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Martial arts school encourages fitness, inner strength
  
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By JENNIFER SUMMER
Kicking, defensive throwing and other Hapkido movements along with building strength in character and self-motivation were the main reasons Jeff Abate started Martial Arts Family Fitness.
“I first got involved in Hapkido at 11 and from there, I kept advancing and have now been training for 25 years,” Abate said.
The black belt and master has competed against other teams from all over the world and competed in several national competitions.
Abate recently earned his 6th degree Black Belt certification Oct. 23.
After several attempts, Abate won a competition against the Korean National team and decided to retire from competing.
“I ended up in Florida after I retired and would train every once in a while with my instructor,” Abate said.
“Though I was selling pharmaceuticals and medical equipment at the time, which is how I ended up in Houston, I kept visiting with my instructor and saw how much he was enjoying teaching martial arts, so I opened a school out here.”
Moving to the Humble area in 2006, Abate spied the perfect place for Martial Arts Family Fitness, though it was only vacant for a matter of days until a children’s book store occupied the spot.
“The location was a martial arts school a while ago so the set up was awesome, so I sat on it and thought about it. Then all of a sudden there was a book store there, but I said if it ever became available, I would jump on it,” Abate said.
Unfortunately, the children’s book store went out of business, but this gave Abate and his wife, Loren, a chance to scoop up the location for Martial Arts Family Fitness.
The new Hapkido school, which is a combination of techniques of tae kwon do and Aikido, opened its doors Sept. 2 and has started a variety of new programs to get residents moving.
“We have a lot of different programs that suit a variety of ages from 3 years old to older adults,” Abate added.
Martial Arts Family Fitness offers a little ninja program for children ages 3 to 5, a tiger program for older children up until 8 years old and youth martial arts.
“We do offer a free trial of our youth martial arts class which allows the child see if they are interested in getting involved in martial arts or not,” Abate said.
Besides programs for the youth, the school does also have classes for adults which include kickboxing, Hapkido classes, self-defense classes and an ultimate training program.
The Kickboxers Ultimate Training program, also known as KUT, features six days of classes involving kickboxing training and resistance band training.
“KUT helps people lose weight or get more fit as long as they stick with the workouts and follow guidelines. The program is all encompassing as we help them follow a specific workout plan, check out their diet and help them get healthier and more fit,” Abate said.
Abate teaches most of the classes himself as his wife, Loren, pitches in and teaches most of the kickboxing classes.
Martial Arts Family Fitness provides all students participating in the Hapkido program with lesson books and instructional DVDs while promoting self-confidence, discipline, goal-setting abilities and strength of character.
“I encourage anyone who wants to learn martial arts or get in shape to come and join us,” Abate said.
“Martial Arts has impacted my life in a very positive way and I am excited about the opportunity to share this with others. It is a lot of fun and can shape and mold how one acts and responds to situations in life.”
Martial Arts Family Fitness
1420 FM 1960 East, Suite 119, in Humble
More info
Call 281-441-6233 or visit www.maffhouston.com.
“I first got involved in Hapkido at 11 and from there, I kept advancing and have now been training for 25 years,” Abate said.
The black belt and master has competed against other teams from all over the world and competed in several national competitions.
Abate recently earned his 6th degree Black Belt certification Oct. 23.
After several attempts, Abate won a competition against the Korean National team and decided to retire from competing.
“I ended up in Florida after I retired and would train every once in a while with my instructor,” Abate said.
“Though I was selling pharmaceuticals and medical equipment at the time, which is how I ended up in Houston, I kept visiting with my instructor and saw how much he was enjoying teaching martial arts, so I opened a school out here.”
Moving to the Humble area in 2006, Abate spied the perfect place for Martial Arts Family Fitness, though it was only vacant for a matter of days until a children’s book store occupied the spot.
“The location was a martial arts school a while ago so the set up was awesome, so I sat on it and thought about it. Then all of a sudden there was a book store there, but I said if it ever became available, I would jump on it,” Abate said.
Unfortunately, the children’s book store went out of business, but this gave Abate and his wife, Loren, a chance to scoop up the location for Martial Arts Family Fitness.
The new Hapkido school, which is a combination of techniques of tae kwon do and Aikido, opened its doors Sept. 2 and has started a variety of new programs to get residents moving.
“We have a lot of different programs that suit a variety of ages from 3 years old to older adults,” Abate added.
Martial Arts Family Fitness offers a little ninja program for children ages 3 to 5, a tiger program for older children up until 8 years old and youth martial arts.
“We do offer a free trial of our youth martial arts class which allows the child see if they are interested in getting involved in martial arts or not,” Abate said.
Besides programs for the youth, the school does also have classes for adults which include kickboxing, Hapkido classes, self-defense classes and an ultimate training program.
The Kickboxers Ultimate Training program, also known as KUT, features six days of classes involving kickboxing training and resistance band training.
“KUT helps people lose weight or get more fit as long as they stick with the workouts and follow guidelines. The program is all encompassing as we help them follow a specific workout plan, check out their diet and help them get healthier and more fit,” Abate said.
Abate teaches most of the classes himself as his wife, Loren, pitches in and teaches most of the kickboxing classes.
Martial Arts Family Fitness provides all students participating in the Hapkido program with lesson books and instructional DVDs while promoting self-confidence, discipline, goal-setting abilities and strength of character.
“I encourage anyone who wants to learn martial arts or get in shape to come and join us,” Abate said.
“Martial Arts has impacted my life in a very positive way and I am excited about the opportunity to share this with others. It is a lot of fun and can shape and mold how one acts and responds to situations in life.”
Martial Arts Family Fitness
1420 FM 1960 East, Suite 119, in Humble
More info
Call 281-441-6233 or visit www.maffhouston.com.
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