Thirty-two years, one standard.
Action Zone was not built to be the biggest school in the area. It was built to change who walks out the door.
In 1993, Michael Lowery built a martial arts school next to his own home in Raeford.
What he built was not a franchise or a fitness trend. Yeshua's Ryu is his own system, drawn from more than fifty years in the art, blending Karate, Jiu Jitsu, Kung Fu, Tae Kwon Do, and the five traditional Japanese weapons into one thing that gets taught the same way every night.
We are a non-competitive school. That is on purpose, and Michael has always been direct about why.
"Our focus isn't on winning trophies or gaining recognition. Instead, we seek self-enlightenment and a deeper spiritual understanding through the demanding practice of martial arts."
"Knowledge is incomplete without wisdom, and our habits define who we become."
That standard shows up in who is allowed to teach here. Every instructor has put in a minimum of 480 hours to earn their Black Belt, plus a leadership program on top of it. Your child is not being handed off to someone who learned the moves last year.
The school is run today by Michael's stepson, Jayson Lindemuth, who first stepped onto this mat at three years old and has spent twenty-six years in the art since. Same building. Same system. Same standard.
Thirty-two years in one town means most of the people on this floor are not strangers, and we teach like it.
A Black Belt is not something you simply earn, though you will.
A Black Belt is not just something you wear, though you will.
A Black Belt is who you are becoming.