About Gold Star ATA Martial Arts

Our Mission

Mission: “To Inspire and Empower Future Leaders”

Respect

We teach that leadership begins with humility and empathy. Respect shapes character and builds a strong community.
• Mantra: “Honor Begins Within”
• Tagline: Respect for self, others, and the path we walk.

Discipline

We believe discipline is the foundation of all growth. Our students learn to show up, stay focused, and give their best—on and off the mat.
• Mantra: “Strong Body, Strong Mind”
• Tagline: Consistency builds champions.

Confidence

Confidence isn’t given—it’s earned. Our training empowers students to lead with strength, speak with purpose, and act with courage.
• Mantra: “Stand Tall, Lead Boldly”
• Tagline: Confidence through action, courage through training.

Growth

We encourage our students to reach for the stars—always aiming higher, embracing effort, and learning from every obstacle.
• Mantra: “Reach for the Stars”
• Tagline: Every challenge is a chance to grow.

Perseverance

We teach our students to stay strong through adversity, both on the mat and in life. Leadership requires grit—pushing forward when it’s hard, learning from failure, and rising again with purpose.
• Mantra: “Never Quit, Always Rise”
• Tagline: Success is earned through resilience and effort.

Our Martial Arts Story

Welcome to the story of one family's passion for martial arts, that turned into a lifetime of serving our communities.

The Cochnar family began it's martial arts journey in 1996, starting as an activity for our oldest child....the smartest thing for bully prevention! Little did we know that that decision would change the trajectory of our entire family! One by one, the rest of us joined training.

Our passion for martial arts grew, and we realized we had discovered something the entire family could do together, building up into a way to give back to our communities! We purchased the Crete business, and moved it to it's current location a few months later.
In 2017, we took over the Seward Black Belt Academy, and renamed both locations "Gold Star ATA Martial Arts".

We had found another amazing community to share our love of martial arts. Despite the challenges brought by the pandemic, we adapted with resilience, continuing to provide exceptional training both in-person and virtually, at both locations.

By 2022, both father Jack and daughter Alyssa had earned their 6th Degree Master Instructor titles! Master Alyssa is also a 15x World Champion! The rest of the immediate family are 4th and 5th Degree Black Belts. Our oldest son Michael was even the National ATA Media Editor for years! You'll get a chance to meet several family members when you stop in at any of the Gold Star ATA locations!

In 2022, we also tried something new....opening a brand new location from scratch, in southwest Lincoln. It's been wonderful having an even larger footprint, to be able to extend our empowering programs and create more opportunities for people to discover their potential!

We would love for you to come and train with us! Let our family train your family, and see what we mean about Experiencing the Gold Star ATA Difference!

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