Who Is Welcome?
Students may begin martial arts classes at any fitness level. We discourage casual or “drop-in” visitors and require a significant commitment to the class after the first month of training. All serious students receive personal attention from the instructors, and those who are most engaged with the school usually receive the most thorough instruction. The more of yourself that you give to your training and to the school, the more we offer you.
How Much Does It Cost?
Classes are free with a membership to the Northampton Athletic Club. There are no fees for participation in rank tests or for promotion until the black belt level. Upon promotion to First Dan, there is a nominal fee for certification through the Kukkiwon, the World Tae Kwon Do Federation headquarters in Seoul, South Korea. Uniforms and training gear are available through the school at wholesale prices.
Do You Offer Classes for Children?
Beginning in fall 2007, Northampton Tae Kwon Do has offered after-school sessions for ages 10-16. Class sizes are small and students receive a great deal of individual attention. Formal and traditional, these classes are meant to be as similar to an adult class as possible while maintaining a safe and respectful environment for younger students. High school students age 16+ may attend evening adult classes if they prefer. Classes meet on Tuesday and Thursday at 3:15 pm and are free with a membership to the Northampton Athletic Club.
When Are Adult Classes Held?
We currently offer four classes per week: Tuesday and Thursday evenings (7:30 – 9:00) and Sunday afternoons (3:00 – 4:00 and 4:30 – 5:30). More classes may be added, depending on member demand. Please leave your name at the front desk if you want to attend class but can’t come during the regularly scheduled times. Private lessons may be available for those with unusual schedules who can’t attend classes at the regular time, but we discourage people from studying strictly through private lessons, since interaction with other students in a school setting provides a valuable dimension to martial arts practice.
The 4:30 class on Sunday is for “special topics” with changing themes, often geared toward intermediate and advanced students. Check the club’s bulletin board for more for a monthly schedule.
Students are expected to attend as many of the scheduled classes as possible, and are encouraged to supplement them with individual training outside of class. Few students have a satisfying experience of Tae Kwon Do unless they come to at least two classes per week, and most serious students train more often than that.
Will Practice Help Me Lose Weight/Get In Shape?
Tae Kwon Do training is physically rigorous and provides a well-rounded approach to physical fitness. Ji Do Kwan’s deep stances and explosive motions help cultivate strength, speed, endurance, and body awareness. Since our school is based in an athletic club, many of our students are already engaged in cardiovascular or weight training of some kind. In addition, stretching exercises performed at the beginning of every class improve most people’s flexibility, an often-overlooked but crucial component of overall physical fitness. Improved self-confidence and self-discipline often help students maintain the fitness goals they achieve through sustained study, rather than slipping back into bad lifestyle habits.
That said, Tae Kwon Do study is not necessarily the best course for those motivated purely by fitness or weight loss concerns. We support those pursuits and our program complements them, but running, swimming, weight training, and attention to proper nutrition may be more efficient ways of achieving those ends than training in any martial art style. We can’t do the work for you and our priorities are not in functioning as a “boot camp” to motivate people who are reluctant or unable to commit to a program of regular training. Those who are bored or inconsistent in following those kinds of activities may well be bored and inconsistent in Tae Kwon Do class. Weight loss and fitness are often a happy result of training but should not be the primary reason for it.
Is Studying Tae Kwon Do Safe?
Safety is one of the highest priorities of our school, and we’ve had very few injuries due to sparring, breaking boards and bricks, or any of the activities that look dangerous. Our school introduces students to sparring only after several months of training, when basic techniques are usually competent enough to be safely controlled. We delay contact sparring until students have reached an advanced level, both so their techniques will be refined, and so they won’t develop bad habits out of fear of being injured while sparring. We don’t tolerate aggressive or disruptive students, and we take care to ask students only to perform actions within the capabilities of their training.
Nevertheless, we can’t guarantee that any particular individual won’t be hurt during their Tae Kwon Do training. We can, in fact, guarantee that virtually everyone who walks through our door will experience soreness or other kinds of discomfort over the course of their training. We routinely use muscles that are rarely used in other activities, and most beginners will have blisters as a result of performing vigorous exercise with bare hands and feet. It is almost impossible to train for a long time without feeling some minor aches and pains, much like athletes, construction workers, ballet dancers, or anyone else who regularly performs demanding physical feats. Although sparring and breaking contain an element of risk by their very nature, most of the injuries that occur through Tae Kwon Do training are the result of the stress of exploring the physical limits of one’s own body.
Can I Train With a Disability or Chronic Injury?
We expect students to develop their full potential through training, whatever that potential may be. Ji Do Kwan is a physically rigorous style of Tae Kwon Do, and this type of training is not for everyone. Some people with chronic injuries or disabilities find that Tae Kwon Do aggravates their condition and may be better off following another martial art style, or another physical activity altogether. However, others find that the deep knowledge of their body—and its connection to the mind and spirit—that they gain through Tae Kwon Do training helps them learn to more fully understand the limits of their physical condition. Some discover that they can not only practice Tae Kwon Do, but that they can extend their ability to use their bodies more effectively in a whole range of other activities. If you have a chronic knee injury, say, or a bad back, it is impossible to tell if Tae Kwon Do will help or hurt you without finding out through direct experience.
Why Is The School at a Health Club?
People sometimes wonder if a martial arts school based in a health club is less serious or less authentic than a school with a dedicated space. We offer Tae Kwon Do classes in the Ji Do Kwan style, and our techniques and training methods have not been modified to emphasize tournament competition, general fitness, social mingling, or other motives outside the scope of traditional martial arts training. We are not a Tae Bo, cardio-kickboxing, or other type of class where martial arts content has been diluted by an emphasis on physical conditioning. We offer no judgment on the value of such classes, and the health club offers separate classes for people interested in following those pursuits. We have high standards for training and promotion and have not altered our curriculum in any way for commercial considerations. The owners of the Northampton Athletic Club understand our goals and have never asked us to make concessions to make our class more popular or conventional. We are in all ways grateful that they are such supportive and gracious hosts.
We have chosen to base our school in a health club for two main reasons:
- Because we don’t have to pay rent, we can afford to have uncompromising standards. Our goal is to attract serious students who will appreciate that we don’t promote students so they’ll keep coming to class and paying membership dues. Our instructors are nonprofessionals whose sole interest is in passing along to others the life experience they’ve gained through their study.
- For the same monthly fee as many martial arts studios charge for classes, our students have the benefit of one of the area’s best training facilities, with comprehensive weight and cardiovascular training equipment, as well as amenities like full locker service. A large, semi-sprung maple floor provides safe footing for the demanding techniques we study. High ceilings and a wall of mirrors opens and energizes our space. Click here for information about the Northampton Athletic Club.
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(beginners are always welcome)
- Tuesdays and Thursdays
7:30 - 9:00 pm
- Sundays
Open class for all students
3:30 - 5:00 pm
If you'd like to learn more about the
Ji Do Kwan style of Tae Kwon Do or about our school before you visit, please explore this Website or read this list of frequently asked questions.
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