Established in 1984, Tiger Schulmann’s Martial Arts trains thousands of men, women and children weekly.

A Tiger’s Tale

It was the day his oldest son crawled home from the school bus stop after suffering a broken leg at the hands of two bullies, that David Schulmann enrolled his son, Danny, in Kyokushin Karate. It didn’t take long for Danny’s instructor, Shigeru Oyama, to realize that the boy was truly special. In fact, in his twenty plus years of teaching martial arts, he had never witnessed such speed, strength and fearlessness in a child. It was only appropriate that he refer to the boy as what he so closely resembled – a tiger. Tiger trained six days a week for the next three years and in 1974, at the young age of twelve, he had earned his black belt.

It was 1978 when Tiger was sixteen and in high school that he started his own “martial arts club” in a conference room at his parent’s motel in Quakertown, Pennsylvania. He handed out flyers at high school football games to get the word out. Three days a week, Tiger taught his fellow students the style that he had so passionately studied. It was at this time that Tiger started competing in “bare knuckle” knockdown tournaments. When he turned just seventeen, he became the youngest person ever to win the North American Mas Oyama Full Contact Championship. As a result of this, he was selected as one of eight Americans to represent his country at the 1979 World Open Championships in Tokyo, Japan. Occurring just once every four years, it was considered the “Olympics of Fighting.” At just 135 pounds, with no weight divisions, Tiger was the youngest and lightest competitor in the entire event. Once he returned home, Tiger would continue his six-year reign as the North American Full Contact Champion until he ultimately retired from competition.

So what does a 22 year old do after accomplishing so much in so little time? His heart was telling him to pursue his dream and teach martial arts for a living, but everyone he knew was telling him that was just a pipe dream. “You can’t make a living teaching martial arts”, they all told him. “Teaching martial arts is what you do part time after you get home from work.” They said he should go to college and he reluctantly did. But after just one semester Tiger couldn’t ignore his calling any longer. He dropped out of school and opened up the very first Tiger Schulmann’s Martial Arts School in Spring Valley, New York.

Thirty years and over 200,000 students later, Tiger Schulmann’s MMA is the largest martial arts school in America. Tiger continues to teach his instructors every single week in his New Jersey headquarters. Together, Tiger and his instructors have trained students that have won at the highest levels in martial arts competition, including: UFC, Bellator, Golden Gloves Boxing and many others. In 2005, Tiger was inducted into the North American Grappling Hall of Fame and in 2013, the New Jersey Martial Arts Hall of Fame for a Lifetime Achievement in the Martial Arts.

Tiger’s story is that of a true underdog who came from meager beginnings to overcome insurmountable odds. He strongly believes self discipline, determination and a non-quitting spirit are the keys to one’s ultimate success. It’s for this exact reason, these attributes are woven into the fabric of every class taught at Tiger Schulmann’s Mixed Martial Arts.

• Began training in the martial arts as a child in New York. Has trained and competed throughout the – continental United States, Hawaii, and internationally in Japan and Israel.
• North American Mas Oyama Full-Contact Karate Champion for six consecutive years (1979-1984), an accomplishment still unequalled today. In 1979, he was also the United States representative in the World Open Full-Contact Karate Championships in Tokyo, Japan. He was the youngest and lightest fighter, and one of only eight fighters chosen nationwide.
• Winner of more than 100 competitions.
• Retired from competition, undefeated, to create a style of martial arts that combines the most effective streetwise self-defense from the various styles he studied. This hybrid style is known today as Tiger Schulmann’s.
• Spearheaded the development and growth of Tiger Schulmann’s from one school in 1984 to more than 40 schools, located in New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Connecticut, and Florida.
• Received national recognition for his “proven recipe of success on the street” featured in Black Belt Magazine – April 2002, MAPro Magazine – April 2001, Business News – April 2001, Karate/Kung-Fu Illustrated – October 1994, Fighter Magazine – February 1988 and Success Magazine – December 1997.
• Sponsor of the largest martial arts tournament in the U.S., Challenge of Champions, which hosts more than 1500 competitors bi-annually.
• Redefined the standard martial art school prototype by opening the largest dedicated martial arts in the United States. In July 1996 Tiger Schulmann’s unveiled its flagship location in Manhattan: a 20,000 square foot dojo, with three workout areas, headed by Chief Organizational Instructor Shihan Ron Schulmann. He lead his organization to become the number 1 grappling school in North America in 2004.
• Tiger Schulmann was inducted into the NAGA Grappling Hall of Fame as a Founding member in 2005.
• Was inducted in to the New Jersey Martial Arts Hall of Fame in December 2013

ABOUT TIGER SCHULMANN’S

For adults, emphasis is on achieving peak fitness using a systematic regimen of techniques which maximize aerobic capacity, strength, flexibility, endurance, and self-defense skills. Classes are led by highly-experienced trainers who key into your goals and keep you motivated in a dedicated pursuit of obtaining optimal physical and mental health coupled with increased vitality.

For children, our specialized program offers a safe, fun and exciting environment. They learn self-discipline, the ability to set and achieve goals, and a powerful sense of accomplishment. Non-aggressive methods of handling bullying situations are also of substantial importance. Tiger Schulmann’s MMA instills high moral values, self-defense skills, and a non-quitting spirit which will last a lifetime.

For more details, please explore our website and be sure to check out the videos. Even better, come in or call us and experience a class for yourself.