"Let's Get 'Em Gang!"

Figure 1. See note

 "Cha ryuht." The student crisply moves into his ready stance with his feet together and his hands at his side. "Kyung nae." The student bows slowly and smoothly at the waste, keeping his hands locked on his upper thighs. As soon as he raises his head back up he peers forward, focusing only on the task ahead of him. "Seijak." The student quickly and cleanly moves into his first technique. The pop of his dobok can be heard as each move is definitively completed and each body part is in the perfect position. His feet act as the base his body needs to execute powerful techniques. Each stance, each kick, each punch is performed so precisely. The student is stringing together a form from the Korean martial art of Tae Kwon Do. Tae Kwon Do is the art of hand and foot technique. In the small town of Riverside, across the bridge from Danville, Pennsylvania, is a small single story building. It houses one of the best Tae Kwon Do studios in the state, Eaton Academy. At Eaton Academy, all the technique and skills needed to become a true martial artist are taught by none other than Tae Kwon Do hall-of-famer, Master Douglas Eaton.

     Master Eaton never had any intentions of opening up a Tae Kwon Do studio. He was just like any other young adult, pursuing a degree in graphic design and fulfilling his dreams of playing collegiate soccer. So then how did Doug Eaton become the so highly respected 6th degree black belt he is today? The answer was simply this; "I was looking for something in the off-season to keep me in shape. I was always curious about martial arts so i thought, 'What the heck! Why not?'" In 1980, Master Eaton and 22 others took their first class with 7th degree black belt, Master Burns, starting out as a white belt, the lowest rank possible in the sport. From there on out, he had found his new passion. He returned to Master Burns' studio class after class, eventually letting Tae Kwon Do leave a lasting impression on his life.

     After quickly progressing through the ranks, from yellow belt and on to green belt, Master Eaton had  started teaching classes of beginners. He progressed on to blue belt and red belt, which at that point he knew, Tae Kwon Do was his calling. Eaton soon started to expand his teachings from just Master Burn's beginner students to adults at Susuquehanna University as a physical education class. "Teaching was training," say's Master Eaton, who went on to explain how passing his knowledge on to other students made him take a different view on his own training.

     As he progressed to become a black belt Master Eaton began teaching a Tae Kwon Do class at the Danville Area Community Center as soon as it opened in January of 1987. Due to the booming interest of students, he was forced to change venues in order to accommodate the newly sprung Tae Kwon Do artists. Being the last of the original 22 white belts, Master Eaton went on to open up a dojo in a former meat market/video store on Center Street. After slaving away for months, making renovations to the building and trying to shape the space into a location respectable enough to house a Tae Kwon Do studio, he was able to open up his master piece, Eaton Academy.

Figure 2

     Eaton Academy is marked by the large, white and gold, Korean and English lettering painted on the freshly cleaned glass entryway (Figure 1). The door's metal frame is worn and creaks every time a student or parent enters or exits the dojo or the gym where Tae Kwon Do is practiced. The maroon painted hallway leading to the dojo gives off a very welcoming vibe. Articles about students, pictures of their accomplishments and performances, and artwork which highlights the Korean culture that runs strongly through the dojo hangs on the walls. Students can be seen running into the locker room in their street clothes and coming out in their freshly pressed white doboks, the traditional robe and pants worn by Tae Kwon Do students. Tied around their waste is their rank belt, which helps hold the dobok together. These doboks have the school's black Chinmukwan Tae Kwon Do Federation patch proudly sewn on the upper left chest of each student. As students get ready for class they mark that they were there by pulling a popsicle stick with their name on it from the box, and placing it into a silver bin. The students then put their toes on the black tape line that seperates the dojo from the seating area, and enter with a bow.

     As students wait for class to begin they stand against the beige, wooden paneling that lines the walls of the dojo. The scent of Orange Glow and Lysol fill their noses as they wait along the left side of the gym. When Master Eaton is ready to begin class, he calls the group to line up and the students quickly file along until they reach their designated spot marked by a bright yellow bit of tape. They are organized by rank and experience. Master Eaton then shouts out, "Alright gang! Let's get things started! It's going to be a sh-weet class!" He then proceeds to lead the group in warm ups, which includes a series of leg stretches, movements to loosen the joints, basic kicks, and occasionally some push-ups and sit-ups. Students partner up, grab the blue, red, and black pads that hang in the left corner of the dojo, and hold them up as targets for their partners to kick. The loud popping of feet powerfully striking these pads almost makes a rhythm throughout the dojo floor. After everyone has a good sweat going Master Eaton conducts everyone in forms (See video below).

     Forms are Master Eaton's favorite aspect of martial arts."Seeing progression and a student understanding what is being taught is my favorite part of teaching," he says, "Seeing the mental and physical aspects of it come together, now that... that makes you smile!" He believes this is most easily seen when doing forms. During this part of class students learn a series of techniques, based on their rank, in which when strung together, create a form. The list of forms hang from the left wall in the dojo, where students can see how far they have progressed in the sport. 

Figure 4. See note.

 As they begin their form workout, Master Eaton instructs them to face the right wall which is lined with mirrors so students can watch their techniques. Above the mirrors hang the belts from highest to lowest rank; black, red, blue, green, yellow, and finally white, a constant reminder that students should work harder for the next rank(Figure 4) As each student goes through their form, Master Eaton walks through and gives them constant tips and reminders to help them inch closer and closer to being able to test for their next rank. After their forms are complete, the students move on to the next part of their workout, sparring.

    Sparring is the most grueling, yet rewarding part of their traditional Korean workout. Before fighting, students must put on protective gear, including a helmet, hand pads and foot pads. These come in a variety of colors ranging from silver, to red, to blue and even to purple. The foam pads keep the fighters from hurting each other or themselves in case that hard contact is made during the sparring match. During a sparring match, students do not fight full contact, but are rather practicing their angles, working on their agility and  getting ready for tournament fighting scenarios. As students step into their ready positions, Master Eaton yells out, "Go!" and students begin kicking and punching at each other. The sound of pads hitting pads fill the room, along with the movement of feet along the hardwood floor. Generally, after 2 minutes, the match is over and students will move to a different partner. After Master Eaton believes they have had their fill of fighting, he will call the class to their starting positions on those yellow dots, and end the class with a recap of the day. He will select one student to read the school oath, which includes the 5 tenements of modesty, integrity, perseverance, indomitable spirit, and self control. After the class comes together with one more bow, the students are dismissed to walk along the edge of the dojo, and exit the dojo with one last bow.

     Forms and sparring is not all Eaton Academy has to offer though. Once a month on a Thursday evening, the school will have a board breaking night, where students can choose

their favorite techniques to put against the test of an inch thick board. Fellow students will hold the boards for students to break or board holding machines can be used, which are found in each corner of the dojo for more complex board breaking techniques. When a student is ready to break, everyone becomes silent. With a loud yell the student throws his kick or elbow and snap! The board breaks in half, splinters fly everywhere, and the rest of the students give a big round of applause! Students say there is no better feeling in the world than breaking a board cleanly.

     Students walk away from Master Eaton's Tae Kwon Do class with more than a good workout and a sense of accomplishment. Student Sophie Rudloph, 15, says, "Besides learning to defend myself against others, I also developed an instict to protect those seen as family as well." Sophie has been practicing Tae Kwon Do from a young age and has recently began teaching classes to younger students after achieving her black belt. She adds, "Teaching has also taught me patience, something I never had before Tae Kwon Do." Students grow both mentally and physically from taking a part in the small Tae Kwon Do community that is Eaton Academy. This community ranges from local kids just beginning to alternates to the U.S. Olympic team. They all go through the same training and each student takes something different away from what Master Eaton teaches. As the student's form come to a close, they strike one last position, and slowly return back to their starting stance. With one last, "Cha rhyut, kyung nae," the student claps his hands to his thighs, bows, and walks away, knowing they just performed their form flawlessly, all thanks to the 54 year old man, Master Douglas Eaton, who thought, "Ah, what the hell, I'll give Tae Kwon Do a shot."