AAC DECEMBER CLASS SCHEDULE

Hello Members! The AAC will be open for classes Wednesday, December 26th through Saturday, December 29th; and Wednesday, January 2nd through Saturday, January 5th. If your regular class times fall on a Monday or Tuesday, please feel free to drop in and attend any classes you like. You do not need to schedule the make up classes with me. As a matter of fact, please feel free to take an extra class or two during the two-week holiday break. It’s our gift to you, and I’m sure the kids could use a little extra exercise and mom and dad a little peace and quiet!

Happy Holidays to all!
Debbie Spiegel
Enrollment Director

day 2 Guatemala

Day 2 Guatemala: Antigua
There is a tradition down in Guatemala where you put a doll that would suck all your worries away under your pillow at night so that you could have a full nights rest. That doll did not do its job. I woke up three different times on the last night. I decided to just stay up because it was time anyway. When I was ready, I went out to eat breakfast with Matt and Naomi, only they weren’t there. Strange. I ate anyway and went back to my room. An hour and a half later Matt knocked on the door. It was typical. In all my eagerness, I had forgotten to reset my watch, which meant that I woke up at six instead of seven.
Luckily, that was my only mess up of the day. We made it to the project house in Antigua after a two hour drive from Guatemala City. The house was only a little bigger than my school on Lyons Road but they fit up to a hundred and fifty kids there making the place chaotic when everyone’s there. Juan Pablo runs the project house for the kids and he makes it a point that everyday the kids leave with something they didn’t have before. It could be something material like a toothbrush or something even more important like a new view about the world. After I met Juan Pablo, Matt and I went to train with Marvin and some other kids. They were so excited to learn what Matt and I knew and with the training knives we brought, it was like a field trip for them. That night Matt and Naomi went to a hotel and I slept in the Volunteer’s house. It was a beautiful place that was actually Juan Pablo’s aunts house that was turned into a volunteers rest stop for a few nights.

Having Fun In Class

This week the kids have been having a blast with the new equipment!  Students have been focused on hitting new wall targets for accuracy and power development.  It’s been great to see all of them working with enthusiasm and having fun in class!

Kellen Brown

Benefitting From Taekwondo

HOW CAN YOUR CHILD CAN BENEFIT FROM TAEKWONDO?

Taekwondo is a total learning activity. At the Asian Arts Center, our classes are tailored to your child’s age and skill level. Your child begins by practicing basic patterns and forms, kicking, blocking, striking, and punching. These fundamental skills increase your child’s physical coordination, flexibility, balance, and mental acumen. Taekwondo develops your child’s athletic abilities and self-awareness, and improves the child’s capabilities in self-defense. 

Respect, trust and open communication are the foundations of strong families. Taekwondo training promotes values such as honesty, courtesy, loyalty, and cooperation. Each is an essential component in maintaining a good family structure.

TAEKWONDO:

Builds confidence by encouraging you to succeed and to take control of your life.

Teaches self-defense by training you to recognize situations in which physical self-defense may be necessary, and teaching you how to control such situations to your advantage.

Enhances self-esteem by heightening your physical and mental powers.

Develops discipline by thoroughly training your body and mind in the tenets and techniques of Taekwondo.

Strengthens your mind and body through increased physical coordination and mental discipline.

Call one of our Enrollment Specialists today to schedule your 4-week trial program at the Asian Arts Center; a $129  value at no cost to you.

Debbie Spiegel, Enrollment Director

 

 

Kids Martial Arts Classes

I hope everyone had a wonderful weekend. It seems as if winter may officially be here!   I enjoy winter activities, such as snowboarding (I am awful, though!), but I do not enjoy clearing snow off of my car!  So this leads me to think about activities I can do with my daughter, to keep her active because we no longer can play outside.  The Asian Arts Center is the perfect facility to bring your child OR yourself, to help release all your extra energy and not only work on becoming stronger physically, but mentally!  On average you can burn up to 800 calories in one class, this can jump up to around 1,000 calories if you are using weaponry (such as nunchucks or swords). This is a phenomenal amount of calories to burn, especially when you or your child is also having fun and learning.  The body is an amazing thing. Let’s all try to push ourselves to be the best we can be, both mentally and physically!

 

Eve Wojtowicz, Enrollment Specialist

 

How Taekwondo Helps Children Stand Up To Bullies

Bullying has become a way of life in today’s American culture.  The statistics are staggering. 

• 1 out of 4 teens is bullied.
• As many as 160,000 students stay home on any given day because they’re afraid of being bullied.
• 43% fear harassment in the bathroom at school.
• A poll of teens ages 12-17 proved that they think violence has increased at their schools.
• 282,000 students are physically attacked in secondary schools each month.
• 80% of the time, an argument with a bully will end up in a physical fight.

 There are many ways that a child can learn to be stronger, more confident, and have better self-esteem, all of which help a child be less likely to be a victim of bullying.  One program that can assist in all of these is Taekwondo. 

 Through Taekwondo, a child learns to breath under pressure, maintain self-control, and stand with their shoulders back displaying the confidence that is key to not becoming the target of a bully’s efforts.  However, if this is not enough and a child is still bullied (or comes to the aid of a peer who is being bullied), knowing the art of Taekwondo can help keep a child safe.  It is not just knowing the moves and having the physical power; it is also having the mental power to remain calm.  The simple act of not cowering to a bully but breathing and not showing fear in face, voice, or body language, is often enough to diffuse the situation. 

 For more information on how Taekwondo can help your child in bullying situations, check out this article from the American Taekwondo Association:

http://www.ataonline.com/leadershipnow/blog/nine-ways-to-combat-bullying/

(Statistics provided at http://www.stompoutbullying.org/aboutbullying_theissue.php)

 

Angel Perkins

Enrollment Specialist at AAC

Martial Arts Classes: Committed to Fighting Childhood Obesity

Did you know that:

Childhood obesity has more than tripled in the past 30 years.

• The percentage  of children aged 6–11 years in the United States who were obese increased from 7%  in 1980 to nearly 20% in 2008. Similarly, the percentage of adolescents aged 12–19  years who were obese increased from 5% to 18% over the same period.
• In 2008, more  than one third of children and adolescents were overweight or obese.
• Overweight is defined as having  excess body weight for a particular height from fat, muscle, bone, water, or a  combination of these factors. Obesity is defined as having excess body fat.
• Overweight and obesity are the result of “caloric  imbalance”—too few calories expended for the amount of calories consumed—and  are affected by various genetic, behavioral, and environmental factors.

 

We do our research at the non-profit Asian Arts Center.  Children don’t get enough exercise.  Physical Education budgets have been cut significantly, and in most schools, students get one day of gym per week.  We are committed to seeing our youngsters lead a long and healthy life.  Our classes are scientifically designed so your child will benefit from a vigorous and fun workout.  Call us today to schedule a time to visit the AAC.  You can’t afford not to!

 

 

 

Empowering Girls Through Taekwondo Training

Taekwondo is often thought of to be a male dominated sport.  At the Asian Arts Center, this is not the case.  The ratio of boys to girls is nearly equal.  The reason for this is that the AAC understands how important Taekwondo can be to girls and women.  The benefits are tremendous!

For starters, young girls and teens often have a poor body image.  Through Taekwondo, girls maintain a high level of physical exercise, reducing the risk of obesity.  Being healthy and fit increases a girl’s self-esteem and improves body image.

As a side-effect of having higher self-esteem, a girl is better able to handle herself in bullying situations.  Statistics show that a girl is bullied every seven minutes.  In 85% of these situations, there is no intervention and in 11% there is only peer intervention.  Through training in Taekwondo, a child learns to confront fear and breathe properly through stressful situations.  A girl who has trained is more likely to not only stand up for herself, but to also intervene when someone else is being bullied.

Taekwondo makes a child stronger, both mentally and physically, which helps them in daily life.  By learning self-control, self-respect, and respect for others, children will improve grades, perform better in other sports, and excel in their education.  Girls become empowered through Taekwondo as they engage in sparring and board breaking.

That is the crux of it in one word:  EMPOWER.  Taekwondo EMPOWERS our girls, giving them the confidence to handle anything that life may throw at them.

 

~ Angel Perkins

AAC Enrollment Specialist

Thanks for the dedication!

I wanted to take a moment to write a thank you to all of the students and instructors who participated in the events this past weekend at the AAC.  On Friday we had a large Promotion Ceremony with more than 50 students.  Each student demonstrated their hard work and dedication to strengthening body and mind.  I would like to thank the Instructors and Assistants who came to the instructor training on Saturday.  We had a great session discussing how to inspire classes and students with enthusiasm.  Thanks to the Instructors for their continued belief in the school and dedication!

Kellen Brown, Lead Instructor

Martial Arts Teaches Respect and Self Control

How amazing is this video?  A 12-year old boy was featured on the Doctor Oz show, he is a 2nd degree Black Belt!  Hunter (the boy in the video) discusses that he started taking classes because his teacher told him he “had too much energy”.  Also watch how he continues to identify Dr. Oz as “SIR”.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3s7AjyY_90Q#