Lon Walls, the president of Walls & Associates Inc. and former president of the Capital Press Club, is known in the District as a public relations entrepreneur who has worked with some of the top political and business leaders in the country. However, a lesser-known aspect of the communications guru is his mastery of martial arts, a passion turned source of strength and income.
Walls is a student, instructor and practitioner of Bando, a martial art that has been practiced for several thousand years, primarily in Myanmar, where it was founded.
He began studying Bando in 1970 while a college student at Ohio University.
“Dr. U. Maung Gyi was a major influence for me at Ohio University,” Walls, 75, said of Bando’s grandmaster in the U.S., where he was studying in Athens, Ohio. “He impressed me so much. This is a man that has triple Ph.Ds, a law degree and was an adviser to Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and was active in the civil rights movement. It is because of him that I investigated Bando.”
Gyi introduced Bando to the U.S. at American University in 1960. He also founded the American Bando Association as a vehicle to publicize and support the martial art.
Thousands of people have practiced Bando throughout the country, and including other countries such as Canada, Mexico, Panama, Kuwait, Dubai, Jordan, St. Maarten and France.
Navigating the shifting economy and feelings of safety under the Trump administration, Walls is happy to use his Bando skills as means of earning an income, while also empowering his students in the process.
“We are living in a time of chaos and personal safety has become very important for many people,” Walls said. “While I don’t want to profit off of the times we live in, personal safety is something that people want to invest in.”
Although investing in personal safety and self-defense may sound strange to some, Walls believes growth in those fields will increase over the years.
“There are a lot of opportunities for people and those fields may not be lucrative at first,” Walls said, “but the finance part will come when it is realized that the need is there.”
The global martial arts entrepreneurship and instruction market is projected to reach $171 billion by 2028, and in the U.S. $19.4 billion by the end of this year, according to an Aug. 15 post on the Yahoo Finance website.
“Key factors contributing to this growth include interest in fitness and discipline, especially among families and children, as well as the booming popularity of combat sports and technological advancements in training facilities and fan engagement,” the post said.
However, for Walls, teaching Bando is an opportunity to not only make money but also make a difference in others’ lives.
“I have young men who are students and Bando has allowed me to influence and mentor them,” Walls said. “With the young women, I influence and mentor them but I help them feel more secure through self-defense.”
Walls’ Success in PR and Bando
Walls started competing in martial arts in 1975 and presently holds a sixth-degree black belt in Bando. His fighting career includes more than 200 freestyle fighting matches and 30 kickboxing bouts from the 1970s-1990s.
His title wins include: the national Bando light-heavyweight champion in Black Belt Free Style in 1985, 1987, 1992 and 1995; the light-heavyweight kickboxing champ in 1987 and 1988; as well as the middleweight Kickboxing winner in 1977. Additionally, he placed second among hundreds of competitors as the White Belt middleweight in the inaugural Battle of Atlanta Karate Tournament in 1976 and took third place as the middleweight Green Belt in the previously mentioned Atlanta tournament in 1977.
Walls has penned articles on Bando for such publications as Black Belt Magazine and Inside Kung Fu. He has also been the editor of Crossed Swords, the American Bando Association’s national newsletter.
With quite a successful career in public relations, Walls has also earned the Washington Association of Black Journalists Excellence in Communications Award.
The communications and martial arts expert has taught Bando for years and presently instructs students on Tuesdays and Thursdays at Gold’s Gym on Connecticut Avenue in Northwest, as well as other times when approached to do so.
The instructor said he sees it as more than just a pastime.
“For me, this is a way of life,” he said. “I know many people are familiar with me and my work in public relations, but Bando is a strong part of my life. The fundamentals that it stresses apply to life. Bando is a means of discipline, and I can accomplish things professionally because of it.”
Walls Instructs Students on Bando
In a Sept. 6 special Saturday class at Gold’s Gym, Walls had several students — both men and women — anxious to learn Bando techniques.
He emphasized to the new students that “you will not learn self-defense in an hour.”
“But you can have a good workout and have fun,” he said.
For the next hour, Walls and the students perform exercises involving their arms, legs, elbows and shoulders. He works on their stance and exercise techniques.
Walls said his efforts with female students in particular is paying off, and there is a body of literature to back his assertions.
“The woman who learns martial arts becomes a better decision maker,” according to an August 2021 post on The Martial Arts Woman, noting that this is often overshadowed by the more commonly known benefits such as fitness, confidence and defense.
Further, training in martial arts can also provide women with a basis of self-importance and self-worth.
Most women who practice martial arts learn to recognize that their decisions are important and that they deserve respect, opportunity, and to be in control of their own destiny.
While Walls’ students are practicing Bando, they listen to music such as “Before I Let Go” by Frankie Beverly, the band Maze, and “Dazz” by Brick.
Kerina Antoine, a resident of Takoma Park, Maryland, came to the Saturday session with her husband and son and enjoyed the workout.
“I always liked the martial arts,” Antoine, 44, said. “As we get older, it is important that we move around more.”
“You lose so much mobility and bone density as you get older,” author and epidemiologist Gabrielle A. Perry, wrote on X, in a post emphasizing the importance of women building muscle, stretching and staying active— all parts of martial arts– throughout their lives.
Leah Boston, a District resident who is an attorney, said the session was productive and is regular with Walls regarding Bando.
“I support Lon as my Bando instructor,” Boston, 32, said. “I think it is important that young women understand that Bando is not just for men. This activity is empowering for women, too.”