Get to Know: Mark Hamson

Mark Hamson and his wife, Michelle, moved from Arizona to Aberdeen three years ago.

“I had a business in Arizona and did stunt acting in motion pictures and TV commercials,” Mark said. “When COVID hit and everything shut down, I was kind of retired at that point. We thought about moving somewhere else and thought why not try the Midwest?”

Mark was born in Minnesota, so he wasn’t a stranger to this part of the country. The two of them researched different small towns online, and Aberdeen was right up their alley.

Now, Mark runs Hamson’s Dynamic Fighting and Self-Defense Concepts. He has studied over 20 martial arts styles, including Jeet Kune Do, a style that was conceived and practiced by Bruce Lee.

Before he started his own business, Mark had been an amateur and professional kickboxer, but his interest in martial arts started even earlier than that.

“If you live in the south side of an Arizona city, you find some rough neighborhoods,” Mark said. “A friend of mine asked me if I wanted to try judo. It was 1973, Bruce Lee had just died, and I’d seen his movies. He had the right idea.”

Mark and Michelle founded Fight Back for Women, a self-defense program that focuses on practical application. Fight Back classes teach self-defense techniques that aren’t always covered in traditional martial arts schools. They aren’t intended for competition, so there are no rules or impractical techniques. Mark helps students focus on targets, awareness, and common sense.

“People can have a false sense of security,” he said. “I say you can’t swim on dry land. If you don’t know how to do it and how you’ll react in an emergency, in the moment you can forget what you’ve learned.”

Mark uses assault suits so that students can go all-out on the ‘attacker’. They also use dim lights to simulate stressful scenarios and make sure that classes are less clinical.

“We drill stuff in to make it muscle memory,” Mark said. “At that point, it’s ingrained in you. I train my students as I would a fighter, but with no rules.”

Fight Back classes have been held at the Aberdeen Recreation and Cultural Center, but Mark and Michelle would love to see self-defense classes in schools across South Dakota as well. //

For more information, email Mark at marksjkdconcepts@gmail.com.

Q: How does your work reflect your passion?

A:

Mark: I don’t even call it work – it’s just my passion. It’s what I am. I’ve always wanted to give back to the community.

Michelle: He’s always in the gym studying.

Q: What do you love about the Aberdeen community?

A:

Mark: The people. Things changed in Arizona.

Michelle: The people here are amazing. There’s alos a Christian community. We have four young girls and it was important to live somewhere family oriented.

Mark: We’ve met more people here than back when we lived in Arizona.

Q: Where is one of your favorite places to go in Aberdeen?

A:

Mark: The Capitol Theatre. It’s up my alley. We also do a lot of drives and have a tourist book to find sites to visit. We go to a lot of our kids’ sports games, and we like fishing and other outdoorsy things too.

Q: Why is community involvement important to you?

A:

Mark: Because they’re like-minded people. We accept them, and they accept us.

Q: What is one word you would use to describe yourself?

A:

Mark: Humor.

Michelle: I say dedicated.