steve hindman

mr. hindman

Steve was a leader, teacher, friend, mentor, father figure, and brother. East Coast Martial Arts is Steve’s vision, his hard work, and his passion. Not only is East Coast a place where children and adults learn to be better people, it is a place where members become family; Steve wouldn’t have it any other way.

Under Steve’s leadership, East Coast Martial Arts grew from a small, traditional, martial arts gym in his garage, to a 6,000 square foot, modernized martial arts studio, in a state of the art facility. Steve always led by example. He knew that he wanted to build resourceful, adaptive, and resilient people who continue to learn and who have the ability to lead. Because of this, Steve was the perpetual student – always learning and changing his curriculum. He was constantly adapting. The teachings at East Coast are a direct result of Steve’s drive to improve and bring the best to his students.

Steve truly cared about people. He could hold a conversation with a 5-year-old as easily as he could have a conversation with an adult. His interest in people could be felt with every interaction. He could train a doctor to be a black belt as easily as he could train a 4 year old to be respectful and confident. This ability took him around the world as he laid down roots for MMA as we know it today in organizations such as PRIDE. As amazing as that is, Steve would never tell you about it. Steve was more excited about the small victories, such as a martial arts student learning a new technique, or an MMAFit student losing their first 5 pounds.