Once upon a time, there was a young boy who lived in a small town not very far from here. His name was Keith Hafner. Keith was a gentle kid...not very aggressive, and sort of puny. He was often afraid.

As Keith became older, he had a lot of friends, and did well in sports. On the outside, he probably didn’t look like he was scared, but still, he really was.

When Keith was in High School, he and a friend joined a Tae Kwon Do club that met in his town. As his skill began to grow, Keith began to notice changes in how he felt. For the first time in his life, he wasn’t afraid anymore!

During college, Keith continued to train in Martial Arts, and earned his First Degree Black Belt. When he graduated, instead of going to work as a school teacher, he went to work at his Martial Art school, as a Tae Kwon Do teacher.

Within a year, Keith’s teacher, Grand Master Sell, wanted to move to Florida. Although Keith knew very little about business, and was only a 2nd Degree Black Belt, he bought the school from Grand Master Sell. Keith was 22 years old, had a wife named Renee, a son named Jason, and another baby on the way.

One of Mr. Hafner’s first students was his younger brother, Robert. Robert began in Tae Kwon Do at age 13, and earned his Black Belt when he was 15. As soon as he graduated from High School, he came to work at "The Academy" as an assistant teacher.

Robert was, and continues to be, the star pupil of the program... exemplifying the attitude, the ability, and the loyalty of an outstanding Martial Artist.

Mr. Hafner ran the school, which was called "The Academy," the best way he knew how, and he continued to teach in the way that he had been taught. At that time, there was quite an emphasis placed on "hard core" training - and people often got hurt. The lessons were very hard, and less proficient students were often discouraged, and eventually quit. Today, we would describe "The Academy" as a "fighting school."

One day, Mr. Hafner was watching a class being taught by one of his Assistant Instructors. It happened that his sons, Jason and Ian, were participating. They were 6 and 5 years old at the time. The teacher was being very harsh and unfriendly. Ian, the 5 year old, became frightened, and started to cry. Mr. Hafner ran and got him, and took him out of the class.

With a sad heart, he dried Ian’s eyes, and, for the first time, saw his own program through the eyes of a parent.

This experience had a profound impact on Mr. Hafner...and, in that moment, a teaching system was born.

Mr. Hafner (who was, by this time, Master Hafner) began to develop the "Keith Hafner’s Karate" system. He became convinced that Martial Arts should be taught in an atmosphere of friendship and safety. He began to see that learning self-defense was fine...but that real self-defense was achieved by the protection of a student’s self-esteem. He believed that Martial Arts could and should be taught in such a way that real life skills would emerge.

Self-confidence. Self-discipline. Positive thinking.

Master Hafner wanted a program that would not just teach the students about those behaviors...but one that would actually motivate them to use those skills...to be more effective at home and at school.

And at work.

That’s right. It soon became obvious that Master Hafner’s unique approach could be used to improve and enrich the lives of adults, as well as children. Grownups could work on their personal skills while learning self-defense...while getting in shape. And they would find themselves empowered to pursue their life goals with confidence!

And this was the beginning of the rise of "Keith Hafner’s Karate" to national prominence.

Now recognized as one of the premier schools in the U.S. Martial Art Organization, our school is visited by hundreds of Martial Art school owners every year...Black Belt teachers have traveled from all over the United States to study the "Keith Hafner’s Karate" teaching system. Master Hafner is frequently called upon by Martial Art school owners to visit their schools and teach their staff members his unique Martial Art system.

Today, Master Hafner spends his time teaching his leadership strategies to his team of professional Martial Art Teachers. Along with his brother, Robert, they have assembled a teaching staff that assists them in delivering their powerful message to hundreds of "Keith Hafner’s Karate" students each week.

Through community outreach programs, such as Master Hafner’s column, "Message from the Master", and the annual Thanksgiving Basket Brigade, to Martial Art demonstrations that teach young people about respect for law and order and avoiding drug and alcohol use, "Keith Hafner’s Karate" continues to emerge as a force in our community!