By Nicole Heubusch
Soo Bahk Do is the oldest of the Korean Martial Arts. Tampa Bay Soo Bahk Do is a certified studio of the United States Soo Bahk Do Moo Duk Kwan Federation, and as a Moo Duk Kwan school, it practices and promotes the values of Moo Doo (military virtue). The head instructor is Kyo Sa William Garcia, and the assistant instructor is Jo Kyo Frances Garcia.
There are five styles to Soo Bahk Do that differentiates it from other forms of Martial Arts: tradition, history, philosophy, discipline/respect and technique. The reason discipline and respect are together, is because they go hand in hand. When people are practicing Soo Bahk Do and are only focusing on the discipline aspect, they can lose sight of why they are practicing to begin with. Soo Bahk Do is about respect and enhancing lives. William Garcia believes that Soo Bahk Do is not a sport; it’s a way of life.
William Garcia has been practicing different forms of Martial Arts since he was 16. He remembers reading an article and hearing a Korean Master of Soo Bahk Do breaking down the cycle of a teacher, and this has stuck with him and become his motto. “There are three parts to learning. The first is doing, which happens when you are a beginner. Then, there is the telling. The last part is the teaching, where you convey everything,” he said. He loves teaching Soo Bahk Do because he learns something new every day. “If you really want to know something, teach it,” Garcia said. “If you can teach something to someone else, you have a special understanding of it.”
Tampa Bay Soo Bahk Do is located at 116 N. Kings Ave. in Brandon, and it is open Monday-Friday from 9 a.m.-8 p.m. and Saturdays from 9 a.m.-5 p.m. It also has a location in Summerfield where it has classes Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays at 13011 Summerfield Blvd. at the Summerfield Master Community Association. For more information, and to see the class schedule, visit tbsbd.com or visit its Facebook page www.facebook.com/TBSBD or call 465-2377.
