The standard is personal.
It always has been.

THE STORY

Detroit made me. The Air Force refined me. Martial arts grounded me.

Growing up in Detroit taught Cliff Kinchen something that no classroom ever could — that character is formed under pressure, not in comfort. The neighborhood didn’t give you much, but it gave you a choice: become what was around you, or decide to become something else.

Cliff chose differently. At 17, he walked into an Armed Forces recruiting station and never looked back. He had been studying martial arts on his own since the age of 10, and at his first duty station he took his first formal lesson. From that point forward, the military and martial arts ran in parallel — each one reinforcing the other, shaping a lifelong commitment to discipline, leadership, and the development of others.

That parallel path produced two professional kickboxing titles — the Joe Lewis Fighting Systems U.S. Light Heavyweight Championship and the International Fighters Association North American Super Middleweight Championship — and ultimately an 8th-Degree Black Belt. It also produced a military career that culminated in selection as Senior NCO of the Year for Air Education and Training Command, chosen from a field of nearly 8,000 eligible Senior NCOs across the largest command in the U.S. Air Force.

Today Cliff brings all of it — Detroit, the military, the martial arts, the classroom — into every workshop, every keynote, and every coaching engagement. The Kinchen Standard is a seven-pillar leadership framework he built from the ground up. Not from a textbook. From a life lived under real pressure, in real conditions, with real consequences.

Two decades of leadership. Every year of it earned.

Cliff Kinchen served in the United States Air Force including combat service during Operation Desert Storm. His career spanned law enforcement, instruction, and senior leadership roles that put him in charge of developing the next generation of military leaders.

As Superintendent and Acting Director of Education at the 2nd largest Non-Commissioned Officer Academy in the Air Force, he oversaw the training of over 1,200 military and civilian leaders annually. He retired as a Master Sergeant — and was selected as Senior NCO of the Year for Air Education and Training Command from a field of nearly 8,000 eligible Senior NCOs across the largest command in the U.S. Air Force.

KEY ROLES

CREDENTIALS

Over 40 years on the mat. Every lesson carried off it.

What began as a self-taught passion at age 10 became a lifelong pursuit of mastery. Cliff has trained, competed, taught, and built — earning ranks across multiple systems and founding his own style of American Burendo Style Karate.

His martial arts academy integrates leadership development into every level of training — from the youngest students learning discipline and respect, to adults learning how to perform under pressure.

His work with youth was recognized nationally when his academy was featured on Kiddie Kai, a Discovery+ and HBO Max documentary series following martial arts schools across the southeastern United States.

The mat has always been where The Kinchen Standard lived first.

“Don’t quote the standard. Be the standard. The people around you are watching what you do — not what you say.”

Airey Noncommissioned Officers Academy

Tyndall Air Force Base, FL  |  U.S. Air Force’s Second Largest Leadership Academy

Developed and delivered a leadership-integrated training program for mid-level military and senior civilian leaders preparing for senior command. Served as Acting Director of Education on multiple occasions. Program demand extended beyond the academy — civilian participants returned to their organizations and requested the work for their own teams.

ORGANIZATIONAL ENGAGEMENTS

The Work in the Field

The principles behind The Kinchen Standard have been embedded in Cliff’s work with organizations for years — across U.S. Air Force leadership development, martial arts instruction, and direct organizational engagements. A sampling of organizations where Cliff has delivered leadership-integrated training: