Mother's Day Workout

On Friday, May 8th, we had our first Mother's Day workout here at ATA West Chester. We had many students, moms, and even grandmothers come to the class. The students, moms, and grandmas did basic techniques and self-defense, held targets for one another, and even had the chance to put together the first four techniques of Songahm 1!! Some of the moms and grandmas can kick really high! We were very impressed.

A few of the moms and grandmas are attending regular class this week. All month of May any ATA mom can train for free in any beginner class! We look forward to seeing some new white belts in class. It is great to train with your family!!

We will see you at the next event, our open house, this Saturday, May 16th from 12PM-4PM. We will have many exciting classes and free WaWa food! We cannot wait!

Celebrating the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle's 25th Year Anniversary!

This past Saturday Mr. Jouan , Miss Boulden, fellow instructors from Region 110A, and a few students went to Citizen's Bank Park before the Phillies game(Go Phillies!) to help build excitement for the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle's 25th Year Anniversary! Michaelangelo, Raphael, Donnatello, & Leonardo were all there posing for pictures. They also brought their party bus which served as a free mobile museum. The turtles are bringing themselves and the party bus to many other major US cities. The next stop on their tour will be in Detroit.

ATA & the Turtles had a great time doing many demonstrations to get the crowd fired up before the game. We gave out many free goodies including comic books, buttons, and masks. The turtles even made an appearance on the field too before the game started! How cool! Cowabunga!
For more information about the turtle's mobile tour or for more pictures, please visit www.ataonline.com/tmnt!

Regional Tournament in New Jersey

This past Saturday 10 students competed in a Regional Tournament in Lincroft, NJ. Each student did a fantastic job and went home with a trophy! We are so proud of our West Chester ATA students for trying something new and challenging themselves in their martial arts training. Tournaments are a great way to build confidence as well as measure the quality of technique and skill. We hope all of the students are excited to support the next tournament in July, and then Master Stewart's tournament in September. Let's bring home some hardware!

Sparring Seminar

Monday, April 6th was our first ever Sparring Seminar at ATA Martial Arts of West Chester. We were very lucky to have 4th degree black belt special guest from ATA Long Island, Miss Michele Boulden. Miss Michele Boulden, who is also Miss Maria Boulden's sister, did many beginner sparring drills with the students who have the ATA safety gear. The students worked on footwork, blocking and countering. Everyone worked out non-stop for the entire hour and it is safe to say that all in attendance worked up a good sweat! We know we will have some Pennsylvania State Sparring Champions in the next couple of years!

Bring-A-Buddy Break-A-Board

This past Saturday, March 21st, was our Bring-A-Buddy Break-A-Board event. It was a total blast. We had over 40 buddies in attendance. We practiced palm heels, elbows, front kicks, and side kicks. Everyone broke their boards and even got the instructors to sign them afterwards so that they may have them as a keepsake. Breaking your first wood board is a memorable milestone in your martial arts training. We are very excited to share that with the students of ATA West Chester and their buddies.

If any of the students and/or their buddies would like for us to come to their classroom for a Show & Tell about their board breaking experience, we would be more than honored to do so. We can even let you break a board right in front of your classmates! Be sure to stay tuned for our next event...

Our First Belt Promotion

Saturday, February 28th was our very first belt promotions! We promoted 25 students to orange belt. We had 6 Tiny Tigers, 13 Juniors, & 6 Adults. Mr. Jason Morgan from the Elkton, Maryland school was there helping out the Tiny Tiger testing and cheering on his 5 year old cousin who tested for her orange belt. Also, our very special guest, Master Doug Stewart, our instructor, was there to help judge the Juniors & Adults. The students were very excited to see him! Everyone had a great performance and we heard nothing but good things from parents and families who were in attendance. We are also grateful for our sponsorship and support from First National Bank and Lorgus Flower Shop. Our event was a success!

Valentine's Day Parent's Night Out

Saturday, February 14th was our first Parent's Night Out. It was such a success! We had 15 children arrive at 5:00PM and stay until 9:00PM. We worked out, played games, ate pizza, watched Kung-Fu Panda, and so much more. Everyone's favorite part was at the end of the night when we did Paper Breaks. That is when we used our martial arts techniques that we had practiced all night to break paper. Many of the kids were very surprised with their ability and power! We cannot wait for the next Parent's Night Out when we celebrate the end of the school year.