Martial-arts instructor teaches his students a can-do spirit

Master Mike Shintaku found himself in 2009 with something in scarce supply for a lot of years, time.

After about 30 years with The Boeing Co., Shintaku, who lives in Lakeridge, was laid off as an autocad systems analyst at the 737 plant in Renton.

But he still had a goal he hadn’t yet reached – running his own martial arts school. More than a goal, it was a dream. He did what he tells his students – exceed your own expectations.

In fact he lives by the three words that came to him during long summer walks that form the foundation of his Exceed Martial Arts: Believe-Achieve-Exceed.

“I want them to believe in their ability,” Shintaku said. “That they can achieve their dreams. That they can exceed their expectations.

Shintaku opened Exceed Martial Arts in the Hilands Shopping Center on Northeast Sunset Boulevard last November. It wasn’t an ideal time to do so because of the recession, he said.

But he believed in his ability, in his dream.

Shintaku spent about $30,000 to get the school, with its 2,000 square feet of training space, ready for students. He has a foam-core mat, biting the bullet, he said, on the mat’s cost. Short walls separate the training area from a pro shop, office space and a sitting area. He has dressing rooms but no showers.

Business has been slow but is picking up, he said. He has about two dozen students.

He does most of the teaching, with assistance from his son, Dylan Iwami, Karianne Kajita, who helps with the children, and James Blackmon, who also helped him with construction.

“I wouldn’t have opened the school if I didn’t love it,” he said. “This is really fun.”

He taught martial arts in Burien and Bellevue for many years.

He has handed out thousands of fliers to market the training center; most of his students have simply walked through the doors.

He offers a range of classes, based on experience, from Tiny Tigers to teens and adults. He teaches Tang Soo Do, basically karate.

His Tiny Tigers class comes with a lot of encouragement and lessons in motor skills and politeness. “We teach them to say ‘sir’ and ‘ma’am’, ” he said.

For years, Shintaku, 57 and a seventh-degree black belt, was a nationally ranked martial arts competitor. Mid-way through the decade he had his hips replaced, but that didn’t stop him from competing once again. Last summer, 15 years after his last competition, he beat a 19-year-old in the final matches of a senior division tournament in Tacoma.

“There is life after hip replacement,” he said.

Shintaku has applied for non-profit corporate status. He wants to reach out to students in the Renton School District and to latch-key kids.

“My background has always been to help in the community,” he said.

Exceed Martial Arts

Owner Mike Shintaku

www.exceedma.com

425-988-3047

2806 N.E. Sunset Blvd., Renton

Contact Renton Reporter Editor Dean Radford at editor@rentonreporter.com or 425-255-3484, ext. 5050.

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