Turn the other cheek, just before delivering a roundhouse kick

Tae Kwon Do at Christian Family Martial Arts isn’t quite like martial arts practices at other Colorado Springs studios.

During a class sparring session Thursday, for example, instructor B. Odette Alonge told her 11 students, “Don’t hit your partner, because God wants us to love everyone.” The children, ages 3 to 12, also listened to Bible readings from Leviticus and Luke during class.

“We want to help the children be more confident and spread the gospel to other children,” Alonge said.

But wait a minute. Doesn’t Tae Kwon Do have spiritual roots in Asian religions? And doesn’t Christianity teach turning the other cheek to violence?

Owners Joseph and B. Odette Alonge say yes. But they believe God led them to open a center that combines martial arts and Christianity.

“Kids go to church on Sunday, but when not in church they forget the teachings,” B. Odette Alonge said. “This reminds them.”

The couple have big plans for Christian Family Martial Arts, which opened March 1 at 2561 Airport Road. They plan to add weapons training with sticks, nunchucks and kamas, similar to a farmer’s sickle. They plan to introduce Israeli military close-quarter fighting techniques designed to leave the opponent physically disabled.

Children and adults learn in the process about honor, loyalty and honesty, and develop self-confidence, courage and endurance, Joseph Alonge said. “These life skills are in the Bible.”

A black belt in Tae Kwon Do, B. Odette Alonge, 33, at first wanted to start a secular martial arts studio. But after much prayer, she decided to combine her Christian faith with the practice.

Joseph Alonge, 36, said the center turned out to be a good business model, given how many Christians in Colorado Springs prefer to deal with Christian businesses. “There is no other martial arts studio doing it here,” he said.

Indeed, most Tae Kwon Do studios avoid religion. “I don’t like to use religion and Tae Kwon Do in the same sentence,” said Timothy Bell, owner of Modern Taekwondo Centers in Colorado Springs. “For me personally, I try to separate my personal life from Tae Kwon Do,” said Bell, who is Catholic. 

Not so at Christian Family Martial Arts, where the Alonges have redefined the meaning of Tae Kwon Do belt colors. White represents the purity of Jesus, according to a center handout. Purple represents Jesus’ royalty and holiness. Red suggests Christ’s blood. Black, the highest belt, symbolizes the solid foundation of Christian teachings.

Sharon Ford of Colorado Springs signed up her three children — 8-year-old Elisha, 10-year-old Ellie and 8-year-old Esther — because the center is cheaper than another Tae Kwon Do studio the children were attending and because of the Christian emphasis.

“I like that this not only energizes the body, but also the spirit,” Ford said.

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Call the writer at 636-0367.

Christian Family Martial Arts, 2561 Airport Road

Classes are forming for ages 3 through adult. Cost each month is $50 per student or $150 for three or more family members. For more information call 213-9800, or go to www.cfma.webs.com.