The Villages Taekwon-Do
What We're About
In May 2018, Toby Keith and Clint Eastwood shared a golf cart during a charity golf tournament in Pebble Beach, California. As the story is told, Clint had mentioned to Toby that he was leaving the next day for a three-month shoot to make a movie called The Mule. Keith was surprised by Clint Eastwood's energy despite being 88 years old.
“How do you do it, man?” Toby asked. Clint responded, “I just get up every morning and go out. And I don’t let the old man in.”
Inspired, Toby Keith wrote the song Don’t Let the Old Man In. Clint Eastwood liked the song and made it the theme song for The Mule.
The song is about how “old age” comes to all of us. Yet, we CAN’T let it get to us. We still can be triumphant in our 60s, 70s, 80s, and beyond. By doing so, we live our lives to the fullest.
And that’s our quest and what we’re about at The Villages Taekwon-Do dojang:
We don’t let the old man or old lady** in!
** See Melinda's story below. She's not letting the old lady in!
Who We Are
The Villages Taekwon-Do dojang is a traditional school that teaches the art of Taekwon-Do as it was originally written and demonstrated by General Choi. We also follow the guidelines of the International Taekwon-Do Federation. Our school is aligned with Kwanjangnim (Grand Master) Brunner’s schools in the Tampa, Florida, region.
This means that our school is very authentic. In our dojang, we observe all the protocols and courtesies one would expect to find in traditional dojangs outside of The Villages.
We are a group of students from all walks of life, ages 55 to 86, male and female, and in various stages of physical fitness. We have students with varying martial arts experience. Some of our students have never trained in a martial art. Others have trained in a martial art and it has been decades since they've trained. Plus, we have advanced martial artists who have continually trained for many years.
We each have a desire to have greater physical strength, increased mental clarity, a positive outlook on life, and self-
confidence that we will enjoy the active lifestyle The Villages has to offer. Studying and learning the art of Taekwon-Do helps us attain these desired goals and outcomes.
Just because we may be older doesn't mean that Taekwon-Do isn't for us. We consider that in our training, which is especially geared towards seniors and beginners. We go at a slower pace and teach the art in easy, simple steps.
Plus, we have an extraordinary legacy. One that we are very proud of as a school.
Our Sahbumnim (means master teacher)(SBN) Drew trained under one of the original 7th Dan masters selected by General Choi. Kyosahnim (Instructor)(KSN) Doug also trained under another of the original masters selected by General Choi. And SBN Ed trained in Korea while in the military. His Korean instructors were part of the initial group of TKD black belts who trained under General Choi’s watchful eye.
Where We Meet
Classes are on Monday, Wednesday and Friday every week. Warm-up and pre-training starts from 7:30 am to 8:00 am. Formal class/training starts at 8:10 am until 9:10 am.
Seabreeze Recreation Center
2384 Buena Vista Boulevard
The Villages, Florida 32162
Our Calendar of Upcoming Events
December Birthday Celebrations
* Dennis P 12/17 * Bill B 12/19 * Pete R 12/23 John G 12/26 * Joe M 12/28
Wishing everyone a fabulous birthday and an exciting new trip around the sun!
REMEMBER!
Sea Breeze is closed from 1/6/25 to 1/19/25
Classes will be held at Rohan Rec Center during the Sea Breeze closure for maintenance.
Click here for the 2025 calendars.
Congratulations to our new White Belt with a Yellow Stripe
The Joy of Accomplishing a BHAG* Goal!
Melinda, one of our newer students, earned her first promotion in TKD - going from a white belt to a white belt with a yellow stripe. Melinda is proof that even if you have a debilitating disorder, you can “go” for a long-desired dream. And especially you can by not letting the “old lady in” or letting a debilitating health condition stop you! This is what Melinda has to say:
“I came to Taekwon-Do after I brought my grandson for the second time to the TKD summer camp. I liked the sense of discipline and learning self-defense techniques. I knew if I were going to come, I would need to commit to it. I couldn't just show up now and then and expect to get any benefit from it. I have had Parkinson's for 14 years. Fortunately, mine is tremor-dominant, so it is fairly mild. While I'm doing the forms, my tremor goes away momentarily but it comes back when I'm at rest. In any case, it has been proven that exercise will delay the progression of the disease, so that's a big motivation. I would encourage anyone to try TKD. As we age, everyone is putting a salve on something, and the key to a happy life is to exercise, socialize, and communicate. TKD lets me accomplish all three!"
*BHAG = Big, hairy, audacious goal
If You Want to Check Us Out - Here's What to Do!
First, understand that our Taekwon-Do club is unlike any other club in The Villages. Our training is highly disciplined and structured. Our classes are about growth in mind, body, and spirit. Our instructors and students have a true commitment to becoming their best in the art. Whether you are a beginner or an experienced martial artist, this may be The Villages club for you.
We Look Forward to Your Visit!
Meet The Villages Taekwon-Do Founder
Founder, Sahbumnim Drew Loiacono - 7th Dan
We’ve all heard the saying “It was meant to be” when something out of the ordinary happens in a person’s life. Well, one could say this about Sahbumnim (SBN) Drew Loiacono’s Taekwon-Do journey. Similar to other students, SBN Drew always wanted to study a martial art when he was younger. He had to put his desire on hold because of his family and business obligations. In 1975, at age 37, SBN Drew answered his calling to learn TKD. He became a student at Grand Master Kwon Jae Hwa’s dojang in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.
This was a fortuitous occasion for SBN Drew.
Grand Master Kwon had previously taught in Germany for ten years before coming to the US. He decided to settle in the warm clime of Fort Lauderdale. What was so special about this? GM Kwon was a member of the select group of black belts chosen by TKD’s founder, General Choi, to spread Taekwon-Do throughout the world. SBN Drew would be studying under one of the world's best.
Meet Our Awesome Instructors
We have classes from 7:30 to 8:00 to focus on the development and improvement of the requirements for each belt rank. A student takes these classes on a voluntary basis. We breakout into 4 different groups:
- 1) Blackbelt students,
- 2) Advanced students (Red Belts),
- 3) Intermediate students (Green and Blue Belts) and
- 4) Beginner students (White and Yellow Belts).
Below are the instructors for the different groups and their backgrounds.
Sahbumnim
Ed Highland, 5th Dan
Advanced Blackbelt Students
Kyosahnim
Mike Saunders, 4th Dan
Black Belt Students
Kyosahnim
Doug Franklin, 4th Dan
Intermediate Students
Kyosahnim
Jim Ockington, 4th Dan
Red Belt Students
Kyosahnim Robin Warren, 4th Dan Senior Red Belt Students
Student Resources
There’s more to Taekwon-Do than the physical training. Practitioners have to train their mind and spirit as well. The purpose of this section is to provide the knowledge and information one would need to become a better student of Taekwon-Do.
The art of Taekwon-Do integrates its physicality with a moral code, a life philosophy, a scientific approach to its methods of self-defense, a history, discipline, and mental conditioning. All these aspects help build a sense of strength, humility, and determination within the student. As Gen Choi said, they are the mortar a student needs in order to become a true practitioner of Taekwon-Do.
The Patterns
The Taekwon-Do patterns were created to give the student a way to practice ...
Other Skills
Taekwon-Do is also learning more about ourselves and how much more we are capable of...
Belt Progression
The belt ranks are an integral part of a student's progress. Each belt ...
Visitor Welcome Guide: Everything You
Need to Know for Your First Visit
It's one page filled with all the information you need for your first visit.
Copyright 2024 - The Villages Taekwon-Do