“But I tried Tae Kwon-Do…”
If you haven’t studied Tae Kwon-Do with us, chances are, you haven’t studied Tae Kwon-Do at all.
When someone tells me about themselves or their child trying Tae Kwon-Do and not liking it, I typically respond by asking what style of Tae Kwon-Do they studied. They rarely know the answer. I ask about their school, which can usually give me an idea of what style they were taught.
All of this inevitably leads me to a regular speech of mine: they most likely studied a style of Tae Kwon-Do that is primarily for sport. Sport Tae Kwon-Do is not true Tae Kwon-Do.
In the sport (or Olympic) version of Tae Kwon-Do, the primary emphasis is put on competition. There is often kicking but no punching, almost no self-defense, and even less about self-improvement, morality, and ethics.
At our schools, we teach and study the true style of Tae Kwon-Do: the military style. The style that General Choi created, and that he and Grand Master Park toured the world to demonstrate and teach in the ‘60s. It is truly the ultimate method of self-defense.
Our version of Tae Kwon-Do has many facets to it, making it much more interesting than what is taught at “sport” schools. When we talk about concepts like self-defense, physical fitness, competition, and self-improvement, we’re talking about helping people lose weight or gain muscle, perform better in school or at work, have a better outlook on life, be able to defend yourself and your family, and above all, we’re talking about having a lot of fun.
We spend a great deal of time on self-improvement, making sure that our training benefits our students not just physically, but mentally and spiritually as well. Spirituality in Tae Kwon-Do has little to nothing to do with religion. Rather, we’re talking about building an indomitable spirit in a person that says “I can do anything in life.”
Our curriculum is second-to-none. It is proven, and it is taught by two of the most gifted instructors not just in Western New York, but quite possibly the world. Myself and Sa Bum Nim Sharratt meet every week to train and put our heads together so that we remain very consistent in what we’re doing and how we are doing it at our respective schools.
At our locations, you still learn directly from the person who owns and runs the school. Master Sharratt and I still teach all of our students, and have the experience and skill to provide a highly-personalized program.
It’s not cookie-cutter. We’re not running a belt factory. We have devoted our lives to Tae Kwon-Do. To learning it. To training it. Most importantly, to following in the footsteps of my mentor, Grand Master Park, and the founder of Tae Kwon-Do, General Choi, and spreading the word about Tae Kwon-Do by teaching it to people in its truest form.
So if you tried Tae Kwon-Do and didn’t like it, it probably wasn’t Tae Kwon-Do. And it certainly wasn’t here.
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!
