Business Spotlight: Green Hill Martial Arts

Self-defense, strength, confidence and community are some of the lessons taught at in Killingworth, where men, women, boys and girls "learn how to defend themselves from an aggressive, physical encounter – ANY aggressive, physical encounter."

John Himmelman, co-president, says "people come in all sizes, ages and shapes. We recognize that there are some things some people just cannot do, however, there are techniques EVERYONE can do, so anyone can learn our art."

They keep their classes on the smaller-size to allow instructors "to better work with the strengths and weaknesses of the individual."

"The nature of the arts we teach," Himmelman says, "requires plenty of one-on-one instruction, so the classes are small."

Guiding the students’ progress in their advancement is a truly rewarding endeavor for the instructors at GHMA.

"We really like these people and watching them challenge themselves, and prevail, makes all the hard work worth it. As for the youngsters, we enjoy seeing them boost their self esteem as they progress and also learn to work with their new friends in class."

Patch wanted to know more about what makes GHMA a succesful local business so we asked some questions. This is what they said.

Going into business for yourself is incredibly hard. What made you take the leap?

The school was founded by Arthur Blair in 2000 as Green Hill Combat Hapkido. When Mr. Blair stepped down from running the school, he offered his students the opportunity to keep it going – in the same building, which he owns. Instructors Edward Ricciuti and John Himmelman, took on that challenge. We wanted to run this more as a club than a business, so we re-incorporated it as a non-profit organization, formed a board of directors, and enlisted the help of the other students and their families to relaunch. The name was changed to Green Hill Martial Arts to reflect our inclusion of the Chinese/American art of Jeet Kune Do in our curriculum. Mr. Blair continues his involvement as a director and instructor.

While we both have other jobs (we’re authors), we recognized that many of the students, us included, have dedicated many years of our lives to training in Combat Hapkido and Jeet Kune Do (JKD) and did not want to see it come to an end. We are thrilled to say that did not come to pass.    

Why did you start your business locally? 

The school is located in an attachment to the Blairs’ home. The training room (dojo) is very large and padded from the floor to the walls for the safety of the students. We (Ricciuti and Himmelman) have been active in our hometown of Killingworth for many years and are pleased to continue here.

How long did it take to go from idea to first customer?

Our situation is a little different from most “start-ups”. We already had a student base from the previous incarnation of the school. We are truly grateful that during our transition, every single student not only stuck with us, but also pitched in to make this happen!

When people think of your business, what sets you apart from others? 

We teach an art that is proven to be highly effective. Combat Hapkido involves twisting joints, kicks, strikes, and takedowns. It is taught to our military and police forces, and to men and women in other armed forces throughout the world. It works! The same can be said for Jeet Kune Do; the “strike while defending” art created by legendary martial artist Bruce Lee. There are no tournaments, but we do have a belt ranking system that compels the students to keep moving forward in their training.

Green Hill Martial Arts also continues on the tradition created by Arthur Blair of not lining up according to rank, or wearing our ranks in class. During class, all students work together. We learn from one another. We come from all walks of life – artists, teachers, lawyers, machinists, students – all excited to gather together to work out some frustrations from the job, get a workout, and learn some important skills.

Both Combat Hapkido and JKD incorporate effective techniques gleaned from other martial arts. They both continue to evolve while maintaining that solid, main core of using and attacker’s force against him. The instructors continue to train in seminars, workshops, and private lessons with other practitioners and they bring that knowledge to the class.

Lastly, and this can’t be overemphasized, this stuff is fun! You get to do things you never thought you could do! (Ask about “The Elvis”)

What's the most important ingredient to your success? 

I’m not sure how prevalent this is with other schools, but we seem to attract some of the most decent, down-to-earth people out there. New students see this right away and naturally want to be part of this family. If you are giving up your valuable time in the evening or Saturday morning, it helps that you are spending it with people who share your excitement, and who are fun to be around. Because we are non-profit, everyone pitches in to clean the mats, wipe down the equipment, do some carpentry and painting. The school belongs to our membership, and they are proud to take ownership in it.

What are you doing to attract and retain your customers during the economic recession?

We run ads here and there. Most of our students come from word of mouth. We are happy that once aboard, most stick with us all the way to black belt – and then become instructors themselves.

What's the biggest challenge you face in your business today?

We’re located in a residential neighborhood on Green Hill Road, so chances are people aren’t going to come upon us in their daily rounds. The residential location means signage must be at a minimum, for understandable reasons. Therefore, we are a little more dependent on word of mouth, and advertising.

What's your best advice for someone looking to start his or her own business?

Get a good accountant and/or tax attorney. There are so many hurdles along the way, especially if you are running a non-profit. One number in the wrong column can set you back months when dealing with State and federal bureaucracy.

You also need to have a passion for what you do. That passion will carry you through the more difficult and frustrating times of the process.

Where would you like your business to be in five years?

We’d be happy to be exactly where we are. 

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Business name: Green Hill Martial Arts

Owner(s): Edward Ricciuti and John Himmelman (co-presidents) 

Business Address:  149 Green Hill Road, Killingworth CT

Hours of Operation: Classes 6 days a week

Phone:  (860) 663-3225 or (860) 663-1804

Webpage: www.greenhillmartialarts.org

Facebook: Green Hill Martial Arts

Founding/Opening Date:  September 2011

Type of business: Self defense (Combat Hapkido and Jeet Kune Do)