Alexa started martial arts training when she was 4, and Matthew started when he was 8. In 2002, Matthew and his father started Valor Martial Arts in Georgetown. Eight years later, Matthew met Alexa, and they were married six months later after winning world champion titles in a black belt tournament. The couple has a passion for the craft, and it shows when they are teaching.
“I think the love comes from just being a student along with being able to teach what we know,” Alexa said. “We both met competing in martial arts, so it’s been kind of fun to apply that, and teach our students and have them also compete as well.”
When Valor Martial Arts first opened, it started with about 25 students. Over the years, the business has grown to 450 students between Georgetown and a second location in Liberty Hill.
Valor Martial Arts offers training in traditional martial arts, krav maga and kickboxing for all ages including small children, teens and adults.
The name Valor comes from the military influence from Matthew and Alexa’s families. They wanted to keep that martial discipline in their school, and the idea that the military awards medals for valor stuck out to them, Alexa said. The U.S. military’s top medals are, in part, awarded for acts of valor.
“With my dad having a Purple Heart and a Bronze Star, it was important we stuck with that. [Matthew’s brother] has a Bronze Star as well. Brave, having that courage and sacrifice, we really wanted to push that into people’s confidence,” she added.
The motto of Valor Martial Arts is “train, transform and triumph.” In addition to that, the Bertlings try to instill six life skills in their students: discipline, belief, communication, respect, self-esteem and honesty.
According to the Bertlings, martial arts can have positive physical and mental effects. It can help with weight loss, arthritis, joint pain, early-onset diabetes, exercise-induced asthma and can help children with ADHD practice self-control.
Valor Martial Arts has also made an effort to impact the Georgetown community. Matthew and Alexa make appearances at elementary and middle schools to teach students the concepts of respect and perseverance. They also provide free self-defense classes for groups such as sports teams, Realtors, police officers and more.
As a family-oriented business, Valor Martial Arts wants its students and community to know it is a place to feel safe and wanted but also be held accountable.
“There are people who have made more [of] their professional careers. There are people who have lost weight, and they feel better,” Matthew said. “We’ve seen entire family dynamics change for the better. This is why we did martial arts, because we can affect the most change with the most people.”
Valor Martial Arts
3803 Williams Drive, Georgetown
512-930-5425
https://valor-martialarts.com
Hours: Mon., Wed. 3:30-9 p.m.; Tue., Thu. 4:15-9 p.m.; Fri. 5-8:30 p.m.; Sat. 8-11 a.m.; closed Sun.
