Our new Taekwondo + Karate Class
Sensi Arthur and MAster Christen are going to offer a combo class.They will jointly teach on Fridays.
This replaces the 4:45 PM High Energy Class.
In the app... you can now register for a 5:30 to 6:30 Taekwondo + Karate Class on Fridays.
About Sensi Arthur Mark
Arthur Mark began his Martial Arts training at the age of 10 in 1980 under the direct tutelage of then Shihan (Master Teacher) Tamon Kashimoto. Shihan Mark was also a member of the New York City Police Department from 1991-2012. He teaches Shorinji Arashiryu (Shaolin Tempest) which he created encompassing Shronjiryu Kenkokan, Nanzen Kai, Ninpo Taijutsu (Bujinkan) and his real-world Police experience. Shihan Mark has owned dojos in New Jersey and the Dominican Republic. He is currently teaching his style at Saint Augustine Karate Dojo.
About Master Christen
Christen Gates began her Martial Arts journey at age 8. She has been instructed by many amazing Martial Arts. Grandmaster Song, of Belleville, IL. Grandmaster Myung of Glen Carbon, IL, and Grandmaster Sheron or Elizabethtown, KY. Christen started instructing at age 14, she has a lifetime of experience training and teaching martial arts. Along her martial arts journey she’s also trained in Tangsoodo, Muay Thai, and Boxing. In 2023 Christen promoted to 4th Dan Black Belt in Taekwondo and opened her own school in St. Augustin, FL under the guidance of Grand Master Myung.
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Master Christen Gates
website: myung-martial-arts.com
app: Myung Martial Arts Mobil App
email: gateschristen85@gmail.com
phone: (618) 580-3730
Facebook: Master Christen Gates
Instagram: cmg925
Location:
All in-person classes held at
Saint Augustine Karate Dojo
6236 US-1 Ste F,
St. Augustine, FL 32095
Kick it into high gear
Hi Athletes,
Let's kick it into high gear this week!
Focus this week is Kicking Combinations.
In After Hours we'll practice Board Breaking with our rebreakable boards and targets.
Upcoming Events:
Next Week Sparring
Saturday Aug 9th, Warrior Party at Master Christen's House
Week of Aug 18th Self Defense and Friendship Week
Week of Aug 25th Forms
Labor Day Weekend, no class Fri, Sat, Mon
Saturday Sep 27th, VR Sparring Battel, Ocala, FL
Saturday Oct 4th, Belt Testing & Promotion
All in-person classes held at
website: myung-martial-arts.com
app: Myung Martial Arts Mobil App
email: gateschristen85@gmail.com
phone: (618) 580-3730
Facebook: Master Christen Gates
Instagram: cmg925
Location:
All in-person classes held at
Saint Augustine Karate Dojo
6236 US-1 Ste F,
St. Augustine, FL 32095
VR Sparring Battle *** at Master Ong's studio in Ocala, FL. September 2025.
Hi Team,
Master Ong and I are still planning on hosting a VR Sparring event in late September.
Tentative Date: Saturday September 27th
This week we've been practicing our controlled head kicks. You need a good head kick for VR sparring, you get 2X points. Please, remember to bring your mouth guards to sparring class.
See you soon,
what does it take to do Martial Arts Stunt Acting?
It all begins with an idea.
Hi Team,
I spent last weekend in a 3-day training camp learning how to be a Stunt Actor. Specially, designed for martial artists, like us. The founders are martial artist @Karate.Jewels and Justin Ortiz who got into the stunt business by being cast in Cobra Kai. Their mission is to help real martial artists get into Hollywood as Stunt Actors so we can improve the way martial arts stories are shown on screen.
In this training camp I learned how to wreck, vault, fly, fall, film, act, design choreography, and more. It was hard work and high-risk of injury, it's not for the faint of heart. 9-hour days of beating myself up for the camera. At the end of the camp, we all participated in a real audition for a movie. Our audition videos were sent to Hollywood casting directors. Which was a cool surprise.
Check out my facebook and instagram page to see who I met and what we did. I came home with a lot of bruises, but it was worth it! I will be posting more over the coming weeks once they share more videos, so stay tuned!
Why did I take the class?
I took this training so I could vet out the stunt training program for my students. My initial goal is to incorporate some of what I learned in our demo team performances. The bigger goal is to help my students get this type of training, if they want it. Because 16 year old Christen would have LOVED to do this. If stunt acting is something you want to explore, I now have good connections to help you get started. Jewels and Justin host big training events twice a year. The next big one will be summer 2026. We might have an opportunity to do a small training event with them locally before then. Fingers Crossed!
Call or text me if you have any questions about Stunt Acting and want to be included in the next training opportunity.
Here is their stunt camp website:
Location:
Century Martial Arts Oklahoma City, OK
Power 1,000 || You are Capable
Hello to all Myung Martial Arts Students!
This week, Master Christen sent out an update email about fun upcoming events - Sparring Week, Game Night, Testing...and the Power 1,000 coming up on June 7th! Sounds tough, right?
Well, I'm here to tell you - Yes, it's going to be TOUGH, but that's the point.
I'm also here to tell you - Yes, YOU are CAPABLE! And I know you can do it!
This is a mental challenge as much as it is physical. It is designed to show YOU what you're really capable of. Every rep is a reminder to push yourself past your own limits. You'll find this mental strength will carry over to the mat.
It will be intense, but remember - this will all be over in less than 1 hour. You will walk away stronger. Embrace the discomfort - that is where growth lives.
The line-up of the 1,000 drills to expect are:
100 jumping jacks
100 jump roundhouse kicks
100 full bows to floor
100 pushups
100 situps
100 dips
100 baby stance bounces
100 flutter kicks
100 crescent kick (in and out = 1 set), 50 each leg
100 horse stance - blocking (out-in and in-out)
Reminder - this is OPTIONAL.
This started off as a ritual that Master Christen did on the anniversary of earning her 4th Degree Black Belt. She decided to invite all students to share in the ritual as a way for everyone to get a taste of the physical and mental challenges of what lies ahead in your journey to becoming a Black Belt. We welcome ALL to join and commit to putting in YOUR OWN BEST EFFORT - for you to see what's inside yourself!
Power 1,000 - Saturday, June 7th, 8:30am-9:30am
Trust your training - Dig Deep - Show up Ready.
See you on the mat!
Instructor Joe
PS:
- Register for class in the App
- Bring Water. (Drink plenty of water the day before too).
- Eat a good breakfast. (Food is fuel).
- Get a good night's sleep. (And if you're not well rested, that's ok - do it tired!)
You got this!
website: myung-martial-arts.com
app: Myung Martial Arts Mobil App
email: gateschristen85@gmail.com
phone: (618) 580-3730
Facebook: Master Christen Gates
Instagram: cmg925
Location:
All in-person classes held at
Saint Augustine Karate Dojo
6236 US-1 Ste F,
St. Augustine, FL 32095
Myung Martial Arts ***Official Photoshoot Session
It all begins with an idea.
Hi Team,
It's a great idea to document your martial arts journey through photography. I've recruited a local photographer, Kenneth Bibiloni, to create some iconic images for the school (see samples below). I met with multiple photographers before choosing Kenneth. He's agreed to a very generous group rate for school to make it affordable for families. Now, I'd like to invite the school to a proper photoshoot. Kenneth and I will handle all the lighting, posing, and camera angles to make it a memorable photo of you. In order to host this photography session we have to agree on a date.
What's included?
Digital photography and post editing. You'll get a couple of the best shots from your photoshoot. Your session will last ~10 minutes. You can do a group or family photo as well, that's included.
His website is: www.KennethAnthonyMedia.com
His FB page: Kenneth Anthony Photo
Electronic scoreboard for our sparring rings
This week we introduced our new electric scoreboards for sparring class. It’s a great tool that is helping our athletes learn about game play. Along with our scoreboard we have a timmer and our ring pillars. In combination, these tools are used to recreate a competitive sparring environment in a fun and exciting way.
Features
The Scoreboard has a control that allows the judge to add or subtract points.
The Scoreboard can keep track of 2 athletes, Red and Blue.
The Scoreboard is easy to read across the room. This makes it possible for students to encourage one another and coaches to give advice.
Why train with Scoreboards? Why keep score in sparring?
In high level competitive sparring athletes compete with electronic sensors. The sensors are in the feet, hands, and chest gear. The system is designed to increase fairness and accuracy of scoring. Catching each point and recording it is challenging. Even with sensors. Most regional tournaments are scored manually with an electronic scoreboard managed by 2 to 4 judges. Our Scoreboard system has the same basic functions so we can replicate the tournament environment. The scoreboard allows us to +/- points.
Why do students like it?
#1 The Scoreboard gives the athletes a goal and a means of improving. We teach them sparring skills to help them earn points, and avoid losing points. The Scoreboard gives them an instant feedback loop.
#2 The way we set up matches, games, and team sparring drills makes sparring training more exciting. The students enjoy earning points and being recognized by their teammates. This increases their confidence and their interest in learning more martial arts. The matches are set up to be challenging, but also give each student an opportunity to shine. They are rewarded in the game when they put in good effort!
#3 The students also take turns operating the scoreboard, which teaches an important lesson about what it's like to be a martial arts tournament judge. Gaining this perspective grows their respect for the game and inspires more interest in overcoming the obstacles. Students want the game to be fair, but like life, there are always things outside of our control that influence the game. When you play the role of athlete and judge you get to see the game of sport sparring from two different life perspectives.
website: myung-martial-arts.com
app: Myung Martial Arts Mobil App
email: gateschristen85@gmail.com
phone: (618) 580-3730
Facebook: Master Christen Gates
Instagram: cmg925
Location:
All in-person classes held at
Saint Augustine Karate Dojo
6236 US-1 Ste F,
St. Augustine, FL 32095
Myung Martial Arts - Tournament Results
It all begins with an idea.
Hi Team,
21 Gold Medals 11 Silvers 4 Bronze
Amazing achievements for all 14 Myung Martial Arts competitors.
Colton Lord took home the Best Play Award for earning Gold in all three competitions.
Myung Martial Arts and Pro Taekwondo tied for Best School Award.
I also received glowing personal messages from the other Masters that our students were great athletes and they noticed your stellar performances.
*** Athletes, please bring your medals to class this week so we can share your success with the school. ***
See attached for my commentary on the event. I will post this on the school announcement board tonight so your peers can read it and congratulate you all.
***Next Tournament***
VR Sparring Battle at Master Ong's studio in Ocala, FL.
September 2025.
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In preparation for our next tournament, I am excited to announce a few changes.
Head Kicking and Blocking - New Training
Head kicking is a necessary skill for VR Sparring. Higher points are awarded for head strikes in VR Sparring. After seeing a great performance by Myung Martial Arts students competing in sparring at the Florida Open Tournament, Master Christen has decided to incorporate head kicking and blocking into our sparring training curriculum. Light to no contact head kicking will be taught, at Master Christen’s discretion. Students must demonstrate good control and maturity to be allowed to participate in this advanced training.
Sparring Week - Class Time Extension
During sparring week, class time will be extended from 1 hour to 1.5 hours. Normal start time at 6:45 and it will run through 8:15 PM. The extra time is necessary for the advanced training we want to offer students. During sparring week, this will override the After Hours Training time block.
website: myung-martial-arts.com
app: Myung Martial Arts Mobil App
email: gateschristen85@gmail.com
phone: (618) 580-3730
Facebook: Master Christen Gates
Instagram: cmg925
Location:All in-person classes held at
Saint Augustine Karate Dojo
6236 US-1 Ste F,
St. Augustine, FL 32095