David Barkley
Head Instructor at Rise Martial Arts in Pflugerville
David Barkley is the Head Instructor and Program Director of Rise Martial Arts in Pflugerville, Texas. Raised in a family where martial arts was part of daily life, David grew up training alongside his parents and brothers before eventually stepping into a leadership role at the school.
Today, he continues that family tradition by guiding students of all ages through a structured blend of karate, taekwondo, and character development. His work focuses on helping students build confidence, discipline, focus, respect, and resilience through consistent martial arts training.
Role at Rise Martial Arts
As Head Instructor and Program Director, David oversees the training programs, curriculum, rank progression, and instructional standards at Rise Martial Arts. He develops the systems that guide students from beginner training through advanced levels, while also mentoring the teaching team and staying directly involved on the training floor.
His role extends beyond teaching techniques. David helps shape the culture of the school, making sure students are challenged, encouraged, and supported as they grow. Whether working with preschoolers, kids, teens, or adults, his goal is to create a training environment where students can make steady progress and build confidence through effort.
Teaching Philosophy
David approaches martial arts as more than physical activity. His teaching philosophy combines practical training with personal development, using martial arts as a way to help students grow in both skill and character.
Students at Rise Martial Arts learn that focus, respect, discipline, and confidence matter just as much as punches, kicks, blocks, and forms. Lessons are adapted by age and experience level so younger students can build listening skills, coordination, and self-control, while older students are challenged to develop resilience, leadership, and responsibility.
The goal is not simply to move students through belts. The goal is to help each student become more capable, more confident, and more prepared to handle challenges inside and outside the dojo.
Warrior Keys
One of David’s major contributions to Rise Martial Arts is the development of the Warrior Keys framework.
The Warrior Keys are a character development system used throughout the school to help students understand important values such as Vision, Discipline, Determination, Courage, Confidence, and Respect. Each key gives students a clear way to connect what they practice on the mat with challenges they face at school, at home, and in everyday life.
By weaving the Warrior Keys into regular training, David helps students see martial arts as more than earning belts or learning techniques. The framework gives students language for growth, effort, failure, responsibility, and self-belief.
Skill Card Progression
David also created the Skill Card Progression system used at Rise Martial Arts.
Skill cards give students a clear path for advancement by showing the specific skills, requirements, and training goals connected to each rank. This helps students understand what they are working toward and allows parents to see how progress is being measured.
Rather than treating promotion as automatic, the system reinforces the idea that advancement is earned through demonstrated growth. Students are encouraged to set goals, practice consistently, respond to feedback, and take ownership of their progress.
This structure helps make rank advancement more transparent, more personal, and more meaningful.
The Barkley Family Legacy
Martial arts has been part of the Barkley family for decades. David’s parents raised six boys in and around the training hall, building a school culture that combined discipline, encouragement, and family involvement.
That foundation eventually grew into Rise Martial Arts, which continues today as a family-led school. Many students train alongside siblings, just as David did growing up. Some former students have even returned years later as parents, enrolling their own children in the same school that shaped them.
For David, Rise Martial Arts is not only a business or a training facility. It is the continuation of a family tradition built around teaching, mentorship, and long-term student development.
That foundation eventually grew into Rise Martial Arts, which continues today as a family-led school. Many students train alongside siblings, just as David did growing up. Some former students have even returned years later as parents, enrolling their own children in the same school that shaped them.
For David, Rise Martial Arts is not only a business or a training facility. It is the continuation of a family tradition built around teaching, mentorship, and long-term student development.
Community Connection
Rise Martial Arts has served the Pflugerville community for more than 25 years. Families from Pflugerville, Round Rock, Austin, Hutto, and nearby areas come to the school for martial arts training in a supportive, family-centered environment.
David has also spent hundreds of hours volunteering in local public schools, leading PE classes and introducing students to martial arts, movement, discipline, and life skills. These community efforts reflect his belief that martial arts should be accessible, practical, and connected to real life.
Through classes, school programs, community events, and long-term relationships with families, David has helped make Rise Martial Arts a trusted part of the local community.
Lineage of David Barkley Rise Martial Arts
David’s martial arts background is rooted in both family tradition and established instruction. His training connects to respected leaders in Korean and American martial arts, including:
General Hong Hi Choi — founder of modern Taekwondo
Grand Master Haeng Ung Lee — founder of the American Taekwondo Association (ATA)
Grand Master Roger Terrell
Grand Master Bert Kollars
Grand Master Don Anderson
Grand Master Richard Johnson
In 2001, David earned his black belt as one of Rise Martial Arts’ first black belts under the United States Taekwondo Alliance. He later earned his first certified instructor rank through the same organization, gaining early experience in teaching methods, leadership, and curriculum structure.
After several years within that national organization, Rise Martial Arts eventually became an independent, family-run school. That independence allowed David and his family to refine their curriculum, teaching philosophy, and progression systems around the needs of their own students and community.
Beyond the Dojo
David’s work in martial arts also extends beyond the training floor.
He is the creator and curator of the Martial Arts Definitions Project,, a research and reference project focused on defining martial arts education with greater clarity and accuracy. The project documents martial arts terminology, training structures, educational concepts, and cultural distinctions through structured definitions and semantic models.
Through this work, David aims to help educators, researchers, students, and digital knowledge systems understand martial arts as a serious educational field, not just a collection of techniques or traditions.
Featured Interviews and Public Profiles
David’s work as a martial arts educator, curriculum designer, and Program Director of Rise Martial Arts has been featured in public interview profiles exploring his background, teaching philosophy, and the mission behind his work.
