About Mike

Mike McLaughlin has been training in the martial arts for more than 30 years. He is a 3rd Degree Black Belt in Tae Kwon Do, a 4th Degree Black Belt in Arnis and a Sifu in the Ip Man lineage of Wing Chun. Mike was also certified as an instructor in Jeet Kune Do under Sigung Richard Bustillo, who was an original student of the legendary Bruce Lee.

Mike has taught martial arts to thousands of students in the Phoenix area. Over 150 of his students have earned the rank of Black Belt. Mike led a group of students to China in 2002 to train with monks from the Shaolin Temple. Mike is also proud to be the coach of the 8-time champion demo team

 “Focused Intensity.”

In addition to teaching martial arts, Mike promotes fitness among his students. He is a certified personal trainer with the National Academy of Sports Medicine. He is also a certified MMA Conditioning Specialist, Youth Exercise Specialist and Behavior Change Specialist with NASM. Mike is also a certified Muay Thai Fitness Instructor with the National Exercise & Sports Trainers Association. Mike holds a bachelor’s degree in journalism and has written extensively about martial arts for newspapers and various websites.

Mike is a four-time inductee into the United States Martial Arts Hall of Fame. In 2017, he was appointed as the regional director in the Southwest for the Hall of Fame. He has also taught at the Hall of Fame’s International Training Camp.