When most people think about Tae Kwon Do or other martial art disciplines, they typically focus on the self-defense and mental health benefits. However, you do not want to overlook the physical health benefits. Tae Kwon Do offers students of all ages a broad range of health benefits and can contribute to a better overall lifestyle. A few examples of the benefits are below.

Cardio and circulation
Tae Kwon Do requires you to engage all of your muscle groups, so it offers a good cardio workout. It gets your heart pumping and improves circulation throughout the body. Practicing for just 30 minutes a day can give you all the exercise you need for a more active lifestyle.

Fat loss

As your heart rate increases, your blood circulation improves, and various muscle groups get activated. Your body is forced to burn calories. Steady and regular workouts can ultimately result in substantial, healthy weight loss.

Muscle toning
According to a post from Taekwondo-Information.org, “One of the physical benefits of Tae Kwon Do training is that it strengthens our muscles, bones, joints, tendons, and ligaments.” The most noticeable effect will be on the muscles. While Tae Kwon Do alone may not help you increase muscle mass, it will tone muscles as fat is reduced and muscles become more active.

Increased flexibility
At the beginning of each Tae Kwon Do training session, most instructors spend a few minutes stretching. Over time, this will increase your flexibility. In turn, it prevents you from pulling muscles and hurting joints during your day-to-day routine.

Improved stamina
As your muscles become stronger and your heart more active, your overall stamina level will increase. This should enable you to work out longer and not get as tired.

Stress relief
Similar to many other physical activities and exercises, Tae Kwon Do helps relieve stress and diminishes the intensity of such physical ailments as muscle tension, headaches and chronic pain. Tae Kwon Do becomes as much a physical exercise as a mental one.

What to look for in a school
If you are interested in giving Tae Kwon Do a shot and experiencing the physical health benefits described above, you should select your school carefully. Not all Tae Kwon Do centers are the same, so you should find one that fits your individual needs the best.

A well-rounded gym like Tiger Lees World Class Tae Kwon Do will offer multiple classes for all skill levels.

Better focus for children through martial arts

If you are looking to improve your child’s focus and increase their concentration skills, you should consider getting your child involved in martial arts classes for children.

The Importance of Exercise

We know that exercise is good for the body physically, but it’s turning out that exercise has numerous mental benefits as well.

Recent studies are proving that exercise has a wide range of brain-related benefits, including improving attention and reducing stress and anxiety. For children, exercise causes them to be less impulsive, which makes them more ready to learn.

When you exercise, your brain elevates the supply of endorphins, dopamine, norepinephrine, and serotonin. Endorphins regulate mood, pleasure, and pain. Dopamine, norepinephrine, and serotonin are chemicals that affect focus and attention.

By increasing the level of these important brain chemicals, you improve your child’s ability to remain focused and concentrate consistently. (This is especially important for children with ADD, ADHD, or similar symptoms, because these chemicals are often diminished.)

Why Tae Kwon Do?

Activities that require you to pay close attention to body movements – such as tae kwon do, ballet, and gymnastics – put the body’s attention system to work, which is “a very good thing for kids and adolescents with ADHD,” says John Ratey, a professor at Harvard Medical School and author of Spark: The Revolutionary New Science of Exercise and the Brain.

Choose Tiger Lee’s

For over 15 years, Master Lee has been teaching martial arts to children and adults. He has improved the focus and concentration skills of hundreds of children. Our instructors are patient and teach with positive attitudes, and our structured class curriculum provides the perfect learning environment.

Control stress through exercise:

Too much stress in your life? Stress from work because of a difficult boss or co-workers? Stress from home because of a hectic family life? Exercise is a great way to manage stress so that it no longer interferes with your health and happiness. And adult martial arts classes may be the best answer to finding a form of exercise you actually want to do.

How Exercise Helps Reduce Stress:

Exercise helps both the brain and body handle stress better. Regular exercise improves mood, relieves anxiety and depression, and increases energy. In addition, exercise increases your ability to focus, think clearly, and learn more effectively, all of which will enhance your productiveness and further reduce stress.

Studies have found that exercise increases concentrations of norepinephrine in brain regions involved in the body’s stress response. The neurotransmitters and endorphins released from a single exercise session generate 90 to 120 minutes of post-exercise calm, therefore improving your mood and leaving you relaxed.

Some psychologists also think exercise thwarts depression and anxiety because it forces the body’s systems – all part of our stress response – to communicate more closely than usual. This workout of the body’s communication system gives the body a chance to practice dealing with stress. Similarly, if we become more sedentary, our bodies are less efficient and therefore less able to deal with stressful situations.

Additional ways in which exercise reduces stress:

Exercise can reduce tension. Exercise reduces nervous tension by decreasing the electrical activity of tensed muscles. People who exercise feel less jittery and hyperactive after working out.Exercise can make you eat healthier. People tend to eat more nutritious food when they exercise regularly.

Exercise can make you feel better about yourself. Taking action and seeing positive results will improve your confidence and self-image, which contribute to stress relief.

Tae Kwon Do: a workout you’ll enjoy

If you think of exercise as just another item on your to-do list, it can easily become another source of stress. To make exercise a stress-reducer, you need to find a form of exercise you enjoy – an activity you look forward to doing. Think adult martial arts classes at Tiger Lee’s Tae Kwon Do.

According to the Mayo Clinic, two important factors in finding an exercise routine you can stick with are having set goals and working out with a friend. At Tiger Lee’s Tae Kwon Do you get both. Our belt system has goal setting built into it – students are motivated to achieve each new belt level, all the way to black belt. And, unlike many gyms or fitness facilities, our atmosphere is friendly and encouraging – the ideal place to bring a friend and make new ones.

Our martial arts instructors teach everything step-by-step, with patience and enthusiasm. You will enjoy learning the various martial arts techniques and self-defense moves, while at the same time improving your flexibility, balance, endurance and strength.

Most of our students start out as beginners. No prior experience is needed (unlike some sporting activities), and our teachers are always receptive to questions.

Choose Tiger Lee’s

See what a difference Tiger Lee’s martial arts classes can make. Get rid of the stress in your life today by getting started with our Quick Start Program. We promise you’ll be happy with the results.

Learn Self Defense Through Martial Arts Classes

The first rule in self-defense is to prevent a dangerous situation from developing. Your greatest success would be to never have to use a single self-defense technique.

The best way to handle an actual attack (or threat of attack) is to try to get away. It is always your best chance to avoid injury. However, if you cannot get away and find you need to protect yourself, knowing self-defense techniques can be invaluable.

Self-defense is important for everyone – men and women

Self-Defense for Men

Men are more likely than women to fight back ‘in self-defense.’ In doing so, they risk making a situation worse. The attacker may become more angry and violent. Again, the best way to handle any attack or threat is to try to exit the situation.

However, if all else fails you may have no choice but to defend yourself or someone you care for. Just like car repair, knowing how to protect yourself in a fight is not a skill you’re born with – to be good at it you must study and practice it hands-on.

Adult martial arts classes are a good solution. You will learn a variety of self defense techniques, with the added bonus of gaining greater strength, speed, balance, flexibility, and stamina.

Self- Defense for Women

The majority of violent attacks are on women. A woman that’s alone will almost always be targeted before a man. Trust your instincts. That gut-feeling, along with common sense, can help prevent and get you out of trouble.

The best way to prepare yourself to fight off an attacker is to take a self-defense class. Although reading about how to defend yourself is certainly useful and better than nothing, it’s no substitute for hands-on experience; some things you just have to learn in person.

Taking self-defense classes (such as martial arts) are a safe way to prepare yourself in case something does happen and you are forced to defend yourself or your child. Knowing that you could do something if it came down to it will give you peace of mind.

The best case scenario is that you will never have to use the skills you learn. However, just because you don’t expect an emergency doesn’t mean you shouldn’t be prepared for one, either. Just like having a carbon monoxide detector or fire extinguisher, it’s always better to have it and never use it, than not have it and someday need it.

Why Tae Kwon Do

As a taekwondo student you will learn a variety of strikes, blocks, take-downs, throws, and joint locks that can be applied to any number of threatening situations.

The instructors at Tiger Lee’s will teach you special techniques for breaking an attacker’s grasp and effective strikes for disabling your opponent. You will learn ways to surprise your attacker and catch them off guard, especially useful if they are much larger than you.

Plus, one of the best things people gain from our classes is self-confidence. You never want to be confronted with a dangerous situation and think, “Oh no, I don’t know what to do.” It’s much easier to stay calm and take action when you feel prepared. Knowledge will give you confidence.

Choose Tiger Lee’s

See what a difference Tiger Lee’s martial arts classes can make. Give yourself the opportunity to learn self-defense safely and effectively by getting started with our Quick Start Program today. We promise you’ll be happy with the results.

The U.S. Department of Education’s 2005-2009 school safety survey showed that 28 percent of middle and high school students reported being bullied in school.

At Tiger Lee’s World Class Tae Kwon Do, kids are not taught to use violence as a solution to bullying. Tiger Lee’s training is a great way to instill confidence. There is no greater deterrence to bullying than confidence.

Additionally, Tiger Lee’s focus on respect, discipline & self control can affect the bully as well as the victim.

Definition of bullying: Bullying is repeated forms of aggression toward another individual. It can take many forms. There is an imbalance of power where the victim/target cannot defend himself.

Children frequently do not tell anyone they are being bullied. They fear retaliation, embarrassment, or being blamed. It is important that parents (and school personnel) make sure kids feel safe in order for them to be able to perform to the best of their abilities.

Victims of bullying typically do not retaliate

Children targeted by bullies are usually intelligent, sensitive, creative, and have a low propensity to violence.Bullied children often possess a well-developed sense of moral values, and a clear understanding of the need to resolve the conflict verbally. Kids that are bullied will, rightly so, try to use dialogue rather than a physical response.

Unfortunately, children are often never taught how to defend themselves, either verbally or physically. (Yet children will sometimes hear that they need to ‘stand up’ for themselves, without any practical knowledge on how to do so.)

Martial arts classes can help
Children should always be taught how to handle bullies in a verbal manner, and with the help and support of school administrators and parents. A non-violent resolution is always the best outcome and goal of any bullying scenario.

However, it is useful for children to know self defense should a situation ever develop where a physical confrontation cannot be avoided. Martial arts classes will teach children various techniques for blocking, breaking an attacker’s grasp, and other methods to protect themselves from injury.

Some questions to ask when evaluating a martial arts program:Is there a firm philosophy that self defense is to be used only when everything else possible has been done first?
Does the program focus on the ‘how’ rather than the ‘why’? (practical instruction, not scare-tactics)
Are the teachers positive and encouraging? (Good instructors do not make negative remarks or allow others to do so.)
Is there plenty of hands-on practice? Children (and adults) learn more effectively through doing, rather than being shown or told what to do.

Why Tiger Lee’s Tae Kwon Do?
Choosing the right martial arts school is important. The attitude of the school and quality of the instructors make a big difference:

All students at Tiger Lee’s Tae Kwon Do are taught (and consistently reminded) that martial arts are to be used only as a last resort. Children learn (in their very first lesson) to only practice their Tae Kwon Do here at our schools. Self defense should only be used in an emergency.
Our students learn a variety of blocks, take-downs, and methods to disable an opponent that can be applied to any number of threatening situations.
Students are always taught in a positive manner. Instructors focus on what your child is doing right and how they can get even better.
At Tiger Lee’s, children learn by practicing self defense techniques regularly with a partner in a safe, controlled environment.

One of the greatest benefits your child will also gain by learning martial arts at Tiger Lee’s Tae Kwon Do is a higher level of self-confidence. Just having more confidence helps children avoid being bully victims most of the time. Plus, being more confident is a trait that will help your child excel in all areas of life.

Whenever someone is considering beginning martial arts classes, they often ask, “How are Tae Kwon Do and karate different?” Or, “Which is better?”To answer this, we’ll start by saying that both Tae Kwon Do and karate are excellent forms of martial arts training. Each offers numerous benefits.

The core principles of both Tae Kwon Do and Karate stress self-discipline and a high code of personal conduct. Both have a sport competition aspect, however this makes up only part of the entire curriculum.

So, how are they different?

• Tae Kwon Do emphasizes kicking techniques, while Karate focuses on hand strikes.
• Tae Kwon Do originated in Korea, while Karate comes from Japan.
• Tae Kwon Do is an Olympic sport.
• Prearranged sequences of techniques, generally known as forms, are referred to as ‘poomsae’ in Tae Kwon Do, and ‘kata’ in Karate

How to choose?

When trying to decide between a Tae Kwon Do or a Karate school, the decision to train in one martial art versus the other may come down to a personal preference of style. However keep in mind the following questions:

• What is the quality of the instruction?
• What does the facility look like?
• What is the atmosphere like?
• How does the class schedule work?
• Where are they located?
• Other factors?

These questions and answers may (and sometimes should) be more important in deciding which form of martial arts to study.

And remember that while websites and phone conversations are useful, it’s also a good idea to visit the schools you are considering.