Watch this video to see how our school has adapted to COVID-19 and what we are doing to ensure your child stays safe and active. Click Here For Video.
I aspire to be like my parents, here's why:
After graduating from the University of Oregon, they decided to leave their families behind in Southeast Asia to build a better life for my siblings and me. My parents worked day and night to provide us with great opportunity. Because of their hard work and sacrifice, I owe it to them to make the most of my opportunities, fulfill my dreams and make them proud.
My parents are not famous advocates or sports heroes, but to me they represent the unsung, hard-working, everyday citizens that make our communities strong and vibrant.
After graduating from Beloit College with a degree in Economics, I decided to move to the twin cities where I completed a year of AmeriCorps teaching 5th and 6th grade mathematics. Upon completing my year of Americorps I then landed into a career in risk analysis. Even with stable income, job placement and social acceptance of my profession, something was missing. Frustrated with the scope of my impact, I decided to become a Taekwondo instructor to share my passion with others. This led me to founding Lee's Black Belt Academy.
Through my general life experiences, competing and learning Taekwondo, I've learned the ability to relate and to communicate with my students; giving them an instructor that is knowledgeable, supportive and caring. My teaching philosophy is structured around the idea of constant improvement and my classes are based on energy, fun and passion.
Accomplishments:
Education:
Our family joined LBBA in February of 2014. The amount of growth that our two kids have shown over these last 5 years is truly amazing. Both have gained confidence and a sense of responsibility, as well as leadership skills they use both at the Dojang and in the community.
As their father, I too have enjoyed learning Taekwondo from Master Lee. I enjoy being able to share this interest with my kids and spending time with them participating in a sport we all enjoy. Taekwondo offers a good and challenging workout for me. I enjoy the sparring that Master Lee offers and have seen an increase in my overall health since we joined Lee's BBA.
Our Dojang has a great community feel to it and we have made friends with many of the other families. We all hang out together at tournaments and at belt-advancements and it has been fun watching the development of all the other kids and adults that are part of our Dojang.
As I think back over the past 3 years I can't help but shake my head and wonder at how we ended up at Master Lee's Black Belt Academy. We weren't looking for it. We weren't even looking for taekwondo, we actually knew next to nothing about it. It all started around Christmas time when we noticed that our two oldest boys were getting a little bored with gymnastics. We could tell it wasn't their fit. It just didn't inspire them. We decided to give karate a try when I saw a Groupon for two months at a low price. The two oldest boys started classes after the holidays and were enjoying it, but as the trial period was coming to a close, I was beginning to have my doubts about signing the contract.
I happened to bring one of my sons to his friend's birthday party and met a family that goes to LBBA. They couldn't stop raving about LBBA in Rogers, so we decided to check it out. I called Master Lee to see about an intro class and liked what I heard on the phone. We went directly from a class at the karate studio to our class at LBBA. Within minutes Tom and I looked at each other and had the same thought, "Wow, this is really different." The skill and dedication of the young students was notable by comparison. The attention to detail, focus on the students and energy from the instructor was even more notable. We decided that night to make the switch, and could not be happier. Initially, the boys were less enthused about the change. They were going from a shorter class where they mainly played games to a longer, more challenging class with much higher expectations. Kylan came to enjoy it pretty quickly, but it took Rowan, who was only five at the time, a little longer. Rowan was more than a little confused by Master Lee's unique (but totally awesome) sense of humor...he frequently just looked at him as if he had two heads. Master Lee really stuck with Rowan and found a way to make a connection with him. It was only a few months later that Rowan told us that he didn't just like taekwondo better than karate, he LOVED taekwondo!! Somehow Master Lee has the ability to make our kids work harder than they have in their entire lives and they enjoy it!
We have seen our whole family flourish in ways that carry over into every aspect of their lives. They are far more dedicated, resilient, confident and focused then they were a 3 years ago and much of that comes from the unique coaching style of Master Lee. Watching class from the cheap seats, it is very evident that there is an expectation of effort and dedication to the sport, but more than that, a passion to build within each student the character to become the absolute best version of themselves they can imagine. It is a concept that we have seen modeled throughout the organization and with all the families involved, as well.
After multiple attempts to find a place that fit our family…I feel so fortunate that we took that ‘one more chance’ and found, Master Lee's Black Belt Academy. My son had taken a class offered through community education (offered through a karate dojo) when he was 4, and really got interested. As did my 8 year old daughter. When we realized the contract and commitment that we were faced with after the initial “free month”, we were all disappointed.
My kids were really upset and we searched out all other avenues to find a place that fit our family. Flexible, affordable and nearby. As a last chance we tried LBBA in Rogers. The minute we walked in, Master Lee was very welcoming and even recognized my daughter from a demonstration that he had done at her school. It was an instant connection, as skeptical as I was.
My son started in the Little Dragons Program and it was amazing to see the transformation of a shy 4 year old boy into a, now 11 year old outgoing kid who can speak up in a group and answer questions when asked by a teacher or Master. Lee. His self-confidence continues to grow, as well as his focus and respect. He has met some great friends and is learning many life lessons with each class. He is now a probationary black belt and is very proud of his hard work and commitment.
My daughter decided to give up dancing and Girl Scouts for Taekwondo. After the initial shock of that, and the instant connection that she had with Master Lee when we first stepped into his dojang, we decided it was worth a try. 5 years later, she is now a 1st degree black belt and has happily committed blood, sweat and tears to this sport. She has had the opportunity to join the Black Belt Club, which has allowed her to join the Competition Team as well as be a Junior Leader and assist in teaching class to younger students. Her confidence has gone through the roof. She has learned many life lessons and understands the importance of believing in yourself. She has met many true friends, and has found out that hard work really does pay off.
I appreciate the time and dedication that Master Lee pours into his students daily. He is an amazing mentor teaching not only Taekwondo, but life skills that are required in order to succeed. He holds his students to a very high standard teaching them accountability. I also appreciate that he is willing to go above and beyond his commitment outside of class time. He has visited my kids’ schools on multiple occasions for talent shows as well as demonstrations. He also gets involved in community events, (the kids love being a part of the Rogers Day Parade), as well as some of the other local festivals. I look forward to the opportunities that are yet to come and the growth my kids will continue to make