Raise your hand if you are currently donating money to some kind of gym every month, and never actually going.
That’s no accident. It’s how gyms are designed. Get you in, sign you up, then get you out.
Or better yet, get you in, sign you up, then get you to forget you ever signed up in the first place.
You see it all of the time. Some flashy gym chain sets up shop in your town. They’ll call themselves something catchy like “boxercise,” or “kixercise” or something, promising some new, innovative way to work out.
In the beginning, tons of people sign up. But within a couple of years, people have grown tired of it, or the novelty has worn off, and they close up, only to reopen within a few months as some new fad workout program. And the cycle continues.
Even martial arts isn’t immune from it. Remember Tae-Bo? It was the biggest thing in the world at the end of the 90’s. Then after a few years, it entered a cycle where its popularity ebbed and flowed. I don’t even know if people still do it anymore.
What I can tell you is that its founder, Billy Blanks, made a ton of money off of it.
And trust me, I know. Billy is a friend of mine.
Even though systems like Tae-Bo rely heavily on kicking and punching, they rarely teach you proper kicking and punching technique, which can put you at a much higher risk for injury.
Other systems like Krav Maga and some MMA disciplines have come along, but they have all borrowed from Tae Kwon-Do. Not the other way around.
I’m not here to tell you that martial arts isn’t good exercise. It can obviously be an amazing workout. The difference between my school, some other Tae Kwon-Do schools, and certainly all of those other workout fads is that in my school, martial arts is not considered just exercise. It’s a way of life.
At our school, you’re learning the art of war. You’re learning the art of fighting, and how to kick and punch properly. You are praying every day that you do not have to use them, but the skills that we are teaching you are skills that will work in that situation.
We don’t accept the gym mentality at our school. If you’re here, we’re training you to be in it for the long haul. We want the benefits of this school to improve all aspects of your life, for the rest of your life. Good health, good discipline, good habits, good self-defense, a well-rounded good attitude.
If you’re looking for an aerobic workout, I would suggest that you get to an aerobics school that has good instructors that are certified and know what they’re doing.
So you’re not wasting good money to just bounce around a room for 90 minutes, and possibly hurt yourself.
Or worse… donating that money.
Master Gorino’s Tae Kwon-Do offers a trial program for individuals and families in Buffalo, NY and the surrounding areas that allows you to get a feel for the different classes, meet our instructors, and experience our dojang. It’s a great way to see if Tae Kwon-Do is right for you. To learn more or to sign up, visit the Contact Us page or call(716) 836-KICK (5425) and a member of our team will follow up with you on next steps. We look forward to helping you achieve your goals. Pil-Sung!
