Martial arts
Practice courage, self-control, respect, and responsible strength.
About Team Ascension
Many doors. One purpose.
Martial arts is at the heart of Team Ascension. Some students meet us on the mat; others begin in art, gymnastics, or music. Through each discipline, we teach the values that help a person live their potential.
What we do
Help students live their potential.
We teach skills that children can practice and values they can carry into their lives. A student learns to try, listen, make choices, accept guidance, and contribute to the people around them.
Sometimes martial arts needs a door that reads art, gymnastics, or music. The activity that captures a child’s interest can be the beginning of something larger: confidence, perseverance, responsibility, and a sense of belonging.
Each discipline has its own skills and joys. The care, expectations, and values behind our teaching connect them.
Gymnastics
Build confidence through careful progressions, patience, and trying again.
Art
Explore ideas, make choices, revise, and express something of your own.
Music
Practice listening, preparation, persistence, and contributing to a shared rhythm.
Why we do it
Every child has somewhere to grow.
Potential grows when a young person is known, challenged, and encouraged. We want children in rural Central Lakes to discover their strengths, find people who believe in them, and see a next step they can take.
A class gives us a place to begin. What a child carries home matters, too: the courage to ask for help, the patience to try again, the honesty to name a mistake, and the kindness to include someone else.
We do what we do to help our students live their potential—in the activity they love and in the lives they are building.
How we do it
An interest becomes a place to practice.
Find your door
Begin with an activity that invites you in. Martial arts, gymnastics, art, and music offer different ways to move, create, learn, and belong.
Practice a skill and a value
Instructors connect the work of the class to a small, understandable action: listen to a partner, apply feedback, keep an agreement, or try again after a mistake.
Carry it into everyday life
We encourage children to use those same values at home, at school, and with friends. Parents, teachers, and instructors each have a part in supporting that growth.
Notice progress and choose the next step
We recognize specific experiences and accomplishments. With encouragement, students can notice what has changed and help choose what they want to practice next.
Coming soon · My Character Journey
A child’s voice. A circle of support.
Our app is being developed to help children record their experiences, discover what matters to them, and choose their next steps. Children choose which reflections to share with the trusted adults supporting them. Home, school, and the dojo can work toward a shared goal while respecting the child’s own voice.
Our values
Shared across every door.
The values found in martial arts are also taught by us in art, gymnastics, and music. We make them practical, so students can recognize what a value looks like and have a chance to practice it.
- Courage
- Ask for help. Try something unfamiliar. Take the next attainable step even when it feels difficult.
- Perseverance
- Return after a mistake. Keep practicing, use feedback, and notice the progress that steady effort makes possible.
- Respect
- Let someone finish speaking. Care for a partner, an instrument, a shared space, and your own body.
- Honesty & responsibility
- Tell what happened. Keep an agreement, take ownership of a choice, and help put things right.
- Kindness & belonging
- Make room for someone else. Encourage a classmate and help others feel that they have a place on the team.
- Leadership & service
- Use your growing skills to help others succeed. Set an example through the way you participate and care.
Ascension Character Practices
Character is practiced—not labeled.
Character development is personal, so we never reduce a child to a label or score. Instead, instructors look for specific, age-appropriate moments of growth—trying again after a setback, applying feedback, regaining composure, contributing to the group, or supporting another student. We recognize those moments and help each student practice the next attainable step.
During each 90-day cycle, a student may focus on one character practice that is especially relevant to their goals. When appropriate, the progress report includes a respectful, concrete instructor observation describing what the student demonstrated, the setting in which it occurred, and an encouraging next step for continued growth.
Perseverance
Tries again after difficulty.
Leadership
Contributes to the group.
Composure
Uses an appropriate recovery strategy.
Coachability
Applies feedback on the next attempt.
Compassion
Supports another participant appropriately.
Led locally
Barbara Haney
& Team Ascension
A family-built, community-facing team bringing championship martial arts instruction and whole-person programming to the Brainerd Lakes area.
Championship roots
Train hard. Train well. Love what you do.
Team Ascension instructors bring competitive experience across martial arts disciplines—and the conviction that high standards and human care belong in the same room.
Our instructors
Meet your team.
Brent Haney
Martial Arts • Striking & Self-Defense • Curriculum
Brent teaches martial arts with a focus on capable technique, striking, self-defense, conditioning, and curriculum development. His coaching connects practical skill with disciplined practice and clear next steps.
Lizzie Haney
Gymnastics • Brainerd & Pequot Lakes
Lizzie leads gymnastics instruction in Brainerd and Pequot Lakes. She helps athletes build strength, flexibility, balance, tumbling, and body control through understandable progressions and steady encouragement.
Tosher Haney
Martial Arts • Gymnastics Support
Tosher supports Team Ascension’s martial arts and gymnastics instruction. The work centers on helping students participate safely, build confidence, and make meaningful progress from their own starting point.
Photo coming soon
Ethan Haney
Program Support • Team Operations
Ethan supports the family-built Team Ascension program and helps with the work required to keep classes, events, and community activities moving forward.
Photo coming soon
Justin White
Jiu-Jitsu Instructor
Mr. White leads Tuesday and Thursday Jiu-Jitsu instruction and supervised open roll. Students practice leverage, positioning, transitions, escapes, control, and calm problem-solving with training partners.
Gemma Peterson
Art • Creative Programming
Gemma supports Team Ascension’s art and creative programming, helping students develop ideas, use materials purposefully, revise their work, and gain confidence in their own creative choices.
Photo coming soon
Kendall Haney
Reading • Academic Support
Kendall supports reading and academic development. Her work helps connect learning goals with encouragement, useful practice, and a clearer path through challenging material.
Photo coming soon
Saxon Haney
Mathematics • Academic & Operational Support
Saxon contributes mathematics support and behind-the-scenes operational work. He helps Team Ascension connect strong instruction with the planning and systems needed to serve multiple programs and locations.
Our nonprofit
Black Belts Don’t Quit
Black Belts Don’t Quit is our nonprofit, working to make fine arts and foundational athletic skills available to people of every age and demographic.
Photo coming soon
Amanda Richardt
Supports Black Belts Don’t Quit in its work to expand access to fine arts, foundational athletic skills, scholarships, mentoring, and meaningful opportunities to participate.
Mike Olson
Supports Black Belts Don’t Quit in its work to expand access to fine arts, foundational athletic skills, scholarships, mentoring, and meaningful opportunities to participate.
Photo coming soon
Kendall Haney
Supports Black Belts Don’t Quit in its work to expand access to fine arts, foundational athletic skills, scholarships, mentoring, and meaningful opportunities to participate.
Gemma Peterson
Supports Black Belts Don’t Quit in its work to expand access to fine arts, foundational athletic skills, scholarships, mentoring, and meaningful opportunities to participate.
Photo coming soon
Janet Merzenich
Supports Black Belts Don’t Quit in its work to expand access to fine arts, foundational athletic skills, scholarships, mentoring, and meaningful opportunities to participate.
Your first step is the hardest one.
Tell us what you want to build. We’ll help you choose the right place to begin.