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Church's Offering: Tae Kwon Do Skills

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By JENNIFER HOWELL

Tribune correspondent

Published: November 21, 2008

LAND O' LAKES - He was once the skinny kid on the block. Now 48, Dale Miller is a sixth-degree black belt in tae kwon do and will pass on his knowledge by teaching classes in martial arts at The North Pointe Church in Land O' Lakes.

Although his day job is in sales, the Wesley Chapel resident has taught martial arts on either a part-time or full-time basis most of his adult life. The two Saturday classes will include a class for children ages 6 through 11 at 9:30 a.m. and one for adults and older children ages 12 and older at 10:30 a.m.

Miller says tae kwon do's benefits for children are far-reaching.

"It teaches discipline, and it expands the horizon into academics and social positioning, if you will," said Miller, who requires his students to have good grades before they are promoted to the next belt.

Confidence is another quality Miller wants to impart to his students. In fact, indomitable spirit is one of the five tenants of tae kwon do, with the others being courtesy, integrity, perseverance and self-control.

"In tae kwon do, the students need to participate," said Miller, a Nebraska native and father of three. "A lot of times a kid will think 'Am I good enough? Can I do this?' and I show them they can do it."

Unlike team sports, tae kwon do requires 100 percent participation of the students, and it allows them to progress at their own pace, Miller said.

"When a student earns a black belt from me, they are going to earn it," he said. "If it takes them five years, that's OK. If it takes them 10 years, that's OK. My biggest enjoyment is watching students progress."

The children's class will focus purely on tae kwon do, while the adult class will include instruction in other forms of martial arts, such as hapkido and jiu-jitsu, with an emphasis on self-defense.

A Christian of 12 years and a member of The North Pointe Church, Miller plans on sharing a piece of Scripture that exemplifies each of the five tenants of tae kwon do with the class.

Bill Craig, lead pastor of North Pointe, said the church wanted to offer the classes as a way to connect with the community.

"We want to connect with people through other avenues," Craig said. "God really provided with Dale. We saw someone in Dale who wants to connect with students and parents and do it with excellence."

The classes also give parents a reasonably priced outlet for their children, Craig said.

The first eight-week session, which began Nov. 1, costs $65 and includes a full uniform for each student. After that, the monthly tuition will be $45 for the first family member, $20 for the second family member and $10 for the third family member.

Miller would like to limit the children's class to 20 students.

For information, visit www.thenpc.org and click on the martial arts ministry link, or call (813) 545-9420.

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