I'm just a beginner - are there special classes for me?
Am I allowed to watch my child in class?
How often do I need to attend class?
Will I have to compete at karate tournaments?
You won't have to sign a long-term contract that obligates you for months or even years into the future - you just pay as you go, on a simple month-to-month basis. Apart from your tuition, there are modest fees for rank tests, which come along every couple of months.
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I'm just a beginner - are there special classes for me?
Yes indeed. Beginners have their own special classes, as well as classes where you'll have the opportunity to observe and work with students of greater experience. As a beginner, you'll study a selection of fundamental Taekwondo skills - basic stances, blocks, kicks, and hand strikes - as well as the first three patterns.
Beginning students aren't involved in any kind of contact work with other students - no-one is going to be punching or kicking you. At a more advanced stage of your studies, after about six months, you will begin carefully supervised, controlled-contact Free Sparring with other students. Of course, you'll have a full set of padded sparring gear before you start this.
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Am I allowed to watch my child in class?
Not just allowed, but positively encouraged. We have an area set aside where you can sit and observe class in comfort, and we want you to feel free to ask any questions you have about the school or your child's training.
Your positive involvement in your child's study of Taekwondo is more important than you may realize. When you take an interest in karate class and show your child that you value his or her efforts, they you help to build a solid foundation of self-esteem and self-respect for your child. Your approval and support of their achievements in Taekwondo will always matter more to your child than mine. Your involvement also allows you to put things into perspective for your child and helps you keep their spirits up when they run into slow or difficult spots in their studies here.
While you're certainly not required to watch every minute of every class, it is important that you stay in touch with what is going on out there on the training floor. Especially with a younger child or children, I think you'll both be best served if you're observing class pretty regularly.
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How often do I need to attend class?
Most students find that coming to class two or three times a week makes a pretty satisfactory training regimen. Less than twice a week, and you'll have some trouble retaining things from class to class and really building your skills and conditioning. More than three times a week, at least as a regular thing, and you can risk burning yourself out physically and emotionally.
Classes are available to you six days out of the week - Mondays through Saturdays - and you can come to any class for your rank and age. You're going to do best on a regular, predictable training schedule. However, you're always welcome to alter your training schedule at need.
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Will I have to compete at karate tournaments?
No, no-one here is required to compete at tournaments. Sport competition in Taekwondo can be fun, it can be an interesting and rewarding way to train, and it can expand your knowledge and experience of the art. However, sport competition isn't right for everyone, and I'm not going to push anyone into competing. In particular, younger children should be introduced to competition very carefully, after plenty of preparation. For those students who are interested, tournament competition is available to us through our affiliation with the Amateur Athletic Union. This gives our students the opportunity to compete in tournaments at the local, regional, and national levels if they wish - including the prestigious Junior Olympic Games. Click here to learn more about tournament competition.
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Across from Target in
Fountain City — just
a mile north of I-640
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©2005 Broadway Family Karate