About Us

 

Grand Master Philip Ameris Cho’s Taekwondo Center is a truly unique training facility combining the Traditional Values of the Martial Arts with a Realistic Self Defense Fighting System.  Established in 1977, our Dojang (School) has been proudly serving the community for nearly 4 decades. 

 

At Cho’s Taekwondo, our approach is simple.   Nothing good comes without hard work.  Our classes are both mentally and physically challenging for children and adults.  As a student, you will receive high level instruction in an open minded family atmosphere and state of the art facility. 

 

Dojang
Our Dojang is a 5,000 square foot facility located in New Kensington, PA.  For over 30 years, Grand Master Ameris has served his hometown community with pride and has spread the traditions of the Martial Arts throughout the AK Valley. 
Our school is fully matted and equipped with nearly two dozen heavy bags, free weights, suspension and body weight training equipment, as well as all the necessities for traditional martial arts hand conditioning and body hardening.

 

Click Here to View a Virtual Tour of Our Dojang

 

What Makes Cho’s Taekwondo Different?
There are thousands of different martial arts systems and styles. Each one has a place and a benefit. There is no one style or system that is greater than the others. The individual martial artist’s training, dedication, discipline, and commitment is what determines one’s success. Here at Cho’s Tae Kwon Do we offer to all our students a straight-forward, no-nonsense approach to achieving your martial arts goals. There are no gimmicks or sales pitches. We are from the old school, where what you put into something is what you will get out of it. We do not promise that the training will be easy.   On the contrary, it will be challenging and push you to develop a non-quitting spirit that enables you to excel in any aspect of daily life.

 

Classes are held for children and adults.  Each student will benefit from the exercises that will increase flexibility and coordination, strengthening literally every part of your body - giving the student what is known as “functional strength mobility”. You may not look like a body builder, but you will be fit and lean and have immense endurance. This is possible for everyone.

 

There are no mystical secrets to Martial Arts – all that it requires is commitment and dedication. As Grand Master Hee Il Cho, the founder of AIMAA states, ‘View your training as one drop of water hitting a rock over time. That one drop of water will penetrate the hardest rock or stone.” Consistency, hard work, and old school work ethics are your building blocks to success.

 

Learn Realistic Self Defense
Today in our society it is a pre-requisite to be able to protect ourselves, families, and our country. Our self-defense program, like all our classes, is a straightforward approach with no Hollywood moves or showmanship.

 

We do what works, plain and simple. We are not hung up on using a lot of different names to sell our program. It has been tested by police, the military, and in real street altercations. If you need to kick to defend yourself, you will know how and where to strike. If you have to punch, you will be well prepared to deliver a quick knockout blow. If you have to throw or take down your assailant, you will have all the tools necessary for this range of fighting. And if you are taken to the ground, you will be prepared to defend yourself by submitting your attacker from every position.

 

In our self-defense curriculum, we address the importance of mind-set, reaction under pressure, and relaxed aggression – the mental components that must be adhered to for total self-defense protection. Do not be fooled, a real street attack has no rules and regulations; there are no pre-set moves. You must be able to react fast and effectively to survive. You cannot defend yourself “in 3 easy lessons.”

 

Traditional Teaching Methods
True Martial Arts are for total self-improvement. Real martial artists strive to train the body and mind, and build a non-quitting spirit that will have a positive metaphor on their daily lives. All of our students are required to conform to a strict Code of Conduct in relation to their martial arts education. They will learn a moral responsibility for the skills they develop and will only use them in defense and never for aggression or hostility. Students are also taught that the two main elements of our teaching are Respect and Discipline.

 

Respect everyone and everything. Appreciate everything and every experience. Discipline to do what is right, no matter what. We at Cho’s Tae Kwon Do feel that without the strong, strict disciplinary Code of Conduct of traditional Martial Arts that students are only learning to be violent and that are not a value to society. True Martial Arts teaches self-confidence, health, and a disciplined lifestyle, avoiding negative behavior.

 

Lead by Example
The best way to learn is from example.   All of our instructors, from master instructor down to the 1st degree black belt candidates train. You will see our Black Belts teaching classes and training right beside you. They will not ask you to do something that they are not doing. They will be there running the hills, kicking the pads, and doing their forms with you right next to you. Respect for the high belts in our school is paramount because they earned it. No one rests on his or her laurels. We have world and national champions who train daily at our Dojang and all students are required to keep training consistently.

 

If you are interested in buying your belts and not earning them through hard work and years of dedication, it would be best if you went elsewhere to train. If you are interested in the latest Martial Arts fad, we may not be what you are looking for.  But if you are willing to make a commitment and do your best, our teaching methods are guaranteed. There are no shortcuts to learning martial arts, as anything of value takes time. Learning the martial arts is no different.