When my son was 4, something clicked in him that turned him into this little warrior. I don’t know if there was an extra surge of testosterone or what but everything suddenly became a battle. Trees outside became viable enemies worthy of a duel, a toothbrush could be a secret weapon, and family fun time in the living room was quickly becoming my son’s battlefield wherein we would have to fight him. It’s a boy thing right?
I was running out of energy and collecting quite a few bruises…what was I to do with a kid with seemingly boundless energy and an increasing lack of physical boundaries?
My husband started researching local martial arts studios that would teach 4 year olds (not so easy to find). But as luck would have it, he stumbled upon Fusion Tae Kwon Do in Colchester (not too far from the drive-in just to give you an idea of where it is). We called them to set up a time for Aden to come in and check out the Dragons Class, a class for 4-6 year olds to learn the tenets of Tae Kwon Do in a fun and creative atmosphere.
Fusion TKD has been around for over 20 years. It’s owned by Master Leslie St.Pierre who holds a 4th degree black belt and by Master Damir Alisa who holds a 3rd degree black belt. Tae Kwon Do, itself, is a South Korean martial art with a literal translation meaning Foot, Hand, Way of Life. This “way of life” entails living by the 5 Tenets of TKD which are courtesy, perseverance, indomitable spirit, self-control, and integrity. Ha, these were the very things we had been trying to teach Aden at home, sounds like something worth trying for sure.
Here’s what I love about Fusion TKD:
- Masters St.Pierre and Alisa know how to engage 4-6 year olds and make it fun and funny
- They demand respect in a respectful way not only for themselves but for the other students as well
- They really stress the tenets of of TKD which are self-control, indomitable spirit, integrity, perseverance, courtesy (just like I said above in case you missed it)
- There is grace…especially when there are meltdowns happening or bad choices being made
- They give clear and easy to follow rules and expectations
- They are encouraging to the kids and truly desire to see them succeed and praise them for all the small achievements
- They offer 3 Dragons classes a week and with your membership you are allowed to go to all 3 if you want. (many places that offer classes for 4 year olds offer ONE 30 min class a week so it’s less time for the same $).
- They are super friendly, very personable, and genuinely love what they do
- They have been a part of the Colchester/Burlington community for over 20 years
We brought Aden in October of last year and after a few classes decided to sign him up for 6 months. We re-signed him on for another 6 months this past April. During classes I have seen my son learn to respect those that are in charge, and that has carried over to his other classes as well. I’ve seen him exhibit more self-control at home and I know that is directly linked to what his teachers are doing at Fusion. And I’ve seen him slowly learn to invite others “in” as well as be more of a team player, slowly moving away from his self-centeredness.
In the short 8 months that he’s been there, Aden has been through 2 belt promotions, they are small promotions but the kids don’t know that. All they know is that they’ve learned this really cool blocking pattern that they have to repeat, they do some kicks and punches that they’ve been practicing, and they have to break a board. Yep, you read it right! Of course there may be a little help from the instructor on that one but when those kids break that board with their foot you can see the pride of accomplishment swell within them. There’s ownership in that and an innate desire to want to move forward, keep going and do it again.
If you’re looking for a place to bring your boys or girls to get the wiggles out and learn some cool moves along with some truly awesome principles to live by, then I highly recommend Fusion Tae Kwon Do. And I’m sure this goes without saying but they teach from age 4 – adult, including family classes as well so you can make this a family affair. Check them out on their website or like them on Facebook. And if you stop by tell them Shannon Ly from BurlingtonVT Moms Blog raved about them.
