Today we’d like to introduce you to Brian Draudt.
Hi Brian, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
This is my side of the story(Brian Draudt) You may need to have my Wife Rachel share her side 🙂
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I honestly don’t know where to begin—I’ve been training in martial arts since I was 15 years old. I started in the 10th grade, and at that time I was a very shy kid. Through junior high and high school, I struggled to figure out who I was and how I wanted to carry myself. As a child, I was active, adventurous, and full of imagination. But once junior high hit, suddenly it wasn’t “cool” to enjoy the things I used to love. I guess you could say I was a bit immature for my age. To paint the picture—my very first karate lesson, I showed up in jeans and a Pikachu T-shirt. I was definitely a nerd.
I had always wanted to try martial arts. I grew up a huge Ninja Turtles fan, so the desire was always there. But in high school, my confidence was low. I was nervous to try anything new, scared I’d embarrass myself, and absolutely terrified of girls and dating. I was the quiet kid in the back of the classroom—friendly, but never outgoing.
A friend invited me to try a martial arts class, and for once I decided, “Why not?” I was given a free month pass, and after my first class, I was hooked. I didn’t want to stop. The problem was that my family simply couldn’t afford it. With five kids and limited resources, sports and extracurriculars weren’t really an option outside of basic city league activities.
Because I rarely asked for anything, my mom knew how much this meant to me and wanted to try to make it work. What I didn’t know at the time was that my friend’s father offered to sponsor my first year. That single act of kindness launched me into what has now become a 25-year journey.
To help cover costs, I worked odd jobs around the karate school—taking out the garbage, cleaning bathrooms, vacuuming, sweeping—you name it. Eventually, I picked up a small custodial job and started paying for a portion of my classes myself.
As I trained, my confidence grew. I became more social, more outgoing, and more willing to take chances. My senior year, I even found the courage to try out for the high school baseball team—even though I knew I probably wouldn’t make it. Just trying out was a massive victory compared to where I had been two years earlier.
After graduating, I served a two-year church mission. In the martial arts world in Utah, if you don’t earn your black belt before leaving, it’s unlikely you’ll return. But I had made a commitment to myself, and I kept it. Within two or three weeks of returning home, I was back on the mat.
Over time, I earned my first, second, and third-degree black belts. I became an assistant instructor and later helped manage the school. While doing all of this, I was attending college to become a firefighter—something I had long dreamed of. I never imagined a full-time martial arts career.
Then in 2015, life took an unexpected turn. I was laid off from my full-time job, and at home I had a wife and two little girls depending on me. That same day, I injured my ankle during training and had to take two weeks off. During that time, the instructor I had trained under since 2001 decided to retire and pursue a new career path. It was hard to see someone who had shaped so much of my life step away. Eventually, he opened his own martial arts style and school, and it has been wonderful to see him still teaching and inspiring others.
A few weeks later, I was asked if I would consider becoming the new head instructor. At first, I said no—more than once. But eventually, I agreed. And that decision changed everything.
Since then, I’ve managed two martial arts schools and assisted with a third. What started as something I never expected to do full time has become one of the greatest blessings of my life. Teaching others what I love—and seeing them fall in love with it too—is an honor. I’ve made lifelong friends, gained incredible mentors, and had the privilege of mentoring students who have grown into exceptional martial artists and people.
I spent much of my teaching development at the school in Orem where I began training. I learned so much from my instructors. But life has its challenges, and I eventually had to leave that school and my students—a very difficult decision. Later, I returned and helped manage the school again for a couple of years. Then 2020 hit. The lockdowns changed everything. Due to circumstances at the time, I had to step away again and find a different job.
I didn’t think I would return to teaching. But a great friend—who happens to be the brother of my original instructor—offered me a position at his school. I took it, and I stayed for nearly four years. During that time, I learned so much from him and his team. As I grew, I started to feel a pull toward something I had never imagined: opening my own school.
This decision was incredibly difficult. I didn’t have much confidence in myself as a business owner at the time. I considered franchising with the organization I had been with for so many years. But over time, it became clear that I was meant to build something of my own—to create my own legacy.
My instructors, friends, and boss were all very supportive and still are to this day.
Once I finally committed to opening my own school (which took me a very long time to decide), I began searching for locations and praying for guidance. Every place I looked at had something critical that didn’t work out. I really wanted a location in Salem, but even the smallest spaces were far too expensive. I felt discouraged more than once.
I eventually found a building that I thought would be perfect, but it wasn’t properly vented for heating and cooling. The landlord suggested I pay a very large amount to fix it—totally out of reach for us. At that point, I felt like maybe my dream just wasn’t going to happen. Rent was high, the one affordable building wasn’t functional, and making the improvements would have been a huge and risky financial burden.
After receiving that news, I prayed again for help. I felt prompted to check the real estate listings one more time. And by some miracle, a new listing had just appeared—the building we are now in. We scheduled a walkthrough immediately, and everything just felt right. With a few adjustments and improvements, we were able to bring our vision for Legacy Martial Arts to life.
I can honestly say that our dream became reality. It is exactly how I envisioned it, and I thank my Heavenly Father every day for guiding us to it. Opening this school with my family and bringing it to Payson has been one of the greatest experiences of my life.
My wife chose the name “Legacy Martial Arts” because martial arts is a journey—a personal legacy that each student builds. It’s filled with ups, downs, growth, plateaus, victories, setbacks, and breakthroughs. It’s never a straight line. The legacy isn’t just the destination—it’s the journey, the development, and the relationships built along the way.
We are beyond excited to build our legacy here in Payson and to help our students build theirs as well.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
As you probably read in the first part, we’ve definitely had our fair share of ups and downs.
If I were to go into full detail, it could honestly fill a book. For years, my dream was to become a firefighter. I pursued it with everything I had, but life kept throwing obstacles in the way. Every time I got close, something unexpected happened that pushed that path further and further out of reach.
During that same time, my wife, Rachel, has dealt with major health issues and several misdiagnoses over the years. Her challenges have been incredibly difficult and have absolutely slowed us down at times. But she’s tough. She keeps pushing forward no matter what, and I admire her for that more than she knows.
Once it became clear that firefighting wasn’t going to happen, I really struggled with figuring out what I wanted to do next. I even tried working in finance for a while—and honestly, I really enjoyed it. But in Utah, that industry tends to carry a stigma, and it made it hard to build anything long-term. I earned my insurance license, my annuities license, and even began working toward my securities licensing. I chased that dream for almost 12 years. I only let my insurance and annuities licenses lapse this year, and funny enough, once I let go of that chapter, I finally gained the clarity I needed to focus on opening the karate school.
Self-doubt has been a constant struggle for both me and Rachel. It always felt like every time we tried to take a step forward, something would pop up—a car breaking down, an unexpected bill, illness, job loss, or just the overwhelming increase in the cost of living over the last few years. When you’re in the middle of all that, it really does feel like you’re trying to climb a mountain with one hand.
And I know we’re not the only ones who feel that way. These are the same kinds of challenges so many families face. But when you’re going through it yourself, it hits different.
One of the biggest personal challenges I faced was deciding whether I should open a franchise with my karate organization or start my own independent school. That decision weighed on me for years. I’m a loyal person by nature—Rachel can absolutely confirm that—and because of that loyalty, I refused to even consider going out on my own. Even as recently as two years ago, I was still fully committed to staying in the same system.
I’ve always struggled with believing in myself and my own abilities. For a long time, I relied heavily on my instructors and mentors to guide me. There were a lot of ups and downs along the way, but in January of this year, something finally clicked. I realized the best path forward—the one that felt right—was to open my own school under my own name.
And yes, it absolutely felt like leaving a family I’d been part of for 25 years. I’m sure some people may feel like I turned my back on them. But that’s not the case. My intention has always been to take everything I’ve learned, continue it, grow it, and honor the people and the system that helped shape me. Opening my own school wasn’t about leaving—it was about moving forward and carrying that legacy with me.
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
For my line of work its a little complicated, I currently work full time at a modular home company in their warranty, customer care and safety department. But for our martial arts school, What I do is not just teach students martial arts and self defense. I teach them a way to let out any stress, to problem solve without using their fists. How their mind, body and spirit are interlinked into their own wellness. Its important to be in balance with not just your body, but whatever affects your mind and spirit will manifest itself in the physical world and through your body.
What im known for is genuinely loving the martial arts styles that I have grown up with. I genuinely want to be able to share it with others and to give them a chance to try something that they may have never thought was for them. I cant tell you how many adults I have invited on the mats that never intended to participate in class. There is a reason why my adult classes are pretty large! its because I want to make sure everyone that enters the school gets an invite!
I am known for loving my students, enjoying the time I have with them!
What I am most proud of is the fact that I have a family that is willing to help me with this dream! I am so proud of each of my students when they achieve something they never saw them selves doing. weather its a new belt, learning a new kata(form) or entering a tournament. I am most proud and happy when I see my students compete but most importantly, my family. I never thought I could love something even more until they day I saw my own children compete! it was like christmas! Seeing those I love share in something that has been a huge part of my life is such a blessing!
Is there anyone you’d like to thank or give credit to?
First off, my family. they have been through this rollercoaster the whole time. I could not do it without my family. My Wife and 4 kids. They may not share the same magnetude of love I have for this sport. But they are willing to help me and in turn I think they are starting to love it themselves.
My Friends, I have had several of my oldest friends be a big support in this and I have to give them credit for encouraging me.
My instructors and Karate friends. I have learned from the following instructors Master Bobby Lawrence, Miki Lawrence, Dallas Lawrence, and Justus Lawrence. I have also trained and practically grew up with several other black belts in these years. Without everyone one of them, and I cant name them all, But without them I would not be where I am today. I am so grateful for their help, support and lessons along the way. I am still learning much, but I am so grateful for the time I have had with them and the time that is still yet to come as I build my own school, I want my students to know their martial arts liniage and respect those that have taught me before.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: legacymartialartsut
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/legacymartialartsutah#
