The martial arts studio offers taekwondo and kickboxing classes for children and adults.
“Probably the best part of it is seeing their confidence grow,” Mandi said. The Rhynes recently expanded the business this year to offer after-school care. This new program includes picking students up from school and providing time for snacks and homework before taekwondo lessons. There are also activities for students until parents can pick them up.
“It’s going so [well],” Mandi said. “We [said], ‘Man, we should have done this a long time ago.’”
Taekwondo originated in Korea, founded on the tenets of respect, integrity, perseverance, indomitable spirit and self-control, she said. The Rhynes teach Olympic-style taekwondo, which features a more modern style of sparring and scoring points. The sport means something special to Mandi and her husband, she said.
“He always wanted to do [taekwondo] when he was little. ... It was more [about] exercise for me, but then, when I got in there, I really fell in love with the art and the sport of it,” Mandi said.
It was also how the two met; Daryl had taught a couple of classes that Mandi was in.
“My husband had expressed to our instructor and our grandmaster [Chang Lee] that he was interested In instructing and would love to have a school one day,” she said.
Lee owned a school in Keller and wanted to open another in Roanoke because he saw the growth potential, Mandi said. About a year after opening, Lee sold it to Daryl as he had first intended. The name of the studio was eventually changed to Pro Taekwondo around 2012.
Mandi said the business is rewarding, especially when working with children. Taekwondo teaches the value of confidence, discipline, hard work and other important lessons, she said.
“Everything that we’re teaching helps them in different ways,” she said. “We’ve had hundreds and hundreds of kids start. Not all of them get to black belt [level], but you just hope that a little bit of what they learn carries on with them.”
Pro Taekwondo
304 US 377, Ste. 304, Roanoke
817-673-7742
www.protaekwondotx.com
Hours: Mon.-Thu. 9 a.m.-8 p.m., Fri. 9 a.m.-7 p.m., Sat. 9 a.m.-noon, closed Sun.
