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AMERICAN TAE KWON DO ACADEMY Frank R. Coppola III-President |
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JOHN LOVE |
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John used to work with Frank, knew of his
dedication to Tae Kwon Do and it was John who suggested that Frank start
teaching. At the time, John’s own
interest in Tae Kwon Do was not that strong but he went along to the first
class with Frank to help fill out the group.
It was 1991, there were six students in that class and despite having
a little trouble with the turns, John remembers becoming absolutely addicted. He progressed quickly, started to teach within a
couple of years and soon got to first degree black belt. In fact John would say that taking up Tae
Kwon Do altered the course of his life in significant ways. Practice brings confidence and this helped
at work for public speaking and the like.
The strides he was making in Tae Kwon Do also motivated John to go
back to school for a significant career shift. Finally, he met his wife Mary Kay (now a
black belt) at Tae Kwon Do! John has a couple of words of encouragement for
those just starting out. First of all
– ‘show up!’. This can be tough with
our busy lives but progress starts by showing up. Secondly, ‘when you are in class, BE in
class’. It is important to concentrate
on the lesson and to come back to other things afterwards. John’s priority is also to make sure that everyone
gets a good work-out while learning a useful skill. The class is designed for all levels to
train solidly – even the upper grades – “first degree black belts soon realize
that getting to black belt doesn’t mean it’s time to relax. This is just the starting off point – you
now have enough tools to really push yourself”. Finally, working out and exerting control over your
mind and body can be very satisfying and calming when life attempts to throw
you a nine board side kick! |
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