Martial Arts World

The front of Seong’s Tae Kwon Do Academy in the Breezewood shopping center is plastered with the benefits of martial-arts training.

“Discipline, Defense, Motivation, Confidence,” one window says. “Weight Control, Stress Control, General Fitness, Olympic Competition,” another states.

The inspirational come-ons are tried-and-true lures for 40-somethings going through a midlife crisis, but for now, the school is crammed with little kids. Very little kids.

Among them is Cian (pronounced SEE-in) Messner, the youngest first-degree black belt in the 20-year history of Seong’s martial-arts studio. Cian also is the studio’s youngest instructor.

Cian turned 7 in October, and is only slightly taller than the 3- to 5-year-old students he is helping instruct.

Four years ago, Cian was one of those students, just beginning his journey through the tae kwon do belt rainbow. It was a quick trip. Shortly after he turned 6, he earned the right to wear a black belt.

Supreme Grandmaster Joon K. Seong, the dojo’s owner and head instructor, said that the youngest first-degree black belt he ever heard of was 5 years, 7 months old. Cian was only six months off that pace. “We’re very proud of him,” Seong said.

Seong opened his studio in 1987. At the time, his youngest students were 5 and 6. Parental demand soon forced him to lower his age limit to 4, and then to 3. Not every 3-year-old can handle the training, so Seong has to meet with the child before he accepts him into his program.

“I invite them in and talk with the parents and the child to see how much they can understand and follow,” Seong said. “As long as they are listening and trying to do it, then I will train them.”

Cian has martial arts in his blood. His father, Tom, is in law enforcement, and his grandfather is a fifth-degree black belt in kempo. When Cian, a student at Parkside Elementary School, expressed an interest in learning martial arts, his parents knew it could be more than just a physical outlet.

“What we brought him for was confidence, and to lose the shyness,” Tom Messner said. “It’s done good for him–they do a good job of stressing school and doing chores at home.” Tom laughs before noting that of his three children’s rooms, Cian’s is the cleanest.

Cian has made tae kwon do a part of his life, and he now spends four evenings a week at the studio, either train-

ing or assisting. “I like it all,” he said, moments before demonstrating a spinning roundhouse kick.It might seem like a lot for a first-grader to handle, but his parents make sure they follow his lead, encouraging him without being pushy. His father cautions that kids should not be forced into martial arts, but he appreciates the benefits of training.

“If they’re interested, I would definitely recommend it,” he said.