The McDojo Lineage - A Family Tree

The McDojo Lineage

Being a Faithful Genealogy of the Business Bloodlines
that Commercialised the Martial Arts in America
~ Compiled Anno Domini MMXXVI ~
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Progenitors
Billing companies
Consultants & associations
Equipment & media
Franchise organisations
Private equity
The Progenitors
Jhoon Rhee
"Father of American Taekwondo"
Washington, D.C. — 1960s
His organisation became the launchpad for EFC billing and trained both Stephen Oliver & Jeff Smith. The unwitting patriarch of the McDojo ecosystem.
Ed Parker
American Kenpo
Pasadena, CA — 1960s
Trained Greg Silva, who met EFC's Cokinos at the same time. The Kenpo lineage and the billing infrastructure converge in one handshake.
Haeng Ung Lee
ATA — "Eternal Grandmaster"
Omaha, NE — 1969
Created the Songahm system, the camo belt, child black belts, and the closed tournament model. Origin of the franchise-scale McDojang.
↓ ↓ ↓
The Billing Houses & Their Counsellors — 1967–1990s
Nicholas Cokinos
Educational Funding Co. (EFC)
Chevy Chase, MD — est. 1967
Begat: Third-party contract billing • Long-term payment plans managed by outside company • Separation of teaching quality from revenue • Contract-selling to receivables company • International conference as playbook export (Orlando, 1990s–)
First martial arts billing company
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Amerinational Mgmt Services (AMS)
Orlando, FL — est. 1983
Begat: EFC model replicated • Full-stack management ecosystem (billing + software + marketing + consulting) • After-school & summer camp programme add-ons
— Oliver served on EFC's board from inception to 2001; Silva was EFC's #1 client school —
Stephen Oliver
Mile High Karate / NAPMA / MaPro
Lakewood, CO — est. 1983
Begat: "Enrollment conference" scripted sales • Monthly marketing boxes (shipped 25th of each month) • Black Belt Club / Leadership Team / Masters Club upsell tiers • "Done for you" marketing materials (copy-protected) • Dan Kennedy direct-response methods applied to MA • Martial arts franchise with MBA-level revenue engineering
Jhoon Rhee lineage • EFC board • Georgetown MBA
John Graden
NAPMA (founder, 1994) / MATA / ACMA
Tampa, FL — 1994
Begat: Trade association model for MA business consulting • MAPro magazine (first MA trade journal) • Instructor certification tied to business network • "Both arsonist and firefighter"
Joe Lewis protégé • WAKO champion
Greg Silva
United Professionals
Connecticut — est. ~1990
Begat: Universal Curriculum (1989) — first vendor-delivered rotating children's curriculum • High-volume class management systems • The consultant-to-franchise mentorship pipeline
Ed Parker lineage • Met Cokinos with Parker
Mike Dillard
Century Martial Arts / MAIA
Oklahoma City — est. 1976 / 2001
Begat: Equipment company as consulting arm • SuperShow annual convention • maSuccess magazine • MAIA Edge digital marketing platform • The equipment seller became the business adviser, media publisher, and convention host
Barry Van Over
United Professionals → Premier MA
Knoxville, TN — 2004
Begat: "No experience necessary" franchise ownership • Public school talks as recruitment funnels • Consultant-to-franchise pipeline personified • Sold to private equity 2021
Silva protégé • NAPMA regional dir • MAIA keynote 20yrs
↓ ↓ ↓
The Franchise Houses — 1969–2000s
— ATA adopted NAPMA marketing methods • Van Over keynoted MAIA SuperShow 20 consecutive years • EFC conferences exported model globally —
ATA / Songahm TKD
American Taekwondo Association
Little Rock, AR — est. 1969
Begat: Camouflage belt & extra belt colours • Child black belts (under age 10) • Closed tournament circuit • "Guaranteed black belt" contracts • Black Belt Club / Leadership Team upsell tiers (1990s, via GM Bill Clark) • Testing fees as separate revenue events • ~1,500 schools
Tiger-Rock TKD
formerly Intl Taekwondo Alliance (ITA)
est. 1983 — franchise 2008
Begat: Association-to-franchise conversion • Full Franchise Disclosure Documents for MA schools • Proprietary curriculum changed multiple times • $39K franchise fee • 100+ locations
ATA offshoot • Monroe / Kollars brothers
Mile High Karate
Stephen Oliver’s franchise arm
Lakewood, CO — est. 1983
Begat: International MA franchise (US, CA, NZ, AU) • $27,500 franchise fee • Revenue-per-student metrics as primary KPI • Franchise + consulting + billing + media integrated under one operator
Premier Martial Arts
Barry Van Over
Knoxville, TN — est. 2004
Begat: "No martial arts experience necessary" franchising • License-to-franchise conversion (2018) • School Talks / ABC’s of Success / Bully Proof as recruitment funnels • 564 franchises sold to 228 owners
Go Kan Ryu (GKR)
Robert Sullivan
Adelaide, Australia — est. 1984
Begat: Door-to-door membership sales (from Amway) • Low-rank students as instructors • "Black belt with white stripe" disguised rank • Non-contact only competition • MLM/franchise hybrid • Non-compete clauses for departing instructors
Amerikick
Dennis Tosten / American Karate Studios
Philadelphia — est. 1967
Begat: One of the earliest franchise-style MA operations • Regional directorship model
↓ ↓ ↓
The Private Equity Epoch — 2020s–Present
Michael Browning
Unleashed Brands
Dallas, TX — acquired Premier 2021
Begat: PE rollup of martial arts franchises • Brand President from janitorial franchise world • 54 franchisees sued (RICO claims, 2022) • Lawsuits in 5 of 6 acquired brands • Martial arts as a line item on a PE portfolio
Urban Air • Little Gym • Snapology • Sylvan
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The Ownership Chain
2021–present
Begat: Multiple PE ownership changes: MPK Partners (Perot family) → Seidler Equity Partners → Princeton Equity Group • Each change adds another layer between the student on the mat and the people making decisions about their training
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MAIA Edge / Digital Platforms
2010s–present
Begat: Monthly marketing box → SaaS subscription • Plug-and-play social media templates • Digital "done for you" campaigns • The same standardisation, now at internet speed
§ § §
A Chronology of Innovations & Corruptions

1883 — Kano introduces the belt system (white & black). Educational, not commercial.

1967 — EFC founded. Third-party billing & long-term contracts enter martial arts.

1969 — ATA founded. The franchise-scale association is born.

~1970s — Contract-selling model emerges. Schools sell receivables to billing companies.

1976 — Century Martial Arts founded. Equipment → consulting pipeline begins.

1983 — ATA creates Songahm system. Proprietary curriculum — schools can’t leave with it. Mile High Karate, AMS, and ITA (Tiger-Rock) all founded same year.

1984 — GKR founded. Door-to-door sales from Amway applied to martial arts.

Late 1980s — Testing fees become separate revenue events. Camo belt & extra colours proliferate.

1989 — Silva develops Universal Curriculum. First vendor-delivered rotating children’s curriculum.

~1990s — Black Belt Club and upgrade tiers emerge in ATA (via GM Bill Clark). "Enrollment conferences" replace "sales pitches."

1994 — NAPMA founded. Monthly marketing boxes begin shipping. Consulting industry crystallises.

1997 — EFC expands to UK. International conference exports the model globally.

Late 1990s — "Guaranteed black belt" contracts become common. Pay for the belt; get it on schedule.

2001 — Century creates MAIA. Equipment company enters consulting, media, and conventions.

2004 — Premier MA founded. Consultant-to-franchise pipeline in action.

2008 — Tiger-Rock converts to formal franchise. FDDs, territory rights, franchise fees.

2010s — Marketing boxes go digital. SaaS replaces physical shipments.

2018 — Premier converts license to franchise. "No MA experience necessary" for owners.

2021 — Private equity enters. Unleashed Brands acquires Premier MA.

2022 — 54 Premier franchisees sue. RICO claims. Five of six Unleashed brands in litigation.

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"Every step makes the teaching less important and the revenue structure more important.
That is the lineage."

~ A Working Document — Corrections & Additions Welcome ~