One more round: leadership lesson from an old fighter

Over the years, I’ve competed in hundreds of martial arts tournaments: local, regional, national, and international. I’ve fought in open-style striking events, judo, Olympic-style Taekwondo, kickboxing and boxing. I’ve won U.S. and North American kickboxing titles, and I had the honor of representing the U.S. Air Force on its Taekwondo Team.  

More recently, in my 50s, I brought home gold in Karate at the North Carolina State Games in 2022, 2023, and 2024.  



​So when people ask if I’d ever compete in kickboxing again at my age, it’s a fair question. Every fighter believes they still have one more great fight in them. The heart always wants to go one more round. But the truth is, I made peace with that chapter of my life after my final full-contact fight at 32.

The Fighter’s Reality: Knowing When It’s Time to Walk Away

Here’s what I’ve learned: fighters need to know when their competitive career is over.  

You might still have the desire, the will, even the discipline. But results will likely no longer match the fire that still burns inside you. And for some fighters, that disconnect is dangerous.  

Some continue chasing the fame and fortune they once had or that they never quite reached. They hang on too long, and the consequences: physically, emotionally, even spiritually, can be devastating.  

But martial arts is bigger than fighting. That part of the journey is just one phase.  

Evolving Beyond the Fight

When it’s time, we must evolve.  

We become coaches, mentors, and guides for the next generation of fighters. We help them navigate the obstacles we once faced. We help them achieve more than we did. And that becomes a new kind of victory.

A Lesson for Fighters…and for Leaders

This isn’t just a lesson for fighters. It’s a lesson for leaders.  

Like fighters, great leaders must eventually recognize when it’s time to pass the torch, not because they’ve lost the ability to lead, but because their greatest legacy may lie in preparing others to lead even better.  

True leadership is knowing when to stop chasing the next round for yourself, and instead start building the champion who will step into the next one after you.

Whether that next leader is the captain of a high school team or the future CEO of a Fortune 500 company, your willingness to step back and support their rise could be what keeps your organization from experiencing the kind of damage that happens when someone hangs on too long.  

Just like in the ring, timing is everything.  

---