The man. The myth. The legend.
Nestled in the frigid mountains of northern British Columbia lies the modest town of Houston. Here lives a man who has trained for over 20 years in various martial arts. Seeing a need in this town for people to get in shape, be more confident in themselves, and have a place that people could connect to, he decided to start his own dojo. What caught my attention, and gained my patronage, was that he runs this dojo privately. So, after a year of getting my ass handed to me by the man: Charles Cochran – that’s Charles-Sensei to you – I decided to ask a few questions after class one night.
Sitting on the grass in the evening sun, I asked Chuck why he started a dojo. He said, “I feel like the practice of doing physical exercise is a predominant part of my experience as a person. It kept me out of trouble, so I can understand it’s a very positive thing… I feel like I could help people be better versions of themselves.”
I listened eagerly as he explained that he felt compelled to act, “I was sitting in the shower and listening to this stupid thing saying, ‘If we see something wrong in the world, and we feel like we have an answer to that thing, then we should understand the difference between being a bystander versus getting called to action to lead.’ For some reason, that resonated with me. Is this my call to action?”
Charles paused to pick a hefty moth off his shirt and set the creature down beside him as he continued. “I also needed my own private situation. I needed my own space to be able to vent. A place that makes sense to me… When I was a kid, every party I went to, no matter what the situation was, somebody’s talking about the freshness of the guacamole in the f*****’ Safeway 5 blocks away, I’ll come out with a sentence involving martial arts. So, I needed a place for it. Otherwise, I would have drove my wife nuts talking about martial arts while we’re eating dinner, or when she’s trying to read.”
I’m sure Mrs. Cochran is eternally grateful for this revelation.
I then asked Charles how long he had been training for. “Since I was 8 or 9,” he said. “I took a karate class. Hated karate. Too structured. The teacher was too stuffy. I maybe went 5 or 6 times. From there I went to Roman-Greco and freestyle wrestling. I did that for 5 or 6 years, all throughout high school. I was about 14 or 15 when I first ran into Ninjitsu, in the Bujinkan [Budo Taijutsu] school. Then I went straight to Brazilian Jui Jitsu. I got my blackbelt after my wife got pregnant the first time; But I’ve never stopped training, it’s my base setting. I don’t sing, I can’t dance, I’m not a good drawer, I gotta fight.”
As the sun began to set on our quiet town, I asked my last question: Why, Charlie, is private business important to you? He sat back and stroked his beard like a true Sensei. Then he leaned forward and said, “…every time I got a job or was attached to a company that had “ethics” (quotation mine), they used ethics as a point of leverage over the people they’re selling to. When they have those ethics it’s almost always just a line, they don’t believe it. So, if I run my own private business, I can run it with ethics as a forefront for why I’m doing it. If I say I have ethics, I want to practice them as well; To hold to them as if they were an immutable code.” I’m always thrilled to hear an answer like that!
So, how does one keep a dojo in the private? With proper contracts, of course! First, it’s important to note that “Tenacity Martial Arts” is a brand name, not a registered ENTITY. It must reflect this fact in the contract. It’s also important to state that the agreement you are making is between the man: Charles Cochran, and the wo/man who is choosing to receive his instruction of their own free will. You are not making a pact with the brand name! The wo/men who choose to enter this dojo take full responsibility for themselves (within reason), but it’s also important to let them know how they can seek remedy if they feel they’ve been wronged. Think of it as a private club; the knowledge offered is exclusive to those who pay for membership.
Charles would like you to remember that you should never start a dojo without decades of proper training. However, if you happen to have the qualifications needed, and you find joy in teaching, you can rest assured that establishing a dojo in the private realm is achievable!
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