Some people go through life unable to find their true calling. Fortunately for Statesboro's Andrea "Andi" Johnson, this is not the case. Just out of high school, Mrs. Johnson was inspired by a friend to join the Air Force as a means of getting a chance to travel the world while serving her country.
After two years of serving, Johnson finished her college career with Georgia Southern University when she moved to Screven County, graduating with a Bachelor of Science in Psychology.
After starting a family with her husband, she would take her 5-year-old son to Taekwondo classes and participate in those classes with him. Throughout their progression, an instructor saw potential in Mrs. Johnson and suggested that she mentor her own karate classes.
"He really did believe in me," she said. "And he saw something in me that I didn't see in myself—but I took him up on it."
And what started as her teaching a small karate club in Millen, Georgia, eventually led to her purchasing the building that would become On-Target Martial Arts in Statesboro.
Read on to learn more about Mrs. Johnson and her service to our community through martial arts and beyond.
Air Force Time
Before becoming a martial artist, Johnson joined the Air Force. She was stationed at Eglin Air Force Base in Florida. It was here where she became one of the first women to join the air base ground fence program, a military law enforcement division. The training wasn't easy, but it never seemed to stop Johnson, no matter how difficult it could be.
"I never got left behind," she said. "It was very strengthening and built my confidence. I felt like I could pretty much do anything after that".
While enrolled in the program, Johnson acquired her associate of arts degree at St. Leo College in Florida, all while working full time.
On to Martial Arts
When Johnson started her career as a martial arts teacher, she didn't have much. But her love for teaching kept her going.
"I was very, very, very diligent about what my goals were," she said. "So I stayed very focused on the training and what I wanted to do next."
Those organizational skills were essential to keeping the business afloat and growing. Of course, you need more than determination and an organizing binder to make a business work. You also need money. Tireless fundraising was required to help with business expenses. She would even do 5K run fundraisers if she had to.
COVID eventually struck, but Johnson would strike back.
"I was like, 'we're not gonna go down,'" she said. "I did everything. If I had to be online all day and do private sessions with my students or meet in a park, whatever we had to do at the time, we did that."
Keeping a sense of normalcy for the kids during the pandemic's peak was very important for Johnson. And, of course, parent approval was also necessary every step of the way.
On-Target Martial Arts has a very diverse training regimen. The school teaches taekwondo from preschool to adult ages. Students can also be taught how to use weapons, take kickboxing training, and even participate in adrenaline action design stunt training.
The stunt classes teach students the type of fighting choreography you see in movies.
"We had some short films we submitted to film festivals, and we got Best Action Segment and Best Action Film," Johnson said. "It's a really great way to build students' confidence. If any children are interested in theater and rolling their martial arts into that, it's a great way to do that."
Kickboxing is one of the more intensive classes as it is meant to push students to their absolute limits.
"I'm a firm believer in overall body conditioning," Johnson said. "To be a great martial artist, we can't just do one thing. Our bodies need to be flexible, our bodies need to be strong, our cardiovascular system needs to be strong."
As a result, the program offers a wide variety of training options. No two classes are the same.
Weapons training is taught to students at the intermediate level. It acts as a representation of the responsibility put on students to practice self-control. Rather than train with metal swords, students use plastic training swords.
"Everything we do in the school is safety first," Johnson said. "I'm a huge stickler for safety."
Despite being training swords, students partaking in weapons classes are expected without question to treat their weapons as if they're real. Students not using swords during training are expected to keep their weapons under their arms. They are not permitted to swing it around or run with it either.
"It's really a win-win because they are learning that discipline in addition to having fun with weapons training," Johnson said.
Johnson is a huge advocate for open communication regardless of what class she teaches. Ensuring parents know that their children are safe while also giving those kids the push they need to succeed is the primary goal.
From swords to service
Mrs. Johnson prioritizes teaching her students the importance of serving others.
"My black belts are required to do a community service project prior to being promoted," she said. "My third degree black belt promotion requires them to do their own fundraising project. They pick something close to their heart. Then, they do a presentation to tell us about what they did."
To teach the value of service to her whole school, Johnson pitched the idea to all her students to help send care packages to an overseas army base.
She got the idea when she learned an old friend of hers, Captain Todd Besier, was going to be stationed overseas in Kuwait. She decided it would be nice if she and her school could do something for him and his fellow servicemen.
"I always have a lot of respect for what people go through when they have to leave home and when they have to leave their families, " Johnson said. "I wanted to let them know that we care about what they're doing."
The care packages included cereal, ramen, sunscreen, and beef jerky, as well as some drinks. The students also made handmade cards for the overseas service members. The sentiment was warmly received by them.
And it's not just armed servicemen that the school helps. On Target is also planning to raise funds for the H&L Hope Foundation, which helps children that are disabled and want to take taekwondo classes.
"This is for families that may be struggling a bit," Johnson said. "They want to keep students in classes, but they're having a hardship."
Johnson relates to this personally, having a nephew diagnosed with Down syndrome who does martial arts. She has also taught disabled students in her own dojo. Some of these students face physical disabilities and some have mental disabilities like ADHD, dyslexia, or even autism.
But regardless of the adversity, they push on just as hard, if not harder, than the other students.
"In my experience, they absolutely love the martial arts," Johnson said. "It means a lot to them and everything that they do. So I like to give back to them in a way."
A job -- and a privilege
Teaching martial arts is both a job and a privilege for Mrs. Johnson. She really enjoys what she does.
"This is truly what I was meant to do," she said. "I would say it's because I have so much passion, and I love to teach."
But it's not just her job that she's grateful for; it's also the people around her who help make all of it possible. The instructors and assistants work diligently to make sure everything runs smoothly.
"They are just amazing, and they help out in so many ways," she said. "I couldn't be more grateful for the people I've been surrounded by and the people that have encouraged and inspired me."
Andrea Johnson has been a woman of action and service all her life. After spending her whole life pushing herself to her limits, she is teaching others how to do the same. Grice Connect salutes this remarkable woman of Statesboro.
