ABOUT BRETZ ASSOCIATION TAEKWONDO.

Tae Kwon Do is a modern martial art, characterized by it’s fast, high and spinning kicks. There are multiple interpretations of the name Tae Kwon Do. Tae Kwon Do is often translated as 'the way of hand and foot'.

• Tae= 'to strike or block with the foot' or 'to kick', it also means 'jump.'
• Kwon= 'Fist', 'to strike or block with hand.'
• Do= 'The way of' or 'art.'

Put this together and Tae Kwon Do means: "The art of Kicking and Punching" or "The art of unarmed combat." The sport was founded in Korea, and is one of the most popular modern martial arts.

• Patterns
• Sparring
• Self-defense
• Breaktest
It is the combination of these four disciplines that make up the art called Tae Kwon Do.

In Tae Kwon Do there are Five tenets. The action and behavior of the Tae Kwon Do practitioner are expected to be in accordance with these rules and with all their implications. These tenets are regarded as a must as they explain and summarize the entire teaching of Tae Kwon Do.

* Courtesy (Ye-Ui). Courtesy in a broader sense is kindness, humility, good manners, politeness, and respect.

* Integrity (Yom-Chi). Integrity generally speaking, is honesty, straight dealing, purity, moral soundness, and uprightness. To have integrity means to be honest with everyone and with yourself at all times.

* Perseverance (In-Nae). Perseverance is persistence, a steadfast pursuit of and an understanding of the aim, continuation in the practice of Tae Kwon Do regardless of the amount of obstacles, hindering circumstances, difficulties, or occasional "let downs" which are only temporary situations. The strong will to hold on, regardless of obstacles. Loyalty.

* Self-control (Guk-Gi). Self-control is a double edged sword: on the one hand, it is the physical control with regard to motions, precision of execution, prevention of unnecessary injuries (as opposed to acting wildly) or killing, due to lack of control. Experience is the best teacher, but all the physical reactions are based on the psychological make-up, maturity, and moral, ethical, and religious codes.

 * Indomitable Spirit (Baekjul-Bool Gool). Indomitable means unconquerable, unbreakable, unquenchable. To put it simply, it means that one has such strong unshakeable beliefs and principles that even sacrificing the most precious possession one has, one's own life, is not too high a price to pay in defending them.

No. Tae Kwon Do is used for self-defense and as a last resort. The core principles of Bretz Tae Kwon Do is solving problems by peaceful resolution and having the self-confidence to not rely on violent behavior.

There is a chance of physical injury with any form of exercise. We take very special care to supervise all exercises to see that the students are performing them correctly. Sparring is only performed at higher levels by those who wish to participate and we feel have the skills to spar in a safe manner.

We have people of almost all levels of fitness attend our classes. Your level of fitness is not that important a factor because we work on improving your level, no matter where you are in terms of physical fitness.