Today we’d like to introduce you to Dillon Conrad.
Hi Dillon, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
Our story really goes back to 1991, when my father, Grand Master Scott Conrad, originally established the school. So martial arts has pretty much been part of my life from the beginning. We joke sometimes that I was “born into karate royalty,” but there is some truth behind that because I grew up surrounded by martial arts and some incredibly talented people.
I started training under my father at a very young age. He was a former U.S. Cup Team member and a very accomplished competitor and instructor, so I had a pretty unique upbringing. Today, I’m a 4th-degree Master Black Belt in Tang Soo Do with more than 24 years of martial arts experience.
Over those years, I’ve competed in Korean and open-style tournaments in forms, sparring, and weapons, and I’ve also had the opportunity to cross-train in things like Jiu Jitsu, wrestling, and boxing. But as I’ve gotten older, I’ve realized that the biggest impact martial arts has had on me isn’t necessarily the trophies, medals, or belts. It’s the person it helped me become.
That’s ultimately what led me to teaching.
I really fell in love with being able to take what martial arts gave me—confidence, discipline, perseverance, and the ability to keep moving forward when things get difficult—and pass those lessons on to somebody else.
And that’s actually how Conrad’s Martial Arts came back. In 2024, I was teaching at another martial arts school that unfortunately ran into some serious business and operational problems and eventually closed. At the time, opening my own school wasn’t necessarily the plan.
But I had this small group of students and families that I had become very close with, and they wanted to continue training with me. That was the push I needed. I remember realizing that if these students believed in me enough to follow me somewhere else, then I needed to believe in myself enough to take the chance.
So I did.
Within a very short period of time, I got my business license, secured a place for us to train, got insurance, bought equipment, and basically said, “Alright, we’re going to make this work.”
And we did.
We didn’t start with a beautiful storefront, a huge budget, or a massive student base. We started with a handful of students who wanted to keep training and an instructor who wasn’t willing to let what we’d built together disappear.
Since then, that little group has grown into more than 65 active students. Today I get to teach and coach students of all ages, from our youngest Little Dragons through youth, teens, and adults. We’ve also been able to take martial arts outside of our school through self-defense seminars, community events, and other programs.
But through all of that growth, what matters most to me hasn’t really changed.
I want our students to leave the Do Jang better than when they walked in—not just as martial artists, but as people. I want them to understand discipline, respect, confidence, perseverance, and what they’re capable of when they don’t give up on themselves.
When I look at the whole journey, it really feels like things have come full circle.
My father gave me a place to grow up through martial arts. Years later, my students gave me the courage and the reason to open my own doors. And now I have the opportunity to keep those doors open and give the next generation a place to grow.
That’s what Conrad’s Martial Arts Center means to me.
It’s bigger than a business. It’s a continuation of something my family started more than 35 years ago, but it’s also something that our students and families are helping us build into our own.
And I believe we’re just getting started.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Definitely not. But I don’t think anything worth building ever has a completely smooth road.
One of the biggest challenges was how quickly everything happened. I went from being an instructor to a business owner almost overnight. I knew martial arts and I knew how to teach, but suddenly I was responsible for rent, insurance, equipment, marketing, enrollment, finances—all the things that come with keeping a business running. A lot of that I had to learn through experience.
We also started very small. We didn’t have a huge budget or a perfect facility waiting for us. We really built the school piece by piece, reinvesting what we could as we grew.
We rent our space alongside a local church, and early on we dealt with some major flooding issues. An affiliated master and I actually helped repair and restore the space ourselves. Since then, we’ve developed a great relationship with the church and continue helping with projects throughout the building—painting, refinishing rooms, installing security cameras, making repairs, and whatever else we can contribute.
There’s also been a personal challenge in carrying the Conrad name forward. My father set an incredibly high standard as both a martial artist and instructor, so I’ve always felt a responsibility to make sure what I’m building lives up to those standards, while still finding my own identity as an instructor and school owner.
I think all of that really represents our journey. Sometimes building the school piece by piece meant buying equipment when we could afford it, sometimes it meant learning the business side through trial and error, and sometimes it literally meant picking up tools and working on the building ourselves.
There have definitely been stressful moments and mistakes along the way, but martial arts teaches you to keep moving forward.
So no, it hasn’t been a smooth road—but we’ve kept showing up, solving the next problem, and adding the next piece. And when I look at what we’ve built, I’m extremely proud of it.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about Conrad’s Martial Arts Center?
Conrad’s Martial Arts Center is a family-oriented martial arts school in Broomall rooted in traditional Korean martial arts. Our foundation is Moo Duk Kwan Tang Soo Do, but we’ve built the school to offer something for a wide range of people and goals.
We offer programs for Little Dragons ages 4–6, Youth, Teens, and Adults, along with Olympic-style Taekwondo, Cardio Kickboxing, Indoor Archery, self-defense training, competition opportunities, seminars, and special events.
I think what we’re best known for—and what really sets us apart—is our ability to preserve traditional martial arts while still being open to different styles, training methods, and experiences. We take the discipline, respect, history, and standards of traditional martial arts seriously, but we also want our students to be well-rounded and have opportunities to challenge themselves in different ways.
We’re also very family and community focused. I know my students personally, and our families become part of the school rather than simply customers. We host events, participate in community programs, offer self-defense workshops, and try to create an environment where people genuinely enjoy being together.
Brand-wise, I’m probably most proud that the Conrad name represents both history and something that’s continuing to grow. There’s a martial arts legacy behind the name that I take very seriously, but we’re also creating our own identity and our own chapter.
Ultimately, I want readers to know that you don’t have to walk through our doors wanting to become a champion or a black belt. You might want confidence for your child, a way to get in shape, practical self-defense, competition, or simply a positive place to belong.
Whatever brings you through the door, our goal is to help you leave a little stronger, more confident, and more capable than when you came in.
That’s what I want Conrad’s Martial Arts Center to be known for.
How can people work with you, collaborate with you or support you?
There are a lot of ways people can work with us, and we’re always open to building new relationships within the community.
The simplest way to support us is to come through the doors—whether that’s enrolling yourself or your child, attending an event or seminar, or simply sharing what we’re doing with another family. Every bit of support helps a small local business like ours grow.
We’re also very open to collaborations with schools, churches, local businesses, first responders, youth programs, and community organizations through self-defense seminars, demonstrations, fundraisers, and special events.
Within the martial arts community, we welcome guest instructors, seminars, cross-training, tournaments, and relationships with other schools. I strongly believe there’s a lot we can accomplish when we put politics and egos aside and work together.
We’re also interested in connecting with local businesses and sponsors who believe in our mission and want to support our students, competitors, events, and community initiatives.
Ultimately, you don’t have to be a student to be part of what we’re building. If there’s a way we can work together, serve the community, or create new opportunities for people, our door is always open.
Pricing:
- 2 weeks of unlimited classes/Uniform for $34.99
Contact Info:
- Website: www,conradsmartialarts,com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/conradsmartialarts
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/share/1P3FW5MjMQ/?mibextid=wwXIfr
