Leander Taekwondo America
I’m thrilled you’ve decided to join our Taekwondo family. As you continue training you’ll notice that our school is a part of a much bigger Taekwondo family in Taekwondo America, a national rank accrediting organization that develops guidelines and standards for its associated martial arts centers. Now that you’ve begun your martial arts journey, you are eligible to participate in many regional and national tournaments, testings, clinics, and camps; all of which will help you become a more well-rounded martial artist!
As a brand new student entering a vast world of kicking and punching, it can be pretty overwhelming. But I want you to relax because you’ve already taken the most difficult step in the journey, your first step onto the mats. This is a step many people are too afraid to take and you did it in style. Now all you have to do is keep coming to class and I promise you that with consistent effort and practice, you will earn your black belt.
So you can start with as much information as possible, I’ve put together this packet for you. Make sure you keep up with it because it has some information in here that may not apply to you yet, but will be useful for when the time comes. You may find that as you read on some more information is needed, and that’s what I am here for. This packet is simply designed to help get you started with your training, many of the important lessons can only be learned in time. That is why I will always keep my door open to both students and parents – whether it’s something I didn’t cover, or something that you simply didn’t understand, I will be here for you every step along the way.
I am 110% committed to maintaining a welcoming, well-rounded and professional program that is family-oriented and provides the finest quality in martial arts instruction. Through consistent practice and dedication to your training, you’ll soon experience the pride, strength, and honor which has always been associated with Taekwondo. You’ll also have the time of your life and meet so many amazing and positive people along the way. I’m ecstatic to have you train with us and hope your experience in our program helps you grow in mind, body, and spirit.
– Bobby Lacy, Chief Instructor | 6th Degree Black Belt
With Your Membership
Here are just some of the things that your membership with LTA grants you:
At Leander Taekwondo America, we understand the demands of a busy lifestyle. That’s why our program stands out with its unparalleled flexibility. Unlike other programs, we don’t require students to commit to specific days each week. Instead, students are encouraged to attend any class that fits their rank and age group.
We recommend attending 2-3 times a week to ensure consistent progress and prevent burnout. Enjoy the freedom to choose the class times that best suit your schedule and keep your training on track!
Being a part of Taekwondo America gives us the opportunity to provide incredible experiences for our students such as regional and national tournaments, testings, camps, conferences, and more. You’ll be able to meet, train, and compete with people from all over the country who also share a passion for martial arts and practice the same stuff you do several state lines away!
If you have to miss any classes for any reason or are looking for a little extra practice at home, we’ve created online resources to assist with your training that you can access anywhere at anytime! Make sure to download the member app to gain access these features.
Whether it’s increasing your physical strength and endurance, sharpening your mental focus and memory, or developing leadership and confidence skills, our program provides innumerable benefits that you will see and feel off of the mats!
Cost and Fees to Expect
We love keeping our program as transparent as possible to help families plan out future expenses as students progress through the ranks!
Belt Testings occur every even numbered month throughout the calendar year. These events provide students the opportunity to earn their new belts by demonstrating all the material they’ve learned over the course of our 8-week cycle.
At Orange Belt, Sparring Gear is required for use during class. A complete set includes foot gear, hand gear, elbow pads, head gear, shin pads, mouth piece and groin protection for men/boys. For safety/insurance reasons we only allow TA co-branded sparring gear. With proper care, the gear lasts for a long time. Should a piece of gear wear out, each individual piece can be replaced separately.
Tournaments are an integral aspect of training for all martial artists which is why we require all of our students to attend at least one tournament before testing for the rank of Black Belt. With the many benefits of competition in a positive atmosphere, our students love attending these events and consistently add unique hardware to their collection! There are both regional and national tournaments for students of all ages and ranks to attend throughout the year.
Class Rules and Procedures
Below are our school rules and regulations designed to keep students and families safe as well as maintain the integrity of our martial art. Please read through them carefully.
Students must wear an official Taekwondo America uniform to all formal events with the appropriate patches sewn on.
During class, students must wear their TKD pants as well as their jacket OR a plain color t-shirt with no logos or graphics, or a TKD t-shirt available for purchase at the school or TA events.
Students must have clean bodies, trimmed nails, and well groomed hair.
For your safety and the safety of others, jewelry should not be worn during class.
Only bare feet in the practice area, shoes should NEVER be on the mats.
Students should be courteous and respectful to other students at all times.
Instructors are always to be called “Sir” or “Ma’am”; Instructors should be called Mr., Mrs., or Miss, then their surnames.
All students should follow instructions given by Instructors or Senior Students in class. When given instructions, the student should recognize that they understand the instructions by firmly stating “Yes Sir” or “Yes Ma’am!”
You should not interrupt an instructor working with a student or teaching class.
While on the workout floor, always walk around an instructor and their group. Never walk through a group.
Smoking is not allowed in or around the school at any time.
Please take home all items brought into the school. We are not responsible for gear, shoes, water bottles, etc. left at the school.
Students should not kick, punch, or horseplay while waiting for their class.
Members and guests of students should not disturb class. While we know you want to encourage your student, calling out to students in class distracts the student, instructors and other participants.
Students must be picked up and dropped off in a timely fashion. Students arriving more than 5 minutes late will not be allowed to join class.
Children in the lobby should be supervised at all times.
TRY HARD. BE SAFE. FOLLOW THE TENETS. HAVE FUN!
Tenets & Student Oath
The Tenets of Taekwondo are the principle characteristics that all Taekwondo martial artists should embody.
The Taekwondo Student Oath is the creed for all students and serves as a reminder for how students are to conduct themselves in the Taekwondo school and in society at large.
Student Resources
Here are some resources that will help enhance your experience in our program!
Our school utilizes an app available on the Google Play Store and the App Store that will make your time in our program super convenient. You can register for classes and events, purchase retail items, check out our schedule, view curriculum videos, adjust your payment methods, and much more right from your smartphone. Search Spark Member in your smartphone’s app store to download for free or click the link below!
Download
The TA App helps students stay up to date with all upcoming national and regional events. It also gives you the ability to check out live tournament scores and stats!
Download
If students need a little extra practice or focused attention outside of our group classes, we offer private lessons to give them the boost they need to succeed! Registration can be done via the Spark Member app under the Private Lessons checkout page in the Shop Tab.
Reserve a Lesson
We have target pads, heavy bags, workout equipment and more available for purchase at the Taekwondo school so you can get your kicks in at home! These items and more can be purchased through the Spark Member app.
Purchase EquipmentRanks & Requirements
We utilize 4 ranking systems based upon age groups due to the increasing cognitive and physical ability of students as they get older. The Lil’ Dragons ranking system is based on a progression towards joining the Juniors Program while the Juniors, Teens, and Adult Programs all follow a certified ranking system following Taekwondo America’s curriculum format. Below is a brief explanation of the requirements of the various ranks in the Taekwondo America curriculum that must be accomplished in order to advance to the next rank.
White Belts – Sr. Orange Belts: Students must learn their rank-specific form as well as all required one-step combinations.
Green Belts – Sr. Blue Belts: Students must learn their rank-specific form as well as develop basic understanding of free-sparring (Intelligent Defense, Variety of Techniques, Control, and Multiple Technique Combinations)
Brown – Black Belts: Students must learn their rank-specific form, show more advanced understanding of free-sparring (Intelligent Defense, Variety of Techniques, Control, Multiple Technique Combinations, and Advanced Techniques Used), as well as execute required board breaks.
Our Lil’ Dragons Ranking system allows our youngest students to feel the power of achievement while preparing them to enter into our Juniors Curriculum. Lil’ Dragons have the opportunity to graduate to the Juniors Program early by showing consistent focus, self-control, and the ability to retain and display extended sequences well.
Our Juniors participate in our nationally certified curriculum as they work to progress towards achieving Black Belt. The Junior Program is designed for elementary school-aged children. Students in the Juniors Program may be eligible to skip certain ranks if they show advanced proficiency in learning the material throughout the testing cycle by achieving certain benchmarks such as earning all 8 black stripes. 1st Degree Senior Black Belt Juniors wishing to advance to 2nd Degree Black Belt must participate in the Teen Program with prior approval.
Our Teens participate in our nationally certified curriculum as they work to advance towards achieving Black Belt. The Teen Program is designed for Middle School and High School students. We use an accelerated system from the Juniors Program to the Teen Program due to more developed cognitive and physical abilities. However, Teens that struggle to meet the benchmark assessment level of earning black stripes during stripe testing may also be candidates for Junior Ranks. 2nd Degree Senior Black Belt Teens wishing to advance to 3rd Degree Black Belt must participate in the Adult Program with prior approval.
Our Adults participate in our nationally certified curriculum as they work to advance towards achieving Black Belt and beyond. Students ages 16 and older are eligible to participate in the Adult Program.
Information and Newsletters
We constantly have special events, camps, and seminars going on around the school throughout the year. Below are some ways to keep up with all the fun things happening at LTA!
Every month LTA puts out a newsletter that outlines the monthly happenings in the school. These newsletters are sent out at the beginning of every month and include a calendar showing all of the events that month!
Latest Newsletter
Every Monday we’ll send out an update email for all of our students as a constant reminder for events, deadlines, and other important reminders! Email is the preferred contact method for our school so we can quickly respond to all of our members. You can reach us at [email protected]
Follow us on Facebook and Instagram to see some pictures and reminders of upcoming events. Be sure to join our LTA Parents Facebook Group so you can connect with other LTA families and find some used items from other LTA members. Click the button below to join our private FB group!
LTA Families FB Page
Referral Program
Our school thrives primarily through word of mouth from our current students. If you’d like to share our program with friends, we have our special ambassador program for students who love to grow with LTA!