Things have changed in the Martial Arts community over the years. Gone are the Ninja Turtles, Karate Kid and Power Ranger days. Replaced instead with the Online video games which have given more and more people a different view of what they expect me to teach their kids. Trust me I get plenty of inquiries every month asking if we teach full contact karate to kids. I wonder if these parents really know or have the slightest clue as to what it is they are inquiring about for their children. I for one, am a firm believer that many martial sports like full contact karate should not be taught to younger children, and if so, it should be in a special class only. More importantly, teaching an emotionally vulnerable child by forming their core value to ‘dominate” another child by beating him or her to the ground, or while they are on the ground defenseless, while showing no will to fight, isn’t in the spirit of true Martial arts.

There may be times in a real life situation where full force is necessary and the martial arts taught here can be quite effective if not devastating. The difference is we do not need to teach our children to hit and keep hitting a person once he or she has surrendered and is unable to defend themselves. There is nothing remotely close to this that is in the spirit of what martial arts are truly about. The goal at Strickland’s martial arts isn’t to teach the students be the baddest or toughest kids on the block like the Cobra Kia’s, but to have the knowledge and confidence to defend themselves with proven and effective skills sets.

Now don’t get me wrong, the world can be an ugly place and there are plenty of bad people out there, and one must meet violence with violence in order to survive. However a true martial arts program isn’t about using the most force possible, it’s about teaching a student how to use only the amount of force necessary to protect oneself. Does this mean the curriculum is “watered down?” Not in this school. We teach a multitude of martial art systems and each system deals with the needs of each of the students that attend classes here. As an art form, sport, and discipline Taekwondo is an awesome martial system. But is it as effective as Kali, Jun Fan Gung Fu or Silat in a street fight? No, as a martial art/sport, Taekwondo falls short to these other systems. These practical and scientific methods of defense are not taught to all ages or levels from the start as they are complex and challenging. Knowing the difference between the systems we teach: Art, Sport, Science helps us determine what are the best ages and groups suited for each of the systems we teach. As a rule we put MARTIAL before ART as most people that enroll for classes here are looking for self defense for their children or themselves. But this are not the only lessons taught here. As honor and respect, which are more in line with the teachings of Mr. Miagi and martial arts are a core foundation.