Today we’d like to introduce you to Stan White.
Hi Stan, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I am Stan White owner of Midsouth LCCT. Like most people, I was drawn to martial arts for the typical reasons; a friend wanted me to go to class with them. This was true in my case as well. It was back in 1992 and a friend did not want to try a class out by himself. He pestered me for weeks to try a class with him until I finally caved in and tried karate out for the first time.
I always was the skinny nerdy kid in school who never played sports, and was certainly not athletically inclined, but in a strange turn of events, I loved it. My friend dropped out after the first few weeks, and I remained enthralled and went on to receive my black belt in Shotokan karate in 1996. I continued to practice karate and dabbled in judo until 1999 when I was diagnosed with a rare auto-immune muscle disorder called Polymyositis.
The long and short of it was that my immune system malfunctioned and believed that my muscles were foreign infections and began to relentlessly attack them to eliminate the threat from my body. I dropped from a very fit 190lbs to 135lbs when they admitted me to the hospital. I could not raise my arms over my head.
I became so weak I could not stand up, lift a glass of water off the table, get up out of bed, or even get up off the toilet without assistance. My legs were so weak that if I bent my knees, I would immediately fall, as my muscles were not strong enough to hold my bodyweight standing, even at a mere 135 lbs. I was not sure I was going to live, much less ever do martial arts again.
After about 10 months of massive doses of prednisone, methotrexate, and gamma globulin infusions, they were able to get it under control enough that my immune system could not attack as quickly. There is no cure, so it will always be a balancing act of medicine vs. function for the rest of my life.
In 2009, after 10 grueling years of physical therapy, and constant weekly chemo treatments, I asked my doctor if I could try to return to martial arts. His response was to do what I could, but that I would never be strong enough to break boards or spar with any degree of success. However, the movement and stretching would be good for my muscles, and I should do what I felt I was able to do but to understand that I would always have some limitations. One such limitation that still plagues me to this day is the inability to run. I can walk at a good clip, but the legs will just not move me any faster than a slow jog.
I decided to try Gracie Jiu-Jitsu as it was advertised to be a martial art that did not require one to be in superior physical shape. The old catchphrase at the time was, “Jiu-Jitsu gives the smaller person a chance against the big and strong.” For the next 4 years, I trained 3 to 4 days a week with my wife and son and we all grew to really enjoy not only the martial art but the social aspect and having something to do that all three of us enjoyed while keeping us in good shape.
For me, the only goal initially was to keep my muscles mobile. I did not ever truly believe I would be any good at Jiu-Jitsu. I was clumsy, slow, and old, not a great combination for a fighting art. I got crushed, beat up, and tapped consistently, but I was having the time of my life.
In 2013, I met a Rickson Gracie black belt named, Luiz Claudio. He and his brother Thiago Veiga helped me with not only my Jiu-Jitsu but my ability to apply it. They also helped me with workout plans, nutrition, and general mental coaching that turned so much of my life around. My Jiu-Jitsu abilities skyrocketed, and after a year or so of training his style of Jiu-Jitsu out of our garage with a few close friends, we decided to open our own studio. At first, we rented some space from an established Tae Kwon Do gym, and after about 2 years outgrew that space and opened our own gym, Midsouth LCCT Brazilian Jiu Jitsu Academy, LLC in 2017 in Millington, TN.
We didn’t really know what we were doing. Teaching Jiu-Jitsu was the easy part. Finding a space, dealing with licensing and inspections, figuring out Marketing, maintenance and administration was the hard part. That along with a full-time Information Systems career was a handful.
Thankfully my friend, Oliver Smith of Capital Prime Consulting was able to help me with all the pieces I knew nothing about. When we opened officially I had about 29 students and barely made enough to cover the rent. There were many times I wondered if I had made the right choice by opening my own school. Our business plan was simple. Take all the things we hated about other gyms we had encountered and don’t do that!
Over the last 4 years, we have had slow, steady, healthy growth. We have the best group of diverse students and friends a person could have. We have students, doctors, electricians, nurses, construction workers, police, stay-at-home moms, and social workers all co-existing together in a thriving supportive environment where everyone learns to trust each other literally with their lives. There are not many places where something like that happens in this day and age.
In November of 2021, I achieved the rank of black belt in a martial art that typically only about 1% of people who start make it to black belt in, and have a strong, well respected martial arts gym poised for great things in the future. I am not a billionaire, but for someone that couldn’t get off the toilet without help some years back, I consider myself to be very fortunate to be part of such an amazing team of people and an amazing martial art.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your business?
We are a martial arts studio that specializes in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. Jiu-Jitsu is a martial arts style that became popular in 1993 at the original UFC with Royce Gracie defeating multiple opponents of varying other styles in a bare-knuckle, no weight class, no time limit, no holds barred event held in Colorado.
Jiu-Jitsu proved superior to multiple other popular martial arts because of its efficiency and wide range of techniques covering both standing and ground combat. We are a Luiz Claudio Combat Team affiliate with IBJJF certified black belt instructors under Rickson Gracie lineage.
Our focus is on sharing Jiu-Jitsu with those who need it for self-defense, confidence, and fitness. We train for both self-defense and competition and have a large contingent of officers from the Tipton County Sherriff’s department and SWAT team who train with us. Jiu-Jitsu is for everyone, the most difficult step is through the front door for the first time. Come try a class for free and see what you think.
Who else deserves credit in your story?
Luiz Claudio/Thiago Veiga – My professors based in Schaumburg, IL Oliver Smith – My business coach. Kati White – My wife, business partner, and assistant instructor. Stan White IV – My son, and assistant instructor. Ralph Thomely – Assistant Coach. Amber Sonderman – Assistant Coach. Jacob Schorr – Wrestling Coach. Troy Aucoin – Day One Fitness (My strength and conditioning coach).
Contact Info:
- Email: midsouthlcct@gmail.com
- Website: www.midsouthlcct.com
- Instagram: @midsouthlcct
- Facebook: @midsouthlcct
- Twitter: @midsouthlcct
