Inspiring Conversations with Henry Calantog of Legacy Martial Arts of Scottsdale AZ

Today we’d like to introduce you to Henry Calantog.

Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
Everyone knows me simply as Master “C”. I have been the Owner & Head Instructor of Legacy Martial Arts of Scottsdale AZ since 1999, and have been training in the martial arts for over 30 years.

I was an avid competitor in my youth and young adult hood. Through my experiences of training and teaching I decided to leave my Pre-Med Track at ASU and become a small business owner,

I wanted to help others find the best parts of themselves through martial arts training.

Before it was cool I was a young man in my early 20’s learning about P&L sheets, marketing and how to grow a boutique fitness business.

Through the course of constant traveling, recessions, housing booms & COVID, we grew to serving over 250 families at our dojo. I also somehow found time to marry my best friend, and raise two amazing sons.

My greatest joy alongside seeing the success of my students is to see both of my sons excel in the competition world. Both of them have aspirations to being professional fighters, and my oldest is currently training at one of the top MMA gyms in the country with goals to being a champion in the UFC.

I was recently diagnosed with early onset Parkinson’s Disease. While others might consider this degenerative neurological disease as a hindrance, I consider it an opportunity to show others the tenacity of the human spirit, and what strength of faith really is.

I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
With over 2 decades of small business ownership I have weathered recessions, the housing market tanking and COVID closures. There were times that we were close to closing our doors. Through it all I never considered giving up.

In my personal life, being diagnosed with early onset Parkinson’s Disease has many short & long term challenges.

We’ve been impressed with Legacy Martial Arts of Scottsdale AZ, but for folks who might not be as familiar, what can you share with them about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
We are a family martial arts school, where we have classes starting at 3.5 years old, and we teach all the way up to Adult.

Many of our students have been with us for a decade or longer. We are at a point where we are teaching the kids of the kids we taught 20 years ago. We truly are a generational school.

What sets us a part from others is the transformative experience we meticulously try to create for each student.

Through teaching GREAT martial arts skill we develop a student’s body and character.

Where others in our field teach heavily toward skill development, and others hyper focus on character development, we weave both to work in parallel. It is both deliberate and intentional.

Let’s talk about our city – what do you love? What do you not love?
I love that our city has become such a melting pot of cultures & backgrounds. You bump into people from so many walks of life.

What I least like about our city is still to be determined….I am an eternal optimist!!

Pricing:

• Memberships Start at $195/month
• Quick Start Program is 10 weeks of unlimited classes for $389

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.karatescottsdale.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/legacymascottsdale/
• Facebook: https://facebook.com/legacyofscottsdale