Martial Arts Family Fitness, a family owned and operated school dedicated to improving lives through martial arts, announced its second annual all-school student promotion in the art of Dynamic Circle Hapkido.

The belt promotion will take place Saturday at Skofield Park in Santa Barbara. The promotion will begin at 10 a.m. and will be followed by a celebratory barbecue.

“During the summer months, MAFF loves to prepare fun and engaging activities for our youth students,” said Sensei Andrew Hollingsworth, a MAFF youth instructor. “The outdoor promotion last summer was such a hit that it was decided to make this a tradition at our school.”

“Historically, our adult students and our youth students promote on different days,” said Dave Wheaton, founder and owner of Martial Arts Family Fitness. “We live in a very beautiful place, and an outdoor promotion seemed the right thing to do. This will allow students, guests and parents to experience what other classes go through, as well as an opportunity to interact with people they may only see in passing at our school.”

In order to promote from one level to the next students must exhibit proficiency in the curriculum’s areas of study, including basics (hand strikes and kicks), self-defense techniques, take downs and throw forms and one-step sparring.

“Our system is based on a predetermined curriculum developed by Master Wheaton,” Hollingsworth said. “Each student is encouraged to continue practicing what they have learned throughout their studies and making the art their own.”

Martial Arts Family Fitness is an award-winning school that opened in Santa Barbara in 2002. Wheaton, the chief instructor, has trained in martial arts for more than 40 years and is the founder of Hapkido International, an organization that teaches his unique martial arts curriculum of Dynamic Circle Hapkido to many schools across the United States. Martial Arts Family Fitness teaches martial arts and fitness classes to adults and children, specializing in children’s life skills, youth leadership and family fitness.

For more information about Martial Arts Family Fitness, click here or call 805.963.6233.

— Alex Rodriguez represents Martial Arts Family Fitness.