About

Daniel Cliff:

Owner & Sifu/Head Instructor

What started as a fun way to bond with his oldest daughter in 1999 quickly turned into a lifelong journey of martial arts excellence. Training under legendary mentor Sifu John Ervin, Daniel fell in love with the discipline and competitive edge of the arts, capturing numerous National Championship titles across Kung Fu, Kickboxing, and MMA.

True to his mentor’s promise to “join Kung Fu and see the world,” Daniel has traveled the globe representing Team U.S.A. at the highest levels. His competitive career reached its pinnacle in 2024, when he traveled to China and won the World Championship title. Since establishing the academy in the heart of Brooklyn, Ohio, Sifu Daniel has been dedicated to passing on this elite, world-class training—helping adults master practical self-defense and empowering the next generation of martial artists to reach their own highest potential.

Jessica Cliff:

Co-Owner/ Program Director

Martial Arts has always been a part of my life, it started by me watching Texas Ranger and Kung Fu on the TV with my dad every week! One Christmas I remember getting a gift certificate for a month of Martial Arts classes at the local YWCA. Who knew at the time that I would someday open my own school! I stuck with it for years and trained all through middle school and high school. Martial Arts definitely had a positive impact on my life. It directly helped me with self-control, confidence, and self-defense among so much more.

Once I graduated college, I moved to the Cleveland area and met Daniel. It just so happened that Daniel trained Martial Arts, and just how dating goes…I started training again! I’ve been back training Martial Arts under Sifu John Ervin since 2005. I’ve been to numerous competitions throughout the U.S.A. and Canada and have even had the opportunity to represent Team U.S.A. at the Shuai Chiao World Championship Tournament in Rome, Italy in May of 2014.

We always say we are more than just a Martial Arts school. Each year we get more and more involved with the community and local schools. We offer outreach to families in need through our Car Wash that benefits the “Adopt-A-Book-Bag” program, we have a food drive each November, we are part of the local Chamber of Commerce and are involved with all of their events through volunteering, demos and donations. I could go on and on but why not just check it out for yourself?!

There are obviously benefits to owning your own Martial Arts school but the thing that I love the most is the reward of knowing that we are impacting youth and adults throughout the community in a positive way! In the short time that we’ve had our school I’ve had the opportunity to see kids grow up and adults transform their lives to better benefit themselves and their families.