Published: Monday, Jun. 29, 2009

Updated: Monday, Jun. 29, 2009

Original home martial arts business still growing

BRADENTON — Andy Glenn’s business started by chance.

The former Bradenton Beach police officer and police academy instructor began rounding up colleagues at his home for additional training in defensive tactics.

The training included lessons in kickboxing and mixed martial arts, and before he knew it the demand grew beyond the space capacity his in-home studio could offer.

Glenn shopped for a location and found a 3,000-square-foot facility at 1980 First Street where in October he opened Champions Mixed Martial Arts.

“It got to be so big I decided to move it to a bigger facility and it grew from there,” Glenn said.

Since starting out with about 20 students in his home, Champions Mixed Martial Arts has now grown to about 150 clients.

And Glenn said he sees revenue increase about 2 percent to 3 percent each month.

“It’s on a steady incline,” Glenn said. “It’s not rolling the bank up, but it’s an increase.”

An avid mixed martial arts student himself, Glenn’s studio and four instructors focus on four basic disciplines in the sport: kickboxing, Maui Thai kickboxing, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and wrestling.

The disciplines are taught to students as individual classes or students can take a course that combines all the elements.

Champions Mixed Martial Arts caters to youth students, teens, adults and professional fighters in mixed martial arts and ultimate fighting.

Glenn attributes his business’ growth to the growing popularity in professional fighters and tournaments such as the Ultimate Fighting Championship.

“What helped it was when the UFC started broadcasting on TV and the Ultimate Fighter reality TV show,” Glenn said. “That helped. A lot of people started recognizing the sport and more people were interested.”

Marley Henderson, an office manager and bookeeper for Champions Mixed Martial Arts, said the business has also been successful because it offers classes to a diverse client base.

“We’ve trained professional MMA fighters, we’ve gotten the word out to firefighters who want more cardio training, and we started beginner classes for high school students, women and children,” Henderson said.

Amy Lock began sending her 10-year-old daughter, Ashley, to Champions Mixed Martial Arts to get her involved in afterschool activities.

“She really enjoys it and it’s great for her self esteem and self defense,” Lock said. “For me teaching her the safety aspect, I know I’m not going to have to worry about her. It’s nice to know she’ll be able to take care of herself.”