I love easily being able to go to Colonial Williamsburg, Busch Gardens, Yorktown Beach, and the Buckroe Area of Hampton without any issues. Since the water separates us from Norfolk, Portsmouth and Virginia Beach, I feel it is easier to get around Newport News. We still get traffic, but not as much as they do. Also Newport News Park is a beautiful recreational location with many less traveled attractions people do not know about.
Pricing:
- Mon & Weds Ages 3-10: $100 per month
- Tues & Thurs Ages 3-10: $100 per month
- Tues, Thurs, & Fri Ages 11+: $60 per month
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.fullcirclekungfu.com/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/fullcirclekungfu/
