"My son Johnnie began Taekwondo in 2006. My other son Jacob & I watched from the benches. After a couple of months, Jacob & I were listening to Mrs Jackson and Jacob began copying what the students were doing on the mats.
A new world opened up for Jacob.
See - Jacob has Cerebral Palsy.
Martial Arts has given Jacob the inspiration, the motivation, the desire, the reason and the Way to do a lot of that hard, sweaty work. And not just Jacob, but also for our family.
We signed Jacob up at Coppell ATA/AMA just before he turned 4 in Jan 2007. When we did, Jacob said "I will be a Black Belt. I will be a World Champion."
Today in Sept 2009, Jacob is not a Black Belt... yet. Jacob is not a world champion...yet. However, Jacob IS the Texas State Champion in Forms, Weapons, and Sparring. He is on his way to accomplishing all of his goals.
The instructors at Coppell ATA/AMA have been with Jacob along his journey and they have been a wonderful part of his life."
- father of Jacob, 2009 Texas State Champion in Forms, Sparring, and Weapons. (7&under color belt; physical special abilities ring)
" In the fall of 2006 my daughter, Andrea, had been asking me for months to find a martial arts school for her. I was hesitant on two accounts…1) Andrea has Down syndrome, and 2) we had tried a school once before for her when she was 8 years old, but she really didn’t seem to do well and it just didn’t work out.
With Christmas soon approaching, I decided to stop by Coppell ATA and see what they thought. I met with Mrs. Jackson and explained not only how I would like for Andrea to try this, but also some of my concerns. Mrs. Jackson and I decided to give it a try to see how it would work out and I signed Andrea, who was now 13, up for the Juniors class starting in January. I took the uniform home and wrapped it up as a Christmas present and then waited until the big day.
The delight in Andrea’s eyes upon opening the box with her uniform was incredible. She was so excited and wanted to go to the taekwondo school that very day! Andrea started classes in January and loved them so much that we found ourselves going four times a week. Andrea progressed through the ranks and in March 2009 became a black belt, breaking a board with her foot and another board with her hand.
From the very first class Andrea attended, I knew that we had found the right school for her. The instructors at the school are all incredible and hold Andrea to a high standard. They look at her a student, not as someone with a disability that won’t be able to understand. They expect her to succeed and to learn…and she does!
There are so many great things I can say about this school. Andrea’s overall physical abilities have improved so much so that everyone noticed within the first three months what a better soccer player and swimmer she had become. Her memory improved as she worked hard on her forms and moves. Her confidence improved also as she earned new belts. She recognized that being mindful and respectful of her parents and other adults is an important tool to learning. Andrea also learned about responsibility and how to keep track of her schedule so as to not miss a class. Even her vocabulary has grown with words like “perseverance”, “goals”, and “loyalty”.
This school is more than just taekwondo classes. It has become a way of life for Andrea that will continue through the years."
- mother of Andrea, 1st degree black belt.
Coppell AMA
120 South Denton Tap Road Suit # 460
Coppell, Texas 75019
(972) 462-7807
admin@coppellama.com
