Testimonials

★★★★★ 3 weeks ago

"This place is just absolutely 100%, sensational". I love it so much! "James Heenan, thank you immensely for all the massive support you've provided"." You 're truly a Grand-Master.

- Shannon F

★★★★★ 11 months ago

Good club and kids love going there

- Jessica L

★★★★★ a year ago

Love this place!

- Rachel M

Charles Dubois

1st Dan Black belt traditional TKD,

1st Dan Black Belt Kukkiwon (Olympic Style).

Heenan Tae Kwon Do instructor since 2019

 

Martial arts have been an interest in my life since I was a young boy. Starting with a random Judo Class whilst on holiday in France at a family friends Dojang and then joining a local club in my home town of Norwich, England. This proved to be a very useful skill when it came to defending the little guy at primary school, even from bigger kids in the years above.

 

Although the Judo classes ended after a relatively short time, the practice with my two older brothers never seemed to stop. This taught us a valuable lesson in practice fighting with controlled emotions and learning to get knocked down and more importantly getting back up. Especially important with two older, bigger brothers!

 

When at secondary school (college here in Australia) I encountered a number of bullies who were happy throw a punch to try and get a raise out of others, including me. This is when I turned to Tae Kwon Do to help me and my friend at the time cope with those situations. We were lucky to have a 6th Dan instructor who trained in Korea running the local club and everyone there was a really high standard. I stuck at it for a few years before moving to higher education and away from home. The issue with the bullies diminished and once again I found myself defending the little guy, all without actually getting into a fight but being able to calmly stop it from happening in the first place. On ‘the street’ there are no rules to keep you stay safe from serious harm, unlike in the Dojang where everyone is respectful to each other, so deescalating a situation is always the better option as you never know what your opponent is capable of.    

 

My second time learning Tae Kwon Do was whilst working in Torquay (England) where one of my staff was a black belt at a the local club. So of course I joined up. This was old school training, hard wooden floor, push ups on knuckles etc. Part of a much bigger club that covered about half of the UK the gradings were certainly a big affair. I remember my first grading there. My adrenalin pumping, it was like a blur. So I was pleasantly surprised to receive the overall best in grading award, especially after watching the standard of many pf the other students there.

 

All the above were just stepping stones for the real journey to begin at Heenan Tae Kwon Do (Moon Lee Tae Kwon Do at the time). I was determined that my two boys had strong life skills by knowing how to look after their mind and body and also be prepared for real world experiences. After just one lesson of watching the boys in James Heenan’s class I decided I was not going to miss out on this journey and I would join them on the path to black belt.

 

Heenan Tae Kwon Do embodies the spirit and ‘Tenets of Tae Kwon Do’ encouraging young and old to be the best person they can be. No matter where on the path they start.

Since the start Jimmy has always had a way to engage with everyone in the class no matter what their ability or personality. Classes still remained disciplined and I was impressed by the structure and focus it provided for many kids who otherwise found learning situations challenging.

 

My boys, George and Harry, improved their ability to concentrate in school almost overnight, by learning to listen and follow the direction of the class more instinctively. For myself I have been able to reignite my goals to be fitter and more agile and have something in common to do with George and Harry as they grow and develop. By having the “gradings” as milestones along the way we have all managed to stay focused on our constant development and improvement, refining what we have learned along the journey, whilst adding new skills. Heenan Tae Kwon Do has provided the framework for us to keep fit, build confidence and learn valuable life skills. Not to mention making some great new friends along the way. When George, Harry and myself passed our 1st Dan grading I was so incredibly proud of the boys and the many hurdles they had overcome to get reach that milestone.

 

Entering the OSMAT Victoria tournament in 2019 was a first for me, and bringing home multiple 2nd place trophies in both forms and sparring has inspired me to train even harder. Especially as I was going up against many seasoned competition fighters, a real confidence booster.

 

With the added instruction from Master Jeong we have also raised the bar by also learning the Kukkiwon (Olympic) style of Tae Kwon Do and achieving Black Belt status in two styles of Tae Kwon Do.

 

Our goal now is to teach others Tae Kwon Do across both the Traditional and Olympic styles, passing on valuable life and personal wellbeing skills, whilst continually developing our own knowledge and skills under the guidance of Master Jeong and James Heenan.

 

Charles DuBois, White Belt 2014, 1st Dan Black Belt 2019, 1st Dan Kookiwan Black Belt 2020.