Get to know your coach
Michael Sorenson
Life Coach, Professional Athletic Trainer
Michael is a former Marine who has spent his adult life coaching and teaching others. He coached youth football to professional athletes and has taught martial arts. He has gained a profound knowledge of kinesiology, the human body, and nutrition and health. He knows through experience that learning comes to us in different ways, physically, intellectually, emotionally and spiritually. It is his goal to help you find your path and give you the tools to travel it. Michael has developed and honed his gift for helping people find both their talents and their limitations and to use all of these to accomplish their goals.
Michael’s involvement with the martial arts began in 1968 when he began studying American Kenpo Karate. His continued devotion to the arts has resulted in an 8th degree Black Belt in American Kenpo and a 5th degree Black Belt in Shorinji Taigar Karate. He was a member of Mr. Edmund K. Parkers’ Menlo Park fighting team under Harvey Clary and fought competitively for ten years.
He taught in Mr. Parker’s dojos in Northern California. Michael opened two schools in the Bay Area, the Hing Dai and Iron Dragon American Kenpo Karate Schools.
Michael developed National Championship fighting teams, both men and women. Michael is currently authoring a book in collaboration with Senior Grand Master Richard Alemany on martial arts tournament fighting.
National Championship Fighting Team
For My 60th Birthday
Michael was born and raised in San Francisco. He owned several successful businesses in the San Francisco Bay Area from the 1960s into the millennium. First, he graduated from Barbers College in San Francisco, trained at Vidal Sassoon, and opened two hair salons in San Mateo. In the early seventies, Michael owned and operated a retail clothing outlet in Palo Alto. At the same time, he shared ownership in a candle manufacturing business in Redwood City, where he created unique candles and exported them globally.
Then, Michael started gyms in San Mateo and Half Moon Bay to help others with their fitness goals. He continues to train athletes, teach martial arts, and work as a professional athletic trainer helping people meet their goals – whether those be weight loss, rehabilitation from injury or surgery, excellence in their chosen sport or finding new confidence via better health.
Michael offers online athletic training:
Michael started competing in power lifting in 1979 with his last competition being in 2006. He coached national and world record-holding lifters to the power lifting hall of fame. Michael semi-retired to the Sierra Nevada foothills, where he developed the concept and produced the documentary film, “Power Unlimited," celebrating the history of athletes devoted to the sport of power lifting.
Past and present community service:
US Marine Corps
Former California State Chairman for the National Amateur Athletic Union (AAU)
Football coach for San Jose Police Activities League
Head Football coach and strength trainer Hillsdale High School, San Mateo
Member of the American Teachers Association for Martial Arts
FREED Board Member, Advocacy group for disabled people to live independently
“I believe we should celebrate the word can’t—it’s an empowering word. When you use the word can’t, it’s an unfinished sentence.
When you say “I can’t,” then I say, “You can’t right now.” I can’t is actually a call to action.”
– Michael Sorenson