7 years of KickForce
Posted: April 12, 2019
As we celebrate 7 amazing years of providing the San Diego community with “The Ultimate Martial Arts Experience”, I thought it would be a good time to reflect on our history, while discussing our continued vision and future goals.
How did KickForce Start? In 2011, we opened doors at KickForce Martial Arts as an independent program in Kearny Mesa inside of Flip Force (that was the inspiration behind our name). As is the case with any new venture, we faced many challenges in the beginning such as teaching in a small room with mixed flooring (which made certain exercises difficult due to the risk factor), a shortage of resources to train with and minimal experience as business owners. However, none of that mattered because we instantly had the loyal support of a few devoted families. We drew motivation from their vote of confidence and used it to get us to where we are today.
In 2013, we had an opportunity to move to Mira Mesa (a few doors down from our current space). We knew that this would be the best move to allow us to spread our mission with the community. Afraid but excited, we took the opportunity. In 2015 we moved again to our current home in Mira Mesa and in early 2018, we opened a second KickForce studio in Clairemont Mesa. We are profoundly aware that none of this would have been possible without your continued love and support.
Since day one, we have adopted the following mission statement, which has kept us both driven and passionate during our transitions and growth: “We have is to inspire others to be great in life through martial arts”.
What does Kickforce offer? We are part of the largest martial arts organization in the world (founded in 1969) which offers several curriculum programs for all ages and a variety of purposes ranging from basic martial arts, self-defense and combative arts, to life skill building and bullying prevention. We also partner with Hyper Martial Arts to offer the best of both worlds: traditional arts and high-performance action training.
What sets KickForce aside from others? When we started, we knew we could effectively instruct martial arts, but teaching classes wasn’t enough. We wanted to partner with families in their own mission of raising strong, happy and responsible children. We knew that our unique style of instruction would complement any parent’s every-day efforts. To this day, we remain invested in that goal. We wanted to help a strong child become stronger and help a quiet child realize the leader inside. We knew that martial arts would be a key factor in making all of this happen. We have always believed that any child armed with the life skills and tools they received from their families, plus the ones they acquire in our studio, can succeed in any aspect that they desire.
Where is Kickforce headed? While our goal is to continue to grow KickForce Martial Arts, multiplying in locations is not our main objective or priority. What is more important is to help our current and future students grow into the natural leaders they were born to be. Over the last seven years, some students have adopted our vision and realized that they can positively make an impact on others through teaching martial arts. We’ve seen shy kids turn into teenage leaders, and unfocused students turn into disciplined instructors and role models to the next generation. Watching these types of instances happen over time has served as affirmation and added motivation for us. As such, we would like to help our students achieve their own goals, while continuing to spread our mission and vision. We envision several more “KickForce Communities” where all students can feel safe to practice martial arts while acquiring life skills that they can use to guide them through everyday situations or challenges. We hope that you can join us in supporting and uplifting any child whose goals and dreams are to lead others.
We know that the greatest gift you can give someone is your time. This is why we are so grateful for every second we spend with your families at KickForce. Thank you for giving us the opportunity to partner with you. We look forward to sharing many more memories with your family.
Carlos Aguilar
Founder, KickForce Martial Arts