According to Grandmaster Bruce Chung, “when we first opened no one was teaching Tae Kwon Do to young children. Other martial arts schools were only teaching children age 9 and older. We decided to try teaching 5 year olds and after we had success with that age group, we tried 4 year olds, then 3 year olds.”
Bruce Chung’s Tae Kwon Do & Family Fitness changed the way Tae Kwon Do was being taught. “The first thing we did was divide all classes by age and skill level. Next, we developed a method of teaching through positive reinforcement. Instead of saying ‘don’t do this or don’t do that’, we would say ‘that way is ok, but this way is better.’ Children responded well to our honest, simple, compassionate teaching technique. We formulated an organized, well-rounded program where children were able to progress from belt to belt at a pace which was not too fast yet not too slow. Because we wanted the program to include not just martial arts but also physical fitness, we made it more comprehensive, incorporating kicking drills, strengthening exercises and gross motor development skills into all of our classes” says Master Susan Chung who is also an AFAA certified personal trainer and group fitness instructor.
Today, the studio is still the foremost in Westchester, with both 8th degree black belt Grandmaster Bruce Chung, 6th degree Master Susan Chung and their full staff of professional instructors on-site and teaching all classes. “We are here everyday,” says Master Susan Chung “teaching, training, observing and completely immersing ourselves in all aspects of Tae Kwon Do. This is probably one of the only studios where you have two Masters on site at all times. Our goal is to help every student who walks in get stronger, more confident and achieve their personal best. Our job is to teach the best Tae Kwon Do we can teach in a way that children can appreciate and understand."