It has been some time since martial arts first made its way to the Western world; today the particular practice of martial arts known as Tae Kwon Do is growing in popularity in Western New York and is said by some to be on its way to becoming something of a national pastime.
"We've gone from having just one location to four locations," said Samantha Scime, a second-degree black belt and instructor at Master Chong's World Class Tae Kwon Do Center in Amherst.
"Each of our schools has between 400 and 500 students from all different age groups," she said.
A unique aspect of the sport is its unique belt system, implemented in order to recognize each student's progress.
"Generally it takes about three to four years for students to get a black belt," said David Kowal, a black belt instructor at Master Chong's World Class Tae Kwon Do Center in Amherst. "The highest degree is a ninth-degree black belt and that takes many, many years."
Kowal said Grand Master Chong, the founder of Master Chong's World Class Tae Kwon Do Center, who has been doing practicing martial arts for 40 years, is an eighth-degree black belt.
Tae Kwon Do made its first appearance on the Olympic world stage in Sydney, Australia in 2000 and while the art has been recognized as a sport, those who have practiced it for years say the competitiveness is only a part of what can be gained from the art.
"It's not just fighting and hurting other people," he said. "The core of it is self-improvement and self-development."
According to Kowal, who garners much of his information from the words of Grand Master Chong, the practice of Tae Kwon Do began in Korea about 2000 years ago and became popular throughout the world as a form of fitness and self-improvement.
"The character development side is important," said Kowal. "I would encourage everyone to have some type of martial arts experience. It's rewarding internally and externally. The rewards are getting to know other people, enriching their lives and enriching your own."
This professed enrichment has made its way to UB in the form of the UB Tae Kwon Do Club.
"It's fun and you meet a lot of new friends," said Sarah Blankenship, a junior psychology major and treasurer for the club, which meets every Monday, Wednesday and Friday at 6 p.m. in Alumni Arena. "All students and faculty are welcome to come, regardless if they're a beginner or an expert."
Blankenship said her Tae Kwon Do career at UB is just a continuation of something she has practiced for many years.
"I've been doing Tae Kwon Do my whole life," said the blue belt. "Both my parents are black belts and when I came to school I wanted to stay involved with it."
According to Scime, most Tae Kwon Do students are between the ages of six and 12 although adult and family classes are gradually becoming more populated.
While the ages of students vary greatly in Tae Kwon Do, there is one particular quality that they all share; Kowal says that quality is the willingness to take up a challenge.
"Everything can be challenging," said Kowal. "All the challenges in life are things we face here too. Sticking to it and giving it your all can be rewarding."
According to Scime, the tenets learned in Tae Kwon Do can be applied to all areas of life.
"It's helped me apply the discipline I've learned here to goals I've set for myself outside of Tae Kwon Do," she said.
Being challenged and developing character and discipline while getting a good workout isn't the only thing that is appealing about Tae Kwon Do.
According to Blankenship there is also a much simpler reason.
"Not only has Tae Kwon Do taught me physical strength but it's also given me a positive outlook on my life," she said. "I have a lot of fun doing it."
