Meet Graceann Scherer | Kids Krav Maga Instructor

We had the good fortune of connecting with Graceann Scherer and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Graceann, we’d love to hear more about how you thought about starting your own business?
I began training Krav Maga under Randall Koch at Krav Maga Worldwide Fort Lauderdale in 2022. Prior to this, I participated in competitive gymnastics, soccer, and track and field, but really had no prior martial arts training. Since beginning Krav Maga, it has become an integral part of my life, and now my career as I have spearheaded and cultivated our Kids Bullyproof Self-Defense Program. Throughout my childhood, depending on who you ask, they would tell you how I have either been praised or criticized for being “too aggressive” or “too intense.” This includes family, friends, team sports, etc. However, in Krav Maga, this is something I am always praised for…not only that, the mindset I find myself sinking into when I train is unmatched— It’s pure peace and focus— everything else in the world and my life falls away. In addition, I have always enjoyed working with children, and believe school teachers and those in similar occupations do not get the credit or respect they deserve, as most people don’t have a true understanding of the vigor and difficulty that goes along with fostering the next generation of young adults. Namely, young adults who are ultimately responsible for being good people for the continuation of society. With these two backgrounds combined, I ended up pursuing a career in Martial Arts Instruction for Kids. Randall Koch originally came to me with the idea of beginning a Kids Program, and at the time, I was about to leave to engage in an international exchange in Japan for 6 months… he recognized a certain talent within me, and waited for me to return from my studies before we pursued the creation of this new program.

I think the education of children is a highly important task that people often overlook. Even though I am not “educating” them in the traditional sense, we do integrate a life skills curriculum into the program that we feel will assist both their teachers and parents in making their children good, hardworking people. For example in my case, from a young age, both my mother, father, step mother, and step father have instilled a strong sense of work ethic within me. I began working at the age of 14, and more or less have not stopped since. I think the idea of work ethic is often viewed as showing up, and maybe working long hours and reaching goals that are laid out for you etc. However, I have always been the kind of person who not only excels at and works towards completing my own tasks, but also others that are technically outside of my realm of responsibilities. Within the newer generations, a saying has emerged: “act your wage.” Despite the fact that I agree a certain level of work-life balance is necessary, I believe this uptick in this kind of attitude actually hurts society and breeds a sense of entitlement that prevents personal growth or an overcoming of challenges. Within my life, I have been praised and rewarded for functioning outside of this new saying and my outlined tasks, and have found success in this way. Even in the cases I was not recognized for my accomplishments, I found a rewarding feeling within myself for truly trying my best and giving as much effort as I was able to give, and a sense of pride within myself for what I achieved. I think if you are constantly functioning from a place in which other people’s rewards and attitudes towards you affects how hard you work and how you act, that you are then losing a fundamental sense of responsibility and pride within yourself. This is one of the ideas I would like to pass on to the kids I train in our Kids Krav Maga Self-Defense program.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
I believe there are many factors that set apart our Kids Self-Defense Program at Krav Maga Worldwide-Fort Lauderdale from others similar to it. One of such factors would be the curriculum itself, which focuses on practice through reality based scenarios, where other schools teach rigid forms (katas) that do not encompass true self-defense scenarios. Despite our deviation from this more traditional sense of teaching, we still provide a level of structure that enforces discipline, while making the curriculum fun for children to learn. If I were to choose something specifically, I am most excited about providing children with real knowledge on how to defend themselves while simultaneously integrating the teachings of essential life skills that can be found in other more traditional self-defense schools. That is to say, there are still highly beneficial qualities that traditional schools of martial arts possess, and we combine these with more practical reality-based training that is still appropriate for children. In terms of my own professional growth, I have obtained a degree in Japanese and Mandarin from Florida State University, completing both a thesis in literature as well as graduating with honors. Within my own Krav Maga training, I believe I was able to climb to my current status of beginning a Kids Krav Maga Self-Defense Program through consistent efforts that reflect my views on work ethic. Despite not originally working with, but instead solely training under Randall Koch, I always made sure that everything I did, I put in 120%. If I only had 80% to give that day, I would give at least that 80% and search my reserves for anything extra I could pull out. I believe both professionally, and in my academic and personal life, even though I am aware that giving so much of yourself involves a certain degree of risk, I would rather risk facing these consequences than feel disappointed in myself or regret not giving everything I could have. I would say my journey of course has not been easy, as is expected when you are constantly holding yourself to an almost impossible standard (of course, we all have unproductive or bad days), but as long as you have faith in yourself and your efforts I believe the difficulty of the journey becomes a fuel for future success. Personally, I am someone who struggles to ask for help even when I desperately need it, but over time I have learned that there are people who can be relied on, and that there is no shame in asking for help. Sometimes, those with outside perspectives can provide valuable insight into a problem you are having. In addition, even though I preach a strong work ethic, a way to prevent burnout with this way of living is to ask for help when you need it. Then, you can give maximum effort, and the load is slightly lightened. I think overcoming the shame of asking for help is essential to success. If there was one thing I would want people to know about myself, and my brand within Krav Maga Worldwide Fort Lauderdale, it would be this: Work hard, but do not be afraid to ask for help. You are not alone, and we will provide your children with the skills they need not only to become good human beings, but also to have confidence in themselves, and to understand the inherent value their lives hold. Strong, capable, good-hearted children make strong, capable good-hearted adults.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
To be honest I spend most of my time working, but some of my favorite restaurants that I would take my friend to would be Takato (Japanese-Korean fusion) on Fort Lauderdale Beach, as well as Nour (Thai Food) in Oakland Park. I also would take them to either Hollywood Beach, since they have a nice Boardwalk, or Morikami Museum and Japanese Gardens for a more serene outing.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
Above all, the person I would most like to shoutout is Eva Santiago Reed, my mother, who has not only continually supported me in all of my endeavors, but who has stayed by my side through all of my ups and downs, as well as hardships. I would also like to shoutout Randall Koch and Krav Maga Worldwide-Fort Lauderdale, for not only recognizing a talent in me that I did not recognize within myself, but for also supporting me in my Krav Maga career, and the creation of the Kids Self-Defense Program, as well as helping to contribute greatly to my own personal growth. Further, my father and step-mother, for not only providing me with strong examples of what it takes to be a good, hardworking human being, but also for supporting my endeavors, akin to my mother, as well as reminding me not to take life so seriously. Finally, I would like to shoutout my step father, who has also demonstrated a strong sense of work ethic throughout my life, and who has supported my mother in her support of me.

Website: https://www.kravmagatraining.com/

Instagram: @kravmagaschool

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/graceann-scherer-0231a7221

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/KravMagaTraining/

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@KravMagaTraining

Other: my personal instagram is: @gracee.cs

Image Credits
Through His Lens Photography