Today we’d like to introduce you to Christopher Dyer.
Hi Christopher, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
I started Reborn Martial Arts just over two years ago. It was my dream to have my own martial arts studio, and the culmination of close to 20 years of dedicated training and study. I am extremely proud to see my students thriving and genuinely changing into healthier happier people everyday. As a business owner I am excited to be a 100% independent small local business.
When I started training in the Martial arts. I had just finished going to school overseas. I moved to the Northern Virginia Area trying to get a job with the Smithsonian. This was during the Great Recession and I was really struggling financially and that was leading to depression and poor health. I started taking classes at a local school, sometimes missing meals or rent to pay for classes but in the martial arts I found physical activity and a community that helped change my outlook on life.
Now 20 years later I teach Martial arts fulltime and get to share this life changing lifestyle with many more people.
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?
The road had not been easy. First of all there was the initial financial struggle. While I knew I always wanted to run my own studio. It took nearly 20 years to be in a place financially to be able to take on the initial cost. Then, almost as soon as we opened our doors, DOGE began gutting the government jobs. We are located in Northern Virginia, and this was a huge hit to this area’s economy. Following that was the longest government shutdown in history. Many of our students kept coming to class despite not being paid, but we did lose a lot of potential long-term student as a result of these policies.
Appreciate you sharing that. What should we know about Reborn Martial arts?
Reborn Martial Arts aims to be the gold standard for Martial Arts in Northern Virginia. We specialize in teaching the highest level of Martial Arts training. Our art is a complete system of defense, meaning we train a variety of different ranges and methods to handle the broadest range of self-defence situations. We are known for our unique blend of traditional martial arts. And because we are a small, locally focused organization, we can tailor every class to what our students need the most. With the owner running and overseeing every lesson, every class is a Masterclass.
What sort of changes are you expecting over the next 5-10 years?
I have seen trends come and go over the years in this industry, but the traditional arts are still going strong. I do see more people coming to martial arts as a form of functional fitness and an alternative to more traditional gym training. At our school, we try to put the student before the art; this is something I see more schools needing to embrace. We will show the traditional movements as they were historically performed, but may need to modify them to suit a practitioner’s needs. Or, depending on the goal of the student, we might focus more on a certain aspect of training. This is not something that the large majority of schools today do.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://rebornmartialarts.com
- Instagram: rebornmartialarts
- Facebook: Reborn Martial Arts
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@RebornMartialArtsLLC
