BRAVEHEARTS MARTIAL ARTS INSTITUTE

Founded in the Philippines in 2007, Bravehearts Martial Arts Institute teaches taekwondo in Silverdale under its founder and head instructor, Master Danrey Velo, who holds a 6th dan from the Kukkiwon and an 8th dan in Kombat Taekwondo. Velo brings over 30 years of coaching in local, national and international competition and a master's degree in physical education. The institute calls itself “a total program of character development, fitness, self-defense, sports and fun,” for everyone regardless of age, gender or current physical ability.

Next to the age-group classes, the school runs two sport tracks. Olympic Style Sparring trains for World Taekwondo competition: footwork, timing and scoring strategy, including where and how to strike to score with electronic scoring systems. Kombat Taekwondo is the full-contact, professional side of the art, with clinching, sweeping and striking for power; Velo is also president of Kombat Taekwondo Philippines. The school's emphasis is on mastering defense, training rooted in respect for peace and justice, in its words “never to attack, but to defend oneself.”

Adults from age 17 train in Active For Life, aimed at mobility, heart health and mental clarity, with the intensity adapted “whether you're 20 or 60.” The adult evening class is shared with Kombat Taekwondo. Classes run Mondays, Wednesdays and Thursdays, with kids in the afternoon and teens and adults in the evening, and children and teens train in three programs by age, starting at age 4.

The first visit is a free introductory class, for a child or an adult. Newcomers are asked to wear jogging pants and a T-shirt so they can move comfortably, and to arrive 10 minutes early to check in and settle before class begins.