Martial Arts Discipline Drives Global Expedition Leader

MARTIAL ARTS NEWS YOU CAN USE. READ IT - KNOW IT - LIVE IT

- W. Thomas Smith Jr

Listening to Maj. Gen. Tom Mullikin describe one of his more arduous journeys to the summit of one of the highest mountains is like reading about the late British explorer Sir Ernest Shackleton, who led an Antarctic expedition in 1914 and was stranded there with his men until 1916.

From his Mullikin Martial Arts studio, located in a complex that also houses his law practice and his nonprofit Global Eco Adventures in Camden, South Carolina, the 56-year-old instructor recalls a few of his summits as being harsh environments plagued by unimaginable cold and unforgiving winds. He remembers his feet cracking and bleeding while he and his men were burdened with extreme loads. At times, he struggled to maintain consciousness at the high altitudes, which bring lowered air pressures.

The fortitude needed to scale mountains like Alaska’s Denali comes from somewhere deep. Some might argue it stems from Mullikin’s experiences in the U.S. Army and the conditioning required to become an Army master fitness trainer. Others might surmise it grew out of the training he underwent to become search-and-rescue qualified in the all-volunteer South Carolina State Guard, the 1,000-person defense force he commands.

But to hear Mullikin tell it, his smile, his fortitude and, yes, his grit all come from the discipline he learned as a martial artist. For years, he’s studied everything from taekwondo and ninjutsu to tai chi and karate.

“These ancient art forms — and, with them, the mental control, the mental focus, the stretching, the controlled breathing and the various stress-relieving techniques, as well as the disciplining factors — have served as key drivers in the success of my climbing,” Mullikin says. “These things have also been key to my business success.