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My son was a student at this school for 5+ years. The school was initially named UMAC-United Martial Arts Centers. At first the school was run in an excellent manner. When the owner Joseph Preira married his now wife Stephanie it all went down hill from there. He became cocky and decided after receiving all his teachings from his own Master and despite knowing that in order to grow within Tae Kwon Do you have to continuously learn, he decided to branch out on his own feeling he no longer needed to be affliliated with UMAC and thus created SMA. Shortly thereafter, things started to go down hill. What put the icing on this cake was that in February 2009, my son and two other students were joking around with an employee instructor named Weinman. He proceeded to show pictures of his girlfriend to the kids. The kids began teasing him about his girlfriend and instructor Weinman became angry and threatened my son (who is only 11 years old) that he the tease was repreated, he would hit my son. My son repeated the tease and the instructor punched my son in the stomach. My son retreated away from the instructor. When my son came home from this school that evening, he proceeded to tell me what happened. I awaited a call from the owne to apprise me of the situation that had transpired. No call came in. I called the school and was advised that the owner was busy and he would call me back. He never did/ The next day, I awaited a call and never received one. I emailed the owner and warned that if I did not get a call, I would have no choice but to get the Police involved. I figured he would call me. Joseph Preira never called. Instead, my husband called him and he became verbally abusive towards my husband claiming it wasn't a big deal and when my husband reminded him that our son was 11 and the instructor was an adult, Preira interrupted and reiterated that it was not a big deal. My husband and I went to speak with him in person only to find him there with his wife and other person. They became argumentative and could not understand the seriousness of this situation. We tried to reason with Preira but all he did was chuckle and laugh and turned a passive situation into a verbal combat. Preira stated that he would be keeping the instructor on staff despite being aware of his history angry outbursts and physical attack against our son. He instead decided to withdraw my son without reason or merit. The Police arrested the instructor and had to convince Preira as to the severity of what had transpired at his school. He still couldn't see it. Currently, that same instructor is employed at the school with other little children being exposed to this individual and the parents have no clue as to what happened. I am warning all parents to keep their kids away from there. Luckily, my son was not seriously hurt. However, my son now wants nothing to do with Tae Kwon Do (after having attained his first degree black). belt as a direct result of this traumatizing experience. If you have to convince the owner of the school as to the reasons why he should not have a hostile, angry instructor around little kids and why his actions were wrong, then this owner should not be in business and should be shut down. UMAC of Warwick is a much better choice because they are family owned and run and they have accreditation and continuous teachings. SMA does not. A child will only learn to the capacity that Preira is because he has lost all business contacts with the federation because of this tactics and he has been cut off by his Master. I can be contacted at wanda.a.[protected]@gmail if you need further info regarding this situation. FYI: The instructor was charged and fined by the Judge in Woodbury Court. This is of public record in the Orange County, New York Court.
Too bad that you feel this way. Obviously, YOUR parents did not teach you anything at all. Funny how people try to take advantage of children and that a 19 year old adult has to resort to punching a kid in the stomach. My son did not deserve this however, the hefty fine the instructor got, the handcuffs and the entire arrest that's on his record now and the scare he got from the Police, not to mention the poor reputation the school received because many in the area know what happened is more than a satisfying reward for us...Like I said: Luckily my son wasn't hurt...and perhaps it is YOU who needs disciplining if you have to hide behind a screen name to post these types of ignorant posts.
He got punch by an instructor who was an adult and he a child...adults have no right to put hands on children---period! We are great parents and will not have to prove that you ...he's a black belt yes and did not use hs skills to hurt anyone which is contrary to what the INSTRUCTOR DID! Use your common sense in judging the situation...the POLICE agreed and arrested him. This is a crime and constitutes harrassment. I dont know what neck of the woods you're from but in mine, you hit a kid and its wrong-plain and simple and my son was NOT BULLYING OR TAUNTING...he was part of a group of 3 kids teasing the instructor who is 19 years old showing pics of his girlfriend to 10-12 year olds. Look at the entire picture and tell me what YOU would have done in this situation...Most parents would have kicked the instructor's ###...he's lucky he did not hurt my son.
Csandz:
Your the only arrogant fool who corrolates joking with bullying and picking a fight! Do you not know how to read? Were you ever 11? Obviousy too old to remember what is was to be 11 years old or probably 3 and still wet behind the ears...obviously you know nothing about martial because if you did, you'd know it is not to be used for violence and as far as being good parents we taught our son well to walk away from such a situation because another person would have wooped the instructor's a**
No need for name calling on a forum meant to help other consumers avoid similar experiences and the only reason I resorted to it is because YOU DID.
Trevor I appreciate your support...my son is by no means an angel but this attack was uncalled for and he wasn't taunting or bullying anyone...it was a person he looked up to as a mentor in a teaching environment...I am sure the "instructor" if he even deserves to be called that learned his lesson.
Zachary: I'm so sorry that happened to you...take care.
The only people who have a right to discipline any child is the parent! WTF you or anyone thinks they are to be putting hands on other people's kids?! Jason is probably one of those grown men out there with not enough b*lls to step to man their own size so they resort to picking on little kids...without scrupples!
well you shouldn't be saying that anybody deserves to be hit...at 17 you should know better...but if a 17 year put his hands on my son, my son would defend himself with no problem. Jason...when you become an adult and a parent, perhaps you will understand. You still wet behind the ears.
wow and that means you have HUGE B*LLS...such a fool...Karate is not Tae Kwon Do..isn't it past your bedtime?
Again this was not in the course of training or teaching. This was in the course of recreational time. He has NO RIGHT to punch a child in the stomach...PERIOD! The punch was full force and the POLICE agreed. Martial Arts training shows control, discipline and character all traits this instructor lacked and as a mentor to the younger students, he should not reacted to a tease from 3 kids regarding his girlfriend which quite frankly, he has no business sharing pics of her with the kids. They aren't there for that.
Respect is something that's earned and not granted without earning it. I don't care what realm its in. Hitting is not a way to get anyone to respect you especially if you Punch them in the stomach and their a minor and you're an adult. That would be considered bullying someone smaller than you and Tae Kwon Do does not teach this.
well, the other kids kept on and this was an ongoing joke between the instructor who was a newly appointed mentor and intructor and the kids. We can agree to disagree but I for one would never put my hands on a child, and I too, am a black belt.
Honestly, I don't know why he singled out my son..apparently, my son was the closest one out of the 3 kids...the kids said it could have been any one of them...its was an angry reaction that he acted out...I later found out he has aggression issues.
complain265's opinions does not matter here because she is a direct result of what happens when you load yourself with fast foods day and night and why kids get taken away from fat a**holes like this. Further, she is a racist and I would hate to see what happens to her when she bumps into someone who will show her exactly what words like hers deserve. I wish I could be a fly on the wall when this happens. As for you telling me I can't say anything, when you grow the courage to face people in person and say the things you say, then perhaps I will entertain your stupidity but until then...you are just a waste of life and need to go refill your prescription for Xanax and Lexapro. Toodles!
Jason:My son told the initial story but as a parent who recalls being 11, I verified it with the other kids in the class. The story was exactly the way told to me by my son. if this was an act of discipline and not an outright attack, the instructor and owner should have presented the situation as such and not as unprofessionally as they did. Like I said, the police also agreed what took place here was wrong. For those who agree that the instructor's behavior was acceptable, I pray you never have anything like this happen to you.
For those who benefit from being forewarned about places and incidents like this which is what this FORUM is SUPPOSE to be for, I am glad I was able to provide insight before something worse could happen.
I won't be returning to this site again since I see there are some immature kids as well as adults here and I have no time for foolish jargon.
To Jason: Thank you for admitting you are the one with foolish jargon and immature ways but no sweety, don't give yourself so much credence. Obviously, you know what kind of nuisance you are so I won't go into giving you anymore attention.
Takumi: I did not punish my son for joking with the instructor about the instructor's girlfriend. You ask if I punished him and if you hinting that if I hit him because of this, absoulutely NOT! I spoke with him about it in great detail and my son knows that his behavior is not consistent with the teachings he's learned at home and at the school. He also is aware that perhaps his joking may have hurt the instructor's feelings and thereby instead of the instructor addressing the behavior in another manner with the 3 KIDS, not just one, he chose to use physical abuse which is inconsistent with Tae Kwon Do's purpose. Further, my son wears his black belt proudly because he did earn it with hard sweat, discipline, perserverance and dedication. My son cannot be compared to an adult who is there to be an example and mentor to these CHILDREN...do I need to reiterate that this was an adult hitting a child?! My son is 11...and he earned his black belt which this inicident DOES not take away from. Had HE been the one hitting, then I would agree with your statement that he isn't "mature enough" to hold a black belt but I completely disagree that he is immature to hold it.
When you are in the area of teaching children, be that in school or any type of forum, you have to take on certain responsiblities that come along with that and HITTING a child is not part of that equation...PERIOD. I don't CARE how severe the situation is. An adult has NOT right putting hands on a minor. There are other ways to handle situations and we are suppose to set the example. To the contrary shows a lack of good upbringing on the part of the adult and lack of good common sense not to mention lack of self control.
Kuehnau:
My advice to you is that in the future you take the time to read the entire post before you throw your 2 cents into the mix.
Just to clear it up a few things for you:
There was no fight, no bullying.
My son was dealt with by his PARENTS accordingly.
The joke was an ongoing joke started by the instructor himself when he began showing off pics of his girlfriend to the kids in the class.
The instructor was being PAID to supervise the kids and serve as a mentor, and teacher. Obviously, he is neither.
As for you implying that hitting is okay in a Tae Kwon Do class, if its during the exercise drills and practices, performances etc. and under the direction of the Master, it is acceptable. ANY OTHER FORM OF VIOLENCE IS NOT CONDONED IN THAT REALM NOR IN THE CIVILIAN REALM. Its obvious you know little about Martial Arts.
As for this being an ignorant adult and not an angry gang member, my son was in an educational environment and not in a gang environment. My son was mature enough to walk away from a hostile environment. He could have defended himself and CHOSE NOT TO. Can't say the same for the instructor now can we?
The Police, DA and Judge agreed with us so I am very confident that we did the right thing. If you don't agree, well...take it up with the them.
I just wish the instructor had taken this action on me or my husband. That way, he would have gotten what he truly deserved.
Kuehnau? Is that what they teach you in your neck of the woods (Wisconsin)? Such vulagarities? Did I touch a nerve? My goodness...the name calling you're doing doesn't even deserve addressing. People like you hide behind PC walls to attempt to show their valor.
They would never say those things to someone in their face because the one getting hit in the invisible nut sack may be you (of course, you're not THAT stupid!).
Next time, don't skip your meds.
haha...what's REAL FUNNY is that you think you are upsetting people...AGAIN...please refill your MEDS...you need them =)
The complaint has been investigated and resolved to the customer’s satisfaction.
Sexual harassment is unacceptable in Taekwondo. I was a new blue belt in 1992 and the head instructor a 4th degree black belt decided that he was not only going to violate my person boundaries but demolish them. I was basically held hostage for 14 1/2 hours by a 4th degree that used his position and belt to gain unauthorized entry. My date ask how he got in, offered his father to give him a ride; however, the 4th degree refused to leave. My date and I hide in his room all night. The 4th degree had a grandiose attitude and felt superior to my date a brown belt and me. The forth degree black belt is now a 7th degree black belt, has been married over 13 years; however, continues to relentlessly harass me. I tested for my 3rd dan October20, I fought 3 of his male fighter, all half my age. The 4 fight, male, late 20s, 6'3" 210lbs. I am age 55 5'3" 135lbs. I injured a preexisting degenerative neck disease, shattered right big toe, frontal lobe concussion, PTSD trigger with disassociation, retrograde amnesia, memory lose, cognative impairment, emotional outburst, and fuzzy thinking. All the injures came form my last fight. I cried in the final test line, 2 days later at the belt ceremony, I cried, my foot, neck and shoulders where in pain, I looked down at the floor, my eyes were all puffy and my ears were ringing and I became very anxious so I did not want to be in a picture and wanted to go home. My 6th degree master stated that I desecrated the sacred ceremony. I was kicked out of my school, the entire league I have competed in for 26 years and any school who has affiliation with 7th degree. I was just informed that I did not pass my test and get my 3rd dan certificate. I kept this harassment by the 7th degree quite for 26 years. I wanted to test and wanted the drama to stop. Ladies watch out the good old boy network work together and you will be the one discarded out the door with a brain injury, shattered toe, future damage to a preexisting neck disease. Additionally, they will take what you worked so hard to accomplish my 3rd Certificate. Is the entire black belt men populations the true definition of narcissists. I guess so. They should be so proud. The worse part is that I had to put up with the harassment by the 7th degree for 26 years. Ladies, the 7th degree is ugly on the inside and unattractive on the outside. What do you do? Insecure man who have been no where, will never go anywhere, and have no idea.
no matter the situation the instructor should have never touched the kid im a 4th degree certified instructor and a boxing couch for 1 the instructor is a jerk 2 self control was lacking 3 why is he sharing his personal life with children 4 if the child was asked to quit and continued push ups are a great for kids to learn respect 5 why does that instructor not teach these basic values 6 the most important the kids 11 if i was the kids dad id be proud of the actions that were taken hes an awesome dad and he is a great person thumbs up to him for being better than the jerk that hit his son but me on the other hand the first time i called and no answer i would have showed up drug him out on the mat and showed him how it feels to be humiliated by someone much bigger
BTW I talked to the admin because I suspected that Hanshi and meandyou2 are the same person and they told me that they were (or at least they have the same IP address.)
I don't know this child myself, however you don't strike a child no matter how much of a smartass he is. Also the way he handled it was obviously not proper. However this is not the first time that this instructor struck a child, nor has it been the first time he was charged.
That other person posting under the original poster not the same person as the one who wrote the part about him shaking the baby. It was obvious written by someone who wants to make her look foolish(maybe the instructor himself, ) or someone trying to get your attention. Or maybe one of you wrote it to make her look bad. But if you click on the person who commented about her shaking the baby, and the person who wrote this letter she is not the same person(unless she created another account with the same username)
Gracie Barra jiu jitsu for life...don't waiste your time. You are dealing with a loser. Believe me, I met this woman and she is a total basket case. Her son's master instructor should have dumped the kid years ago because he was a disruptive little brat but he felt bad about the kid's family situation and home life so he kept the kid as a student and tried to help him. So much for trying to do a good deed...
Funny, I just saw Lucas (Master Preira's son) two weeks ago and he was running around playing in his office. Paralyzed?! Wow, all these posts just to entertain a looney tune.
The only sad thing about all this is you pressed charges on a kid you put your's in his place.
20 years from now please remember that YOU are the reason why your son grew into a worthless loser.
WOW What a friggen’ liar. Ms. Schizophrenic's last post really proves that she is, in fact, schizophrenic. I know the Preira's personally and their “baby" is NOT paralyzed. The husband NEVER shook him. In fact, they are STILL married. And they have since had a second child. At this point, everyone should know what a friggen’ psycho and schizophrenic (in her own words) she really is. That she could even concoct a story of this caliber is really disturbing. That she would NEED to make up such a thing to get people on her side is unnerving. I feel bad for her and so should all of you. Holy Crap. I can’t believe I just read that…
AGAIN GET YOUR KIDS OUT OF TAE KWON DO, THE INSTRUCTORS AT TAE KWON DO SCHOOLS BEAT UP CHILDREN CAUSE IF THEY WENT TO A REAL MARTIAL ARTS GYM THAT TRAINS IN MUAY THAI KICKBOXING, AMERICAN KICKBOXING, CHINESE KICKBOXING, KARATE OR ANY OTHER MARTIAL ARTS GYM THAT DOESNT TRAIN IN TAE KWON DO, THEN THEY WOULD GET KNOCKED OUT COLD AND NEVER WANT TO GET INVOLVED IN MARTIAL ARTS EVER AGAIN. BRUCE LEE WAS CONSIDERED ONE OF THE BEST FIGHTERS IN THE WORLD AND WAS AHEAD OF HIS TIME IN MARTIAL ARTS TRAINING PROVING HIS METHODS OVER AND OVER AGAIN IN STREET FIGHTS AND IN THE RING AND COMBINED MANY SYSTEMS TO ADAPT HIS OWN STYLE. OF ALL THE STYLES HE STUDIED, WING CHUN, AMERICAN BOXING, WRESTLING, SAVAT, JIU JITSU, KARATE, JUDO, AIKIDO, HABKIDO, ESKRIMA/SILAT MUAY THAI KICKBOXING, AND FENCING, HE NEVER INCORPORATED NOR STUDIED TAE KWON DO. My son trains started Jiu Jitsu a year ago, and an older kid in our neighborhood that had gone to a tae kwon do gym for 3 years, started a fight with my son while the kids played basketball at the park and my son came home and told me he backed down cause he didnt want me to get mad at him, and I said I know you dont want to get in trouble, but if he starts a fight with you again then you shoot a double leg take him down armbar him and try to break his arm. Well the next day sure enough the kid from the tae kwon do gym tried to push my son around and my son did exactly what I told him to do and he said the kid was crying and screaming. My son did not break his arm, however I was told by my son and his friends that the kid came to school with his arm in a sling, He apologized to my son and his parents pulled him out of tae kwon do and have enrolled him at Gracie Barra Brazilian Jiu jitsu where we train. He will begin training in a week or two after his sprained elbow has recovered.
Okay for all those that think the instructor was in the right and think that my son deserved this I have something to tell you.
This so called instructor is not being charged with child abuse. He has a 12 month old son. His wife left him alone with the infant while going to work. The baby like all any babies was crying. The instructor got so angry that he shook the baby. Now the baby is paralized and may be develmentally delayed. Also his wife wants to divorce him because he was physically abusive towards her. She has gotton a black eye for him. She stayed with him until he shook his baby. What a good role model for our children. What a good instructor. I bet all those who supported him think that the infant got what was coming to him because he was crying as all babies do.
He really has anger issues and I am not the only parent that complained about this. He also slapped a ten year old across the face because the boy in the same day was late and did not preform well.
I would have to agree with the fact that the instructor had no right to strike your son however I doubt very seriously that it did any real damage and it’s not like your son was never hit before. Your son needs to learn how to respect authority because I practice Taekwondo at a university and if I ever made jokes about my instructor’s wife I am more than certain he would put me back in my place. Also if your son is a Black belt then he should be able to take a punch or kick from any person. Your son will grow up to be a spoiled little brat and you will only have yourself to blame if you don't let him take care of his own problems. In this case he should have taken what he had coming and then apologized to the instructor and went forward from there. Instead mommy's little baby boy went home and cried and got away with being a generally bad student. If he was learning ITF Taekwondo he would have been removed for the comment alone.
Also don't bring your problems to the internet and learn to teach your child some manners.
I agree with Gbbjj. Although tae kwon do is an olympic sport um soo what the olympics is for two weeks. They wear a body protector on their waist with dots as targets to hit. It looks like a sparring match. Wrestling and Judo are also olympic sports. Although Mixed Martial Arts cagefighting is not an olympic sport is also the biggest martial arts sport in the world even more soo than Olympic tae kwon do. Cagefighitng is a sport just as tae kwon do in the olympics are but the rules are much more lenient and cagefighting is not as dangerous as boxing. Jiu Jitsu and grappling tournaments such as the world championships NAGA (North American Grappling Association) Grapplers Quest and worlwide tournaments, it is the next largest sport martial arts to cagefighting. In all my years of going to cagefights and competing in tournaments I have yet to run into a competitor that claims to be belted in a tae kwon do system. Bushidokan master Jim Harrison teaches a very effective system of martial arts for street and competition. Google Bushidokan grandmaster Jim harrison. I have trained in martial arts including Judo, Jiu Jitsu classical Japanese and Brazilian, Wing Chun, Shotokan Karate (Loyota Machida is a shotokan black belt) muay thai, and kali eskrima fighting. Sifu Phil Romero trained under master hawkins which is direct lineage from bruce lee s first teacher Yip Man. Although this man does not look like he could harm a fly, he is one of the deadliest men I know in the art of Wing Chun. It took him more than 25 Years of his life to master the techniques. Gracie Barra New Mexico ran by head instructor Roberto Tussa Alencar is the most popular gym in New Mexico right now. He has an impressive grappling career including 1st place finishes in the heavyweight blackbelt division at the world grappling championships earning invite only chances to compete in Abu Dabi. A tournament where some of the top competitors in grappling and mixed martial arts go to compete for a serious cash prize. Most of the instructors I trained under have dedicated years of their lives to be masters (more than ten atleast). I know Blackbelts in tae kwon do who have earned their belts in a short four or five years. Yes most martial arts do stem from others, however Wing Chun is a system based on linear defensive reactions. The Israeli army claimed they developed the techniques for krav maga but the techniques for krav maga are the same direct linear actions and reactions as wing chun so to say that they developed krav maga is wrong it shouldnt be listed in the archives as a martial art. Traditional Japanese Jiu Jitsu combined techniques with judo throws to gain control because the armor samurai warriors wore was too heavy for him to fight from his back. Brazilian Jiu Jitsu was brought to Brazil by a Japanese jiu jitsu master that was exiled from Japan. He then came to Brazil to work on the Gracie Farm and taught jiu jitsu to them. They then developed the techniques in the streets of Brazil to fight off multiple attackers and to attack from the back if thrown on the ground. Tae Kwon Do is a korean martial similar to karate that if trained in the traditional korean way can be very devastating and effective, but it is a martial art that has been brought to america and has been watered down extremely. Most martial arts like muay thai wing chun jiu jitsu judo and karate still use traditional training practices. At age 8 in shotokan karate i was hitting and kicking on wooden dowels to develop hard tough bones in my forearms shins and fists. When I went to train with sifu phil romero i had to do iron body training by hitting a mook jung {a wooden post with wooden dowels for arms and a longer dowel for a leg that is used to toughen skin and bones}. My point isnt to disrespect tae kwon do my point is to make sure that people spend money for their kids to learn an effective form of self defense instead of wasting it on a system that hands out blackbelts hand over fist. I have a friend that got a black belt in tae kwon do when he turned 18 after starting the adult black belt program when he turned 14. So it took him only four years to get a black belt in tae kwon do. He recently came to train muay thai with me but has a long way to go because his kicks are weak with no power they are acurate yes but he is afraid to kick with his shin hard because his bones are not tough enough to do the techniques. I know they dont condition shins and forearms knees and elbows in tae kwon do. If you are scared of your child getting hurt training the right way and the hard way to earn a belt then put them in chess football or baseball. If you put your kid in tae kwon do you should be more worried about sending them to school and the shcoolyard bully starting a fight and sending them home with a bloody nose and a black eye rather than taking them to a good traditional school and worry about getting them hurt training the right way. P.S. If Brazilian Jiu Jitsu was easy it would be called baseball.
This sadly has turned into a Tae Kwon Do bashing session. Those ###s out there who are bashing Tae Kwon Do or any Martial Arts for that matter are idiots. What is or who is better is determined by the practicionner not the specific style. Martial Art is more than brute force and far from just pure strenght and violence., The concept of respect and martial art spirit is too difficult for you bashing pea brainers to understand.
True that too many Tae Kwon Do Dojang are too "watered down" or too commercialized. However since TKD became an Olympic sport, yes read it "SPORT" many regulations and rules needed to be applied to it. Parents enrolled their kids to TKD for the sport and health aspect, for some school the self-discipline aspect. What you see now is modern TKD, adapted for safety and protection from "sue happy" parents. If you want to seriously learn TKD traditional TKD, more in-depth more practical and some case more deadly (deadly...not "brutal" as Gbbjj mentioned, not martial should be brutal)
All martial Arts eventionally become more simular to eachother as you advance deeper, they just start focusing on different things at the beginning.
Last all true martial arts have a code of conduct, the primary one is respect. Respect yourself, respect your parents, respect your Teachers/Master, respect your pier. All being said respect other arts.
Dont take your kids to a Tae Kwon Do school. It isnt a real effective form of self defense. Jiu Jitsu Judo kickboxing are more effective forms of self defense. Check out www.Sakurawarrior.com or Google Bushidokan Master Jim Harrison. Try to find a martial arts school in your area that is belted in any of these systems. If you find a bushidokan school that is belted under Jim Harrison even better. We went to the North American Grappling Association U.S. Open this past summer in Orlando FL. After taking second place in my division and leaving with a medal, a tae kwon do go who won a trophy for breaking boards commented to me that my medal was cute. My friend replied to him well in jiu jitsu you have to try to break another human beings arm or leg to win it s easy to break boards cause they dont hit back. After lowering his head and quietly walking away, people around us began to laugh and make jokes about tae kwon do. It is not a respected martial art. When hase there ever been a fighter in dream pride ufc wec k 1 or any other martial art fighting competition that has claimed to have a black belt in tae kwon do. Not any that I know of. It s just not effective. Koreans invented tae kwon do to be very brutal but the American version is extemely watered down with no striking to the face in competitions.
My2Kids I am sure that if someone did this to one of your children you would react the same way. It is not onheard of for a parent to overreact, or act unprofessional if someone hurts their child.
A martial artist of 25 years I miss the old days when if your instructor or sensei gave you a nice little whack in class and you went home and told your Dad your Dad would also give you a nice little whack for acting like a [censored] in class! But, those were the good old days when martial artists were a select few of highly motivated and disciplined athletes...the best of the best. Now-a-day, sadly, the industry is flooded with students whose parents dump the undisciplined, uncontrollable brats that they have created onto martial arts instructors hoping they can help children – children who thanks to Mommy and Daddy have no sense of discipline, self control or self respect… These kids are not disciplined in school or at home and what makes matters worse is their parents have a “not my kid” attitude when instructors have no other option but to discipline their children.
Long story short…if I ever disrespected my sensei or instructors I would have gotten a lot more than a little love tap to the tummy! Then, when I got home…I’d have my father to deal with. Sadly, on a personal level I know the little brat who got his tummy tapped. He was one of the worst behaved kids in the school who disrupted classes, used foul language, disrespected instructors, and hindered the learning environment of other students who were there to learn and develop.
The only tragedy here is that the parents didn’t apologize for their child’s behavior and that they did not whoop the little brat’s butt when they got home!
Martial Arts originated in a different time and in societies which had different customs and rules than ours. Yes, there is discipline involved - but - it is not an excuse to "check" the rules of our society at the dojong door. Although I know Master Preira and his wife - they are very fine people - I am also a parent who would be outraged if my child were struck by an adult, especially by an instructor in a non class situation in reaction to a personal insult. No matter how it happened, a Master needs to take such a charge seriously - s/he owes that to the parents in whose care s/he have entrusted their children - and who are paying for that care.
If the parents were overly aggressive in their approach, it's on them - but - if it had been my kid, that might have been my reaction also.
As aside, although I do not mean to say this is necessarily the case with the Preiras, I have seen repeatedly where Masters somehow begin to believe that they are masters of far more than than martial arts. When this happens they can lose their persective and not be able to view a real world situation the way parents -(or police!) - may view it.
I truly admire a dedicated martial artist but cannot condone the way many of these schools create a world within a world - a cult-like atmosphere if you will - where you must accept unacceptable behavior because it is the "Martial Arts" way and the master says so. Masters and instructors must take GREAT care not to let all those "Yes, sir" Thank you sir", Master, etc. go to their heads. These are expressions handed down from societies with great value placed on such expressions of respect. We modern Martial Arts students honor those who passed their knowledge down to us by continuing to using them. We use them, however, to convey to the Masters and Instructors that we respect their greater knowledge of Martial Arts, but their use should never be construed to mean that we accord them greater wisdom than us - or the law of the land - in any area outside Martial Arts unless they have proved it to us otherwise in separate circumstance.
In trying to find the SMA website I came across this complaint. My child attends SMA and maybe getting both sides of the story would help people to better understand the situation...first off, the parents of this 11 year old were incredibly aggressive and tried to pick a fight by getting up into Master Preira's face. One should also note that the parents of the 11 year old came in and verbally abused Master Preira and his wife calling her a B****, throwing in that her mom was a B****. HAHA. This is the type of people that leave these types of complaints.
The charges were dropped significantly for Instructor Weinman...he got a slap on the wrist and has nothing but a mere violation on his record. One should also note that Instructor Weinman was not only being made fun of for pictures of his girlfriend but his for his handicap as well. Not that it makes raising a hand to a child right in any way. However I know Master Preira and Mrs. Preira personally and I know that they suspended Instructor Weinman and made him see the severity of the situation so please note that it was not at all ignored.
Some times people are looking for a reason to start something or to get out of a commitment they've signed and this complaint is completely one sided. I would completely recommend this school to everyone I know. My child has attended here for 7 years...grown up with Master Preira and his wife and they are a truly a second family to us.
you are a [censored].
Well first of all tae kwon do is a lame martial art. Who do you think would win in a match a world champion muay thai kickboxer or world champion jiu jitsu champion versus a black belt in tae kwon do? I train in muay thai kickboxing and brazilian jiu jitsu, two sports which demands great respect on both sides of the professor and the student. That instructor is lucky that wasnt my kid that he struck. I would ve gone right into that gym and put that instructor in a tight armbar and broken the arm that he struck my kid with. Then for the owner to smart off to the parents like that. Again the owner of this gym is lucky it wasnt me. I would ve gone in there put that instructor in a nasty cross body heel hook and tore is mcl and acl forever ruining his ability to train and teach a ### martial art that doesnt do any striking to the face. What a wussy this guy is. My nephew trains a tae kwon do school in Colorado and I went to watch a class. I didnt like the way the instructor was talking to the kids so I said something to me and he replied let me teach the class and stay out of it. I said hey listen buddy you wanna settle this on the mat I would be more than happy too. He asked me what I trained in and I told him Brazilian Jiu Jitsu and Muay thai kickboxing. He said oh ok well it s cool no problem. My advice get your kid out of tae kwon do. If he gets in a street fight and tries tae kwon do he is going to get his ### kicked. Take him out of tae kwon do and put him in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu or take him to a mixed martial arts gym where he will learn how to fight alot better.
Listen, your kid got exactly what he deserved. Children need to learn that when someone can kick their ###, they need to shut the ### up when told to. If your son can't understand that much, I would recommend military training, instead of some prissy "Tae Kwon Do". I mean, ###, at least put the kid in kenpo or something manly.
From everything you've said, I believe that law enforcement is too uptight about this sort of thing. The kid had it coming. Nothing you can say, no excuse you can give, and no "opinions" by a police department, judge, DA will ever change that.
The man may have been unstable, may have had aggression issues, but if I'd been in the same position I would have smacked your son upside the head. Now teach your son some goddam respect, since your silly little "martial arts" obviously isn't enough.
Yeah, I wish that too.
she admitted her son is not perfect and I think she talked to him about his behaviour. The son did something wrong in class and should be punished by the instructor, however the instructor should have used a different method. As a scout leader, if a kid does something minor(which this was) then the child is punished in scouts and it is done and over with. Now if it were something major or a continuing issue, .I would involve the parents. A lot of you don't have children of your own or work with children is what I am guessing. Children are not perfect they learn day by day and it is the adult's job correct their behaviour in a proper respectful manner.
both instructor and your son are black belts, both showed very poor self discipline and horrible martial art spirit. though i believe your son deserved a punishment for his behavior, it shouldn't be by that instructor but by -you- his parents. they both don't deserve to wear to wear a black belt, especially that instructor. you learn martial art for self defense and health not to hurt others, he should be stripped of his black belt and instructor license. as for your son, he is obviously not matured enough to carry the title of black belt.
sadly for some schools getting a black belt is as easy as getting a driver's license, well the schools that care more about the business than the quality of their teaching and students skills.
La Chula, although it is wrong for these adults to beat a child, what about the fact that your son was making fun iof the instructor? He too was wrong. What corrective action have you taken towards your son? Cause you cannot go around making fun of people in life.
Well I suppose everyone has their own approach to discipline and every kid is different. Did the instructor hit the other kids as well or was it just your son? And if that's the case what made him single out your son?
Well Tae kwon do is actually what I did, and being a black belt and an instructor in the club should automatically grant respect from any junior. Its like the military, you can't insult a superior and expect not to be reprimanded. Plus I wouldn't exactly consider it bullying unless it was an ongoing occurrence. I know you obviously will be upset because its your son that was hit but I bet the other kinds stopped the teasing straight away and thought twice before saying something again. So it might be a fine line between fear and respect in that case but either way if the end result is them not insulting him and him not hitting them its a win win situation. Unfortunately its the only way some people learn their lesson.
Ok I agree that he shouldn't have been showing kids photos of his girlfriend, but he did tell them to stop. They showed a complete lack of respect by continuing. Over the years I have seen this again and again, and the easiest way to solve it is by hitting someone. If he did hit full force that was slightly overboard, but if it really was that bad I'm sure the head instructor would have got involved and not just have laughed about it. I think involving the police was a bit of an overkill. If it was everyday life ok, I might agree but again, its a martial arts environment and it has a whole different set of rules.
An instructor can't teach if the students don't respect him. To be honest I've done the same when in my club when people showed me disrespect and believe me, it never happened a second time.
Yeah, but this was not discipline. The instrctor was charged.
Sometimes to teach discipline you have to use force.
"Isn't it past your son's bedtime. Anways I can take Zachary on, and your son. Also Trevor is calling it the same thing."
They are both a form of martial arts. Anyways Karate, Tae Kwon Do. They both teach discipline, not to provoke fights, not to fight unless to defend yourself. I should have said Martial arts instead of karate. That teacher definately is not promoting the proper martial arts beliefs.
A martial arts environment is a little bit different to 'real life' I did martial arts for years and if I insulted any of the senior guys or instructors I was giving a smack to put me back in line. The instructor is hardly going to hit a kid full force, just hard enough for the kid to learn his lesson. Martial arts is built on respect so if a junior disrespects a senior they are going to be put back in line. If they can't handle it than maybe they should either keep their mouth shut or choose another sport.
"I take karate too. I can take an eleven year old on."
Yeah so can I but I don't, and being able to beat up someone when you can see the top of their head is not much to brag about. Only a coward would attack a defenceless child.
Just ignore complain265, La Chula in her Pizza Palace letter she has admitted to abusing her own ten year old son.
I find nothing wrong with a simple spanking or smack to correct a child's behavior (should only be used as discipline by parents or immediate family mambers)but for a karate instructor to hit a child, not out of discipline but in anger is uncalled for. And yes if somoene hits your child you have every right to call the police. He should not be working as a karate instructor if he cannot handle his anger. I work as a Scout leader and trust me if I ever laid a hand on a child I would get fired. Besides in karate they teach you only to use karate to defend yourself. They don't teach you to strike in anger. If he found the child rude he should have had him sit out and or talked to the parents. Everyone has a different style of parenting. La Cuula may not believe in spanking, but as long as she is not beating the crap out of her child you should not complain about her parenting.
You obviously don't know any preteens. Preteens like to tease. Sounds to me the child was not being rude. I still say that when your son was told to stop the teasing he should have, but the karate instructor took it way too far.
U parents suck at raising children ( bully in the making) arrogant little jerk, however the Teacher has no right what so ever to touch a child... Just wait the kid will pick a fight with the wrong group of people because of his attitude then he won't think much about his 5yrs of tae kwon do lessons...
You called the police because your son got punched in karate class?
Your son was warned to cut out the taunting. He continued, and he got what was coming to him. I find it hard to believe he was "traumatized" from being punched if he's a black belt.
That karate intructor, and I use the term lightly since karate instructors are supposed to teach discipline is very lucky that it was your son that was attacked by him. A lot of parents would have went berserk and attacked him. Whatever the case may be he as an authority figure has no right to hit a student. Teachers, Scouters, Karate Instructors ect have no right to hit a child in their care. Also with his temper I hope he never has children. Kids are kids they will tease. True your son should have stopped when he was told, but as an adult he has NO RIGHT to lay his hands on a child.