COACH ADAM LOYD MENTOR ON A MISSION

COACH ADAM LOYD MENTOR ON A MISSION

Adam Loyd has had over 30 years of martial arts training. He currently holds a Sixth Dan Black Belt with United States Expert Karate Association and a Third Dan Black Belt with Hapkido Elite.

He began his martial arts journey in the summer of 1994 as a response to bullying he had endured in elementary and middle school. He was a small kid, going into high school at under 100 lbs, and his father was concerned that he would need to learn to hold his own against the bigger and older kids in school.

Adam began his training with American Tiger Karate Schools under Shihan Doug Welsh and Sensei Terry Pollard. ATKS is a blended system of Shotokan, Isshun-ryu, Shorin-ryu, Kempo, Shaolin-Do, Full Contact Karate, Chinese Kung-Fu, Aikido, and Ju-jitsu.

In 5 years of training, he received “Student of the Year 3 years (1995,1996, and 1997) in the summer of 1998 just months before his 18th birthday he received his First Dan Black Belt, becoming the youngest person to ever be promoted to a Black Belt in that system.

After leaving ATKS IN 1999 to work various odd jobs, Adam continued training with several of his friends, and former classmates.

In 2000, he began training in Taekwondo, hapkido and kickboxing under Wes Bridges. He went on to compete in several local tournaments and a few smokers.

After receiving damage to his left eye in 2003, he stepped away from competition, and focused more on coaching and teaching others.

In 2013, he discovered Obstacle Course Racing and endurance events, such as Spartan Race, Savage Race, Tough Mudder, and others. And began adding more strength and endurance elements he learned in training for obstacle racing into his daily training sessions.

In 2017, he started an obstacle training program at Force Academy in Cleveland, TN, where he worked with both David Bateman and Mariliis Bateman. It was during this time that he helped Mariliis utilize the obstacle course style training as conditioning to apply to martial arts competition.

In 2018, he began coaching Fight Club, a kickboxing program out of Our House Studios Inc. in Ringgold, GA.

In 2019, he became one of the coaches for Rock Steady Boxing, a boxing program designed to help people with Parkinson’s fight the disease through physical training and movement. This program is also run at Our House Studios Inc

In 2023, he began coaching a second kickboxing program at Southside Fitness in Cleveland, TN.

He currently coaches all three of these programs, offers private lessons, and frequently works as a striking and kicking coach for GM David Bateman at Force Academy in Cleveland, TN. As a civilian profession Adam works nights as a full time warehouse employee.