Young Jordan is new to Taekwondo, but he already likes it a lot.
“You could fight, and it’s fun!” he says.
Jordan is one of the youngest students at Murphy’s Martial Arts Academy in Brown Deer. But Master Eddie Murphy says his training isn’t just for kids.
“Our philosophy is simple – if you have a desire to learn the martial arts, we can and will teach you,” Murphy says.
At 68, Beverly Gruber is Master Murphy’s oldest student.
“So, when I came in, my knees were bad, I was practically crawling,” Beverly says. “I told Master Murphy, ‘I’m going to be your longest white belt ever!’ And he just said, ‘yeah, okay! But, no!’”
That was twenty-three years ago. Now, Beverly has her black belt and is in great health.
“I do not feel 68. The minute I put on my uniform, I feel about 58. When I walk through the door, I feel about 48 and when I start moving, I just feel like a kid,” she says.
And Master Murphy has supported people with far higher hurdles than Beverly.
“We’ve had blind students; we’ve had students with developmental delays. We’ve had students in wheelchairs for at least part of the time that they’re here,” Beverly recalls. “There’s nothing that we can’t adapt to. Nobody has to be Bruce Lee flying through the air, but everybody can be the best that they can be.”
“I’ve learned over the years that they can,” Murphy adds. “Because of that, I make time to make sure that we teach.”
And one of the main things Master Murphy wants to teach is being the best that you can be – in all areas of life.
“Martial arts is about discipline, self-control, and the more self-control we are, the less violence we have in our world,” Murphy says.
It’s something he knows firsthand.
“I was not a good person back then, and truthfully, I actually got beat up pretty bad and that was my inspiration to go to a martial arts school that I had been seeing, and it saved my life,” Murphy says. “I think that, if it hadn’t been for this, I’d probably be in prison right now.”
Master Murphy’s teachings go far beyond the classroom. He helps his students set goals and follow through on them.
“One of my things I was learning to ride my bike without training wheels,” Jordan says. “And I’m doing very good.”
Now, he’s watching and learning – trying to get a couple more stripes on his white belt – so he can level up.
“It’s kind of like, ‘ooh, I’m jealous,’ because they got a new belt and stuff, and they have some cool stuff,” Jordan says.
But he says it’s just more encouragement to keep trying. And that’s a mentality Master Murphy says will take his students far in life – while keeping them out of trouble.
“Once they get it, you could see themselves fill with pride and joy because they knew that they earned it,” Master Murphy says. “It wasn’t something that was just given to them.”
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