Inspiring Conversations with Ando Mierzwa of Happy Life Martial Arts

Today we’d like to introduce you to Ando Mierzwa.

Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
Thanks for asking! I was an anxious, insecure teenager looking for answers to life’s big questions when I found martial arts. The world out there seemed out of control, but martial arts gave me a chance to focus on the world in me. I found the challenge of controlling my thoughts and movements very empowering…and highly addictive! That’s why I’m still training 40 years later!

Of course, martial arts offers more than just philosophy and fitness, it also forces you to think about what you would fight for or possibly die for. Answering questions like that has brought even more calm and clarity into my life, which makes sense, right? When you regularly think about life-and-death situations, normal stresses like dealing with traffic or scanning the headlines, becomes far more manageable. So, for me, there’s no other activity that checks all the boxes like martial arts. It’s physical, it’s emotional, it’s psychological, it’s moral–it’s everything.

Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
I’ve been lucky. No matter what style I’ve studied, I’ve always found good teachers. Unfortunately, I’ve met many people who had a bad first experience on the mats and then give up their martial art dreams completely, which makes no sense! If you don’t like the pizza at your local pizza place, you don’t give up on pizza! You just try another place, right? Especially in L.A., where there are so many options for everything, no one should ever give up on martial arts just because they had a bad initial experience.

Another big obstacle that I’ve been able to avoid is suffering a major injury–knock on wood! Again, I’ve been blessed to always have teachers who understood that training should build students up, not break them down. Basically, I’ve been been spoiled.

Great, so let’s talk business. Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
Well, it’s because I’ve always felt so lucky that teaching was inevitable. Call it guilt! My teachers handed down so much wisdom, how could I not turn around and hand it down to someone else? Plus, since they say teaching is learning twice, by sharing what I’ve been given, I benefit, too. Everybody wins!

Wait–that’s not true. I wish it was everybody. Unfortunately, most people don’t train in the martial arts, which I find crazy. I mean, everybody knows that self-defense is important for themselves, their family, their friends, but how many people actually sign up to take a class or a lesson? If it were up to me, self-defense would be taught in schools right from the beginning.

But since it’s not, that’s why I started a website and YouTube channel in addition to my in-person classes–to make training accessible to as many people as possible. Anyone around the world can come to my website and take a video self-defense course or follow along with a series of home workouts. I don’t even ask for an email. It’s free. I just want good people everywhere to get started in the martial arts. If that leads them to a school, I’d be thrilled.

Where do you see things going in the next 5-10 years?
As far as the future, I am happy to provide a service that can’t be replaced by technology. You can’t practice martial arts without partners. You need other people–real people in real life.

If you think about it, martial arts is really just about relationships. It’s about engaging with people of every type and finding a way to resolve conflicts, should they arise. The goal is always to move on with our lives in peace. Sure, we spend time punching and kicking, but punching and kicking are only necessary when every other strategy fails. I think if more people realized that the heart of martial arts is about preventing fights, not starting fights, we’d have lines out the door at every school. Hopefully, this interview will help move the needle in that direction, so I thank you for your time.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://happylifemartialarts.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ando_mierzwa/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SenseiAndo/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@AndoMierzwa
• Other: https://www.senseiando.com/