#18 - Scott Base: How Self-Defense Classes Are Bringing Communities Together

Chris Miller: You are officially live beautiful at the dining room studio. And as far as going to Colorado, what are you going to compete in?

Scott Base: Uh, individually, I'm going to compete in five different events. So the five events that I'm going to compete in individually and this is what a lot of my students are going to do as well, is so we do a, uh, traditional forms competition. So forms is like, it's your set pattern of all the techniques, depending on what rank you are, depends on the form that you do. And then you just get judged on how good it is that you did it correct. Like, the flow. I mean, you just get judged on the entire thing. So I'm going to do that. Then the same concept with weapons. So there's weapons forms. So I'll do a form with I compete with the bow staff, so I'll do that. And then, uh, three fighting events. There's a screamus fighting, which is single hand short stick fighting. Then there's what's classified as sword sparring, which is like, it's a longer weapon. It's considered a sword. It's double hand. So ascrima you have to keep one hand on sword, you have to keep two hand on. And there's a long list of different rules for each on how you score and what classifies as a strike and what doesn't. And then the final event will just be like the traditional hand to hand sparring. So it's more of a traditional point sparring type thing. So you're not going for knockouts and bloods and cuts. It's more of a traditional taekwondo, uh, like sport fighting type thing.

Chris Miller: So you're going to have a big day. Is that all going to be in a weekend? Probably.

Scott Base: It's all on Saturday. Yeah, it'll all happen all in one day. And that's just the individual. And then at the end of the day, they finish with team sparring. Um, so there's different age divisions. And, uh, for team, you've got to be like a higher rank, a black belt. But teams, uh, you form teams of traditionally, they're one female, two males. Female fights each other, the females fight each other, the two males fight each other. Um, and then it's cumulative points. So if one fighter wins by one, one fighter wins by one. But then one fighter loses by four, your team lost. So it's cumulative. So we've got eight teams that are going to be fighting. I'm fighting on two of them and coaching the other six.

Chris Miller: And as far as form goes, we'll start at the first event. Form. I'm imagining Cobra Kai.

Scott Base: Yeah, I mean, a little bit. So form, it's obviously, it's an individual event, like I said, just depending on what you go. So my form is 95 moves. So I go through I have like, a beginning position. I go through. There's different stances and kicks and strikes. And like I said, the form is set. So you're being judged on that you didn't make any mistakes, that you did the form correctly. But then you're also being judged on how good are your techniques, how good are your kicks, how good are your strikes. The application, if it's supposed to be a technique that's high, if it's a block that's designed to block your head, are you actually clearing your head or are you doing it down by your waist? So there's also, like, the application concept of it as well.

Chris Miller: Yeah. So when you're practicing form, you essentially have a routine. You said 95 moves, so you go from move one and all the way to 95.

Scott Base: Yeah. I mean, obviously for conditioning purposes, you definitely want to do full form run throughs. Um, but it's also very important to make sure you're breaking it up and working the combos so that you can kind of get like, for lack of a better way to put it, like a roller coaster concept, because your form should not be monotone. So when I've got 95 moves, it shouldn't be one, two, three there's combos. So it might be 1234-5678, 910, because every form essentially is like it's a self defense setup, it's a movie scene, whatever you want to call it, whatever you want, however you want to imagine in your head. But when you're doing a combo of a form, there is application of what it is that you're supposed to be doing. So you have those mini fight scenes. So if you have a form that's very monotone, that traditionally that doesn't actually score as well because you're not showing the application of what it is that you're supposed to be doing with the moves. So breaking down those combos and breaking down those applications and those many fights within the form is also really important. So you understand the form because it's like saying, hey, it goes, one, two, three. Cool. Well, why does it go one, two, three? So understanding that why and then putting all nine of it, 95 of it together so that you have this full picture, you have this full movie scene, whatever you want to call it. And then your weapons forms is the exact same way. You're just doing it with a weapon, whether that's an escrima stick, whether it's, ah, a Gumdo, whether that's a bow staff, a nunchuck, whatever weapon you happen to pick or choose, there's a weapons form that does all of those exact same things.

Chris Miller: So you said the weapon you're going to be using is a bow staff, correct?

Scott Base: Yeah, I teach them all and things like that for fun. I will mix it up and just compete with different things. Like the last tournament I went and competed with, I did the nunchucks, um, A, because I wanted to do something different, but also B, because the last tournament I went to, I flew. And it's a lot easier to fly a pair of nunchucks than it is to fly a six foot bow staff.

Chris Miller: You have to check nunchucks.

Scott Base: No, because when you're competing, they're like safety weapons, so they're not going to be like hard metal or anything like that, because you want to be able to show and demonstrate what you're doing. But obviously the purpose is not for you to hurt yourself.

Chris Miller: Right?

Scott Base: So the competition nunchucks, they're a real firm like foam. So those are kind of what you use for competition. And then when you're training you have those for application or you have those for practicing, but then for application we have wooden ones and we have uh, metal ones that you can use that are a little bit more like live action type thing. Same thing with your bow staffs, same thing with the scream of sticks, things like that. We've got multiple sides of the weapons of more realistic application hitting and then like training side of like, hey, we can still do all these things but if we're swinging at each other, at least there's padded so if something goes wrong you're not getting completely smacked upside the head. Exactly.

Chris Miller: And then what's a scream of stick?

Scott Base: Uh, so a scream of stick is a, ah, 22 inch piece of essentially a piece of wood or a foam stick. So it literally looks like a little bat. So it's called an escreamistic and it's.

Chris Miller: Similar to a bow staff, just shorter.

Scott Base: Correct.

Chris Miller: Yeah. And where did all of this come from? Bo staff?

Scott Base: Uh, screamistic nunchuck for the most part I can't say all because some of the weapons have just been designed to be martial arts style weapons. But m, most of the weapons are traditional from way back when martial arts was started. It was bostaff was a broomstick, it was a, hey, this is a large stick that I can train and learn and use how to do. And a screamer stick was like the bat type thing that was used for beating hay and things like that. So not to be cliche, but it's like they're all essentially like farm tools and hand tools and things like that that were kind of turned into weapons, essentially. So there's one that's called, it's called a comma, um, and it's a twelve inch handle with a hook on it. And that weapon was designed off of the tool that was used to cut the wheat and cut the weeds on the farm when you were harvesting crops and things like that way back in the day. And it was turned into a weapon. So that's actually a weapon that we teach to some of our higher level students and there's forms that go along with that and there's blocking and hooking and slicing and stabbing and yeah, it's pretty crazy.

Chris Miller: That's intense. Do you feel confident with the nunchucks if you needed to defend yourself?

Scott Base: Yes. Uh, I tell my students nunchucks is one of the most popular and if you know how to use them everybody has seen the videos of bruce Lee doing their thing. And there's that little kid that wore, like, the yellow jumpsuit that went super viral. Uh, imitating that classic Bruce Lee video. Yeah. If you know what you're doing, obviously, it can be a great weapon, but it's not the most practical because you and I, we live here in Lawrence. So we're walking down on Mass Street. You get into a situation. What on the street are you going to pick up that's going to replicate a pair of nunchucks?

Chris Miller: Ah.

Scott Base: Unless you're randomly carrying them with you because you're that dedicated. But on a scream of stick, that's a stick. You could get that off of a tree. You could pick that off the ground. A bow staff. So we definitely teach them all. Like, nunchucks is one of the best things for coordination because you do have that string or that chain that's holding those two pieces. So as much as you have complete control over one side, if you're not doing it right, you don't have complete control of the other side, where those other ones that are more solid weapons, you have more control. But those are the application of it as well. The kids always love the nunchucks. It's always their favorite things like that. And it's funny because the adults like this cream of stick because they're like, oh, no, this is proud. I can see this. I could see me doing this with this. And I'm like, yeah. Just like everything else that you have in the martial arts world, you have the stuff that has the great application. You have the stuff that's designed to build you in this way or that way or things like that. And you have the stuff that sometimes you just enjoy more, even if it's not using my air quotes as practical type of thing. But you train something for 20 years, you're going to feel pretty comfortable with it no matter what.

Chris Miller: That's true. Uh, was there Nunchucks? And Napoleon Dynamite? Did you ever watch?

Scott Base: I did, but it's been so long. Besides asking for Tater Tots, I don't know that I could quote a whole lot more about that movie, Vote for Pedro. I got that, too.

Chris Miller: Yeah. So tell me about the first time you walked into a dojo.

Scott Base: So kind of my backstory. So, uh, my stepdad, when I was super young, um, he was always messing around with martial arts because he trained it back in the 80s. So he trained with his oldest son, and they both had trained together. So they had their uniforms, and they would mess around in the backyard and they would do things together. And when I was three, four years old, that was something I looked at, and I was like, so for a couple of years, I would mess around and do backyard training with them. And he taught me how to do a proper punch and how to do a proper kick and just basic things because I would mess around with them. And it was always something that I wanted to do. Um, but when I was a kid, I was kind of that classic kid. I wanted to do everything. But then when it came to it, I was like, actually, no, never mind. So my mom was always hesitant on actually starting me. Um, so it was something I wanted to do. And then I had a really good friend of mine in elementary school that started, uh, taekwondo. And this is back when I lived in Salina. So he started and when he started, the instructor there gave him a buddy pass and was like, hey, invite a buddy to come start classes with you. Great marketing tool. Um, and he immediately gave it to me. And I was like, oh, my gosh, I have to do this. So, uh, at that point, my mom kind of caved and was like, all right, we'll go do this little trial thing. Um, and then I begged and begged and begged, and she finally bit the bullet and was like, all right, cool. I'm going to sign you up for this. And basically the rest is history from there. Wow.

Chris Miller: Um, so you're in elementary school.

Scott Base: Yes.

Chris Miller: From a buddy pass, you show up for the first time. Do you recall enjoying it immediately?

Scott Base: Absolutely. I, uh, knew I was hooked from, like, the get go.

Chris Miller: What was it?

Scott Base: I don't know. I think it was just something that because it had been kind of in my face for so long, that was for me, it was like, well, that's what I've got to do. I've always enjoyed sports. I've always enjoyed watching and things like that. But I wasn't the kid at four years old that was like, I have to play basketball. And don't get me wrong, I played football and basketball in middle school and high school, and I loved those sports. Um, and I felt like I was actually pretty good at them. But even in the back of my head, I always knew that those weren't my thing. So I think it was just something that was just kind of like martial arts was a normalized thing for me. I saw it on a regular basis because I saw those two messing around. They would watch the old school movies. So that was something, like I said, I think the best way to put it that was normalized for me. Where a lot of people know about martial arts, but it's not something you see on a daily. So it's kind of like this unknown world where for me, I was relatively familiar with it. So once I actually finally got to do it and I got a uniform and I got my white belt, I was like, yeah, here we go.

Chris Miller: Okay. It was normal to you. You saw people around, you do it, and you get your white belt. Does that take a while to get a white belt.

Scott Base: No, traditionally white belt. I mean, every place is a little bit different with us. At the school that I run, you do have to earn it, but the step is super easy. So you're getting your white belt within your first two classes because that's the base that's the solid white belt literally stands for the purity of martial arts, not knowing anything. And it's actually kind of funny because the belt everybody's like, oh, the belt is just to represent how far you are. Well, no, just like everything else, the belt has representation of when martial arts first started, before they had uniforms and geese, and before it was, I guess you could say modernized or whatever. The belt was literally a rope that was just there to keep your pants up, right? But the rope was white.

Chris Miller: Mhm.

Scott Base: And after time, you got a little bit of dirt on there. You got a little bit of grass stains in there. You probably had some sweat and some blood in there. So you had hints of the green, which is why there's a green belt. You add hints of the blood, which is why there's like the orange and the red and the yellows, and you had the brown, which is why you get the hints of the brown, which is why you have like brown belts and things like that. So all of the traditional colors that you see, like when you just look at stuff, like, you see, oh, there a yellow belt. Oh, cool. Oh, there's a green belt. Oh, there's a brown. Those all have traditional meanings, but obviously it was modernized because as cool as it is to be like, hey, I got this white belt, my goal is to turn it black because I'm going to get it so dirty it's kind of gross. So now there's steps where you go through and you can progress through the different belts and things like that.

Chris Miller: How long after you get your white belt are you thinking, oh, I want to get my black belt immediately.

Scott Base: Oh, I knew immediately. Yeah. So it's always funny because we have this at the school that I run as well. But when I first started, there was this teenager, and he was like an assistant instructor. So he wasn't the instructor at the school that I started with, but he was like the assistant. He was kind of the hot shot. But it was perfect because immediately I saw him and he was the highlighted kid, and he helped teach classes, and he was a state champion. And immediately I was like, it's weird, I actually remember not being like, I want to be like him. I remember being like, I want to be better than him. Uh, so immediately I was like, okay, what do I got to do to get my orange belt? What do I got to do? So I remember I went to my first competition like five weeks after I started because I was like, well, I have to compete to be better than him. He's a state champion. So immediately I had these things in my mind. At 1011 years old, I had these things in my mind. I was like, no, well, I have to do that so that I can do those things.

Chris Miller: Wow.

Scott Base: And when I think back on it, it's just kind of crazy of how immediate it was for me.

Chris Miller: What are the steps to get the next belt?

Scott Base: So every school that you go to, every style that you do is going to be a little bit different. Uh, some places have it very kind of black and white. Like, it's, hey, here are the things you have to do. Once you've done them, boom, you get your next rank. Um, some ranks are easier than others to get, so on and so forth. Some places have like, hey, I'm going to teach you all these things, and then you're going to do a testing, and you have to test for your next belt. If you pass your testing, you get your belt. If you don't, then you wait until the next testing. And then there are some places in some styles that it's just you just never know. You literally just train and train and train and train and train. And then one day, the instructor is like, hey, Billy, come here. I'm promoting you to blue belt. And you're just like, uh and you just have no idea. So every place is a little bit different. So at our studio, ours is based off of testing, knowing your material, but then it's also based off of attendance. So we want to make sure that not only does somebody know their material, but we want to make sure that people are putting in their time. Because you do have those people that are very just, that are naturally talented and pick things up. And you have those people that could potentially learn their material in five, six classes. But okay, yeah, you know your stuff, but you haven't put your time in yet. So with us, we really want to make sure that we have that blend of you've put in your time, you know, your material. And I know it sounds bad, but you're good enough to get this next drink. Like, yeah, if I tie a blue belt around your waist, it's because what you're doing is the level of a blue belt. So we really look at it kind of on an individual scale, but we do have standards and things. It's like, yes, these are the things you have to do. And then from there, it's, do you pass? Do you get it? And that's where we get to make that decision.

Chris Miller: Was that similar to the school that you attended when you grew up?

Scott Base: Uh, no. The first school that I started at was they had a testing every eight weeks, and you just learned your stuff. And then you showed up to testing and you did your thing.

Chris Miller: Wow.

Scott Base: Uh, so they didn't really track attendance or anything like that. It was simply like we just trained there's. Testing. You go to testing. If you pass, you pass type of thing. So theirs was still built on, like, a timeline. Um, but it wasn't as in depth as what we have built at the school that I run here in Lawrence.

Chris Miller: Yeah, that makes sense that you want people to be there, though. Because even if you have someone who learns everything quickly, that doesn't mean that they're going to be able to retain it later and that they're going to be able to get the benefits of having that community around them to keep that knowledge, but also teach others how to use it in a good manner.

Scott Base: Exactly. And it's like we tell I make this example sometimes to people. It's like you get somebody that's going to college to be a brain surgeon. Yeah, they're very intelligent, and they pick up quickly. But just because of that, do you want them operating on you when they've been in school for a year because they learned quick? No. You want somebody that you know has put in their time and things like that. Same thing with us. Like when you finally get your black belt, it's because you know that you put in your time, you did what you were supposed to do, and you know everything that you're supposed to know at the level that you're supposed to know it.

Chris Miller: Now. You're a kid. You're the wiz kid. You want to be better than the state champ, you start getting belts. When do you think I'd like to instruct people on this?

Scott Base: So we have an instructor program at our school that you have to go through, you have to be a part of and things like that. And there's different levels of certifications. So at our school, we'll invite you in because it is an invitational program. We'll invite you in, we'll let you into the program when you get to the rank of brown belt, which is high level color belt. After that, there's only red and then black. So we'll invite you in at that point, if you've shown us what you want, you've shown us the interest, things like that. Um, we'll put you in the program, and then you have to be in that program, taking that class, helping, learning, all of that kind of stuff until you get your level one through us. And once you get your level one is when you can start assisting with classes. So we actually don't even allow anybody on the floor to actually hands on assist until they've been in that program and have gotten their level one certification with us, um, because we have a high standard. So we want to make sure that the people on the floor are representing our high standard. And we're not just putting everybody out there. It's for the students and the parents as well. We want you to know if you have a daughter and you bring her in, we want you to know that if they're on the floor, it's because we valued them and have made the decision to put them on there. And it's not just somebody that's a black belt. It's like, oh, cool, it's a black belt. No, that black belt has taken that next step of saying, I want to take what I do past just me.

Chris Miller: Mhm type of thing.

Scott Base: So we have a whole program built that way to make sure that the people that are out there on the floor for us know what they're doing. We trust them, but they're also the people out there that want to be out there.

Chris Miller: Makes sense. You have that standard. And how did you know that you wanted to be doing what you do now? How did you get to mixed martial arts instruction?

Scott Base: So, it's really funny. Um, because I always loved it for myself. I loved training, I loved competing. I wanted my ranks and things like that. And when I was a teenager and things like that, I assisted with classes. And I liked it. But it's weird, because when I was doing that back in the early to mid two thousand S, I enjoyed it, but it wasn't like, my thing. I started doing it because it was more of an opportunity for me to be on the floor more. So instead of me saying, hey, I get to be on the floor for five classes a week, because those are my classes. Oh, well, now I can help with two. That's seven classes a week. And when I was doing it, I was always the kid that was like, no, I'll partner up with them because I get to do the drill. So I was doing it for a more selfish purpose. Yeah. Um, and it was one of those, like, I always did that, but I honestly didn't know that this was my thing, and this is what I wanted to do until I fell into it. And it was one of those that just life happens in mysterious ways sometimes. And, um, an opportunity presented itself back in 2009, and I was like, you know what? Yeah, I'll do that. Cool. I'll come hang out with you guys. I'll make a little bit of spare money on the side. I'll do that. And then one thing grew into another, and next thing I knew, about a year later, I was full time, and I was helping run a school. Uh, at that point, I wasn't considered an assisted instructor. I was considered a full time instructor. And that was back in May of 2010. And one thing just kind of rolled from there to there to there to there to there, and now here I am.

Chris Miller: Wow.

Scott Base: Yeah.

Chris Miller: And now tell people what you're doing.

Scott Base: So my position is classified as what's called a Head Instructor. So when it comes to the school that I run, there's only one person above me, and that's my instructor, who's the owner of the school. And his title is Chief Instructor. So Chief Instructor essentially is the instructor of the instructors. Right. So he's the one that takes care of me and the rest of the instructors and the assistant instructors. And I mean, he gets in there and he still teaches like, the white belts because it's important and he enjoys doing it. But his focus is that Head Instructor, which is me. My focus is the student body. So managing the student body, teaching the student body, making sure that all those standards we were talking about earlier, making sure that, uh, I'm doing everything in my power to make sure all of those students are checking those boxes, getting what they need me, doing everything in my power for them to be successful. And then I have, uh, a couple of people with the title Instructor. So they come in and they help lead certain classes and they help do certain things. And then I have assistant instructors who are in that program who just come in and hold pads and take groups and walk around and help. And then I have the students. Wow.

Chris Miller: Uh, yeah.

Scott Base: In our world, like I said, it's classified as Head Instructor in more of like a business sense type thing. It would essentially be like the manager type of thing. So that's what I have kind of grown into.

Chris Miller: Have you enjoyed being the manager, being the Head instructor?

Scott Base: I have. It took a little bit of time to make that transition of just focusing on teaching, because I did that for years and years and years, where I just went in and I just focused on teaching. And I would know that, hey, tonight I'm teaching these two, these three classes, and this is my plan and this is what I'm doing. And I really enjoyed that, and I still really enjoy that. So when I did move into this role a couple of years ago, there obviously was transitions and things like that. But now, just like when I'm able to find the same amount of joy in what I do now as what I did then because now within, my joy of teaching came from just strictly like yeah, the students are getting it where now I still get that joy, but I also get the next level of that where I get to say, hey, I helped this instructor have those same feelings I had five years ago. So now I'm helping make sure that this instructor is in the right place. I'm helping them design their class plans. I'm helping them make sure that they're on track with everything. And now I see the joy that they have because their student, which is they're all our students, but their student in that class understood something. They were really struggling with. They finally got that thing that they've not been understanding for a month. And so now I kind of get like, that it's almost weird. I almost kind of get, like, that grandpa role of like, I get to see my kid be successful with their kid. And it took a while. It was weird to make that transition when I first started it, but now I really enjoy it because I get the kind of the best of both worlds. I still get that instructor feel because I'm still teaching on a regular basis. I'm still teaching my black belts, I'm still teaching the color belts. So I get those feels. But now I also get the feeling of helping somebody else be successful as an instructor as well. Yeah, it's really cool.

Chris Miller: You've opened up your abilities a lot. I coached soccer for a summer, and one of the coolest things was watching a kid do something that they didn't know how to do before the summer, and they pulled it out in a game, and it was something I taught them, and I was like, Whoa. And that feeling of, I'm doing something and their brain's growing and this matters and they're actually applying it is an incredible feeling.

Scott Base: Absolutely.

Chris Miller: Do you see that often as an instructor? Do you have moments that you can recall where someone that you trained did.

Scott Base: Something and you're like, man, oh, yeah, absolutely. When you're in a coaching and a teaching and instructing world, I mean, that's honestly, that's what you live for, because that ultimately means that their success is growing. Um, and it's kind of funny. So I have kind of this thing with some of my black belt students that have been training with us for four or five, six, seven years. Um, so some of my higher level classes, it just kind of randomly happened a couple of years ago. But I have this thing where when somebody has that moment and they're in class, they just openly will just go, uh and it's funny because I'll be in the middle of teaching and somebody will just make that noise, and I'll look at them and they'll be like, I don't know what that was it that clicked. I got it. I understand. I want to put that together. So it's funny because you have these people that you build this rapport with, that you work with for years, and so you start to start to get to know them really well, but they also get to know you. And it's funny because, like I said, some of those people that have been around for a long time, time, we've developed this, like, uh and now it's become a thing where literally it happened last night. I was teaching a class last night, and we were just working on a transition between a couple of, like, a kicking combo, and I went over something and I had, uh, one of my adults that trained in that class that just stopped and looked at me and went, uh. And I was like, was that it? Was that your trick? Was that it? And he's like, I don't know why that made sense. Mhm and I'm like it's funny. And I tell people all the time, I'm like, I can say the same thing seven different ways, and six of them might not be it for you, but that one was I'm like, this isn't. And I told him, I was like, It's funny because what I just went over is not something you've never learned before. I just said it differently. Mhm and it's like, that classic. People learn so many different ways. You can go over the same thing. But some people, to really get it, they need to be the action. They need to do it. Some people need to write it down. Some people need a video so they can visually study it. Some people need to say it out loud. There's all these different ways that people learn, and we learn that when we're in school and things like that, like study habits and it is what it is. But the same thing applies to what I do when I'm teaching somebody a combo. It's like sometimes one person just needs to rep it. They just need to watch me do it and rep it and do it over and over and over. And after ten reps, they're going to physically figure it out. Some people need me to write it down on a whiteboard so they can sit there and stare at it and study it. Some people need to write it down themselves. Mhm right. And it's just funny. So trying to figure out what all of those tools are that everybody needs and implement them consistently and rotate them through so that everybody's getting that concept, yeah, it's really cool.

Chris Miller: And that's got to be one of the hardest parts about the teaching side of the house is you can't see someone when they walk in and immediately know this is a reps person, this is a visual person, this is an audio person.

Scott Base: Yeah, you have to learn that yourself as well. So as much as they're learning from you, you have to learn about them so that they can learn from you. And I tell when we're working on our instructor program, that's one of the things we talk about all the time is like, you might have a class of 40 people, but that's a class of 40 individual people. So if you're teaching a curriculum, you might have to teach, uh, you have to remember that you're teaching 40 individual people. So, yes, I might be teaching a front kick, but I might have to teach it in multiple different ways because I got to make sure that all 40 of them understand. M so yeah, it's a class of individuals.

Chris Miller: Yeah, I'm fascinated by people's ability to learn and great teachers, they always have so many tools in their toolbox. Their bag is so deep on all of the tricks and methods that they can relay knowledge it's astounding. One of the things that I love about your personal style is you're also really plugged in and engaged with, uh, the local community as well.

Scott Base: Yeah.

Chris Miller: So when did that start?

Scott Base: So there's a couple of sides to that. We've done events for the community. We've done things like this since day one. That's something that's always been important to us is, of course we love martial arts, but all of us that have taken the step that I have, my instructor, his name is Jimmy Golden. He's the owner of prime. He's the one that I go to. Yes, we love martial arts, but we got into the world that we're in because we want to give that message to as many people as possible. So there's a couple of different avenues in which we do of course, we do the St. Patrick's Day parade, and we do a lot of community events, and we do this. But stuff that we do that, uh, is more aimed towards, like, trying to expose as much of the Lawrence community as possible to self defense and to martial arts and to just basic knowledge of how to be safe is for years upon years, we've always worked with daycares in schools. So we go in, we go to daycares, we go to schools at schools, we do assemblies. Or like I was telling you earlier, uh, this past week, I was at Corpus Christi teaching PE classes. And in that class, I'm teaching them basic martial arts, and they're hitting some pads, and we're playing games. But we're also talking about bullies and, of course, relaying the messaging, uh, that bullying is not okay, but also what to do if they're in that situation, what to do if you see that situation. Of course, with kids, we talk about the classic strangers and what to do. And of course, we always talk about how to use your voice and how to protect yourself. And one of the big messages that we give is, it's okay to protect yourself, but it's not okay to fight. And making them understand the difference between what those two things are. So we've done outreach with daycares, and we've done outreach with elementary schools, and we have some really good connections here in Lawrence. Um, but we're coming up on five years, which is crazy. About five years ago, we really kind of exploded into the side of doing, like, adult self defense classes in Lawrence as well. Um, we've always done self defense classes, and this is everything that I'm talking about right now, we do for free. So when I go to a daycare and I work with the kids for a couple of hours, and they all come in in waves and we talk about things, and when I go to elementary schools, and we assemblies and PE teachers. Like, we don't charge for these things. This, um, is just part of what we want to do to give to the Lawrence community. But we've always done self defense seminars, so once a year we just host, like, a big free self defense seminar for the community. I believe it's september. Every September is like realtor safety month. And we've got a couple of Realtors here in town that always come to us. And they've every year for, like, seven years, they set up a self defense seminar where a bunch of the Realtors come in town and we talk to them about basic self defense. And we also talk to them about a lot of times realtors are in houses by themselves, like what to do, what to know, things like that. Uh, we do that. So it's a lot of really cool stuff. But like I said, about five years ago, we actually had one of the moms of one of our students got attacked. And so she came to us, um, and was like, hey, I've taken care of a lot of stuff. I've already talked to police, I've done ABC XYZ. But what I want to do now is, obviously, this has changed my life, this has affected me. I want to do some self defense classes for friends, groups, family groups, things like that. And I want to know if you guys would be willing to help. And immediately we were like, yes, what do you need? Let's do this. And this has grown. Obviously, during COVID it got a little, like, during the pandemic and everything, it got a little bit more difficult to be having groups of people together. But we did self defense seminars over Zoom just to keep spreading the word. But since the summer of 2018, we have done it's, like, 140 free public self defense seminars. And they've been as small as ten and as big as, like, 300. So, I mean, we've done some huge self defense seminars, and the mom that that got got attacked in our school, she goes with us and she tells her story. And we have this whole curriculum that we have built around doing these self defense seminars, and 90% of them have been done here in Lawrence. We have gone to Topeka, we have gone out to Kansas City and some surrounding areas. Um, like, we went down to Baker University and we did a big one for a lot of the student athletes down there. We do them at Ku a lot with different programs, like the business program, the engineering program. We've done them with staff. We do them for a lot of the sororities, um, and that's something, like I said, so I guess it's been about four and a half years that we started this. And like I said, I'm probably wrong on this number. Um, but I want to say it's like, 140 self defense seminars that we have taught in the Lawrence surrounding areas. And I mean, it's thousands, thousands of people. I'll say people because, yes, probably 90% has been a female attendance. But we don't necessarily promote it as like, a women's self defense seminar because self defense is good for anybody. Mhm, yes, we understand what the statistics are, but self defense is good for anybody. Men get attacked as well. Like, it happens. So these self defense seminars are open and available for everybody. And we have a curriculum and we have a 1.0 class and a 2.0 class because we've had groups that have contacted us a second time and been like, that was amazing. We want more. So we're like, all right, cool, let's come back and do 2.0. Um, and that's something that we have really grown into as well, uh, doing in the community. And it's been amazing. It really has. You talk about the self joy you get as an instructor with the kids. The amount of people that we feel like we've given like one or two little things that's just once again clicks. And the amount of times that we've been in seminars, and whether it's me or whether it's Jimmy that I was talking to, because Jimmy runs a lot of those because I'm at the school, so he's taught probably 95% of those self defense seminars. But the amount of people that after the seminar is over, the crowd kind of dies down. Somebody comes up and is like, this really hit home. I needed this because I've had a situation that happened that I've really only told my super inner circle. And this hit home. And it was hard and it was emotional, but this is what I needed because just doing this and being in this environment, I feel like I can take my dog on a walk again. And I haven't done that in two years because I've been scared. And we're like, absolutely, let's go, come back, do another one. Let's do the exact same thing again. But yeah, let's build on that. Let's be confident, let's be strong, let's live our life and know that if something happens, that I got this, I know what to do. Um, I'm a strong enough and an impendant enough person. Let's go.

Chris Miller: Yeah, that knowledge. And it's so cool because you are going around Lawrence and you mentioned Baker and a couple other places that you can help people mitigate fear of being in danger, right. Giving them that knowledge. So what does a self defense curriculum look like? And we don't have to zoom in and spoil your trade secrets.

Scott Base: No, I mean it's. Basics. It's basics. Uh, we're big on fundamentals. Yes, you've got the big, flashy crazy stuff because yeah, you've got this small percentage of that. But it's like, I tell my kids in class, I'm like, we're working on sparrings. I'm like, today we're going to work on basics. But I've been sparring for five years. I'm like, cool. Well, LeBron James has been playing basketball for 20 years, and guess what he does? He still does dribbling drills, he still works on layups, and he still shoots free throws. Why? Because those are basics, and that's what wins the game. Yeah, the three point shot from the logo is cool, and all the kids wearing the Steph Curry jerseys, that's all they want to do. But that's not what wins the basketball games. So when we do those things, we work on the basics. We work on the things that are most common. So we work on super simple, basic, striking ways that you can stun somebody. That way you can create separation and go. We work on super basic breakaways of the most common grabs. So are we able to go over everything? Absolutely not. That's why we have second curriculums. That's why we tell people, if you have questions, come ask. But we go over the basic stuff. We go over the stuff that is the most common. And it's not things that we feel are the most common or we feel are the most basic. It's from stats. Like, we've obviously done our research, uh, going back to Mr. Golden, Jimmy Golden. He's done his research. When this whole thing started, he reached out to multiple different people, and he sat down with some detectives and, uh, chief of police here in Lawrence, and he reached out to some other people. And he's through a family, uh, member, mutual friend, he was able to actually get on the phone with an FBI agent, and he was just like, I just want to know from the stats what's common so that we can attack that. Because there's no reason to attack this situation when we're looking at mass groups. If this is a one percenter, what are the things that are happening? A lot. Okay. This is something that we hear all the time. You hear all the time of people on jogs, people on runs, and somebody coming up and bear hugging, grabbing them from behind to try to remove that needs to be in our seminar. That's something that needs to be talked about. So, uh, it's super basic things. We honestly, in an hour, hour and a half seminar, we teach five, maybe six things. And it's just basic, simple stuff. And we always try to relay it and practice it in a way that then those individuals could show it to somebody else, because then they're getting practiced again. And if we have a seminar with 50 people, and those 50 people all have a general concept, and it's like, cool, I kind of know how to do this a little bit, but I also know how to show somebody else so we can practice what just happened. That 50 just became 100 mhm, because now those 50 people that weren't at our seminar yeah, maybe it's not as in depth, maybe it's the telephone game, maybe it wasn't said, but it's still in their head now. Right? So we also try to relay everything that we teach in a way that somebody could go, hey, uh, this is kind of what I learned. Do this. We've literally had people, like, two days after seminar call us and be like, hey, I went home and tried it with my husband and didn't work. What did I do wrong? And I'm like, explain. And we've actually invited people in and be like, just stop by the school. Let's go over it again. And that's happened. And they come out, they're like, oh, I was doing this. Like, cool. We tell people all the time, self defense, it's not black and white. There's not a perfect way to do it. It just has to work. So we're like, okay, well, did this work? Well, yeah, but it's not exactly how you showed me. Did you get away? Well, yeah, then it worked.

Chris Miller: You mentioned a realtor, and I hadn't thought about that, but it's so true, uh, because they are in the house.

Scott Base: With strangers, and a lot of times, like, if realtors showing, they're by themselves.

Chris Miller: A lot of times they're by themselves. And there could be multiple people that show up. There could be one person that shows up. So how much of self defense training is situational awareness?

Scott Base: A, uh, lot of it. Like I said, the seminar that we teach for realtors isn't the same seminar that we teach to the community. The community is like, abroad, where, like I said, that is like, hey, we're going to teach you a couple of things that are good to know, but here are some things that have been brought to our attention. You guys are in the house by yourself. Okay, let's talk about that. A lot of it is very situational sometimes, depending on the group of people that we're talking about, if we go up to Ku and we're talking to sororities we're going to bring up like, hey, ladies, we get it. You're in college, you're going to enjoy life. Let's not go to the bar and then walk home a mile by ourselves in high heels, stumbling a little bit. And it's one of those things they always kind of like but we got to say it because we just got to put it in your head. It's like when we do our seminars, we always go over just super basic things, and we're like, most of this is going to be common sense. You're going to know this, but let's be real. We don't follow it. One of the things we tell people is if you're walking, don't have your head down, texting and walking and everybody you're like, well, yeah, that's pretty common knowledge. You should look at where you're going and be aware of your surroundings. But let's be real. Have you done it? Yeah. Have I done it? Yeah. When we do that seminar, probably everybody in that room has done it. Is everybody going to be perfect afterwards? No, but we're going to put it in your head. We're going to talk about it, and we get pretty gruesome or blunt or whatever word you want to use when we're doing some of these seminars. And we're like, everything we're going to talk about today is we're going to use the word win. Not if, but we're going to use the word when you get attacked. And some people are like, I really don't like that. I'm like, I don't like saying it either, but that's the way I have to portray it so that we are in a frame of mind that will prevent this mhm. Because, I mean, everybody's heard it. Confidence is everything. If you just have the right frame of mind. Believe it or not, a lot of times some of these things can be avoided because you're aware you're doing this now. Sometimes they're not. You could do everything right and it's still just not go not, uh, go well. So we talk about those things and it's like we have to put in your head and we have to talk about it this way because we want to do everything in our power to make sure if something happens that you're ready and that you're good to go. And yeah, hopefully you came to this seminar and this is a really bad way to put this, but hopefully you came to this seminar and it was a complete waste because nothing's ever going to happen to you. We hope that that's the case. We hope that today was a waste of time, quote unquote air quotes like we hope. But if it's not, we have to talk like this mhm type of thing.

Chris Miller: Yeah, that's a good way to frame it because it helps people recognize the importance of the knowledge and that, uh, we don't have a lot of time to study self defense, but the little time that we do have, the little time that my company set this self defense class up for, I should listen.

Scott Base: Yeah, well, it's crazy too, because it's like stats constantly change. They constantly change, but your rough average of things and this is what really gets people. And this is, once again, I said this earlier, we, uh, understand, obviously, everybody gets attacked. But when you look at the stats, traditionally more attacks are on females. So the stat is one out of five females will be attacked some way, shape, or form. Traditionally, it's some kind of sexual abuse or something like that. But the traditional stat is one out of five. So when we say that and we've got 100 people at the seminar, sometimes people think it's messed up, but we will literally point in the first row, be like, 123451 of you, 123451 of you. And they're all like opening their eyes. Like, man, that's kind of messed up. Like, oh, and by the way, we live in Lawrence Ku college campus. That number is one in three M. And they're all just like, whoa. So we go back to hopefully you're one of the four, hopefully you're one of the two. But that's the way we're going to talk today, so be ready and be prepared. Which is why a lot of our, like, our self our self defense seminars, we we put an age limit on it because of the way we talk. And we're like, yeah, we'll do kids seminars and we'll talk to them differently. But that's not this group today.

Chris Miller: Yeah. Uh, how do you talk to kids about bullying?

Scott Base: Um, it kind of depends on the age level and things like that. But, I mean, a lot of it is about using your voice and using your body. And like I said, kind of said earlier, we talk a lot about the difference between protecting yourself versus fighting. Because there's this I don't want to cliche whatever you want to say of like, oh, I'm being messed with. I have to fight. I mean, yeah, depending on how you look at it. But I look at it as, no, I'm protecting myself. Now, if protecting myself means that things get physical, yeah, but that's because I'm protecting myself. Going out and fighting is like, no, I'm going to go into this beating somebody up. I'm protecting myself. Now, how far do I have to go to protect myself? Well, um, yeah, I had to get pretty dirty about well, I had to protect myself. But if I'm at an elementary school and I'm talking to kids, we talk a lot about using your voice, what to say to get somebody's attention and what to say to get somebody's help and kind of putting that in their head. We talk about a lot about putting your hands up, but keeping your hands open. We talk a lot about how your body language can tell the people around you what you need. So we'll do the whole we'll practice, like, using their voice and putting their hands up. And then I'll use, like, a teacher and be like and I'll grab, like, an example. I'm like, if Billy is picking on me on the playground and messing with me, and I can put my hands up, and I can be like, Stop. I said, no. Get back. Stop. Teacher sees that, they know that, hey, uh, I'm in a position, I'm protecting myself, but I'm saying no. Where he shoves me, I get mad, I shove him back. If I'm talking to a group of first graders, I'm like, now what happened? We both got in trouble where if I do this, they're going to get stopped. They're knowing I'm protecting myself and I'm doing the right thing. So it's a lot about using your voice, using your body to kind of stop the situation and then, like I said, get the appropriate help that they need, especially when we get into the stranger side of things. And I tell kids, I'm like, you guys are little kids, as awesome as you think you are and as athletic and all this. If a full grown adult grabs you, you're going to need help. So how do we get that help? Mhm that type of stuff.

Chris Miller: Would you say kids who spend a lot of time learning mixed martial arts are less likely to get in a fight in school or more likely to get in a fight at school?

Scott Base: I think it all depends on how it's portrayed. I would feel comfortable saying that my students are less likely because of the way that we portray it. And like I was saying, the way we tell our students, like, yeah, you're using martial arts and here's all these things, you know, and yeah, you're learning a kick. And when we're in class, we're like, all right, guys, this kick. Everybody say, Kick them in the face. And we say those things because that's the application side to what we're doing. But it's all based off of that second side of how is it portrayed and making sure that they understand what it is that they're learning and being able to have that split, but then also have that mutual ground. Of, yes, we're learning this for the sport side of things, but the sport gives us benefits in being able to defend ourselves versus saying, no, I'm just learning this so I can go beat somebody up. Uh, that's not what we're here for.

Chris Miller: Yeah, that type of thing, that dynamic of it being a sport is really important. And with the UFC, I hear people talk about that too. They'll, uh, be like, we're celebrating people beat people up. Which at some point is true. But on the other side of the house, it's a sport that these people have dedicated years and years and years to master their craft. And my perspective would be the majority of individuals involved in that are going to be a lot less likely to enter random physical combat with the stranger because they actually know what happens. They know the consequences of violence, and they know that very rarely does violence provide a constructive solution to a conflict. I, uh, know a lot of people aren't necessarily looking for a constructive solution when they start throwing hands, but it's good to know that on average, if a kid has self defense knowledge, they're not going to panic as quicker and more than likely be less likely to enter into those physical confrontations.

Scott Base: Mhm absolutely. And then, like I said, with our guys, we portray that. We make sure that they understand that. But we also tell them, the last thing that I want as a martial arts instructor, teaching and having stuff. The last thing I want is to have this 14 year old kid that's a black belt with me that I heard is at school and like, yeah, they got in a situation. Oh, well, what happened? Well. They got beat up pretty bad. Why? Well, they weren't doing anything. Now I'm going to tell my guys, hey, you know what to do. But if we get to that line, you protect yourself. That's where you fight back. Mhm because you do have these skills. And at that point, you've learned them for a reason, haven't you? So, yeah, our goal dissipate. Hey, stop. And you see it all the time. You'll see videos of you brought up UFC. You see videos all the time of people, like, messing with UFC fighters. And they're always like, stop. No, stop. And then what happens? It gets to a point of no return. And then like, all right, they took care of business. We tell our guys, like, if somebody bumps into the hallway, you don't immediately need to go into giving them a six piece chicken nugget. You don't need to do that. Dissipate the situation. But if you get to that point, yeah, there is an expectation that you need to handle yourself because you do have this training. And like I said, the last thing I want is for me to have to hold an ice pack on one of my black builds face. Because they put their hands up. They did all right things in the beginning, but then they just stood there and it was like, well, I know all this stuff, but I can't fight. No, that's where I said earlier. You understand the difference of protecting yourself and fighting. But sometimes to protect yourself, you have to fight. Mhm, it's a fine line. And some people, it makes a lot of sense right away. And you're like, yeah, no, yeah. Some people, it's a lot more gray and it needs more explanation. But we're it's weird because we're big on both sides. Like, no, you don't fight. Like you're not going to go get in a fight. You're not going to get in a brawls. You're not going to do those things. You're going to protect yourself. And protecting yourself means that you're dissipating. You're trying not to even get to that situation first. But yeah, you get to a point. Here we go. It's like when we teach, um, these self defense seminars and things like that. We tell them all the time. It's like, yeah, your goal is to get away. But if you've got to fight, if you've got to do things, if they've got you wrapped up behind, I want you swinging your elbows as hard as you can to break the homeboy's rib. Break his rib. Puncture his lung. And everybody's like, really? And I'm like, yeah, because think about the kids that you need to go home to. They're like, oh, yeah. Break his ribs. Yeah. Puncture that long. Yeah. We're here to protect ourselves. But in protecting ourselves, sometimes that escalates into, no, you're fighting. And sometimes you're fighting for your life. Right?

Chris Miller: Somebody may be listening to this, and they don't have the opportunity to attend a self defense class that, uh, you or somebody else is teaching. So what would you say to them as a broad instruction of self defense?

Scott Base: Yeah, I mean, going back to what I said earlier, in a perfect world, which we do not live in a perfect world by any means, perfect world is there's a lot of things that you can just do to prevent things. And a lot of it is self awareness. You hear it all the time. Eyes up, look around, do the things, be aware of your surroundings, make smart decisions, things like that. But sometimes you do just need to have a conversation and ask questions. Because situations happen, different things. This is, this, um, it's not like as much of a self defense thing. But one thing that was really big there for a while is when people were filling up their cars, you'd be standing at the pump and then somebody would run up, go to the passenger door, open the door and take everything you can because they've got plenty of time. So it's super simple as like, hey, when you do that, just lock your car, protect your belongings, protect your kid. You got a kid in the back seat, in the car seat that's on the other side of the car. So a lot of it is awareness and things like that. But yeah, I mean, if you have questions, like sometimes just having a conversation with somebody that has some experience, has some knowledge, and can just put something in your head and give you that, uh, moment, sometimes those are what feed you. Because then you're like, something hits and something makes sense and you're like, yeah, okay, yeah. Um, because I've been doing martial arts and I've been doing all of this and I'm over 20 years now and I still have questions. Like you said earlier, it's perfecting. An art that can never be perfected.

Chris Miller: Mhm.

Scott Base: You can just continue to gain knowledge, you can continue to do things. So I said earlier, it's like the brain surgeon. Once that brain surgeon gets a degree, do they know everything? No. They're still going to conferences, they're still learning, they're still learning new techniques and new things and they're still building on their craft. It's the same concept. I was having a conversation with a guy the other day, uh, about something, and he's like, hey, it's the same thing. He's like, you might be able to start and gain this knowledge and that's awesome, but I've been doing it for 20 years, so why not let me help you on that journey instead of you trying to do it by yourself? Because I know all the mistakes and I know all the things and I can just kind of teach you along the way.

Chris Miller: Yeah. Tell me about the moment you got your black belt.

Scott Base: Uh, December or not December? Because twelve, uh, August 12 of 2004. Yeah. So, I mean, it was crazy. It was just before my 13th birthday. Been going for a couple of years on that. And yeah, I remember it. At that time, the school that I was at was relatively new, so I was actually one of the higher ranks. So inside that school, there was a couple of other people that had gotten their black belts, but they didn't get it at that school. They had got it previously, um, and then they were there. So I was the first person to get their black belt inside that school. So it was kind of a big deal. I still kind of hold that to this day of being like, um, it wasn't the first black belt, but I was the first one to get my black belt in that school, if that makes sense.

Chris Miller: Did you knew you were getting it?

Scott Base: M, so I knew I was testing for it. So it had been obviously, uh, I'd gone through all the ranks. I'd gotten the last rank before my black belt testing. So there was a six month period where I had to go through all of these things and kind of like all this prerequisite type stuff. And it was like, all right, here's the day. Today you're testing. And it was one of those that I tested. I did everything, I felt awesome about it. And because of the situation, it was one of those I didn't have to necessarily wait a whole lot for the results. The judges just kind of disappeared for a while and talked about everything. And they actually came out and presented me with my belt the same day, which was really cool. So, yeah, like I said, I still remember it. I know exactly where it was at. I know exactly what building it was in, all of that, because it was here in Lawrence. Um, obviously, I would hope anybody that has ever received a black belt in any style of martial arts still has the belt I still have. It obviously doesn't fit anymore. That was many years ago. Still remember what I did. Still remember what form I did. Still remember what weapon I did. I still remember breaks. Um, so at that point, um, there was a group of me and a lot of my really like, me, my mom, and a lot of close friends that I had that were there watching me test that day. Like, after it got over, we just all went. We, uh, went, had dinner, kind of celebrated the whole thing. And then at that point, it was kind of a flip right away of like, what's next? Now I got my black belt. There's this whole new world that I don't know about that I get to start doing and get to start being a part of. Now when do I get to start that? And so I was just immediately ready for next week because I was like, I get to go to black belt class now I get to go train with the big boys now. I was just immediate, so it was like, we celebrated it, but I was immediately, like, to do the next stuff now.

Chris Miller: Yeah. So it took you six years?

Scott Base: Um, it took me about three and a half. Three and a half, which is looking at it now, and things like that, it took me about three and a half, which is a little quicker than what it takes now, because some things have changed, some things have modernized and stuff like that, since things have been added to the curriculum. Um, but, yeah, it took me about three and a half years to go from from the day I started to the day I got my black belt.

Chris Miller: And nowadays, on average, how long does it take?

Scott Base: Uh, with us, it's four, a little over four. And that's if somebody if nothing goes wrong, quote unquote, if somebody's training, they're staying active, they're doing their thing, they're doing what they're supposed to. They're coming to class, they're working hard, they're getting their stuff, they're being successful. You're between four and four and a half years. So nothing too crazy. Nothing too crazy. It's not like it was like three, and now it takes eight. But that's kind of what it is, because there's different levels, there's different degrees of black belt. So you see it all the time. You see, like, oh, that person's a fifth degree. Oh, that person's this. So that's how long it takes to get your first degree. Uh, and then there's a timeline between first degree and second degree, second degree and third degree, so on and things like that.

Chris Miller: How many degrees can you get?

Scott Base: So this is one of those that's kind of like a tricky question. So there are nine degrees of black belt. There's 9th degree, but the 9th degree black belt represents what's classified as grandmaster. And traditionally, that's the head of the organization or the style or whatever that you do. So there are nine degrees, but traditionally, I mean, if you dedicate your life to it, traditionally, 8th, uh, degree is where you're going to go up to.

Chris Miller: Do you have any are you 8th degree?

Scott Base: I'm not. I'm a fifth degree.

Chris Miller: Wow.

Scott Base: Yeah, I'm a fifth degree.

Chris Miller: Do you want to be 8th degree?

Scott Base: You know, I don't know that's so far, like, down the road right now, I'm just kind of focusing on what I'm doing now, teaching. I still have a couple of years before I'm even eligible to test for my 6th degree. And that's not saying that it will happen right there, but that's just when my eligibility is even up. So fifth degree was always a big one. 6th degree is really important because once you get your 6th degree, that's when you can also go through the Mastership training and you can get the title of Master.

Chris Miller: Whoa.

Scott Base: Yeah. So, uh, there's so many things that would be on the list before that that have to be worked for because like I said, I'm a couple of years away from even being eligible for 6th degree. And then, uh, I would have a year, um, between that, if I'm successful then, and being able to go for my Mastership and then earning the title of Master and things like that. And there's a lot that goes into all of that, um, which I only know probably 10% of because, well, I've never done it. So I just know what I've seen and what I've heard. So I've got a lot of things that are there first. And, uh, even from where I'm at, somebody that's been doing it for over 20 years to that mark, that's so far away because I mean, even from now to then, that's probably another if life was perfect, that's probably another 18 to 20 years down the road.

Chris Miller: And then you could be like Master Splinter.

Scott Base: As long as I've got my Ninja Turtles to help me out by that.

Chris Miller: Point, that would be awesome. Now, how often are you presenting black belts and what's that process like?

Scott Base: So at our school, we will host a, uh, black belt testing every quarter. But that doesn't necessarily mean that we have somebody because, um, we're hosting a testing. So we might have one or two people that are eligible to test for first degree. We might have one or two people that are eligible to test for second degree because you have those timelines and things like that. We've had testings where it's like, hey guys, a big testing. We have three testing for third, we have two testing for second, we have one testing for third degree. We got six people testing the cycle. And then we'll have the next one where we're like, yeah, we have one, we got one. That's just where we're at. Because when you get to that point, everybody's journey is a little different. Everybody's got to go through certain things. You've got to be ready for lack of better way to put it. There's a checklist of things you've got to be done with before you can test. We have a testing every quarter, but it just depends on who's, where and what and all those types of things.

Chris Miller: Mhm, yeah. And with attendance and if something comes up and they're not able to meet that attendance mark, then exactly.

Scott Base: Yeah. And when you're going first and second, there's different things you have to do. And we have what we call midterms. So once you get your first degree, you have to midterm and show us that you're improving and show us that you know your material. And you have to do that a certain amount of times. And you have to pass your midterms. So somebody might be like, hey, yeah, I've been a first degree long enough, but I'm still short of midterm, so I've got to still pass another midterm before I can test for an MNX belt. Um, and some people might be like, yeah, actually, I've been awesome. I've got all my midterms, but I'm still waiting on my time. I haven't met my required amount of time as a first degree yet, so I've done this side of things. I still have to learn this, and then I got to put in my time.

Chris Miller: So how do you keep track of all this for every person?

Scott Base: Uh, we have a, uh, software. Yeah, there's a software that just does all of it. So, I mean, it's obviously a lot of work. You got to put it in, you got to do this. You've got to track all this kind of stuff. But then it's one of those, like, I can go through and be like, all right, these guys are being promoted to the next step. And then it just kind of updates it, and it just lists it all out for me, so that way I can see where everybody's at and just kind of track everything. And then somebody can sit down with me and say, hey, been a first three for a year and a half. Uh, I want to start thinking about it. I know it's getting closer, and we can break it down and say, okay, these are all the things that you've got left. Your earliest projection is nine months from now. So in nine months, if you do all of these things, you could desk for your second degree. And they're like, awesome. Cool. And then it's goals, and we have these timelines, and people kind of know. And it's funny because we'll have some people that will map it out, and they're like, if everything goes perfect, I can be a second degree by here, a third degree by here, and a fourth degree by here. And we're like, that's awesome. Love it. That's obviously long term goals, and they know what they have to do, and they know they have to do these things. And sometimes it goes that way, and sometimes it doesn't.

Chris Miller: Right? And that's incredible to think about. You have students who are planning for their several degrees within the black belt. Godly. Do you think that at the end of all this, do you think that you want to have your own school one day?

Scott Base: I don't know. Um, I've had the opportunity. I don't know if that's necessarily a thing. I really enjoy kind of the enjoy the position that I'm in, that I really like having somebody that I can go to and get help when I need it. And even if I did that, like, my instructor, M, like Jimmy Golden, he would always do that. But being more, like, super directly under him, it's really nice to know that I've got the trust in him to run things and do things, but it's really nice to have him always in my back pocket, have him right there. And it's one of those things, too. I've been around what I'm doing long enough, and I really enjoy it. And I really enjoy kind of what we have got built and what we've got rolling. And not to use the term, like, I like, kind of riding the coattails because that's obviously not 100% the case. But I'm really proud of what we've got going at prime and what we've got going here in Lawrence and things like that. And I feel like I've been a big part of it. So I know that with what we've got, we can continue our success, we can continue doing everything that we're doing and everybody be good and happy. Uh, I don't know if that steps ever in my future, to be honest. I mean, never say never, but the opportunity has presented itself, and I've turned it down to continue doing what I'm doing because I do enjoy it so much.

Chris Miller: That's awesome, man. And I love what you're doing for the city, because martial arts may not seem as accessible as basketball or soccer, because as a little boy or a little girl, there's the basketballs and the soccer balls and the footballs all around you. And then you see the Jackie Chan movie and you're like, whoa, that's awesome. But where do I start?

Scott Base: Exactly?

Chris Miller: How do I start?

Scott Base: Yeah, and that's like earlier when we were talking about with me, when I started, I had that concept where it was in my face. Like, it was a basketball to me, it was a football to me, it was a baseball bat to me, because I saw it on a daily basis and things like that. I'd go down the house I grew up in, I'd go down in the basement, and there's a punching bag down there. But I didn't have a basketball goal in my driveway.

Chris Miller: Mhm.

Scott Base: You see what I'm saying? Yeah. So, no, you're 100% right on that. And when I'm sitting down with a parent that's like, their kid just started and things like that, I'm like, hey, I want you to know if you have questions, and I actually say this, I'm like, if you have questions, don't hesitate. I understand. Unless you have some kind of experience in martial arts, this is kind of a foreign world, it's not basketball, where you're going to sign your kid up and be like, all right, they're going to learn how to dribble. Hopefully they're going to learn how to shoot, play some defense, and then we'll probably have some games on Saturdays where the score will be eight to six, because that's a start. Let's be real. And it grows from there. So I tell people, if you have questions, we get it. We're going to do everything in our power to map it out and lay it out for you. Because we understand that this isn't as a, uh, widely known world, but we're here. That's why we're here, is to help everybody. Because for your kid to be successful. You got to kind of know what's going on as well because I'm going to teach and I'm going to do my thing. But you're a part of that success as well.

Chris Miller: You're the educator, so you have to relay the knowledge and your vision that you have. It requires everybody, right, the family, the student, in order to get to those highest levels, in order to get to that place, to where the kid can identify with this and they find community there. Uh, and your place is a big part of community for a lot of kids. Yeah, a lot of kids make friends there.

Scott Base: Absolutely. If you look us up, we're prime martial arts. That's what we are. People ask all the time, um, but as soon as you get inside the school, you'll notice that a lot of times it's Team Prime. Because yeah, we are prime martial arts. That's what we do. We're primarily arts, we teach martial arts, all those things. But once you're there, you're part of Team Prime. Mhm, that's who we are. We're team prime. And whether it's the student that's been with us for eleven years, that's a second 3rd degree black belt competes all the time, or the nine year old white belt that signed up last Wednesday. Yeah, we're on the same team now.

Chris Miller: Team prime.

Scott Base: We're on the same team now. This person might be doing different things than you are, but our goal to be successful martial artists is the same. And that's the beauty behind martial arts, is martial arts is an individual sport, but it has the team concept. Earlier when we were talking about the tournament, I'm going to uh, next weekend, we do have the concept. Once you get to a certain level where you can be on a team and you can do certain things, but to get to that point, you would have had to have worked as an individual to even be able to get that. But you're working as an individual with your team, where you go play a football game, you could be perfect. But if the three people standing next to you don't do their job, you lost. Mhm.

Chris Miller: Mhm. It's like track and field, right? You can win your event, but if the shot putt guy doesn't show up, then your team's not going to get the medal.

Scott Base: Uh, exactly. Yeah, I won my individual. Well, how'd your team do? Well, we got last. Why? Because I'm the only one that got a medal.

Chris Miller: Yeah, and I can sense your passion too. And that's the cool part, because the best teachers I've ever had, they've always been passionate about what they're teaching. And people can tell, they can sense it. It's like a shark with blood in the water. They know their ability to see through whether or not people just have a veneer of pretending to like this stuff or whether they actually like it. And I can tell that you actually like it. You have the passion there. Thanks for being here.

Scott Base: Absolutely. Thanks for having me. This was awesome.

Chris Miller: Yeah. I love learning about martial arts. I'm going to go watch the UFC, and if there's a move that I'm curious about, I'm going to hit you up.

Scott Base: Absolutely. Well, and, uh, I'll have to invite you out because, uh, we're going to be having a tournament here in Lawrence in April. I would love to hit you up and give you the info so you can come out and, uh, watch some ten year olds do some stuff that you thought might be impossible.

Chris Miller: Will I see you in action? Uh.

Scott Base: There'S a chance, um uh, we'll kind of depend on one of those ones. Uh, since we are hosting, it'll kind of depend on what the competition looks like and where is it more important for me to be that day? Is it more important for me to be in the ring, or is it more important for me to make sure we put on a great tournament and make sure that my students get what they need and they are successful and things like that?

Chris Miller: I predict it'll be the latter, but, yes, we'll see.

Scott Base: There might be a chance. There might be a chance. We'll see.

Chris Miller: Perfect. All right, folks. We'll see you next time.

Scott Base: Thank you.