William Solomon Opens One Fight Club in Muscatine
by Margaret Hurlbert
August 16, 2019

When William Solomon first started taking Taekwondo lessons as a kid, he questioned whether or not he would enjoy them. However, he quickly found he had a passion for martial arts. “Once I started, I loved it and gained so much self-confidence,” he recalls. As Now an adult, Solomon has spent many years perfecting his Taekwondo technique. Now, he has decided to share his passion and skills with the community by opening One Fight Club in Muscatine.


Throughout his school years and as a young adult, Solomon competed in many Taekwondo competitions and earned many accolades. These include competing with the University of Iowa Taekwondo National Club Team while only a senior in high school, participating in the 2015 USAT sponsored by USA Taekwondo, earning the Iowa State Sparring Flyweight gold medal, placing as the 2019 Missouri State Sparring silver medalist, and attaining the rank of third degree black belt.


Though Solomon takes pride in his many accomplishments over the years, he considers his enjoyment of Taekwondo and the ways it has positively influenced his life the biggest gifts this sport has given him. “I love it so much. It wasn’t just a sport or an art, it became a lifestyle for me. I don’t know what I’d do without Taekwondo.”


Even while competing, Solomon found the time to help mentor and teach younger martial artists and to introduce them to Taekwondo. “Before I actually gave lessons myself, I mentored at the school I first started at, Taekwondo Black Belt Association,” Solomon shared. “When we would have new students, from kids to adults, I would be the main person to help mentor them and guide them through their first couple of classes.”


These experiences eventually led Solomon to start giving lessons on his own. Though he started out small, his skills quickly began attracting more students, and he decided it was time to open his own dojang. “I first started giving lesson in 2015 out of a garage (we all have to start somewhere!). It started off as a couple of friends coming to learn techniques from me into taking them to competitions. I had help from my instructor, Frank Ortiz,” he explained.


Now that Solomon has opened One Fight Club at 123 West 2nd Street in Muscatine, he looks forward to sharing his appreciation of Taekwondo with the next generation of martial artists in a supportive, family-friendly atmosphere. He most values, “being able to share the knowledge I’ve gained from all the schools and instructors I’ve trained with and making it into something of my own to help people . . .. I love being able to see the students progress and excel the same way I did when I was going through the ranks and knowing I’m the one teaching them and seeing them satisfied and happy makes me love teaching more and more.” Solomon encourages anyone interested in signing up for lessons to contact him at Onefightclub.solomon@gmail.com or to visit One Fight Club’s Facebook page.

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