When my oldest son was 6 years old, he wanted to try karate to see if he liked it so my wife and I enrolled him in a 5 week trial at a local school. After 5 weeks, it was apparent that he enjoyed karate but we felt he wasn’t getting much out of the school. Parents were allowed to stay and watch the classes so the children were distracted and the “grandmaster” almost never taught the classes. We decided to start researching other schools before committing to a long-term agreement with the school.
After researching and visiting a few different schools, my wife and I were in complete agreement that Chang Karate School was the best but we left the decision up to our son since he would be making the commitment. He chose Chang’s and a little over 4 years later he earned his black belt. Grandmaster Chang always lauds my son as one of the hardest working students as he always pushes himself to do better every class.
A few months after my oldest son started studying at Chang’s, I started to study there as well so I could get exercise and enjoy attending the classes with my son. Four years later, I still attend twice a week with both of my sons and it is not only great exercise but it is great stress-reliever too.
My younger son looks up to his big brother and wants to be just like him so it was natural that he asked if he could study karate with his brother. Last year, my wife and I decided to let him participate in a couple of classes to see if he would be focused enough to study without disrupting the class as he was only 4 years old. After the classes, Grandmaster Chang felt he would would do well if he continued to study. He was right as, over the last 17 months, we have seen a significant change in his confidence. When he first started, he had difficulty staying focused for a whole class but now he is one of the most focused and serious students every class. Grandmaster Chang is always telling the other students to try to be as serious and focused as my son is in class.
The bottomline is that there is a significant difference between Chang Karate School and all of the “franchise” schools. Grandmaster Chang teaches every class and he truly understands that each student cannot learn or be taught the same way. He possesses the patience and wisdom to bring out the best in every student, no matter the age or ability. Mark and all of the other instructors also do a phenomenal job with helping the students learn and grow.
The goal of Grandmaster Chang and the school is simple; teach the art of Tang Soo Do while enabling the students to become disciplined, respectful, and focused. If you are looking for a true karate school, Chang Karate School is the only choice.
Joe D, PA
