The Dragon Gym at Exton
An Unconventional Education in Success. ™
Welcome Friend of the Dragon Gym,
Greetings from the desk of Instructor Chris! If you are reading this then we are well met and your child or children have already begun a wonderful education in the Martial Arts. About these things and so much more I am excited! Now, as we begin this journey allow me to give you more information about myself, our Dojang (school) and our approach to martial arts education.
Founded in Exton over 30 years ago, Grand Master opened his Dragon Gym with little more than a vision and a burning desire to bring the Martial Arts lifestyle to the Western World. He has met with unparalleled success. We are one of the oldest and largest schools in America and our Grand Master is one of 105 9th Dan Grand Masters spread across the world. Having committed his life to the Martial Arts, Grand Master has literally combed the world and studied under the great masters of all the major disciplines, specializing in Korean Karate (Taekwondo) and Hapkido, a soft art form of grappling. This lifetime of teaching Grand Master has organized into a system that he calls Moo-Do, the Way of the Hard and the Soft, or the External and the Internal. The External pertains to intense, rigorous and informed physical conditioning present in all forms of appropriate Martial Arts training. The Internal pertains to the elements of the mind: a peaceful disposition, compassion for others and world, intellectual and emotional control; as well as the regulation of the internal organs through advanced breathing and meditation exercises.
All this wonderful teaching has been shared directly to Master Somnath, Master Lonnie and myself and we are each absolutely sure that we are providing you with the finest, most elegantly balanced Martial Arts education available in the United States.
Most frequently I find that parents who bring their children to our Dojang do so for the building of confidence, discipline, and self defense skills for which the Martial Arts are well known. Allow me, however, to expand on these virtues of our education, to share with you the full nature of our program. First, our children learn the process of goal construction, how to create and attain achievable, valuable goals. Our methodical and interesting approach cultivates a mindset of goal orientation and provides an evenness of temperament, a unique state of emotional control that is absolutely essential for the attainment of greater, more complicated goals. Our students know how to succeed.
Next, our comprehensive moral philosophy affirms and fosters the values of patience, wisdom, respect, civic mindedness and, most importantly, the primacy of the family. Our students know the joy and value of a strong commitment to parents, siblings, and extended family members.
Finally, I must comment on the most obvious element of our education: the physical conditioning. Our students are some of the finest athletes in the greater Philadelphia area. Even those who do not take an active interest in traditional school sports enjoy a level of health and fitness that clearly outstrips their peers time and again. Our students know the value of a strong body.
Put together these things contribute to the most vital element of success: reality orientation; the ability to see clearly, act decisively, and in acting, know success.
I teach by a compassionate demand of your child’s attention. I persistently orient your child to the present moment and its many demands through a conscientious system of informed linguistic and visual tools that I have learned under the personal tutelage of David Frees, author of The Language of Parenting and founder of Success Technologies, an internationally engaged communications education program for local, governmental, religious, and multinational organizations. I try never to waste my words and strive to always teach with total deliberation.
My teaching goals are realized by respecting each child’s unique approach to learning. For the visual learner I use large and elaborate hand and body gestures. For the auditory learner I will frequently adjust my tone and rate of speech, stilling my body to better speak in a clear and timely manner. For the kinesthetic learner, the one who learns through action, I will often manually engage the student, lifting legs, positioning arms, until the concept is grasped. And the approaches go on and on. I view each child as a fresh opportunity for me to learn yet another way to communicate my knowledge.
Finally, parents, I work with you. You are your child’s Great Teacher and I support you in that awesome endeavor. As you will see most clearly in our testing program, we do our utmost to integrate your value system into your child’s academic, social and private family lives.
These are exciting times and, again, I give you my heartfelt welcome.
Sincerely Yours,
Head Instructor Chris Taylor