SUMMER  CLASS SCHEDULE 7/6/10 THROUGH 8/25/10

Tae Kwon Do For Children

Founded in 1993, Bruce Chung’s Tae Kwon Do quickly established itself as the leader in the children’s martial arts industry.   According to Grandmaster Bruce Chung, “when we first opened 15 years ago, no one was teaching young children how to do Tae Kwon Do.  Most of the martial arts schools back then were only teaching children age 9 and older.  We decided to try teaching 5 year olds and after we had success with that age group, we tried 4 year olds, then 3 year olds.”  

Bruce Chung’s Tae Kwon Do changed the way Tae Kwon Do was being taught.  “The first thing we did was divide all classes by age and skill level.  Next, we developed a method of teaching through positive reinforcement.  Instead of saying ‘don’t do this or don’t do that’, we would say ‘that way is ok, but this way is better.’ Children responded well to our honest, simple, compassionate teaching technique.  We formulated an organized, well-rounded program where children were able to progress from belt to belt at a pace which was not too fast yet not too slow.  Because we wanted the program to include not just martial arts but also physical fitness, we made it more comprehensive, incorporating kicking drills, strengthening exercises and gross motor development skills into all of our classes” says Master Susan Chung who is also an AFAA certified personal trainer and group fitness instructor.

Today, the studio is still the foremost in Westchester, with both 7^th degree black belt Grandmaster Bruce Chung, 5^th degree Master Susan Chung and their full staff of professional instructors on-site and teaching all classes.  “We are here everyday,” says Master Susan Chung “teaching, training, observing and completely immersing ourselves in all aspects of Tae Kwon Do.  This is probably one of the only studios where you have two Masters on site at all times.  Our goal is to help every student who walks in get stronger, more confident and achieve their personal best.  Our job is to teach the best Tae Kwon Do we can teach in a way that children can appreciate and understand.

“WHAT IS A GOOD AGE TO BEGIN MARTIAL ARTS TRAINING?”
According to the martial artists and authors Richard Devens and Norman Sandler ("Martial Arts For Kids" Weatherhill, 1997) "if a child can concentrate, is motivated, is willing to practice, and has supportive parents… then we feel the younger one starts, the better. If a child can speak a language fluently at the age of three, then there is no reason why he cannot start martial arts lessons at the age of three or four. If the teacher makes it fun the child will not consider it burdensome, and will want to learn. Those starting to practice martial arts as middle-aged adults may still develop into highly proficient martial artists if they work hard, but they will never be as good as they would have had they started as children, when the muscles and reflexes are developing, and whe the capacity for learning is greatest."

"WILL TAE KWON DO MAKE MY CHILD MORE AGGRESSIVE?"
Many people are under the false impression that Tae Kwon Do training will make their children aggressive, when actually the opposite is true.  Children who have the ability and discipline to participate in a good Tae Kwon Do program on a weekly basis will almost never be the children you see bullying others.  Additionally, Tae Kwon Do training provides a good outlet for the release of extra energy.

BRUCE CHUNG’S TAE KWON DO CLASSES
We offer many exciting classes for all ages: Specialized classes for 3 year olds, Pre-school/Kindergarten Classes for ages 4-5, Children’s Classes for ages 6-8, Pre-Teen Classes for ages 9-12.