Who Is Marty Callahan?
Marty Callahan has spent his life understanding and improving the lives of students both young and old. His passion led to the founding of the Shotokan Karate Leadership School® in Santa Rosa, CA in 1981 with a dream to awaken the extraordinary leader in his students. Having inspired, taught, coached, supported and trained over 15,000 students in 40,000 classes in Santa Rosa, Marty has become Sonoma County’s preeminent martial arts leadership instructor.
The Full Story
STARTED BUSINESS EARLY
Shotokan Karate Leadership School is the premier martial art leadership in Sonoma County and beyond. It’s a joy to see our students grow in self-confidence and self-reliance. His students, hundreds of whom have gone on to become leaders in their chosen fields, appreciate his engaging, student-centered approach to teaching and they believe you will too. He is an 8th Degree Black Belt and a graduate of the prestigious Japan Karate Association Instructor Training Program. For him karate is not merely a sport but a martial art whose aim is the harmonizing of mind and body for balance, strength, perseverance and patience – for total confidence and self-mastery.
His Dream Career
I was beaten up by a neighborhood bully in my own front yard when I was 10 years old. I never forgot this. When I was 16 I heard about karate and how you could protect yourself with it. When I got to college at the University of California at Riverside my roommate was taking karate. I enrolled the next semester. As part of the class we had guest instructors some of whom were old men in their 40’s. I saw that and said to myself ‘I could do this my whole life’. I saw my instructor and I wanted to be like him. I decide right then and their that I wanted to be a Chief Instructor in my own school.
Shotokan Karate Leadership School
After learning karate I realized that I could not only keep myself safe but that I could help other people as well. I was the oldest boy in a large family and I took on the task of looking after my younger brothers and sisters. They ended up meaning more to me than my abusive parents meant. I wanted to protect them from the chaos that went on in our family and I saw karate with it’s emphasis on developing a peaceful mind as a means of doing that.
Book Author Marty Callahan
As serial-entrepreneur and author of multiple books Marty offers his books online on Amazon.com
The Hero’s Journey – Act II
Prepare Your Child To Impact The World
In Marty’s previous book, The Hero’s Journey Act I – The Separation, he explored the first part of the Hero’s Journey and its relevance to parents and martial arts. The book referenced Joseph Campbell’s work, particularly his explanation of the Hero’s Journey, which he termed the monomyth due to its presence in every culture and its role as the basic framework for countless sagas, legends, folk tales, holy texts, and modern entertainment such as movies and TV. The Hero’s Journey is significant because it is deeply embedded in the human psyche and provides a valuable perspective on a person’s path and experiences.
In Act I – The Separation, Marty drew comparisons with George Lucas’ Star Wars and Luke Skywalker’s journey. According to Campbell, all hero journeys start in the Ordinary World, where the hero lives before the call to adventure. I likened this to a child’s initial martial arts training and Luke Skywalker’s life on Tatooine. At this point, the individual stands on the brink of discovery and growth.
The Books
Browse through the many titles that Marty has published.
The Hero’s Journey – Act I
Prepare Your Child To Impact The World
This book is about the need for our young people to embark on their own Hero’s Journey and make an impact on their world. It is the first of three. It is the start of an exciting and fulfilling life filled with high adventure. This Journey will do many things for your child: it will help them find meaning, give them a sense of identity, make them feel secure, help them to create order out of chaos, help them to feel competent, give them something greater than themselves to belong to, and give them the freedom to take their life in whatever direction they want it to go.
TIGER’S GREAT JOURNEY
An Adventure Story for Youth Who Want to Make the World a Better Place
Tiger’s Great Journey is a story about a boy who had seen his best friend being badly beaten up by a bully. This and left him feeling scared, helpless and a little angry. His parents saw him start to go in a downward spiral in his life and so they brought him into our school and after talking to one of our instructors as a family they made the decision that he would become a Black Belt. Then he went home and that night he had a dream in which he met a famous karate master who encouraged him to climb to the top of Ryoku Mountain where he would take his Black Belt test in the Temple of the Clouds. But this was not going to be an easy journey there were many challenges he would have to face along the way. It was the challenges that he needed to face and overcome that transformed him into the person he needed to be so he could pass his Black Belt test when he got to the top.
Shoka Leader Handbook
We grow leaders.
The Shoka Leader Handbook tells you all the intricacies of being a student at Shotokan Karate Leadership School and what you need to do to become a Shotokan Karate Black Belt Leader.
Extras
Watch an interview with Master Marty Callahan
Watch as Master Marty Callahan unboxes his latest published book
Find Out The Secret Behind Shotokan Karate Leadership School
Please listen in on some of our podcasts below.
TGJ READ ALOUD: THE ASCENT TO RYOKU MOUNTAIN
We have reached the final chapter of Tiger’s Great Journey!
THE BOY AND THE SWORDMASTER: THE GREAT JOURNEY PODCAST
Listen in and let Sensei take us on an imaginative journey as he tells a story of old.
THE DOJO CREED: BE FAITHFUL – THE GREAT JOURNEY PODCAST
The second in our series on the Dojo Creed, we discuss the meaning behind “Be Faithful”.
LISTEN TO WHAT OTHERS ARE SAYING
Marty Callahan – Author
Sensei, my name is Dean. I was your student 15 years ago. I’m calling because I want to thank you for giving me the foundation for a wonderful life. The training I received from you has helped me in innumerable ways. I have a wonderful life and I don’t believe it would have turned out this way without the training that I received from you. Thank you from the bottom of my heart.
People are amazed… before my son was quiet and hidden and…
Now he’s a chatter monster! It’s unbelievable.
People have been telling us how amazed they are with the difference they see in Jordan since he started taking karate. Before he used to be quiet and hidden, he kept to himself and now he’s a chatter monster! It’s unbelievable; he’s so much more confident and sure of himself. We are so happy, thank you so much, Sensei Callahan.
What you do is just amazing. The way you had all those kids sitting there, listening to you. There must have been 25 of them and they were all there sitting up straight listening to you. I don’t know how you do it, but it’s amazing. And I like the way you incorporate morals into the class. That is so good. You have a real gift.
Contact Marty Callhan
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