Keith Kirkpatrick

So nice to meet you! First off, what’s your name? Tell our readers a bit about yourself—where you’re from originally and where you live now.

My name is Keith Kirkpatrick. I was born and raised in Southern California, and I now live in Anthem, Arizona, with my wife and our two kids.

Martial arts have been a huge part of my life since I was a teenager. What started as a personal interest eventually became a lifelong passion for learning, teaching, and sharing what I've learned with others. Today, I'm fortunate enough to do that through our academy, Kombative Concepts Martial Arts, right here in Anthem.

Tell us one thing you love about where you live now.

One of the things we love most about Anthem is the sense of community, especially for families with young kids.

When we first moved here, our neighbors were incredibly welcoming. We were fortunate to end up on a great street with wonderful people, and that really helped make Anthem feel like home.

We also love having access to the parks, outdoor spaces, and community events. There's always something for families to enjoy, and it's been a great place for our kids to grow up. It's nice living somewhere that still has that close-knit neighborhood feel.

Tell us a little more about what your company does and how it started. How does it help your customers?

The story of how Kombative Concepts started actually goes back much further than when we officially opened our doors.

As a kid, I always wanted to train in martial arts, but financially, it just wasn't something my mother could afford. Once I was old enough to start working and earning my own money, I finally had the opportunity to begin training. I was 17, and almost immediately, I knew this was something I wanted to spend my life doing. Not just learning martial arts, but eventually teaching and sharing that knowledge with others.

That decision started a journey that has now spanned decades. I've had the privilege of learning from some incredible instructors, many of whom helped pioneer the development of modern martial arts, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, and mixed martial arts. When my family and I moved to Arizona, I felt it was finally time to take everything I'd learned and build something.

Today, Kombative Concepts Martial Arts offers training for both children and adults in a variety of disciplines, including Boxing, Kickboxing, Muay Thai, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, Submission Grappling, Mixed Martial Arts, and Filipino Martial Arts.

While self-defense is certainly an important part of what we teach, I believe the benefits of martial arts extend far beyond learning how to fight or protect yourself.

Martial arts have a way of challenging people physically and mentally. They encourage discipline, confidence, patience, self-reflection, and personal accountability. Students learn to work through challenges, become more comfortable with adversity, and recognize what they're capable of accomplishing.

One of the most rewarding parts of what we do is watching those lessons carry over into people's everyday lives. Whether it's a child becoming more confident at school or an adult discovering abilities they didn't realize they had, those changes are what make teaching so meaningful to me.

If someone wants to start a business, what advice would you give them?

I think one of the biggest challenges is finding the right balance between planning and actually taking action.

On one hand, you need to do your homework. Understand your finances, know your market, and have a realistic idea of what it's going to take to operate your business. On the other hand, I think it's possible to overanalyze everything to the point where you never actually get started.

At some point, you have to have faith in yourself and be willing to take that leap.

My biggest advice would be to build something you're genuinely passionate about. Starting and running a business comes with challenges you can't always anticipate, and that passion is often what keeps you moving forward when things get difficult.

Be willing to learn, research, adapt, and change direction when necessary. Don't become so attached to your original plan that you're unwilling to evolve. And perhaps most importantly, understand that setbacks are part of the process. What matters is how you respond to them.

What is one piece of feedback from a happy customer or client that you won't forget?

We've been fortunate to receive some really meaningful feedback over the years, but one experience that stands out involved a young adult student who joined our academy.

When they first started, they were pretty quiet, reserved, and somewhat hesitant to put themselves out there. Over time, I watched them become noticeably more comfortable, confident, and assertive, while still maintaining that same respectful personality.

About a year into training, they shared something with me that really stuck. They had received two promotions at work and felt that much of their personal growth came from the confidence they'd developed through martial arts.

For me, that's one of the greatest rewards of teaching.

Of course, I love seeing students develop their technical skills, but knowing that something they're learning in our academy is helping them succeed in other areas of their lives is incredibly fulfilling.

I want people to develop the confidence to be themselves, pursue opportunities, stand up for what they believe in, and not be afraid to create their own path.

Where do you see your company in the future?

My goal is to continue growing, evolving, and finding ways to share martial arts with more people.

I'd love to expand our class offerings, continue developing our children's and adult programs, and introduce additional disciplines and training opportunities.

Another important part of our academy is bringing in guest instructors. I've been very fortunate throughout my life to train with some exceptional martial artists, and I want our students and the surrounding community to have access to those same kinds of learning experiences.

But growth, to me, isn't just about having more members or offering more classes. It's also about improving the quality of what we teach. We're constantly researching, refining our curriculum, and looking for better ways to help students understand and apply what they're learning.

I never want us to become complacent. As long as we're continuing to learn, improve, and positively impact people's lives, I think we're moving in the right direction.

What is the biggest misconception about your industry?

I think there are a couple of misconceptions, and they often come from opposite ends of the spectrum.

When people hear the term "martial arts," some immediately picture a very traditional environment with rigid instruction, memorized routines, and kids just running around doing kicks and earning belts. Others hear "mixed martial arts" or "MMA" and imagine walking into a gym where they're going to get punched in the face or thrown into intense sparring on their first day.

Neither of those perceptions really reflects what we do.

Our approach is centered on education and developing practical skills through structured, progressive training.

With our children's program, we want kids to have fun and enjoy the experience, but we also want them genuinely learning martial arts. We teach real techniques, introduce concepts they can understand at their age, and gradually build on those skills. There's a balance between maintaining structure and creating a positive environment where children actually want to learn.

With adults, the philosophy is much the same. You don't need to be an athlete or have previous experience to begin training. Our job as instructors is to meet students where they are, teach them the fundamentals, and help them progress at an appropriate pace.

We teach a wide variety of disciplines, from striking and grappling to weapons-based martial arts, but our emphasis is always on understanding what you're doing, why you're doing it, and how it works.

At the end of the day, we're an educational academy. We're not interested in simply exhausting people or seeing how tough they are. We want to develop knowledgeable, capable martial artists.

What has been one of your biggest struggles building your business, and how did you deal with it?

One of our biggest ongoing challenges has been finding the best way to communicate who we are and what makes our academy different.

We offer a pretty diverse range of martial arts. Some focus on striking, others on grappling, and others involve weapons and self-defense concepts. Each discipline brings something different to the table, and together they form a much more complete approach to martial arts training.

The challenge is explaining all of that to someone who may have little or no background in martial arts.

But it's not just about communicating which classes we offer. It's also about conveying our personality, our culture, and the type of environment we're trying to create.

We want to attract people who are curious, respectful, open to learning, and interested in improving themselves. Whether someone wants to train recreationally, get in better shape, learn self-defense, or become a serious martial artist, we want them to feel welcome.

Finding ways to communicate that through our branding, marketing, and interactions with the community has definitely been a learning experience.

I think the biggest lesson has been to stay authentic. Rather than trying to be everything to everybody, we've focused on being clear about who we are, what we believe in, and what students can expect when they walk through our doors.

Who was your favorite music artist and athlete growing up?

I've always been a huge baseball fan. We're definitely a baseball family, and to me, there's really no other sport quite like it.

The level of focus, coordination, timing, and reflexes required to hit a baseball is incredible. I've always had a tremendous appreciation for the skill involved in the game.

Growing up, my favorite athlete was Ken Griffey Jr. Watching him play was something special. He made some of the most difficult things in baseball look effortless.

As far as music goes, I don't think I could narrow it down to one favorite artist. I was fortunate to be exposed to a wide variety of music growing up, and I still appreciate all kinds of genres.

Everything from Michael Jackson and Guns N' Roses to Boyz II Men, and hip-hop groups like Wu-Tang Clan. My music tastes have always been pretty eclectic, and I think that's part of the fun of it.

Any shoutouts you want to make?

First and foremost, my family. My wife, our kids, and my father-in-law have all played an important role in what we're building.

Running a small business takes a tremendous amount of time, energy, and sacrifice, and I'm incredibly grateful for their support. They're all part of this journey, and I certainly wouldn't be doing what I'm doing today without them.

I'd also like to recognize the instructors and mentors who've helped shape my understanding of martial arts over the years.

I have a tremendous amount of respect for the generations of martial artists who came before us, dedicated their lives to studying their arts, and were willing to pass that knowledge along to others.

In particular, Erik Paulson, Dan Inosanto, Nicolas Saignac, Chai Sirisute, and Francis Fong have all had a significant influence on my development.

These are individuals who've devoted decades of their lives to martial arts, and I've been incredibly fortunate to learn from them.

One of the things I value most about martial arts is that none of us truly develops our knowledge alone. Everything we learn has been influenced by the people who've taught us along the way. I think it's important to recognize that history, give credit where it's due, and do our part to preserve and share that knowledge with future generations.

I'd also like to thank our students and the families who've supported Kombative Concepts. They've trusted us with their training and, in many cases, with their children. That's something I don't take lightly, and I'm grateful for the community we're building together.

Where can our readers learn more about you and your company?

The best place to start is our website at www.kombativeconcepts.com.

You can learn more about our programs, class schedules, and the different martial arts we offer.

We're located at the Outlets at Anthem, and we offer classes for both children and adults, from complete beginners to experienced martial artists.

We also offer a free trial class, so anyone who's curious about martial arts is welcome to come in, meet our instructors, and experience a class for themselves.

Whether you're interested in learning self-defense, developing new skills, getting in shape, or simply challenging yourself with something new, we'd love to have you come train with us!