Tae Kwon Do more than a punch to The Hub’s new teacher

The Hub is offering a tae kwon do class from 5:30-6:30 p.m. Tuesdays and Thursdays starting March 5.

Teaching that class is sixth-degree black belt and martial arts master Hank Minitrez.

“I have been doing martial arts going on 40 years. I’ve been teaching for the last 25 years,” Minitrez said.

He grew up in Socorro but has been living in Virginia until about a year and a half ago, when he moved back to New Mexico. He was missing teaching martial arts, so he started looking for a space that could work.

“I noticed that The Hub was brand new and waited for them to open. I kind of looked at what they were offering for activities, and they were offering one martial arts class, which is completely different than the style that I teach,” he added.

Minitrez’s start with martial arts is not unknown to many people.

“I, like many, suffered bullying. I was a survivor of bullying. I don’t like to use the word victim. I survived years of bullying from probably around first grade up through my freshman year of high school,” he said.

He says as a kid he would watch Chuck Norris and Bruce Lee movies with his dad.

“And I always thought, ‘One of these days, I’m gonna learn how to do that so I can protect myself,’ but I thought that I was too young. Then, in 1984 the original ‘Karate Kid’ movie came out. And when I saw Mr. Miyagi and Daniel LaRusso up on the screen, I thought, ‘Oh, my gosh. I so relate to his character.’ So I started practicing wax-on/wax-off and paint the fence in my backyard in Socorro. Later, I found out from a neighbor who was taking a karate class, that they they taught kids. I went with him to my first karate class,” Minitrez explained.

He says he was hooked ever since he earned his yellow belt in 1986.

“I will say this, you know, people think, well, ‘I should take martial arts so I can learn how to fight, so I can beat the bully up.’ But I’ve never had to use martial arts to go and defend myself. It gives you a level of confidence and it changes the way that you project yourself. You project that confidence, and people tend to leave you alone. So, after I started taking classes back in the ’80s, the bullies never bothered me. I’ve never had to throw a kick or throw a punch in a fight,” he said.

He says that’s what the class is all about.

“People want to become the best possible version of themselves,” he said, “My philosophy is to teach with a great deal of positivity; you know, praise, then correct.”

He added that bullying can take many forms and taking a class like this can bolster one’s confidence.

“It teaches water off a duck’s back. That’s how you take a bully’s power away in the minute. You don’t react to them in the way that they want you to react. That goes for bullying in school or bullying online,” he explained.

Minitrez teaches other types of martial arts, but chose tae kwon do because it is popular and fun.

“It’s what I’m the most familiar with, and I have enjoyed teaching it,” he said.

In an age of technology when kids are often glued to devices, Minitrez says a class like this provides a fun break.

“It’s an opportunity to set the iPad down or put the PlayStation away for a minute. Instead of playing the game on the screen, you become the action player in the game by getting out on the mat and exercising, working out, practicing your punches and kicks and your joint locks,” Minitrez said.

The class is for anyone, not just kids. Minitrez says anyone ages 8 to senior citizen can join.

For more information on the class, visit minitrezma.com.