I keep forgetting to review Han's Martial Arts. I enrolled our kids AND hubby because they take…read morekids, teens and adults. It's actually a fun and affordable gym membership with one on one coaching.
When I first stopped by it looked chaotic because kids were running around playing, the adults were practicing on the mannequins and there wasn't anyone to man the front desk, which was filled with masks, disinfectant, hand sanitizers. We had called ahead and was told that we can stop by and do a week for free as a trial. I wasn't encouraged by the chaos.
When Master Han showed up though, things quickly changed. The noise died down quickly and everyone got into positions with the master and his assistant moving people around. What I came to find out was that this gym used to be a smaller one off Canutillo and he moved it over here to the Westside Covid shut it down for a little bit but all of his loyal clients who have been attending for years stuck with him. It really is a family affair since moms dads brothers and sisters age ranges from 3 years old to 60 go to his classes.
He has 3,1 hour open sessions, starting from 4:30-5:30, 5:30-6:30, 6:30-7:30 pm, with each session getting progressively harder even though it's the with the same moves 5 days a week (weekdays). Testing is on Saturdays. You're welcome to attend any of those sessions and also take more than one if you feel like you need to get more exercise for the day. They're pretty strict with being late because you have to respect each other's times. What I like about it is that if you're late for one session you can stay and attend the next one.
After we saw the class demonstration, the Master invited us within the 5 to 10 minute time frame that he has in between classes to talk to us about his philosophy and what his vision of the gym is, and he invited us to fill out the forms and we could start attending the sessions.
We learned that he and his sister were the number one kickboxing champions or something in the world. He does a combination of martial arts including taekwondo, jujutsu, kickboxing, wing chun, krav maga, etc with an emphasis on defensive reaction, blocking and kicking, and a focus on mastering each move.
What I love is that it's not just a chain where you move up because they want more fees out of you in order to get more belts which we experienced in Houston. You test when you're ready and not before and and on top of that they don't want you to hurt yourself so if you are in pain you take a rest and then you do what you can. He also breaks the class halfway to sanitize hands and get water.
What I also like is that he does the sessions in 30 minutes increments with showing the moves and lots of stretching in the first half. He then does break up groups in which different level skill sets are broken into groups and the more experienced belts help out inexperienced belts, And it doesn't matter the age level, it's a family environment and everyone helps out and encourages each other.
I've seen a boy of six tying my daughter's undone belt because he saw that she was struggling with it, those are the type of values that Master Han instills and the welcoming environment he's created.
He takes a moment while stretching instills nuggets of wisdom like respect your parents/family members, love/hug them, and value the sacrifices that they make in order to get you into this class etc. My son and daughter have embraced these values and have been a lot more conscious of what we do for them as parents and exhibit gratitude and mindfulness towards us. It also helps that my husband gets to participate and have fun with them learning the moves and actually being there enjoying his kids, getting an intensive workout
If you're looking for a great activity for your kids or even yourself, I highly recommend Han's Martial Arts. He staggers pricing with discounts multiples who signs up, fixes pricing for a year so it doesn't change, and works with you if you need to go on vacation or when Covid shutdowns happened; I found the pricing to be very fair. He also gives you a uniform (Gi with belt in red, white, or blue) and a t-shirt. Come out for a trial class and #supportlocal
Han's Martial Arts
(915) 383-5060
6910 N Mesa St Space G, El Paso, TX 79912
https://maps.app.goo.gl/spYsQurWyAoVoxxEA