Champion Karate in downtown Medford, a hub for martial arts experts and beginners alike, eclipsed 50 years in business this week. The business was launched in 1975 by the late Bob Barrow, who was a student of martial artist and actor Chuck Norris, and Champion Karate has continued building a martial arts community in Medford ever since.

“I’ve been fortunate to continue this legacy forward, and the legacy is so much more than just myself — it’s all of our instructors, it’s everybody that’s trained before I was born and everybody that trains now,” said Riley Hackett, owner and teacher who purchased the business in 2022. “It’s an honor and it’s humbling to know that the legacy is so much more than what I’ve created.

“It’s something that I get to continue to drive forward for the next 50 years.”

Champion Karate hosted a 50th anniversary party Friday at the business, located at 427 E. Main St.

The martial arts studio specializes in teaching kids and adults from ages 4 and up, with segmented classes for the different age groups along with a Krav Maga self-defense class.

Each class incorporates multiple martial arts from Jiu Jitsu to judo, offering a well-rounded approach to teaching the combat art forms as well as the self-confidence and discipline that comes with it.

“We hope the values that we try to instill in them during their training help carry them forward, not only in their training, but also in every aspect of their lives,” Hackett said. “No matter what program someone is in, it’s important to me that all of our students by the time they reach their black belt have well-rounded abilities.”

Hackett first took up karate as an 8-year-old, learning from former longtime Champion Karate owner and instructor Chip Wright before mastering and teaching the techniques at the same studio he started in.

“I was a feisty, wild kid that needed some focus and some discipline,” Hackett said of why he began training.

“Starting martial arts and having the structure and the discipline and having something to pursue and work toward impacted my life in so many ways, and I never stopped,” he added.

Multiple generations of people have come through the martial arts studio’s door and earned their black belts, with Champion Karate serving as a center for the martial arts in the Rogue Valley.

“For me, I feel honored to have carried it forward to that 50-year mark … and I’m looking forward to providing training opportunities for students and kids for the next 50 years,” Hackett said. “It’s an honor to continue that same path forward.”

In the future, Hackett and his staff aim to broaden their abilities in other arts such as Muay Thai to continue providing quality lessons that incorporate many sides of the martial arts.

“The more that I learn, the more I can teach our instructors and the more my instructors can teach their students,” he said.

The Champion Karate team includes Hackett and instructors Jackson Deal, Cassie Dutra, Joshua Crawford and Camryn Brown.

Regarding motivations to continue, “It’s just seeing the growth of the individual in whatever way they need to grow in,” Hackett said. “There isn’t a part of it that I don’t enjoy.”

To learn more about Champion Karate, sign up for classes and see updates, visit championkaratemedford.com.