'Nobody sits on the bench': Flow Martial Arts in Manalapan gives all a chance to improve
Susan Bloom
8 min read
MANALAPAN - Growing up in Jackson and taking up martial arts as a child, William Roth came to love the physicality, discipline and strategy associated with the sport.
And he’s been able to share that joy and his lifelong skills in the practice through his launch of Flow Martial Arts, a family-friendly, Manalapan-based academy that's offered a modern mixed martial arts curriculum with a traditional base since 2016.
“As a kid, I wasn’t that well-behaved and my mom wanted to bring discipline and respect to my life,” recalled Roth, 37, a Manalapan resident who started martial arts training at age 6 and continued through the end of high school and beyond. “I started helping my school’s instructors with the younger kids at 13 and then instructing classes there myself as a part-time job after school as a teenager.”
Throughout his college years at the University of New Haven, Roth came home on weekends and continued teaching and training in martial arts.
Flow Martial Arts is a Manalapan-based family-friendly academy that's been teaching a modern mixed martial arts curriculum with a traditional base since 2016. Master instructor William Roth is shown in his studio. Manalapan, NJ Thursday, October 12, 2023
Though he eventually graduated in 2008 with a degree in forensic science and chemistry, “I wasn’t sure what kind of job to pursue and went back to teaching martial arts and growing as an instructor while I tried to figure that out,” he said. “It wasn’t long before I realized that teaching martial arts could be a viable career and that I wanted to open my own school so that I could instruct others with my unique approach.
“I love that everyone pursues their own journey in the martial arts at their own pace,” Roth said of his personal connection to the renowned form of defense and fitness. “Nobody sits on the bench, but rather learns, practices and progresses through the forms and patterns in their own timing. It’s an all-body workout and means of channeling energy that involves kicking, punching, grappling, cardio conditioning, high-intensity interval training and strategy, like a high-level chess match that’s physical.”
Upon deciding to launch his own school, “I started driving around town looking at shopping centers with ‘for rent’ signs,” Roth said. “My first location was in Manalapan in 2016 with a business partner, and after we parted ways two years later, I reopened in a nearby shopping center in 2018.”
In 2022, the school rebranded under the name ‘Flow Martial Arts,’ which Roth said embodies his training philosophy. “Nothing is too rigid and movements flow one into another,” he explained, “just like in life.”
Flow Martial Arts is a Manalapan-based family-friendly academy that's been teaching a modern mixed martial arts curriculum with a traditional base since 2016. Master instructor William Roth is shown in his studio. Manalapan, NJ Thursday, October 12, 2023
Today, in the school’s 2,400-square-foot space, “we teach mixed martial arts (MMA), which is a generic term for a specific type of competition that doesn’t preclude any style. It can include striking arts, grappling arts such as wrestling or jiu jitsu, boxing, kickboxing, punching, kicking and the use of elbows,” said Roth, a master instructor who holds a fifth degree in a mixed martial arts system, a fourth degree in traditional taekwondo, and a purple belt in Brazilian jiu jitsu.
“Our curriculum has aspects of taekwondo (a Korean form of martial arts that’s heavily kicking-based), karate (a Japanese form with slightly less kicking), Filipino martial arts using weapons like escrima sticks, and more modern forms of kickboxing, sparring and Brazilian jiu jitsu training.”
According to Roth, Flow Martial Arts offers over 30 different weekly classes for kids and adults, with classes split by age level.
“Our 3-to-5-year-olds are ‘Beginner Dragons,’ 6-to-7-year-olds are ‘Advanced Dragons,’ 8-to-12-year-olds are ‘Juniors,’ and then we have classes for teens and adults,” Roth said. Though he enlists the help of some pre-teen and teen students in teaching younger kids, Roth instructs every single class offered at Flow Martial Arts in order to ensure that students at all levels receive his attention and access to his skill and experience.
“Class sizes depend on the age group and can range from classes of 4 to 5 kids, which is ideal for younger kids based on their attention span, all the way up to classes of 15 to 20 for older students who are more self-directed and familiar with the protocol,” he said.
Tuition is $199 per month for unlimited classes, not including equipment (Roth said that most students come two to three times a week) and students can cancel at any time. “Our monthly fee also includes testing to move to the next belt, which I offer every other month and which many other schools charge separately for,” Roth noted. “We often have whole families taking classes here, so we also offer tuition discounts for multiple family members.”
Among trends in martial arts instruction, “Brazilian jiu jitsu is becoming very popular and we include it in our curriculum; I’ve been doing it for six years and it’s very grappling focused,” Roth said.
“Some traditional styles like karate and taekwondo have recently experienced a resurgence in popularity thanks to shows like 'Cobra Kai,' which has been successful in getting a lot of older kids into martial arts. And MMA is popular because it’s an effective form of martial arts that embodies traditional values which are important to many families, including respect, discipline, focus and perseverance.”
As for challenges, Roth said that running all aspects of his school by himself can be difficult.
“There are only so many hours in a day and ours is a very customer-focused business,” he explained.
In addition to teaching classes and handling all back-office operations, “I try to have a positive impact on kids, which involves me talking to parents about their kids as well as being available to the kids themselves to help them through hard times in school and with their peers. A lot of parents look to me as a partial therapist when it comes to handling their kids’ behavioral issues, bullying situations and more,” he said. “In that sense, we’re doing a lot more here than just kicking and punching.”
Happily, competition from other martial arts schools isn’t a major concern. “There are a lot of schools out there, but I have a good relationship with most of the other schools in the area and we all offer different things,” he said. “In fact, we host a tournament series three to four times a year that other martial arts schools and their students attend, so we’re promoting opportunities to come together.”
In terms of the “personality” of Flow Martial Arts, “I’m serious about training but never mean, and students earn an increasing amount of freedom at our school as long as they stay focused,” Roth said. “The quality and well-roundedness of our curriculum as well as my dedication to helping students learn about the curriculum and take away valuable life lessons really make our school stand out.”
Flow Martial Arts is a Manalapan-based family-friendly academy that's been teaching a modern mixed martial arts curriculum with a traditional base since 2016. Master instructor William Roth is shown in his studio. Manalapan, NJ Thursday, October 12, 2023
With students hailing from all over Monmouth County, Roth hopes others will give Flow Martial Arts a try.
“We offer a free two-week trial so that prospective students can get a good sense of our classes, and their enrollment includes a uniform (a $75 value),” he said. “We really try to focus on making progress for yourself, not on winning or losing.”
It’s a value that Roth himself takes to heart; earlier this month, he achieved a long-held goal of his own with his second-place finish in a 157-mile “ultramarathon” in New York State’s Rocky Point Pine Barrens State Forest that he completed in under 48 hours.
“It’s about pushing yourself and having a goal to work towards,” he said of the achievement, which followed several unsuccessful attempts in previous years. “Trophies collect dust, but it's the lessons you learn, especially when you lose, that stay with you and help you prepare harder the next time.”
Among his hopes for Flow Martial Arts, “I want to continue to have a positive impact on the younger generation and help build good citizens with solid values who always push themselves to be better,” he said.
It’s witnessing those moments in action that Roth loves most about his job.
“Seeing the difference in kids over the years and watching them grow and succeed in school and/or in their careers is incredibly rewarding,” Roth said. “I believe that the lessons they learn in martial arts help get them to that point. Their accomplishments in our school really boost their self-confidence and enable a positive transformation over time.”
Flow Martial Arts is a Manalapan-based family-friendly academy that's been teaching a modern mixed martial arts curriculum with a traditional base since 2016. Master instructor William Roth is shown in his studio. Manalapan, NJ Thursday, October 12, 2023
