March 27, 2017

Meet Donnie Jeffcoat of Shaolin American Self Defense Academy in North Hollywood

Local Stories

Today we’d like to introduce you to Donnie Jeffcoat.

Donnie, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
I moved to California from Oklahoma in 1984 at age nine. I started training in martial arts shortly after the move (after having problems with being bullied at school). I was also a child actor and grew up doing television and film projects all the way up through my thirties. I started teaching Kenpo Karate in 2006 in Studio City for a corporate franchise martial arts school. I felt drawn to open a dojo of my own and create an academy based on my personal values, style and teachings. In 2011, I opened Shaolin American Self Defense Academy in North Hollywood, CA. I was very lucky to have the loyalty and support from past students and began my personal journey, opening my dojo doors with a healthy fifty wonderful students. Almost six years later I am so proud and blessed with 180 students and counting. My dojo “family” and I have built an inspiring, positive, healthy and supportive training environment for students of all ages. It has been so amazing to watch my dojo grow into a pillar in our community…A place where we help people strengthen their mind, body, and spirit.

Out of all the adventures in my life, this part of my journey has been the greatest and most fulfilling. Sharing my knowledge of martial arts and self-defense with others has been incredibly rewarding and has inadvertently taught me to be a better human being. What a gift! I am also very lucky to have my best friends alongside me as my assistant instructors.

The movie, “The Karate Kid” (the original) had a huge impact on me as a child, along with Chuck Norris, Bruce Lee, Sho Kosugi, and Jackie Chan. I always wanted to be a ninja! If asked as a kid what I was going to do when I grew up, I would have never guessed I’d be called “Sensei” on a daily basis.

Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
I have most definitely had my ups and downs through the process of getting my business up and running. When I began the process of creating a “business plan” I was going through a very tough time financially and personally. I was having a very difficult time finding a loan. An amazingly supportive student gifted me with the loan to start the company. This was just enough for me to build the dojo, buy the equipment, pay the rent/insurance/utilities for a couple months without worry, and get the ball rolling. I took a chance to pursue a dream of being my own boss and doing something I truly love to do…and I am so grateful I had the friends and family to encourage and stand behind me.

Overall, I have been lucky with a pretty “smooth road”, but of course, have learned from plenty of mistakes along the way. I have learned it is best to create a strong bond with my clients, allowing them to see more than just the professional side of me, but to see my true character. In my profession, this honest and raw approach, I strongly believe, has helped me retain students and form deep, lasting bonds with my clientele. I have worked very hard at creating and maintaining a healthy and positive energy within my dojo. It is always very challenging to keep everyone happy, but my crew and I have stayed true to our vision of what we believe a martial arts dojo should be…and it has worked splendidly so far!

Shaolin American Self Defense Academy – what should we know? What do you guys do best? What sets you apart from the competition?
I teach American Kenpo Karate and Shaolin Kempo…a blend of Chinese Kung Fu, Okinawan Karate, and Japanese Jiu Jitsu. It is a “street self-defense” system with a “classical” approach. We offer programs for kids ages 4 and up and adults of all ages. My youngest student is 3 1/2 and my oldest is about to turn 70. My academy is different than most dojos because we include private lessons within our monthly programs. This allows us to truly “individualize” the experience for each and every client. We specialize in tailoring programs for special needs and autism, women’s self-defense intensives, pre-college self-defense workshops for young women and men, corporate team-building events, after school programs, and host several fundraising events for a variety of charities and organizations within our community.

Our self-defense program is an extremely effective way to learn how to defend yourself against physical threats…but what makes the program unique is that we also focus on strengthening our students psychologically, which is a HUGE part of the battle when feeling threatened in a “real life” scenario.

We have a very diverse group of students and welcome every skill level, age, body-type, and gender. As the owner and chief instructor, I am so proud of the beautiful environment and people who make up our dojo community. It is growing every week and just gets more and more awesome. The dojo also always smells good! We provide a clean bathroom, equipment, and mats…no stinky men’s locker room smell. Haha

What moment in your career do you look back most fondly on?
Every single time I am told my talented crew of assistant instructors or myself have positively changed and bettered a student’s life it is a very proud and cherished moment.

About two years ago…

One of my oldest students (not only in age (he’s 69 years old), but has been with me since I began teaching 12 years ago and is one of my first two students promoted to black belt) received horrible news he was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. This man has been a rock in my life…a true friend…and although I was his Sensei, he had become a mentor of life to me in return. This news was a big blow. So…Instead of stopping his training with me, he continued coming to the dojo until he couldn’t drive…he then had me come to his house up to three days a week to train him in his back yard…all this while going through chemotherapy treatment…and never once did he give up. The two of us had him punching, kicking, moving, and breathing new energy and life into his ailing body during that challenging and grueling time in his life. This wonderful and strong man is now cancer free and about to celebrate his 70th Birthday. He still comes to my dojo three days a week for an hour a day. That is good stuff. This man is proof and a lesson to all who are guilty of giving excuses, that you truly can do anything you focus your mind, body and spirit towards…they are a powerful trifecta. A great example of why me and my crew love what we do every day…rewards money can never buy.

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