High Kicks By Lynette Hill washingtonpost.com Staff Writer Wednesday, January 9, 2002

	Instructor Janet Nguyen-Lightfoot teaches Anuj Bagai, 9, how to improve his posture. (Lois Raimondo/The Washington Post)
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Developed in Korea and sometimes called Korean karate, taekwondo is best known for its kicking techniques. It is one of two martial arts (with judo) that have become Olympic sports.

Uncertain how to find the right program? First, determine your goals and then visit some schools.

Determining Your Goals

If your chief interest in taekwondo is to learn self-defense, look for a school that specializes in teaching that skill. Most schools include a self-defense component but some programs pay more attention to modern, real life self-defense than others.

"Most traditional martial arts are not sufficient for self-defense in the streets today," says fifth degree black belt Carol Middleton, founder of the D.C. Self Defense Karate Association. "In traditional martial arts, the way you deal with a bladed weapon attack is based on an attack from a sword. What's happening today in the U.S. is that blades are getting smaller, to the point that you may be dealing with a razor blade taped inside somebody's hand."

Many independent schools and those certified by the International Taekwondo Federation tend to emphasize self-defense.

Some students are interested in taekwondo as a sport, though this aspect is controversial. Some taekwondo aficionados enjoy the challenge of competition, but others believe that emphasizing winning vs. losing violates the art's philosophy.

"I'm not against the Olympics," says fifth degree black belt Joon Lee of the World Taekwondo Academy in Gaithersburg, "but I don't want taekwondo to become too sports-oriented. Sports are too competitive. Traditional taekwondo is about improving yourself, not so much about winning."

People looking for a new competitive sport will probably prefer a school certified by the United States Taekwondo Union, under the World Taekwondo Federation. The U.S.T.U. is the governing body for the U.S. Olympic team.

If fitness is your main concern, you might want an instructor (and there are many) who can show experience or credentials in that field as well as mastery of the martial art.

Choosing a School

Before choosing a school, attend classes at several places. Watch to see how students and instructors interact. Observe an advanced class, to see how crisply those wearing higher belts perform kicking and other techniques. Many schools have Web sites that share their philosophy and schedule. Most schools let potential students attend one or more classes for free, or at reduced cost. Be wary of those that won't.

Also, consider the cost. Many schools are for-profit enterprises and some require contracts that can lock students into a long-term commitment. Almost all schools charge additional fees for belt testing. Find out how much those fees are, and how often students are required to test. Be wary of schools that push students to test too often or too quickly, or more often than once every two to three months.

Most area schools charge about $75 to $125 a month for adults, slightly less for children. Most schools charge an additional $30 to $70 for each belt test. Sparring gear, which everyone who persists in the art will have to get eventually, can cost $80 to $120 or more per set.

Many schools provide a do-buk, the taekwondo uniform, as part of a sign-up special for new students. Otherwise it can cost around $20 to $30 or more. Beginners can usually attend the first few classes wearing regular workout clothes. However, the do-buk is generally required as soon as students commit to the program.

The loose-fitting style of the do-buk (Japanese martial arts call the uniform a ghi or ghee) is based on the style of clothing ordinary people wore when the martial arts first began. The uniform has been retained by martial artists as a way of acknowledging that their classes are more than simple exercise.

Reaping the Benefits

Fifth degree black belt Brian Wright, head instructor at the George Washington University taekwondo club, says, "I'm hoping that what people learn here is how to keep their head in a pressure situation."

One of his students, red belt Erin Bingham, says her parents got her started in taekwondo in high school because they wanted her to learn self-defense. While self-defense skills didn't come immediately, she did learn that she had the right to defend herself.

"Self-defense people always say that if you feel uncomfortable in a situation there's probably a good reason for it. Before I probably wouldn't have felt like it was OK to get myself out of that situation. Now I would."

Kahia'a Robinson, 17, a brown belt at the D.C. Self Defense Karate Association, says taekwondo taught her confidence. Robinson, who studies writing and acting at Duke Ellington School for the Arts, says "actors have a problem with stage fright, but that's less of a problem for me because I'm used to having people watch me. In writing it actually helps me a lot because in [taekwondo] class we're always getting feedback, so it doesn't bother me to be critiqued. I've noticed a lot of people start to get defensive when you talk about their writing."

If Robinson had to find a new school, she says, "I would look for a school that's challenging, but not too challenging. A school where people have their friends there. Some places can be really cold and everyone just leaves after practice. When your friends are there, it's easy to practice."

Eight Washington area taekwondo programs were reviewed for this story:

• Columbia Heights Youth Club Taekwondo Club: A program for inner-city children that emphasizes competition and self-defense.

• D.C. Self Defense Karate Association: Emphasizes self-defense, has a good children's program.

• East West Taekwondo in Potomac: Teaches Olympic-style sparring and I.T.F. patterns, with particular emphasis on children's classes.

• Flying Kick Fitness Center in Bethesda: Independent school with emphasis on after-school and children's programs.

• George Washington University Taekwondo Club: Emphasizes Olympic-style sparring and competition.

• H.K. Lee's Taekwondo in Herndon: A well-rounded, traditional Korean-style school that teaches Olympic-style sparring. It also sponsors the annual National Capital Open tournament.

• Arlington Taekwondo Fellowship: This not-for-profit school emphasizes self-defense and is certified by the I.T.F.

• World Taekwondo Academy in Gaithersburg: Emphasizes traditional Korean taekwondo.

washingtonpost.com staff writer Lynette Hill currently has a green belt in taekwondo.