SIGN UPS HAVE BEGUN FOR KIDS'
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SPECIAL OFFER for FIRST TIME STUDENTS!
ADULTS can try the first of any of our classes for Free! Some classes require a uniform so please email or call to make an appointment.
EMAIL: QUESTIONS@ thehapkidoinstitute.com |
The Benefits Of Joining Our School:
Social
Our school offers a sense of community. Students and teachers treat each other as extended family. We strive to expand the potential of our training and provide the community at large with well-rounded healthy participants. Health No one can deny the obvious health benefits of the martial arts. Participants can expect improvements in strength, tone, endurance and balance. |
All Martial Arts Forms Are Beneficial!
We encourage all students to respect all forms of Martial Arts and training philosophies which is why our staff includes expert instruction in Hapkido, Muay Thai, Brazilian Jiujitsu and Yoga. All self defense systems have strengths and valuable principles that should, at the very least, be understood if not practiced - Students will eventually use what works best for them so we try to provide our students with an abundance of martial arts knowledge. Our main goal is to give all students the tools to become well rounded martial artists while keeping an open, respectful, and humble state of mind.
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Our Training Philosophy for Kids:
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Our School Philosophy for Adults
Our school is a community-based martial art academy in which all people, regardless of race, sex, age or gender are entitled to the benefits intrinsic to the study of martial arts. We believe students learn most effectively by training in a supportive environment where the purpose is the achievement of personal health, self-protection, physical fitness, and emotional and spiritual maturity. Beyond the practice of physical skills, both teachers and students are committed to living socially responsible lives, encouraging the martial arts traditions of honor, loyalty, and family. We promote the social, emotional, physical and mental skills necessary to avoid most confrontations. Unfortunately, confrontations cannot be always be avoided, so our students learn necessary self defense techniques to protect themselves.
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A Note to the Parents of Future Martial Artists
I've been teaching Martial Arts to kids since 1998 and I've learned so much about Children and how important a Parent's influence is on a child's martial arts training. A child's sense of confidence and pride really is dependent on both the instructor AND the student's parents. Also, a child's sense of progression is extremely delicate to say the least - Our Martial Arts program helps to build and strengthen this sense of progression by encouraging kids to speak for themselves and ask to be evaluated on their techniques even when they may not have everything perfectly figured out. It's important to change a child's idea of "I can't" to "I can't yet..." and parents should really be on the same page with this idea if they want their kids to get the most out of Martial Arts. If a parent can encourage a child after an instructor gives the child a "not ready yet" or a "practice a little more", then the child is much less likely to think of themselves as "not good enough" - And more likely to develop determination and persistence as they focus on improving their skills while keeping in mind that "they are not ready for the next level YET". It's extremely important for parents to help their child with positive reinforcement as learning Martial Arts is not easy, takes time, and can challenge a child to the point of giving up.
As mentioned in the "Training Philosophy for Kids," we do not have children with a Black Belt Ranking at THI and it's important that parents understand that getting a new belt is not the ONLY sign of progression. If a student doesn't test or move up, the student and his/her parents can think that the child is NOT progressing or NOT learning. This way of thinking teaches children to ONLY focus on reaching the next level rather than focusing on the training needed to get there. Students need to learn how to be proud of the skills they have and how far they've come while they pursue their long term goals.
Children pick up on their parent's disappointment quickly and often times adopt it as their own. They start to lose sight of what Martial Arts really builds as they compare their own progression to others and feel that their progression is "too slow" or that their belt level is somehow "too low" for the amount of time they've been training. This kind of thinking will eventually spill into other life categories such as school, sports and extra curricular activities.
As long as they're enjoying the experience and getting better, there should really be no expected time to advance to the next belt level - especially if the student isn't yet ready to train with the higher ranking kids. If higher ranking students are clearly more advanced than beginner and intermediate students, it's nothing but a great sign! New students and their parents can rest assured that all students are in good hands and that the school instructors care about THI's integrity. There are a handful of teenaged students at THI who started when they were around 5-6 years of age and they continue to train and work towards their Black Belt to this day! The high ranking kids at THI will prove one of the best martial arts sayings out there: Black Belts were White Belts that never quit!
-Chief Instructor Dennis Ruel
As mentioned in the "Training Philosophy for Kids," we do not have children with a Black Belt Ranking at THI and it's important that parents understand that getting a new belt is not the ONLY sign of progression. If a student doesn't test or move up, the student and his/her parents can think that the child is NOT progressing or NOT learning. This way of thinking teaches children to ONLY focus on reaching the next level rather than focusing on the training needed to get there. Students need to learn how to be proud of the skills they have and how far they've come while they pursue their long term goals.
Children pick up on their parent's disappointment quickly and often times adopt it as their own. They start to lose sight of what Martial Arts really builds as they compare their own progression to others and feel that their progression is "too slow" or that their belt level is somehow "too low" for the amount of time they've been training. This kind of thinking will eventually spill into other life categories such as school, sports and extra curricular activities.
As long as they're enjoying the experience and getting better, there should really be no expected time to advance to the next belt level - especially if the student isn't yet ready to train with the higher ranking kids. If higher ranking students are clearly more advanced than beginner and intermediate students, it's nothing but a great sign! New students and their parents can rest assured that all students are in good hands and that the school instructors care about THI's integrity. There are a handful of teenaged students at THI who started when they were around 5-6 years of age and they continue to train and work towards their Black Belt to this day! The high ranking kids at THI will prove one of the best martial arts sayings out there: Black Belts were White Belts that never quit!
-Chief Instructor Dennis Ruel
We are proud members of these associations:
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