Mike Welch

Owner/Operator

Born in Madison WI in 1981 Mr. Mike Welch began karate at age 9 under the instruction of Mr. Randy Beck. His parents got him lessons as a Christmas present.

“I remember opening the uniform from under the tree, and I thought OOOH….new pajamas. Then my dad told me he got me signed up for karate and I was so excited. Its something that I just always wanted to do and my parents saw the benefits it offered to a young boy with lots of energy and not a lot of focus.”

Mr. Welch won his first karate tournament as a white belt in the forms division. This was only the start of a long successful career.

During the next few Mr. Welch and his father (Paul Welch) were heavily involved in competition. Competing in the Wisconsin Professional Karate Association (WPKA) Mr. Welch was ranked in the top three for forms and sparring from white belt through black belt. In 1995 he was ranked number one in both. Not yet a weapons stylist, Mr. Welch won his first NASKA Diamond Nationals, placing 1st in his forms divisions. He was a brown stripe belt.

As happens with many under belts Mr. Welch remembers burning out a little as a red belt.

“I was getting bored I think. It happens to a lot of kids,” he recalls. “At that point I was too close to Black Belt to turn back, so my parents and I talked about why I was in Karate. We talked about the commitment I made to myself, my instructors and to them. We also talked about why I wanted to be a black belt, why I was enrolled and how my life has benefited from it. Together, we set some goals to help me get the spark back. That was all it took, and I never had any doubts [after that] what I was going to do with my life.”

Mr. Welch earned his Black Belt on March 30, 1996 at age 14. At this time he was still competing at the state/regional level. His father, a more traditional martial artist, helped him compare and contrast their two styles to broaden his knowledge. Mr. Welch also began studying Modern Arnis, a Philippine art that focuses on stick fighting and joint locks. He was awarded his instructors certification and brown belt by the late Grandmaster Remi Presas.

In 1998, Mr. Welch was a co-founder of Wisconsin’s first national competition team known as Team X-treme. Team X-treme was known nation wide for its extreme martial arts (XMA) team forms fused with high action and tight percision. The team was a regular on the Diamond Nationals grand champion stage, winning the team form division several years in a row.

“I love competiting, and I know I still have it, but my passion is teaching. So now I create the champions, weather they be world competitors or I can help them become better people, black belts, leaders anything they thought they could never become. Its more rewarding then a trophy or a championship to me…..sometimes I think I’ll hit the circuit again. We’ll see.”

After co-owning and running Karate America Wisconsin Rapids with his father from 1998 to 2004, and running Kicks Unlimited in Fitchburg WI for three years Mr. Welch found that it was time to do it for himself. Now April of 2007 is born Infinity Martial Arts.

“I have set many goals for myself including black belt and competition goals, owning and operating my own school is something I have wanted for as long as I can remember and now here I am. I know I will be successful because karate is what I have dedicated my life [to]. It is my passion, it is what I am known for and it is what I do best. I think that I separate myself from other owners because of how much I love to train and how much I care about my students and families and not just my “clients.” Though I’ve worked hard and earned my place every step of the way, I am very thankful to be where I am now and to have the support from previous students and families. Thank you.”