But Boecker did not always wear a confident smile on her face. She was overweight for much of her childhood and had low self-esteem, she said.
Boecker signed up for kickboxing classes when she was 18 years old and started seeing her body transform within the first few months.
“As time increased and I got more toned, the confidence built,” she said. “I had built friendships that I never had been able to in the past because of the no confidence. So really it’s changed my life.”
Boecker said she became passionate about martial arts exercises and decided to open RockStar in January 2014.
“I knew how it impacted me, and I knew how others could be impacted,” she said.
The studio’s workout classes include Brazilian jiujitsu, children’s martial arts and muay thai kickboxing.
The workouts not only help people get in shape, Boecker said, but they also help relieve stress and build confidence in both children and adults.She said the classes are designed for people of any experience level.
“I have 3-year-old kids; I have 50-year-old parents; I have beginners who just come in who have never had a day of training in their life; and I have people who have been training for 30 years who come in and train with us,” she said.
But RockStar offers more than just martial arts workouts. Boecker said many of her young students are bullied, so she started an anti-bullying program at her studio.
“What we did was we designed a program that’s a non-violent approach to dealing with bullying,” she said. “Really it gives kids the courage to be able to stand up for themselves.”
The program goes over how to respond to bullies verbally and also teaches self-defense techniques.
Children as young as age 3 can join the four-week program, and it is free for Frisco ISD students.
“I had built friendships that I never had been able to in the past because of the no confidence. So really it’s changed my life.”
—Shiva Boecker, RockStar Martial Arts and Fitness owner
Boecker said she had one student who, before entering the anti-bullying program, went home every day in tears from being picked on at school.
“With the lessons that we’ve taught her here—not just the martial arts, but the life lessons—she came home recently and told her mom she proudly stood up to a bully and told [the bully] that, ‘Your words aren’t hurting me anymore,’” Boecker said.
Boecker said she wants to continue expanding RockStar and its programs. RockStar opened its second location on FM 423 in Frisco in September. Boecker said she’s looking to open a third location in Frisco and possibly expand outside of Frisco, too.
Many people are hesitant to try martial arts, Boecker said, but she encourages people to give it a chance.
“Intimidation is a big factor for adults who want to come in to try our classes out, but I have amazing instructors who make everybody feel comfortable,” she said. “And it’s a really family-friendly environment. Everybody in here cheers everybody on.”
