KINCHEN MARTIAL ARTS ACADEMY
  • Home
  • About Us
    • Goals & Beliefs
    • Media
    • Staff >
      • Cliff Kinchen
      • Melissa Kinchen
  • Blog
  • Programs
    • Youth Martial Arts
    • Teen Martial Arts
    • Adult Martial Arts
    • K.I.C.K. FIT Kickboxing
    • Individual/Group Self Defense Seminars >
      • Organizational Self Defense Seminars
    • Summer Camps
  • Schedule
  • Shop
  • Contact Us
  • Home
  • About Us
    • Goals & Beliefs
    • Media
    • Staff >
      • Cliff Kinchen
      • Melissa Kinchen
  • Blog
  • Programs
    • Youth Martial Arts
    • Teen Martial Arts
    • Adult Martial Arts
    • K.I.C.K. FIT Kickboxing
    • Individual/Group Self Defense Seminars >
      • Organizational Self Defense Seminars
    • Summer Camps
  • Schedule
  • Shop
  • Contact Us


​​ Cliff
notes

One more round: leadership lesson from an old fighter

6/5/2025

0 Comments

 
Picture
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.  

0 Comments



Leave a Reply.

    Author

    Cliff Kinchen is a lifelong martial artist and seasoned leadership trainer who blends combat discipline with real-world leadership insight. With decades of experience—from Air Force instruction to corporate boardrooms—he helps others grow through confidence, character, and challenge. His writing sparks reflection, inspires action, and invites readers to lead from the inside out

    Archives

    June 2025
    May 2025

    Categories

    All

    RSS Feed

​Proudly Serving
CORNELIUS
DAVIDSON
HUNTERSVILLE
CHARLOTTE
CONCORD

KINCHEN MARTIAL ARTS academy
​
​MEMBERSHIPS AND AWARDS

Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture

Telephone

(704) 237-0015

Email

[email protected]
ADDRESS
10308 BAILEY RD. SUITE 420
​CORNELIUS, NC 28031

Information

Online Store
Partners
Birthday Parties
Admin Tools
Parent Night Out

Hours

​Monday: 4:30PM - 8:00PM
Tuesday: 4:30PM - 8:00PM
Wednesday: 4:30PM - 8:00PM
Thursday: 4:30PM - 8:00PM
Friday: 4:30PM - 7:30PM
Saturday: CloseD/Special Event
Sunday: Closed/Special event
© kinchen martial arts | cornelius, nc | website design by Rickhouse Marketing®