Hello everyone! Today I am going to tell you about Tom Vo’s Taekwondo studio and why it is the best taekwondo studio anyone can join. I currently work as an instructor at this facility and have been training there for eight years. Because of this experience, I can provide insight into all the work that goes on behind the scenes to make this studio the BEST.

You may be thinking right now, “Why should I care about a taekwondo studio? I don’t even like martial arts! ” Just give me a chance. I firmly believe that everyone needs a place to let their energy out and have quality social time with friends and family. Especially during this time of Covid, everyone needs to practice self-care more than ever. Tom Vo’s Taekwondo is that place! We offer socially distanced classes and are open to everyone. If you are going to participate in an activity with all of your family and friends, wouldn’t you want it to be the best?

So, why is Tom Vo’s Taekwondo the best?

The studio offers more than just basic taekwondo classes. Boxing classes are held at least once a week; students put on boxing gloves and learn how to use their hands. Instructors teach students necessary skills, punches, and combinations that they will later be tested on. Taekwondo is a foot-based sport, so these classes provide an excellent opportunity for students to learn how to use their hands properly.

Tom Vo’s Taekwondo also provides ground defense classes that focus on the higher, more advanced belt students. These classes teach students how to properly fall and roll onto the ground, if pushed, to ensure that they do not break any bones or get too hurt. Students are also taught how to fight back when on the ground, defend themselves, and gain attention to get the help of others. In the real world, people do not fight fair, and this gives students the knowledge of what to do to make it back home safely to their families.

What else makes Tom Vo’s Taekwondo the best?

At Tom Vo’s Taekwondo, students are also taught essential mindsets to help them throughout their whole lives. One of these lessons being discipline. Discipline is taught to students in many different ways. For younger, lower belts, it is taught in simple ways such as weekly homework slips. Students must write down five acts of discipline on these slips and five acts of kindness that they showed throughout the week. These slips are signed by their parents and brought into class to be turned in for gold stripes. Each student needs six gold stripes to test for their next belt. This homework teaches students to set a goal and put in the work to accomplish it.

For more advanced students, discipline is taught in different ways. Black belt camp is held twice a year, and students are required to complete a manual that includes tasks such as a book report, self-reflection assignments, and community service tasks. These books must be FULLY completed before testing to the next belt. There are no excuses taken as to why the assignments are not complete. No work means no test. 

Students must also show discipline during black belt camps. Conditioning camp takes the most self-discipline to complete. Students, instructors, and masters all run 4 miles at Mile Square Park and do 1,000 kicks, 200 sit-ups, and 100 push-ups. There are times when students want to give up and not complete the run, but they must show enough discipline and perseverance to finish the conditioning and test up. If someone is unable to show up to the camp, instructors will find a day to make up the run, and they will come out to do it again with the students who are making it up. No matter what, instructors and students will always be by each other’s sides, pushing each other to be the best they can be.

Another mindset taught to everyone at Tom Vo’s Taekwondo is confidence. Confidence is shown in the simple but effective task of yelling loud during class when kicking and punching. Confidence is also demonstrated by students when they can go up in front of the class and read their homework aloud for all the students and parents to hear. Speaking in front of a crowd can be very hard for some, but everyone at the studio learns to do it with others’ support. 

Students also go in front of their peers to break boards. When students smash through a board, they feel the most confident they have ever felt. Students believe if they can break wood, they can do anything! 

Black belts are required to break bricks. It is terrifying for a student to stand in front of a crowd of people, staring at a brick that they are supposed to break, but nobody ever backs down from the challenge. When you break through those bricks you feel ready to take on the world!

Respect is another important lesson taught at taekwondo. Respect is shown when students refer to instructors and masters as “sir” and “ma’am,” saying “Yes sir!” and “Yes ma’am!” when instructed to do things. Everyone must bow to higher belts, instructors, and masters. Bowing is the greatest form of respect you can show in taekwondo. Instructors take these basic signs of respect that students show in class and teach them that they must carry this respect over into their daily life by showing their parents and teachers that same respect. Masters tell students if they can respect their instructors, who just teach them taekwondo,  then they have to respect their parents and teachers because they do so much more for them on a daily basis. If students are not respectful at home, then there will be consequences in class, such as having their belt taken away or not being able to test. It is incredible to see and hear from parents how their child’s behavior has changed for the better because of taekwondo.

What else could make Tom Vo’s Taekwondo better?

Tom Voś taekwondo is a family. No matter who comes in, they will become part of it. Each member of the studio will do anything to ensure that everyone has the best experience while there. We rent out huge gyms to hold testings and tournaments to ensure that every student can invite all family members to watch their test. We never cancel testings or tournaments because we don’t want to let our students down. For example, when setting up one testing, we could not figure out how to work the gym lighting, but we were not about to cancel. Instead, we went out and bought lights, set them up, and ran testing in the dim light. Everyone still had a great time!

Tournaments are also a great example of how close everyone in the studio is. Although we compete against each other, we still root each other on. You may be thinking, “How is competing against your friends fair?” There is one winner and one loser, but you will still be friends no matter who wins or loses. Students don’t hold grudges against each other when they lose a match. Instead, they train harder to do better next time. At the end of the day, you will never lose a friend over a competition, and that shows how strong the relationship bonds are at Tom Vo’s Taekwondo.

Still not sold? Still think there is a BETTER studio?

The Covid pandemic and lockdown have shown the difference between Tom Vo’s Taekwondo and other taekwondo studios. When lockdown first happened, many taekwondo studios were forced to shut down. Many of them decided to wait to open back up, holding zero classes for months. However, Tom Vo’s Taekwondo held classes and testings on Zoom. We were not about to let our students go months without training! Those who wanted to train were able to do so on Zoom.  Even though it was challenging, we were able to make it work. As soon as gyms were allowed to open for outdoor training, instructors brainstormed ways to hold classes. 

At first we held them in the park. Now they are held in the parking lot of the studio, for everyoneś safety. Every day, instructors drag out the mats and set up barriers that allow classes to reconvene safely.

If you are looking for an activity your entire family can participate in, then Tom Vo’s Taekwondo is the place for you! We are open to every age, gender, and race and do everything possible to provide the best training to fit each student’s needs. You will not find a studio that works harder for it’s customers than Tom Vo’s Taekwondo!