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Testimonials
"Dear Grandmaster Jin Chung: When Colin was testing for
his deputy black belt this past Friday, I was the proudest mother in the world. I am always
proud of my son, and on Friday, I was overjoyed. I had explained to Colin that he should
challenge himself and always do the best he can. But moreso, I explained to him that a good student
is a reflection of a good teacher. Colin worked so hard to show you how much he appreciates and
admires you. As for himself, he now sees that he is capable of a lot more than he thinks, and he
is motivated to move on and always work on improving himself. My husband and I feel so
blessed that you have guided both Kathleen and Colin and that you and your staff have embraced
them as you would your own children. We just wanted to say thank you. Both children want to be
Grandmasters now and there is no better example than you. With Gratitude, Tonia and Larry Duffy."
(Tonia and Larry Duffy are the proud parents of Kathleen and Colin, who are students at USMA)
"When my son was young he was painfully shy. Being shy myself growing up,
I felt I needed him to overcome this. I enrolled him in USMA, because he aspired
to be a power ranger. There were times I questioned what I was doing, be asked
to quit several times in the beginning. Eight months later his Pre-K teacher asked
me if I would allow him to perform a solo at his Pre-K graduation. I quickly
said 'My son - he would never get up in front of all those people'. Graduation day
came and my shy timid little boy got up and sang and danced his heart out in front
of a few hundred people, tears came to my eyes. Teachers and coaches always come
up to us and state how the Tae Kwon Do has enhanced my sons atheleticism. He is now
a First Dan black belt, he no longer feels the need to be a power ranger but loves
Tae Kwon Do and Jin Chung."
Mrs. Chiaravalloti (Treyden and Tryanni's mother)
"Dear Grandmaster Chung, I am writing you to thank you and let you know what a privilege
it is to be a part of your school. As you know, all my three sons and myself are part
of the school and have enjoyed the experience completely. I have seen an improvement
with my son's attitude, physical abilities and overall outlook on life. Finally there
is something other than video games that I hear them talk and get excited about. It
is a wonderful atmosphere to be around, from the association with fellow students,
instructors and masters. I can truly say there is a family atmosphere and I am proud
to be a part of it. Thank you."
Mr. Adel Jimenez (Mr. Jimenez and his 3 children attend USMA)
"I started martial arts at the Jin Chung's Martial Arts Academy when I was nine because
my parents wanted me to be able to protect myself. I loved learning all the new kicks,
punches, different methods of defense, and uses of weapons that accompanied each new belt,
and in the years, advanced through a myriad of belts. My parents accomplished what they
hoped for me to learn- self-defense- but at the same time, I benefited from the discipline,
respect, and confidence that are also an integral part of martial arts. Throughout my elementary,
middle, and now, high school years, martial arts provided for me a steady source of exercising
as well as stretching. I enjoyed and learned with the time I dedicated to martial arts, and today,
I still continue learning as a second degree black belt."
Shelly Jin (Shelly, 16, is currently an
Assistant Instructor, and is also the founder of the Palm Beach County Youth Performers.)
"Tae Kwon Do has a lot to offer, more than just physical aspects. Personally it cultivated my
focus, perseverance, and discipline, while keeping me in great shape. It always amazes me to see
the effect Tae Kwon Do has on those who come through the doors willing to learn. I have seen
everything from significant weight loss, to unruly children become disciplined and respectful.
This school offers children that discipline in a loving and fun environment. I am honored to
be a part of this school and what it provides its students."
Instructor Christine Fulcher
(Instructor Fulcher's bio can be found in our Staff page.)
"Having spent a career in the Army, confidence came easy carrying an M-4 Carbine. Being a civilian
having to rely on my skills as a martial artist was another matter. With the help of the USMA I have not
only strengthened the courage and confidence I received from military training, but it also served to
become my physical center (yin) to my spiritual center (yang). With this balance in my life I am a new
person with a clearer focus."
(Instructor Leo Lucas is the owner of Renderama, a digital media
company focusing on film, audio, visual effects, and 3d animation.)
"When my wife Kathryn and I tried to think of something constructive for our son to do, we decided it needed
to be challenging, highly interesting and easy for all ages.
We "let our fingers do the walking" through the BellSouth Yellow Pages where we luckily stumbled onto a page listing
Martial Arts schools. Joining a Martial Arts class sounded like it would help bring order and discipline to our
son's life, but there were so many ads to choose from, how would we ever decide what martial arts school was the best,
when nearly every ad looked the same? Every ad except one that is!
The US Martial Arts Academy ad had a photo of some guy flying through the air with his hands and feet extended as if
he were jumping out of the Yellow Pages at us! You can't get more exciting than that we laughed and so we visited the
academy's website at www.usmaacademy.com. What we found convinced my wife and me we were headed in the right direction
and that USMA was the best choice for our 24 year old son.
What really convinced our family to choose USMA was a simple word that we noticed on their website, a word we did not
find in any other martial arts ad. The key word was "FAMILY". What a unique concept, a partnership of Family and Martial
Arts training. So we called USMA and spoke to a very polite young man who identified himself as Nakku Chung. It soon
became clear to us that Nakku (a 5th Dan Black-Belt) possessed excellent telephone and people skills, a rarity in this
day and age of world turmoil and cell-phone mania. He answered every question we asked of him and then he invited us to
visit USMA to watch one of their many weekly classes that are held Monday through Friday starting at 3:30 p.m. (for younger
children) with a new class starting on every half hour right up to the last evening 18 years and up class which starts at 7:30 p.m.
With 25 classes to choose from throughout the entire week it was easy for us to fit a visit into our work schedule.
Rather than watching the 6:30 World News my wife and I took a five minute drive to USMA and walked into their spotless clean lobby.
The class had already begun. It was for students 12 years old an up who held all levels of expertise in martial arts training.
Leading the class was the guy we saw jumping out of the BellSouth Yellow Page ad!
It was none other than Mr. Jin Chung, a 9th Degree "Grandmaster" in Taekwondo and the founder of the US Martial Arts Academy.
The class room (do-jang) was full of people of all ages. Not only could we see the excitement in the classroom (a state-of-the-art
facility rivaling the finest Palm Beach workout gym), we could feel it right through the glass windows of the visitor's lobby.
We noticed Grandmaster Chung paid personal attention to each and every student who responded to his teachings and questions with a
resounding "YES SIR" or "NO SIR". Wow, such politeness is surely a family value we said to each other. The class ended with students
courteously bowing to the Grandmaster as well as to one another, a clear sign of good sportsmanship and mutual respect for one's fellow man.
Smiles and roaring laughter filled the do-jang as Grandmaster Chung dismissed his class. The 7:30 p.m. class was just about to start and
it was nice to see people ranging in age between 18 and 55 walk through the door and say "Hello" to us (I'm 58 and since my wife won't let
me mention her age, all I can safely say is that she's a lot younger than I am).
The night ended and we drove home to tell our son about what we had just witnessed.
To our surprise he said, "Mom and Dad, I'm going to Michigan and I'm not sure if I'm coming back home to Florida any time soon.". As I looked
over to my wife in amazement she had a sparkle in her eye as she said, "How about you and I joining USMA?". It took me about a half a second
to say, "Let's do it". The next afternoon we revisited USMA and met Master Nakku Chung who gave us a personal tour of the training facilities. It
was spotless clean and very modern with signs everywhere reading "Always do your best" etc.
To make a long story short, my wife and I signed up for classes that day and have been dedicated students ever since. We both feel better, we
look better, sleep sounder and have lost weight and a few inches to our beltlines I might add.
So if you are between the ages of 3 or 72 years young and want to change your life in a very positive way, the US Martial Arts Academy is for you.
Everyone learns and exercises at their age appropriate pace, so it's quite easy for anyone to do.
In closing, all my wife and I can say is, sell that Bow-Flex contraption, toss out the old treadmill, cancel your pricey gym membership, forget
about that South Beach diet food stuff you're eating and sign up with USMA where you too can live a more fun-filled, healthier, FAMILY lifestyle."
Vincent Finizio is a former City Manager for the City of Belle Glade and Kathryn Kowall Finizio is a Nurse & Physical Therapy Group Administrator.
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