Mr. Lorne Davidson

My name is Lorne Davidson I am the Chief Instructor of the Academy, I am 4 th degree black belt certified instructor and along with my wife and son a school owner.

It has been a long journey, one that has made me appreciate the real value martial arts can bring to someone's life.

At 48 I was a broke and bankrupt musician after having traveled around western Canada and the United States for over twenty five years. There had been moments of success but not enough to make a living.

I was married and a father of three children, facing a rather uncertain and bleak future. However, my wife and I had a strong marriage and knew that we could correct this situation. It was at this time that I was introduced to the martial arts and more specifically tae kwon do and how through the physical and mental training aspects of this art I was able to turn not only my life but the life of my family's around in a most positive way.

It was in Sept. 1996 when I first began my tae kwon do/martial arts training. We were broke and had just declared bankruptcy. I had no idea how I was going to pay for my training but it was a great way to learn a great lesson: when we perceive the value and benefit of something we will find a way to take care of the finances no matter what .

Ssahng wahl moo do is Korean for “life style martial arts” and that phrase best describes Songahm tae kwon do and for 3/5 of our family (all three of our children trained in the art our two daughters in ladies self defense and my wife and our son are both black belt certified instructors) that's what it has become, a life style.

Through the physical training I gained the discipline to overcome the obstacles/challenges that one naturally meets as progress is made promoting through the ranks. Life assets such as respect, loyalty, self control and goal setting I learned through a premier life skills program. This knowledge will impact my life forever.

The realization that through my training I had gained/developed confidence not only in the ability to defend myself against a physical opponent but also against the myriad of mental opponents that one confronts each and every day continues to strengthen me. That's another powerful lesson: Through the martial arts we can be trained and learn how to overcome both mental and physical opponents .

Upon receiving my 1 st degree black belt I entered into the Leadership Program with a goal to becoming a certified instructor. If the training I was learning could change and improve a 51 year olds life and that of his family's, I wanted to do what I could to inspire and assist any person or family that wanted to do the same. I had found my life's work.

During my instructor training my instructor asked me to do a very simple thing. He told me to write down some goals - something to this point in my life I had never done. One of the goals I wrote was to open my own school. Within a year of doing that I opened my club in the White Rock/South Surrey area with seven students.

Two years later I was opening a commercial location with 25 students. We are now into the fifth year of our lease with a student body of 85 with good portion of them families. Simply writing down a goal can have powerful effects. Watching mine form and grow has been amazing. There's another important lesson there: Write your goals down then work towards them!

The time frame for these events was approximately eight years and the quality of my life and that of my family's life has markedly improved. At the age of 56, when the majority of people are looking at retirement, I was opening my first business with no business training. I just had a strong desire to share the knowledge that I had gained with those young and old who were interested in training coupled with a desire to succeed.

No one achieves their black belt or anything else alone. There has to be an instructor/teacher as well as other students/friends/family who are on the same journey. It is the input, encouragement and support of loved ones that create the environment that helps foster that success. That's what we try to create in our academy.

Without the support of my family, the trust and support of our students and our parent group, what we have today could not have been accomplished. I will always be grateful for that.

Sincerely,

Chief Instructor,

Seung-ri WTTU black Belt Academy

PS. To learn more about our programs, please give the school a call at 604-531-4881. You and your young one will enjoy a complimentary private one on one class with a certified instructor, to determine whether our school is the right one for you.