Hapkido Tigers

Studies have shown that children who study martial arts, especially our Academy’s style of Hapkido, develop greater responsibility, are less likely to take unnecessary risks, resist negative peer pressure, and build higher self-esteem. Many parents from Upper Hutt and the greater Wellington area choose our Hapkido Tigers program to support their children's personal growth. 

For parents, martial arts offer more than self-defence skills; they help children develop leadership, self-confidence, discipline, respect, and physical coordination. We require that Hapkido Tigers students train twice a week, as less frequent training results in slow progress and leads to disillusionment.

If your child is already involved in two other after-school activities, we recommend they don’t join the Tigers class, as children need downtime for rest and play during the critical 7-12 age range. However, if you want your child to grow into a confident, successful young adult, our Tigers program can help them.

Principles of Self-Defence for Hapkido Tigers

We offer a specialist class on Saturday mornings for more advanced Hapkido Tigers students. This class focuses on additional self-defence skills, including advanced situational awareness, assertiveness training, and pressure testing, to help students become more proficient in real-world defence scenarios.

Attendance in this class is at the discretion of the Class Instructors. It does not count toward the mandatory two classes per week requirement for Hapkido Tigers.

Transition to Teen and Adult Hapkido

Regardless of their Tiger grade, most students express a desire to transition to the Adult and Teen Hapkido classes around the ages of 12 to 13. 

While the adult Hapkido class is more challenging than the Tiger classes, we have developed several strategies to help ensure a smooth transition for students as they move into their new classes.

Child Protection

As a New Zealand Ju-Jitsu Federation member, the Upper Hutt Martial Arts Academy follows its Child Protection Rules. 

This includes mandatory police checks for all certified Class Instructors to ensure the safety and well-being of our students.