In 1969, a time Joe Sanders jokingly refers to as ‘the dark ages,? he was 29 years old, six feet tall, weighed 140 pounds, had a heart condition and was living in Akron, Ohio.
‘At that time, no one had really heard of karate or Tae Kwan Do. It was sort of a mystical type thing you heard about in the movies,? Sanders said.
Sanders was the regional manager for K-Mart at the time, overseeing the operation of 127 stores in Ohio, but his interests were drawn to martial arts.
With vivid detail, Sanders recalls browsing through the sports section of an Akron Beacon Journal one Sunday morning and seeing an advertisement for the opening of a judo and karate school. After reading the credentials of the school’s master, Kiel Soon Park, Sanders? interest peeked.
‘I said, ‘Oh this is cool? this was about 20 minutes away. This is absolutely perfect because I’ve always wanted to do this and this will be great exercise,? Sanders said.
After finishing with the paper, Sanders visited a nearby deli for breakfast. Upon entering the deli, Sanders attention was drawn to the back of the room where he recognized the man from the ad sitting at a table. Sanders approached and introduced himself. The man was Master Kiel Soon Park himself, and he invited Sanders to join him.
Thirty-seven years later, Sanders is now Master Sanders, to his own students a second degree black belt student in Judo, fourth degree black belt master in the Korean sword art of Kumdo, a black belt master of Hapkido and a sixth degree black belt master in Tae Kwan Do.
His life with K-Mart brought Sanders to Michigan 10 years ago where he worked at corporate headquarters in Troy, handling over $3.8 billion in commerce.
His love for the art he studied, however, is what brought him to the corner of Main Street and Washington in downtown Clarkston. Sanders decided that was the place he would exude his expertise and open Sander’s Martial Arts studio in the village he calls home.
Students of all ages come to Sander’s studio where they learn skills not only for self-defense, but to achieve confidence and get in shape. Like many martial arts schools, Sanders? students range not only in age but in skill level, with a colored belt system denoting levels of achievement.
Even with his own colored belt system, Sanders has instilled the idea that they are all just steps along the path towards mastery in all his students.
‘The black belt is not the end of the journey in martial arts education and spiritual growth and development; it is the beginning of the journey,? Sanders said. ‘The American mentality is that it’s the end. That’s totally wrong.?
Knowing there is always room for improvement, even at his level, Sanders is planning to travel to Seoul, South Korea in the near future to test for his seventh degree black belt at the World Tae Kwan Do Federation and complete his training to referee martial arts in the Olympics.
‘Very few Americans reach seventh Dan with the world Tae Kwon Do federation,? Sanders said, admitting his pursuit is solely for self-benefit and he has no plans to referee the Olympics anytime soon. Nonetheless, Sanders takes pride in his accomplishments and the accomplishments of his students.
Having competed in more than 50 competitions, Sanders students have earned 1,171 trophies and 19 championships.
His martial arts school continued to blossom as the business world turned downward for Sanders. When K-Mart fell on hard financial times, Sanders took on a challenge at a age when many would be thinking about retiring. His martial arts school was never meant to be a source of financial support, so Sanders began a new search for the job that suited him.
‘Here I am with a master’s degree in inventory control purchasing management. I’m in my 60’s. I had 187 resumes on the market, but I couldn’t get a job,? Sanders said. ‘I did great interviews on the phone… and the minute the 30-year-old PR guy would come and see my grey hair and grey mustache, I would see the light go out of his eyes and I knew I was done.?
All the while, Sanders continued to hone his skills in martial arts, both America-side and in Korea.
Over the years, Sanders? training taught him not only how to dish out pain but how to treat it. Whether it was a dislocated shoulder, separated ribs, sore back or headaches, Sanders learned methods to alleviate the pain without resorting to medication. However, it wasn’t until a friend made the suggestion that Sanders thought to use those skills in business.
‘I never thought about it,? Sanders admitted. ‘Then I woke up in the middle of the night and knew it was what I wanted to do.?
After training in massage therapy, acupuncture and craniosacral therapy, Sanders expanded his martial arts school and opened the Sander’s Alternative Therapy Clinic three years ago in the same building. Since then, he continues to expand his knowledge base and has even completed work on a book combining his methods into a new practice.
‘It’s 21st century chiropractic without the jerking and the high-intensity vertical flex,? Sanders said describing his Cranioskelatal Qi Gong method. Since beginning his new work, Sanders said he has seen great success with people with head trauma, joint pain and even autism.
‘I’ve never been happier in my life,? said Sanders about the rewards of his therapy work. ‘I’ve had a brain trauma person come in here who’s been told there’s no hope, that’s the way it is… now she looks totally normal.
‘It’s really great to be 66-years-old and finally find what I want to do with the rest of my life, which is help people, make their lifestyle more comfortable,? Sanders said.
Sanders lives in Clarkston with his wife Jeannette, a high school teacher. The couple has one child, Stephanie, who is currently working on her second masters degree at Wayne State University.