Agape Black Belt Center
About Us
Agape Black Belt Center’s mission is to help strengthen students in mind, body, and spirit, resulting in individuals better equipped to handle life’s challenges and to pursue a more fulfilling future.
Why Agape Black Belt Center
Meaning of Agape
Agape is the love of God or Christ for mankind. And also called parental love. One of several Greek words translated into English as Love. Many have thought that this word represents divine, unconditional, self-sacrificing, active, volitional, and thoughtful love.
Why ABBC
Agape Black Belt Center, the place in Rochester for traditional TaeKwonDo, Hapkido, and Judo, uses martial arts as a way of teaching people not only about self-defense but about transforming their lives so as to fully realize their potential within. Agape Black Belt Center’s training empowers you by first and foremost changing your mindset to help you begin a “new life” in which you can shape your own future. Martial Arts is not a way of fighting, but a way of life. It teaches us to set challenging goals for ourselves and instills the discipline needed to achieve them.
Physical and Mental Development
While physical development (strength, speed, flexibility, agility, endurance) is certainly a core part of what we emphasize, development of the mind and character are just as, if not more, important to us. It is our conviction that the right balance between mind and body must be achieved for life to be lived to the fullest. Through Agape, you will not only learn self-defense by unlocking your body’s physical potential, but you will also become a more focused person with better awareness of yourself and the world around you. Your ability to concentrate will improve, your respect for others (and yourself!) will grow, and your instincts for how to respond to various situations, not just in combat but in life, will be honed. In short, we are committed to instilling in our students the three virtues of respect, humility, and patience.
The Core Values of ABBC
Agape Black Belt Center is dedicated to a trinity of core values: Respect, Humility, and Patience. These values reflect Agape’s worldview and guide its mission. That mission is one of personal transformation and it begins with Respect. We show respect to our students and expect them to show that same respect, first to themselves and then to their families and others around them. In this, we seek to treat others as we ourselves wish to be treated. Next, Humility is the value that keeps us grounded. We will honestly acknowledge our flaws knowing this is not a sign of weakness but only the path to personal growth. For it is only when flaws are acknowledged that they can be corrected. More importantly, humility enables us to be gracious to others by overlooking their flaws. Recognizing imperfection in ourselves, we are not surprised to see it in others; instead, we show compassion. Finally, the expression of the first two values requires the exercise of the third: Patience. The process of personal transformation – into people of respect and humility – cannot be rushed. Indeed, if perfection is the goal its pursuit will last a lifetime, as there is always room to improve. But patience keeps us moving forward, especially during seasons when transformation comes slowly. These then are our core values – Respect, Humility, and Patience – and we at Agape seek them in ourselves and in our students.
Characteristics
Joy is Agape’s Strength!
Peace is Agape’s Security!
Patience is Agape’s Stability!
Kindness is Agape’s Conduct!
Goodness is Agape’s Character!
Faithfulness is Agape’s Commitment!
Gentleness is Agape’s Humility!
Self-Control is Agape’s Victory!
Testimonials
We are so blessed to have The AGAPE Black Belt Center and its amazing staff. Kids have had a blast going to camp every other week. They have enjoyed the daily themes that each include a character-building lesson, lots of games & physical activity, and of course taekwondo! They are even doing daily reading and school work without a fight. This has been great for the kids to get into a routine and practice safety measures while having fun. It’s amazing to see how much they have matured in the past 5 months.
Mrs. Amy Marriott
Parent
Our family absolutely LOVES virtual classes! The flexibility to not have to drive to and from multiple activities or juggle childcare means that Dominic can attend class more frequently with less strain on the family. It is so convenient to sign in right from home! The instructors have done a wonderful job managing both teaching and attending to their virtual students. They are really on top of things! I feel that Dominic gets just as much attention and guidance as he would have in person. Dominic has participated virtually in classes, testing, seminar, and fitness classes and truly enjoys the experience. And he finishes just as sweaty as he would have in person. ABBC has been a profound blessing to our family!
Emily Macchiano
Parent
ABBC has changed my life! My son is excelling everywhere! If I could select 100 stars, it still wouldn’t be enough. ABBC has changed my life. My son has been attending summer camp, e-learning/ after-school and Tae Kwon Do classes. He is excelling everywhere! The team at Agape goes above and beyond. They are courteous and professional while maintaining a real family atmosphere. I plan on keeping my son enrolled for as long as possible. Any family would be fortunate to welcome Agape into their lives.
Ilana Cahill
Parent