Skills that matter

When you can protect yourself and your loved ones… when you can move freely off the beaten path… you live differently… the world becomes your playground.     

Tough and resilient

Falling, failing, and being uncomfortable are integral to teaching our students grit.  Combine that with challenges that make you work through fear, and it’s a recipe for one tough cookie.  

Rewild

Our bodies were not meant to sit at a desk all day.  Guardian Art channels the powers of our wild instincts – restoring natural processes we need to stay healthy.  

Real world mentality

Although our gyms are well padded, we teach with the mentality that we’re training outside on surfaces like rock.  So instead of learning how to stick your landing like in gymnastics, you learn how to minimize impact on your joints and avoid injury.  

Agility and adaptation

Because Guardian Art is meant for the outdoors, adaptation is prioritized over muscle memory.  The result?  Improved agility that translates to other physical activities and a flexible mindset that leads to creative problem solving.  

Problem solving

Unlike sports where the coach calls plays to execute, students are often challenged to come up with solutions themselves.  It has bred a culture of creative individuals that appreciate each other’s different approaches.  

Same same…

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Our fighting style is MMA.  Our beginners start with wrestling to focus on takedowns, then they learn submissions like in BJJ, and then kickboxing is added at the next level.

But different.

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A different purpose

What truly separates Guardian Art from martial arts is its purpose.  Martial arts is about self-defense and warfare.  Guardian Art is about protecting others and being a medicine to the world.  When you’re training to fight for others, protecting yourself gets easier.

A different approach

Instead of lessons focused on body movements, our foundation is a progressive series of sparring games that puts focus beyond the body to break mental and emotional barriers.  We call these games “Shatter Matches” because they are designed to:

• Shatter fear and awaken the fighting spirit.
• Shatter ego to open the mind for learning.
• Shatter bad habits and strengthen instincts.
• Shatter dependency on others.

A different application

Everything taught in Guardian Art is meant to be applied outside, and the outside world is far different from a kickboxing ring or karate dojo.  As students progress in their Shatter Matches, different surroundings are introduced to prepare you for real life spaces like dark alleyways and furnished rooms.

A different system

Unlike martial arts, we do not use belts.  Guardian Art uses a community based system that evaluates students on their ability to help others.  This is why our curriculum is full of team oriented games.  The better your training partners, the better your training.

No Belts

Guardian Art is a community based system, so our levels work in clans instead of belts.  Making the next clan is sort of like making the varsity team.  We evaluate team skills along with physical skills.  

This is why our curriculum is full of team oriented games that involve strong communication and creative problem solving.

No Respect

We don’t teach respect in Guardian Art. Why? Every culture has a different idea of what respect means, and sometimes “obey your elders” conflicts with “do to others as you would have them do to you.”

Instead, we teach care. When the foundation of teamwork is care instead of winning, the lessons are much more powerful.

Better Communication

Through the foundation of care, students learn to encourage, help, and listen to each other.

Emotional Intelligence 

Having care towards others leads to empathy and social awareness.

Mental Health

Appreciation, practiced through care, improves mental and emotional well-being.

Will Power

Having more care towards goals naturally increases effort.

The most experienced 

When we started our program in 2004, it was one of the first in the world of its kind.  Leaders from parkour communities have come to us for guidance, world class athletes have been our students, and many have tried to copy us with “ninja” programs.

Teaching with a mission

Our standards are higher, because our mission is higher.  We’re not trying to do business… we’re trying to develop Earth’s future Guardians.  So Guardian Art is taught with a passion, purpose, and quality not found elsewhere.    

Elite Instructors 

Our vast curriculum requires immensely capable teachers.  Not only are they responsible for teaching a wide range of skills from wrestling to acrobatics, they are asked to be positive yet strict, create fearsome challenges that are safe, and tie everything back to being a Guardian.  This is why we have one of the world’s most rigorous instructor training programs.  

High Standards

Dig into what it takes to be a beginner level instructor in disciplines like gymnastics, karate, and parkour, and you’ll see that they pale in comparison to our standards.

Part 1: Saving the Past

Many of the lessons in Guardian Art come from indigenous teachings, which are considered endangered.  So without any business experience nor business aspirations, we opened up our first school in 2004 as part of a mission to keep these practices alive.  This is why our outreach programs emphasize returning powerful traditions such as “Little Brother of War,” the original version of Lacrosse played by Native Americans. 

Part 2: Saving the People

The stats are depressing.  Of all ethnic groups in the U.S. and Canada, Natives suffer the highest rates of substance abuse, suicide, and violence.  To help, we run free outreach programs for these at-risk communities across North America.  We always knew it would be beneficial for any youth to learn Guardian Art, but its impact on Native communities is beyond what we expected.  It’s been akin to the rewilding effect of wolves in Yellowstone, as our outreach programs have:

• Helped reverse the devastation from genocide.
• Improved physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual wellbeing.
• Empowered Native youth with their heritage.
• Deepened their connection to nature and sacred sites.
• Strengthened community spirit.  

These outreach programs continue to grow with more support from our members through tuition, donations, and volunteer work.  And as part of our curriculum, advanced students travel the world to directly help these communities – gaining valuable experiences.

Part 3: Saving the Future

Since time immemorial, Indigenous people have been caretakers of the environment.  And despite making up just 5% of today’s world population, they still protect 80% of the Earth’s biodiversity.  Their traditional culture and knowledge are key to a sustainable future for all.  Therefore, we are currently working hard to set up cultural preserves to allow for land and cultural conservation on a larger scale.