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Martial Arts And Much More

Chris Hoffman/Highlands Today

Taekwondo has no age limit, and Catrina Lim, 5, and Kyle Walker, 6, enjoy the variety of activities while learning the martial arts at the summer camp.

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By CHRIS HOFFMAN

Highlands Today

Published: July 16, 2008

SEBRING - Seven-year old Camilla Lim busies herself with warming up, arm stretches and running in place to get her blood moving in the early morning.

Her morning workout consists of stretching, stick drills, martial arts instruction and even some soccer.

"There's always something different to do everyday," Lim said. "I'd rather be here than home watching TV."

Lim and her brother Jeremy, 10, along with little sister Catrina, 5, have made Pisa Martial Arts school a second home, as each of them, along with a dozen more students, take part in the Taekwondo summer camp being held by the school.

Alex Jamena, 25, is one of the instructors at the school and runs the summer day care program, which enters its fifth year in Highlands County.

"This is a great place for kids to come and get exposed to different physical activities and enjoy their summer while their parents are at work," Jamena said. "I was introduced to Taekwondo much the same way when I was a kid."

The summer camp is not all breaking boards and throwing punches, as the students enjoy everything from swimming and basketball to field trips and theme parks.

Jamena, who moved from Chicago to Sebring eight months ago, believes that this variety of activities keeps the kids from being bored but also keeps them active and enthusiastic.

"Kids can tend to get bored with things easy," Jamena said. "Why not give the kids a variety?"

A field trip is being planned to Cypress Gardens among the many state parks in the region.

Taekwondo is at the center of the summer camp - an art that Jamena hopes that many kids continue after camp ends.

"We have a lot of our regular students coming to summer camp," Jamena said. "But we do have some kids that this is their first introduction to Taekwondo. There is only one shot at making a good impression, and we hope that most of the kids take to the sport and it becomes a part of them."

Jamena has been studying Taekwondo since the age of seven and is a 4th Dan Black Belt in the discipline. He's also spent his time with a martial arts demonstration team that toured the world exposing many kids and adults to the wonders of the martial arts.

"I really loved touring around the country and the world," Jamena said. "It's amazing to see someone up close demonstrating the things they've maybe only seen on television or maybe have never seen at all.

"But I get the same amazing experience teaching children and adults here in Sebring. Teaching is my passion."

The kids, who range in age from 5-13 years old, study martial arts four days a week.

Jamena says the reason Taekwondo - a Korean form of martial arts - is so popular and usually the introduction to martial arts for many young kids is its regard for safety.

"Taekwondo is a very easy martial art to teach kids, which is one of the reasons for its popularity, especially in America," Jamena said. "But it's also safer to learn than many of the other disciplines. There are fewer injuries than let's say kung fu, and the kids really take to it."

According to Taekwondo America, over 10 million people study the martial art each year in the United States alone.

The benefits are better physical condition and a more self-confident and self-reliant child, but Anthony Malatonio of Sebring doesn't care about all that.

"It's just fun to do. That's one of my favorite activities at the camp," Malatonio said. "I plan on being a black belt one day."

Malatonio, 8, has been studying for a little over a year and has the passion for the sport that Jamena loves to see in his students' eyes.

"It's great to see the kids so enthused about wanting to learn," Jamena said. "It doesn't matter how old they are either.

"This camp is more than about martial arts, but a place kids can come and enjoy themselves. It doesn't matter how good you are, but that your being a participant."

The Pisa Martial Arts summer camp runs Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. For more information, call 385-0086.

Chris Hoffman can be reached at 863-385-5827 or choffman@highlandstoday.com.

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