Our Center, like many martial art disciplines, has a system of ranking based on achieved expertise. The student’s rank is symbolized by colored belts worn with their uniform.

All together there are ten belts starting with white and end with black.  Upon your child’s enrollment, the white belt is worn. This signifies that your child is in the first stage of martial arts study. Approximately five times a year, there are examinations to advance to the next rank. To advance, your child will show their skill, strength and speed in the mastery of martial art techniques.  The  Belts offer a system for recognizing that accomplishment and a source of honor and pride. It is also motivating because your child will want to master new techniques to achieve the next belt.

Black Belt

A Black Belt is a goal for many children. In ancient times, the Black Belt symbolized a martial artist’s diligent training for so long that their  belt turned black.  This symbolism means no less today. A Black Belt is only achieved after diligent focus and achievement  for 2 1/2 years.  The Black Belt is embroidered with the student’s name and the name of Master Kim. Our Black Belts are issued through the World TaeKwonDo Federation.

Goal Setting & Focusing Skills

We believe that the belt system will help your child learn to focus and set goals in other ares of their lives.   Each belt is like a building block that adds to the previous achievement.  We believe our students come to internalize this goal setting system in the classroom and in all aspect of their lives – and that is our ultimate goal.

Reviews between Tests

To make sure our students on our track, we often conduct mini tests between the Promotion Examinations. This mini test takes place after class where your child will show the technique they have learned.

We often hear from parents of their concern that their children aren’t active enough and that t.v. and video games reduces athletic ability. This is just as true for teenagers and adults.

Martial Arts Training is recognized by the Presidential Challenge as a fitness program that improves muscle and bone mass. The Council includes pro and Olympic athletes, fitness professionals, doctors, and other healthy living experts and advocates. Council members advise the President of the United States through the Secretary of Health and Human Services.

Below is a Presidential Champion Award given to our Enzo Calandra, who as a teenager, is in our teen/adult program.

How does our martial arts training make kids physically fit?

Our classes start with stretching to increase flexibility. We then continue on with the martial art forms, tumbles and finish with fun and games. As you child practices the forms, punches, kicks, blocks and stances, they strength their muscles and bones in a natural way. This leads to the development of a strong and healthy body.  While doing these movements, you child learns where their center of gravity exists, and how to maintain it even as they work difficult techniques. Since many of the techniques combine two or three physical movements, your child will develop excellent hand, eye and foot coordination. You’ll soon see your child stand straighter with better posture.

And for high spirited children, our training is a must. Many parents enroll their children with the ‘hope’ of wearing them out. What parents experience are children who have self-control and discipline.

On how martial arts training improves mental concentration, please click here.

Having a Kick With It Means Kids May Stick With It

by Kate Moulene Los Angeles Times

Drive around L.A. today and you won’t go far without seeing a studio offering TaeKwonDo, Karate or some other form of martial art to white-robed kids. The signs in the windows often promise self-
confidence, respect and physical fitness.

With summer vacation upon us, many parents are looking for a fitness activity to help get their kids off
the couch and away from the television or video games. Ideally, the activity will be something that
children will stick with beyond the summer. But what if it could also make your children better
listeners? And what if it could help kids who are hyperactive or diagnosed with attention deficit
disorder?

Although there is no scientific proof that martial arts training will make your kids lose weight, listen
more attentively or focus their attention, some physicians and others believe that such classes are well
suited to accomplishing these goals.

“When a child learns about his body.and also learns discipline, it can’t help but benefit all of his everyday habits, ranging from school work to eating,” ‘says Naomi’ Neufeld, a pediatric endocrinologist who runs KidShape, Los Angeles-based childhood weight Management Program.

“Martial arts is about many things,” adds Bong’ Kyung Kim, a TaeKwonDo Grand Master who runs the Beverly Hills Martial’ Arts Center. “There is a mental aspect, a physical aspect’and a spiritual aspect. Children are learning physical skills but, equally important, they are learning respect, a sense of order and self- confidence. And, of course, they are having fun.”

Fun, of course, is key to finding a physical activity that kids will want to stick with.

Every day at 5 p.m., dozens of kids from 4 to 13 race up the stairs at the Beverly Hills Martial Arts Center to practice taekwondo (translated as “the art of fist and foot”). A gong chimes, and a flurry of youthful energy races across the room as kids form perfect lines based on their ranking. The highest-ranked student leads the class in a short series of verbal exercises that help the students focus before the workout begins.      ‘

The workout is an hour of running, jumping, stretching, kicking and nonstop action that brings to mind
dozens of little Jackie Chans on the loose.

Alex and Arthur Bane, ages 8 and 10, have been studying martial arts since they were 4, taking classes
with their mother, Tamara Bane, an ex-dancer. They have regularly attended classes three to-five times
a week for several and all three have earned the rank of black belt. (Children and adults are
tested and judged separately, based on appropriate benchmarks for their age .

One thing ‘I love about martial arts,” says Tamara Bane, ”’is that the kids are only competing with themselves. In many other sports you not only have a great deal of pressure from the other kids, but you can face horrible critiscims and backlash from the other parents if your child is not as good an athlete.”

Some doctors are now looking at martial arts for their health benefits, such as weight management. KidShape’s Neufeld notes that about 80% of Los Angeles children fail the yearly exam for the President’s Council on Physical Fitness.

While many factors play a role in weight control, exercise is at the top of the list. Neufeld believes martial arts are especially effective for getting kids in shape because experience has shown her that children who get involved in these programs tend to stick with them. Moreover, unlike seasonal sports such as baseball or football, kids can practice martial arts year-round.

In addition to weight control, many martial arts schools work with individuals who have physical or emotional handicaps. These challenges can range from Down syndrome to attention deficit disorder.  Some children’s therapists have noted that children labeled hyperactive or challenged by ADD are responding positively to the type of training that martial arts programs offer.

Thomas Armstrong, a Sonoma County psychologist and author of “The Myth of the ADD Child” (penguin / Plume, 1997), writes in his book that martial arts skills “can serve as a wonderful vehicle for the training of children who have been labeled as hyperactive or ADD. For kids who seem to be at the mercy of their own chaotic energy systems, these sports offer a chance to begin directing  physical and mental energy in a focused way.”                                                                      ..

While Armstrong acknowledges the presence of neurological differences and the use of medication as one “tool” in treatment, he also suggests that there are other physical and environmental treatments for children diagnosed with ADD that might be effective.

Dr. Frederick Friedman, a Los Angeles pediatrician, also believes in the value of martial arts programs for children, regardless of whether they have been diagnosed with ADD. “In a team sport,” he says, “a kid is naturally going to get less attention and too often just gets stuck out in left field. In martial arts the teachers are setting up a very structured environment so the child’s attention is focused.”

Friedman notes, however, that while martial arts may help a child’s self-assurance and concentration skills during class, it’s not clear whether those skills carry over into the child’s daily life. While there are dozens of styles of martial arts, the three primary schools that have made their way from Asia into American culture are taekwondo (Korean), karate (Japanese) and kung-fu (Chinese).

The Chinese programs tend to be more traditional, and rarely are schools open to children younger than 13. While taekwondo and karate are similarly structured, with a belt system in which students must learn different techniques at each level to progress, it is possible to move more quickly under the Korean system. Children with focus and discipline can earn a first-degree black belt at any age after three years of study. In the Japanese system of karate, junior black belts are rarely awarded before age 10, and usuallyonly after a student has been studying for at least six years.

While competitions exist in both sports, most teachers do not emphasize this aspect at a young age. “It is a danger to have students thinking about competition,” says Kim. “The value then becomes about. winning instead of your own accomplishments. We live in a world full of competition. There is plenty of that. It is much harder to find the time and the place that a child can develop and focus on more spiritual elements.”

To be sure, martial arts are not for every child. A child who is uncomfortable with contact sports-or parents who can’t bear to watch their child getting bumped and bruised–may opt for a different activity. Friedman, however, says he doesn’t believe that martial arts are any more likely to produce injuries than other sports. “I’ve personally never seen [a serious injury] that came from a class,” he says.”It was always the horsing around and just having some extra fun after class that brought the kids to my office.”

(Illustration 1

Caption: PHOTO: Arthur Bane, with Bong Kyung Kim, is a martial arts enthusiast.;
PHOTOGRAPHER: LAWRENCE K. HO / Los Angeles Times; PHOTO: Alex Bane, 8, and brother
Arthur, seated, have earned black belts.; PHOTOGRAPHER: LAWRENCE K. HO / Los Angeles
Times

Credit: SPECIAL TO THE TIMES

Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction or distribution is prohibited
without permission.

Subjects:

Article types:         Feature

Section:                  Health; Features Desk

ISSNIISBN:            04583035

Text Word Count 1204

The LA Times did a feature on the many benefits of our martial arts instruction.

With video games & computers children live lives that emphasize non-active behavior. Parents voice concern that this lifestyle plagues their children with poor mental and physical health. Our classes our the best antidote to parents’ concerns.

Brain Food For Your Child and Other Benefits

All sport activities are good for your child’s health, but why not choose one that helps in brain development?

Included in Dr. Richard Restak’s wonderful book, Mozart’s Brain and the Fighter Pilot Unleashing Your Brain’s Potential, is the chapter “Organize a physical exercise that aims at brain enhancement.”  He believes that key to brain enhancement are physical exercises that emphasize:

• Balance
• Strength &
• Dexterity exercises

When combined, hand, leg & eye coordination improve which then stimulates the brain’s development to problem solve, memorize and to set and finish goals.

And which sports include all of these?  Our Martial Arts training where students learn to master coordinated movements that work on balance, strength and dexterity. As an added bonus, the forms constantly challenge the students to learn something new which is important for strengthening the brain.

Physical Ability As our students master the martial art skills of coordination, strength and balance, they are establishing brain development and confidence for superior athletic development. We know from experience that that this athletic development can be applied to any other sport your child may do now or in the future.

Emotional Activity
Our classes offer a great balance between fun socialization and the recognition of individual achievement. Cooperation is learned as students work together in group training drills and in favorite games that complete each class. Confidence and pride is instilled as children master new skills symbolized by our belt program.

Our Black Belt Program

And our black belt program is designed to instill leadership qualities in our younger students. We often hear from parents that their child’s proudest moment was achieving their black belt.  

At the Beverly Hills Martial Arts Center all our martial arts and fitness training takes place barefoot on specially padded floor. We believe being barefoot grounds the practitioner – literally. Compare standing in your shoes versus standing without your shoes. You can feel the difference. You are more in tune with your body. You know the adjustments you need to improve your posture. These adjustments help you to improve techniques. Thomas Howell argues that in barefoot running, your body is literally teaching itself how to be more efficient.  It’s true you are faster, feel more free, stronger and more balanced.

Another benefit of workout barefoot is the reduced risk of injury. Recent research of runners shows that the padding of athletic shoes encourages ‘heel striking’ meaning the wearer strikes the pavement or floor first. Scientists now believe this repetitive movement can lead to stress injury. Without shoes, the balls of the feet or the middle of the foot strikes first. And based on the human anatomy, it is how we should move.

Our martial arts training is great as a solo fitness program, cross training program and strength training program. To experience what it is like to workout our way, call or text (323) 360-8400 or click here to schedule a free trial class.

As a Black Belt at the Beverly Hills Martial Arts Center you have 3 roles:

Student 
Leader and
Teacher

Each role is comprised of active and passive traits. When in harmony, each role is respected and relied upon, and you complete the Yin and Yang circle for each.

In the following sections are detailed explanations of the leadership, teaching and students roles which a black belt student has at the Center.

Student

As you achieved your belts, you demonstrated your basic knowledge of the martial art movements and forms. Now your goal as a black belt is to relearn them.

This time do not compartmentalize your learning and understanding. Do not rely on spoken words to understand how to perform movements. Words are not movements. They are only descriptions of the movements in the same way that a map describes a territory and is not the territory itself. Nor should you mistake your thoughts as the true guide. They too are inadequate tools because they rely upon words, past experiences, assumptions and beliefs for understanding. Finally, do not rely exclusively on your senses for the senses, acting alone, are limited and inaccurate.

To perform movements and techniques, release who and what you think you are and what you think you can or cannot accomplish. With this freedom, move with your ‘whole being’ both the seen (physical body) and unseen (your energy.) When you do this, the movements will not be something that you do. They will be something you are.

Leader

As a black belt you occupy a special place of well-earned honor at the Center. With this honor comes great responsibility. You will be looked upon as a leader by the other junior students and by the instructors. You must always act accordingly.

The following are important characteristics of a leader.

Discipline A mind and body in chaos struggles to survive in society. Keep your mind and body disciplined, and the whole world is open for you to explore.

Conduct  The pledges you have learned are no longer for you just to follow. You are now the teacher of them. Lead by example. For without action, the pledges are empty vessels.

Inspire  Do and be your best always – especially when you are weary. Your actions will inspire others to do the same.

Respect   Mutual respect between those who lead and those who follow is the cornerstone of true leadership. Leadership built on cruelty or condescension quickly crumbles in the face of opposition.

Teacher  Every person is your teacher in some way. Be open to their teaching and your leadership will become stronger.

Compassion  Students learn at different speeds and have their own unique strengths and weaknesses. Use compassion for such difference to strengthen the strengths and less the weaknesses.

Teacher

The foundation of The Beverly Hills Martial Arts Center was built with these materials:

strength

respect

compassion

action in the face of fear

determination

Place side by side these buildings blocks create a harmonious environment. Teach with them and the energy created expands the construction in infinite proportions. Teach without or contrary to them and you destroy its foundation.

This is not to say that even when you teach with all these elements, things will always go smoothly. Many times they will not. Teaching is difficult. You will often meet with student resistance. Students will fail to follow because their mind or feelings reel with frustration, lack of inspiration or lethargy. Do not look at such times with despair for they provide an opportunity to strengthen your teaching abilities. In those moments take a deep breath to clear your mind. Then continue.