Suncoast Tang Soo Do

8351 State Road 54, New Port Richey, FL 34655 - Ph.727-232-0177


	Suncoast Tang Soo Do is a certified studio of the World Tang Soo Do Association specializing in the Korean style martial art of Tang Soo Do. Our school consists of adults, children and families from ages four and up. Our members are dedicated to raising the standard of excellence in our training and our lives each and every day. Our school is built on the traditional principles of hard work, goal setting and self-discipline. Through our training, we strive to build strong and healthy minds, bodies and spirits. We offer FREE karate classes to anyone who may be looking for a school such as ours. Come join us in this journey to improve ourselves and the world around us.


	To assist individuals in reaching personal levels of achievement and health through the consistent practice of the martial arts To offer technically strong, well-rounded martial arts training. To develop improved physical conditioning, flexibility and coordination skills. To provide adults and children a healthy and fun atmosphere to relieve daily stress. To develop self-confidence through achievement and goal setting. To develop the self-discipline and concentration skills needed to reach individual goals. To develop self-respect for ourselves and others. To develop confidence through the practice of self-defense skills.


	Our Chief Instructor, Carole Yoder, has been with the World Tang Soo Do Association since 1995. Her strengths include technical excellence and tournament and test preparation. Mrs. Yoder has proven these strengths through her accomplishments at the Regional and World Championship levels. As a mother of two young boys, Mrs. Yoder also appreciates the needs of children. Suncoast Tang Soo Do offers children and youth programs which are catered to specific ages and offer the balance of an organized, consistent and fun activity. These classes also teach life skills such as discipline, respect for others, confidence, focus and exercise. Mrs. Yoder is also enthusiastic about training more women, teenagers and up, in the martial arts. Not only can women learn self-defense, but they can apply many other lessons from Tang Soo Do in their everyday lives, such as self-confidence, self-discipline, stress relief and self-respect.


	Tang Soo Do is a Korean martial art which teaches empty hand and foot fighting, fighting forms, self-defense, and weapons. Tang Soo Do also teaches people to live a healthy and harmonious life. This ancient martial art traces its lineage back 2,000 years to the Korean peninsula. As a member studio of the World Tang Soo Do Association, we train for self-defense using these traditional techniques and ideals, but also enjoy the benefits as described by Grandmaster Jae C. Shin. “In today's society, there is no doubt that martial arts training is on the rise and that people are becoming more interested in learning self-defense skills. Tang Soo Do is an extremely effective method of self-defense. But there are many other reasons why men, women and children from all walks of life have taken up Tang Soo Do training. This ancient form of martial art is known for having the most effective training methods for self-discipline, self-confidence, physical fitness, stress management and the ultimate form of self-defense techniques. We are proud to announce that 35% of our total membership (of the World Tang Soo Do Association) includes women, children and older adult students. Our students range in age from 4 years old to 78 years old. Whatever brings each of us to Tang Soo Do, we all set goals in our training; BLACK BELT or MASTER. But, belts only symbolize the goal; they are not the goal itself. The real value of Tang Soo Do is not the belt you earn, but the changes that occur within you, in your quest for them. These changes include the betterment of your mind, body and spirit and the development of individual character and respect for others. The true goal of Tang Soo Do training is to use the lessons you learn in the studio to enrich every part of your life.” As members of a large and reputable martial arts organization, The World Tang Soo Do Association, our standards and rankings remain stable and unchanged. Belt rankings from Suncoast Tang Soo Do are accepted in over 500 studios, located in 36 countries. We enjoy the camaraderie of our fellow students on many levels – some of the favorite events include Regional Championships, held annually, and the WTSDA World Championships, held every two years in locations across the United States. Tang Soo Do specifically is not a sport and its primary goal is not competition. However, it does lend itself well to combative situations. Being a well-balanced style, Tang Soo Do offers a wide array of kicks, hand strikes, and stances representative of hard styles as well as softer stances and more fluid motions that are indicative of the softer styles. It derives its hardness from Soo Bahk Do and its soft flowing movements from the Northern Chinese systems. Its kicking techniques, for which Tang Soo Do is unsurpassed, are based on Soo Bahk Do. Both of which can easily be recognized in the forms that are practiced within the style. Tang Soo Do competitions do not allow contact. When one looks at injuries occurring in other contact sports it becomes clear that Tang Soo Do is actually a very safe activity. Qualities like sportsmanship, mutual respect for each other and personal discipline ensure that practitioners compete in the healthiest environment possible. After all, the purpose of Tang Soo Do training is not for fighting, but to perfect techniques that will enhance one's total self. If the occasion arises when one must defend oneself, of equal importance is the development of the proper spirit to supplement the physical skills that are attained.