In 1983, at the age of 13, John Kyle began his martial arts journey in the style of traditional Tae Kwon Do under Grandmaster Peter Sooyong Cha and his son, Chul Cha, in Rockville, Maryland. In 1986, at age 16, he transitioned into full-contact kickboxing and American Karate, where he earned his 1st Degree Black Belt in 1990 under Master Chuck Bittle.

His training background includes TKD, American Karate, Kickboxing, Boxing, Submission Wrestling, BJJ and stick & knife fighting.

John is also an accomplished school owner, business consultant as well as a published author for magazines and business media such as the former industry leader National Association of Professional Martial Artists (NAPMA), Entrepreneur Magazine and Small Biz Club. John has owned and sold three martial arts Schools, all of which are still open and operating to this day.

Through Black Belt Living and the Absolute Black Belt Test, he now focuses on helping martial arts school owners improve leadership, retention, culture, systems, and long-term business growth, while advancing high-level Black Belts to new personal heights and ranks.