Back from the HUL Classic.

Time for an athlete of the week.

Let's get started.

Welcome to the Ata Nation podcast.

Welcome back, Ata Nation to episode 179 of the Ata Nation podcast.

Thank you for tuning in.

We really appreciate it.

Got to see a lot of great people at the HUL Classic.

Going to do a wrap up of how that event went and all the cool things, but not today.

That's going to be for next week's episode.

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We got a short episode, but a great episode because we have an awesome athlete of the week.

Let's get right to it.

ATA Nation.

We have our athlete of the week with us today.

Can you introduce yourself, sir?

Thank you, sir.

My name is Sean Simpson.

I'm a third degree black belt training out at Pickerington, Ohio and it's a pleasure to be on the show today.

Well, we are super excited to have you.

So, Pickerington, Ohio, if that I'm not mistaken.

That's some pick power.

To team stuff there.

You guys all in red and come in in full force, right?

Oh, always love the red.

It's always welcoming to show up to the tournament venue and to immediately see the crimson aura of the power team and just know where where I need to be and who's on my side that day.

Well, if I'm not mistaken, you guys had a tournament just this last week, right?

Yes, we had the Three River Showdown over in Coraopolis.

Sorry, Pennsylvania.

Hosted by Master Stadthelb and his school.

Very cool.

We got second at least the elites.

We got second in both team combat and team sparring.

Ooh, man.

Who took first for first for both.

Was.

Leg effect master.

Okay, team.

Yeah, Cool.

Excellent.

Okay, well, we'll talk more tournament in a minute.

But tell us, how did you get into martial arts?

I got into martial arts at the age of eight.

Kind of growing up, I always fancied the martial arts movies.

Bruce Lee, Jackie Chan, Danny Lee, all the great ones.

And so did my best friend, also in second grade.

Both of us decided to join together and we had a great time.

He's also kind of visited it on and off as much as I have through school and just life stuff.

But I stuck to it.

And from then I made great friends within the ata.

Everyone from Pick Power and everyone even in the world, all the national events, all the world events, love to just see other martial artists that are there and we all Sharing the same passion.

And it takes me back to that eight year old me where it's just the fascination of the sport and of martial arts all together.

Love that.

Super cool.

It's so funny to see how many people like martial arts.

They started because of TV and movies.

So maybe I should tell kids to watch TV more.

Just the martial arts stuff though.

So competition wise, what's your like go to event, what's the thing that you like?

This is my favorite thing to do.

It's between combat and sparring and you can flip a coin for me that day.

Sometimes it's a, it's a combat day, sometimes it's a sparring day.

But between the two, I just love it.

I love the, I love the unpredictability of the combat and sparring.

Like I can do my best, but there's still maybe something I haven't seen before from this other adversary that they could bring to the match to make me think differently through that two minutes that I wouldn't have ever done before.

Forms and weapons are awesome, but I know that if I get that down to a T, chances are I might win with forms, with combat and sparring.

If I go on that mat, completely different situation every single time.

And then there's just the, it, just.

The different styles of it too.

The other person can come from internationally have a completely different outlook on it.

That makes me that much better and make me better as a martial artist overall as well.

Very cool.

Yeah, the, the unpredictability, just the.

There's a give and take with sparring and combat that there isn't the same of with with form.

Form is just me out there doing my thing where you've got that, you know, back and forth with, with sparring, combat.

Have you always.

Was that, have those always been your, like, you know, from the time you put on safety gear, you just love hitting people?

Actually, no.

Growing up I was always kind of the smaller kid.

So combat and sparring, I was kind of getting thrown around a little bit more than.

Then I'd like I did all four and then even all eight events in my traditional ring at one point.

But I don't know, I don't know what clicked.

I think sometime in high school when I started lifting a little bit more, started getting a little bit more weight behind me.

I think my, my mindset also changed.

I think the to compete is to win ideology really set forth for me and allowed me to look at sparring and combat at a different viewpoint, which allowed me to like it that much more which allowed me to like it more than everything else.

Well, I think that's, that's a great thing for others to hear because I think there are so many kids that might start when they put their, you know, some kids put their safety gear on and they're just like, I gotta hit people.

And I love to hit people and it's great.

And some, you know, start a little hard, it's a little harder for them.

Like you said, if you're smaller, you know, you haven't hit this growth spur, you know, other people have.

It can be a little intimidating.

And it's great to hear someone like you who, now this is your thing.

You love to get out there, play the game, you know, interact with the other person.

But it wasn't always like that.

So I think that's a, that's a good thing for our, you know, some of our younger athletes out there to remember.

So as you're looking at maybe tournament season, maybe your, your, your regular training, other things.

What kind of goals are you looking at for you know, short term, maybe midterm.

Short term and long term goals.

Short term for training.

I do want to get a state title for forms and weapons.

Nice.

My ring is pretty competitive, but I do want to challenge myself and try to succeed in even a capacity where maybe it's not my bread and butter, but I can still show that I'm competitive in that way and still aim for a high goal in that capacity as well.

And then long term, for competition, I do want that world title in combat or sparring for traditional or for the pick power team to also get it and, or for them as well.

I think I have a really great team and I think they deserve that.

We consistently place each year that we compete for combat team.

Combat and team sparring.

So.

Nice.

I think we have the, the manpower and the, the firepower if you will, to attain that, that gold and then.

Very cool.

Just gotta get that.

Yeah, of course.

Yeah, yeah.

Gotta get to the top of that, gotta get to the top of that podium.

But you know, it doesn't, it doesn't always happen that first year, couple years could take a while.

But what do you say outside of, outside of competition?

What kind of training outside of competition, outside of ata.

I do like to get into the gym, lift some heavy circles here and there.

So big goal by the end of this year is to hit a 400 pound barbell squat.

I'm at, I'm in the 370's 380's right now.

So my goal by the end of December 31st is the push that much weight on the barbell squat.

That's awesome.

What a great goal.

You know, not only is that, you know, keeping you healthy, whatnot, but it's obviously, you know, going to help you in your martial arts as.

As well.

You said you were a third degree.

Where's that?

You got a plans for fourth degree?

I have plans for fourth degree.

I've been a third degree for a little bit through high school.

In college I kind of slowed down with my testing my midterms and kind of focus on school.

But as of late, I want to direct back to getting some more colors on my collar and then also another degree on the belt as well.

Excellent.

Great.

Those are excellent goals all around.

So for our students out there, what, what does it mean to you to be an athlete that goes beyond the belt?

I think as an athlete to go beyond the belt.

The term itself, to go beyond the belt.

I think your athleticism and your commitment to your sport should show even beyond being on the mat, being in the doughbox and beyond the belt.

I think your determination, your consistency in oneself, your discipline.

I think those factors as an athlete should show outside of the belt because I think when you, the higher you compete as an athlete, the more that becomes a lifestyle and the more that your day to day life beyond the belt will mimic the dedication you have when you put on the belt as well.

I love that.

The dedication, the consistency.

What great things for us to all work on when it comes to our martial arts training.

So.

Well, sir, I, I want to thank you so much for your time and congratulations on being one of the athletes of the week.

Thank you, sir.

It's a pleasure.

Thank you for the opportunity and I hope to maybe someday be on the ATA podcast at a Nation podcast again in the future.

Yes, certainly.

Thank you.

Thank you, sir.

Man, are we full of awesome athletes in the ata.

Which reminds me, if you want to be an athlete of the week, reach out to one of the ATA ambassadors.

They are looking right now for 20, 26 athletes of the week.

So if you think you might make a great athlete of the week, send a message over to one of our ATA ambassadors on Instagram, Facebook, one of those social media platforms and they will reach back out to you and see if you might qualify.

That's going to wrap it up for us today.

I know it's a short episode, but as I mentioned last week, as we head into the holidays, we're going to have some of these shorter episodes covering some, some athletes a week, some other breaking news, some things like that, and then we'll be kicking off 2026 with a bang.

So stay tuned.

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Share it with your friends and get out there and go beyond the belt.

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