SELF DEFENSE/LIFE SKILLS

Seung-ri WTTU Black Belt Academy Inc. has a reputation for enriching the lives of its students. The club was established in 1999, and in 2002, Lorne and Carole Davidson took over ownership. Over the past year they have achieved the progression from club status to registered school. Both Davidsons are Certified Instructors while Lorne is a 3 rd Degree black belt and Carole is 2 nd Degree. Together, they have continued to build on the tradition of teaching the martial art of Songahm Taekwondo from Korea, and offer a range of programs from beginner to advanced.

"We initially got involved just to work off some stress," Lorne said. "The more we watched the changes in our lives, the more we got involved and we really wanted to carry it to the rest of the community." He calls the academy's Life Skills curriculum "the best in the field of martial arts."

"We train people both mentally and physically and give our students the tools to win in life, business and relationships," he said. Their Grand Master, Soon Ho Lee (with more than 300,000 training under him), along with the Master's Council, have invested more than 20 years developing the Life Skills program.

Beginners are welcomed into the school's Basics Program, the first step of a four-part learning process. Next step is the Black Belt Club, with the goal of achieving first degree black belt; then, the Master's Club, to achieve a second degree black belt and beyond; and finally, the Leadership program, for black belts to train towards instruction certification and future opportunities to open their own schools.

"Our training is about changing people's lives. If you achieve your black belt, you will not be the same person you were when you began as a white belt."

The Davidsons believe students are not excluded by physical ability- each person has their own individual challengers and working with that and growing through it is one of the strengths of the school's programs. Age is certainly not an issue; their youngest student in the Tiny Tigers program is four-years-old and their oldest student is over 60.

"We take pride in training people. Songahm Taekwondo improves grades, attitudes, and natural abilities in a safe and fun environment."

Carole is also a certified instructor of S.H.A.R.P., Sexual Harassment, Assault and Rape Prevention and instructs students in the principals of avoidance, risk assessment, personal safety, survival signals, defensive counterstrikes and more.

"Self defense is 80 per cent mental, so understanding the mental requirement that goes into defending yourself is vital. The best self defense is never having to fight," explains Carole.

The couple shares their Grand Master's vision of "creating tomorrow's leaders, one black belt at a time".

"We dedicate ourselves to excellence and personal achievement for all."