Long Beach man living out childhood dream after opening martial arts dojo

LONG BEACH, Miss. (WLOX) - When John Miller was 10 years old, John Miller had a dream to excel in martial arts and one day open his own dojo.

Now, years later, the Long Beach man has accomplished that dream, inspiring the name of his new studio: Full Circle Martial Arts and Yoga.

“I was the youngest person in the world at the time in the Japanese Karate Association to achieve a black belt,” said Miller, reflecting on his big accomplishment in 1983. “I had a dream and a desire at that young age to open up a dojo one day. It’s taken a long time to get here but here we are, full circle.”

Miller is now inspiring a new generation of children to learn martial arts.

“We practice mind, body, spirit and that’s what I want to pass on to these young kids.” he said. “It’s not about the punching and kicking. It’s a way of life.”

For his students, learning martial arts from Miller is not only fun but is teaching them valuable skills and life lessons.

“I figured if I was able to learn martial arts then I would be able to protect not only myself but the people around me,” said Lochlan Miller.

For parents, seeing their child develop passion for something new is exciting, giving them a sense of pride for their child.

“Him being able to build up his self confidence through the little activities they do... He doesn’t even realize how much he’s blossomed just in the last two weeks,” said parent Jill Cibene.

Fill Circle offers classes in meditation, martial arts, and yoga, as well as many other classes like HIIT karate, women’s self-defense, sparring, barre and Pilates, European and Asian weapons, and the Way of Water. This summer, the dojo is also offering a summer day camp for children ages 4-12.

Miller’s studio is located at 20144 Pineville Road in Long Beach. To read more about Miller and the classes offered at Full Circle, visit the studio’s website.

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