Today we’d like to introduce you to Corey Williams.
So, before we jump into specific questions about the business, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
I grew up in the city of Santa Ana and lived with my mom and her parents. Dad was never in the picture but my mom and grandfather did their best in bringing me up. As a kid, I had two big pulls towards trying martial arts. One was that I was getting beat up regularly from the older neighborhood kids. The other was my admiration of the power rangers. At age seven, my mother decided to sign me up at a Kenpo Karate school that she would pass by on her work commute. There I met my then instructor and current lifelong friend, Robert Spencer. Rob (as he liked to be called) had been in business for about six months and was passionate about his work. I immediately fell in love with training and looked up to Rob. At the time, I did not have much of an affinity for Kenpo. I was very uncoordinated and suffered from severe asthma. This was fortunately balanced by my love of the sport and support of my instructor. Over the years, I steadily improved. There were some gaps in training as my family life had steady waves of chaos where I was sideline, nervously watching bouts of sickness, financial strife, incarceration, and stress.
At age 16, tensions grew to a boiling point and my mother kicked me out of the house. To be honest, I was a pretty decent kid, but my head and heart were not focused on my diminishing home-life. This greatly hurt my mother and led her to push me away. Later, we would rekindle our relationship. While on my own, my instructor had my back and allowed me to live in his school in the city of Fountain Valley. At that time, the school was simply called “The Academy of Martial Arts.” We had slowly integrated the ground game into our system. Jujitsu and wrestling became an integral part of our training, and we were essentially practicing what is now modern MMA. Most days I woke up, went to Fountain Valley High school, returned to the dojo, cleaned, trained, and helped teach lessons. After classes ended and the place was empty I would head to 24-hour fitness, shower, grab some cheap fast food for dinner, and fall asleep after a few hours of watching YouTube. I felt like a monk and was living the “dojo rat” life. This period of my life was difficult, but I think it greatly contributed to my discipline and to my character.
Over time, I graduated high school, attended a bit of junior college, and worked odd jobs on the side. At around 18, I gained my third-degree black belt in the style Rob had coined “Shin Gi Do – Kenpo-Juitsu.” I was officially a lead instructor and I was loving it. Around age 24, Rob sold me half of the school and we became business partners. At that time, Rob had other projects and passions outside of the school, and I did the majority of the teaching and bookkeeping. In a few years, Rob was ready to give his body a rest and he retired from the school. I was now full owner and worked hard to build the school…
At the time, I became full owner, the school cutting even financially. Orange County is dense with competition. We are actually surrounded by five other martial arts schools within 1 mile of us. For two years, I worked full time for an online retail company and taught full time at the academy. In 2018, I was able to leave my second job and commit to the school full time. I changed the official name of the school to the Corey Williams Academy of Mixed Martial Arts. We more practically refer to it as Williams MMA, or by students as The Dojo.
Around this time a good friend and BJJ fanatic, Andrew Kuiland came to me with a proposition to incorporate Brazilian Jiujitsu into the school as its own program. Soon Global Fight Team (Andrew’s team) was apart of my school and we had a solid footing in the BJJ community.
Up until the pandemic, the school was keeping a great stride. I had the support of several high ranking students assisting with instruction. Tim Kolb, an old training partner and black belt was there to teach some kids classes and have my back. Eric Johnson, a brown belt, was taking on more responsibility and learning how to be a solid instructor. Things were great and I am eager to get back to life.
We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
I am a very fortunate individual but there have been a number of difficulties I have faced throughout my life. Here are some that I had to work through.
Childhood:
– Asthma was a big issue with training.
– Messy homelife. Dad bailed when I was a baby. We had some financial woes but I was never hungry.
– Bullying: I was jumped and picked on from age 5 to about 10. Things lessened when I was able to defend myself.
Teen:
– My grandfather had a few strokes over a few years and was wheelchair bound. I assisted a lot in taking care of him.
– My uncle (mother’s brother) had a brain aneurysm and needed to have a live in care nurse stay with us.
– My grandmother had severe dementia and a hefty prescription drug condition. This would lead to her running away or becoming violent.
– My mother was taking care of her grandson Charlie (my older sister’s kid), worked full time, was dealing with my uncle and grandfather. The high stress and me wanting to be away from the house training or spending time with friends lead to our relationship temporarily dissolving.
– Living on my own. I was broke but had good people around me, so I was never hungry and was able to finish High School.
Adult:
– Dense competition in Orange County (in regards to other school’s.
– Worked 80 hours a week for about four years until the school was enough to responsibly support me financially.
So, as you know, we’re impressed with Williams MMA – tell our readers more, for example what you’re most proud of and what sets you apart from others.
We teach kids and adults Mixed Martial Arts. Specifically, we take what works and make it our own. With fighting, we can’t really pin down our styles. In modern MMA, you have to know everything that works. We punch, kick, takedown, grapple and submit. I am confident that what we do is what works. What sets us apart is that we aren’t a straight fight and competition school, nor are we a technique only, arts focused martial arts school. We fight and train but do so in an inclusive environment. Anyone who comes through our doors knows right away they are welcomed. This is a place where you can learn how to really fight and protect yourself, but also know the people here are there to train with you and not hurt you. MMA can be intimidating as there are many places with heavy amounts of testosterone in the air and a kill or be killed vibe. I have nothing against that school as that is exactly what some people are looking for. I am instead saying we stand apart because we welcome everyone and build a small community of friendship and support within our walls.
With our kid’s program, we do the all of the above but also focus on building children up in confidence, discipline, and focus. Kid’s class made a huge positive impact for me as a kid and I try to pay it forward to my younger students.
So, what’s next? Any big plans?
With COVID-19, there are lots of changes. We closed on 3/17 and are reopening 6/29. We are going to have a four person max on classes, no contact to start, and strict cleaning regiments between lessons. My people miss the community and miss the training. We are going to do the best we can while keeping in line with safety guidelines so we can all stay healthy.
Prior to the pandemic, I had intended on moving to a larger facility, but chose to resign my current lease and be conservative financially admits the uncertainty. Right now, I am very glad I did.
Besides that, I plan on being flexible and adapting as things change in our world.
Pricing:
- Adult Class – $120.00 (Monthly rate)
- Kids Class – $95.00 (Monthly rate)
- Private Training – $35.00 (per minute session)
Contact Info:
- Address: 8552 Warner Ave
Fountain Valley, CA 92708 - Website: www.williamsmma.com
- Phone: 714-661-4439
- Email: [email protected]
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/williams_mma/?hl=en
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/williamsmma/
- Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/williams-academy-of-mma-fountain-valley
Suggest a story: VoyageLA is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.
