Testimonials

"I'll never forget the day I first walked through the door of Team USA Taekwon-Do Fitness-----I weighed 205 lbs. and was totally miserable with myself. That's when I met Head Instructor Mr. Alvin Bernard. After admiring all of his awards and medals on display, I sat down & spoke with him about my goals(the major one was to lose weight of course) and he looked me right in the eyes and said "you take my course and I guarantee you'll lose weight and fast!" Well to make a long story short, I signed up, followed his advise and it's about 4 months later, and I now weigh 172 lbs---a loss of 33 lbs!!! Thanks to Mr. Bernard, I'm in the best shape of my life! I've been to various schools before, but I was never able to follow through with any of them until now-the other schools always made me feel as if I were a cash machine where every other month I was paying a fee to take a promotion test well before I was ready to advance to the next level. But now, I've finally found someone who is actually dedicated to his students and the proper teaching of the art of Taekwon-Do. Let me warn you, if your sole purpose to come to his school is to "buy a black belt", this isn't the place for you. There are many schools in the yellow book where you can do that, but at Team USA Taekwon-Do Fitness, only hard work and dedication will earn you a promotion---just as Mr. Bernard's hard work & dedication has earned my trust!"
Edgewater, NJ

"I have been taking Mr. Bernard's adult kickboxing classes for years and love the workout. Before I tried these classes, I had earned a black belt in Taekwon do in 1987 and trained in kickboxing and other martial arts for about 20 years. After moving to Fort Lee, I was looking for someone who could give me a fun energetic workout without all of the formality of traditional martial arts. I found it here. The classes are set to upbeat music and combine many aspects of modern and traditional training. Classes usually start out with a warm-up - jumping jacks and some light aerobic activity - and then proceed to stretching. He keeps the routine varied to make things interesting but sticks to the fundamentals so that students can mark their improvement over time in strength, flexibility and speed. Classes can involve floor work for the abs and legs, medicine balls, light weightlifting with dumbbells, and then punching and kicking portable heavy bags (usually with a partner).The classes are a perfect combination of kickboxing and martial arts moves (including tae kwon do), cardio, and weight training. Students wear loose comfortable clothes and bag gloves (smaller boxing gloves). Some, like me, wear karate or tae kwon do pants and a tank top. Classes are set in a comfortable social atmosphere where you can train with familiar faces. Students have various levels of ability from beginner to the very advanced, and it doesn't really matter what level you are at. Each person goes at his own pace. Women and men of all shapes and sizes share the workout. We are all amazed every time at how much Mr. Bernard gets out of us - we dig deep and find an inner strength to get stronger. I have tried tae bo, various tapes, and weightlifting at home for years and I can never get as much out of a workout on my own. Alvin is a highly qualified instructor with many years of experience as an instructor and competitor. He has designed an exciting workout that always leaves me feeling better for days - healthier and more balanced mentally. I have juvenile diabetes and am a lawyer for a living - not exactly the best combination to stay healthy. I can't think of a better way to stay healthy and manage stress than taking these classes. I have very little free time and the classes are managed very efficiently - a lot of variety and sweat is packed into each one hour class. I also have a daughter who is nearly 7 years old who has been taking Mr. Bernard's children's tae kwon do classes since she was 3 and 1/2. I have been very impressed with her progress. I love watching her practice sparring with the boys and holding her own. I have talked with other parents who watch their children train as well. All of the parents are very comfortable having Mr. Bernard teach their children, some of which have gone on to compete very successfully at the national level. The program is traditional and the children wear uniforms and train at the various belt levels. They learn forms and get promoted only when they earn it (unfortunately some other schools promote anyone who pays for a belt leaving children with a false sense of security). Here, the kids exercise and learn self-defense while their confidence and self-esteem grows - and all the while they are having fun. They learn about the basic concepts of tae kwon do, including respect for others and themselves and they develop integrity and character. The classes do require effort but that only serves to show the children what they are capable of doing once they put their minds to it. My wife and I intend to have our 3 year old daughter start as a white belt in a few months also. I have trained with many martial arts instructors over the years, including some champion professional fighters. Mr. Bernard is one of the very best I have ever seen. I highly recommend his kickboxing classes and children's tae kwon do classes to everyone." Lanin & Moses LLP,
Attorneys at Law
1065 Avenue of the Americas,
18th Floor New York,
New York 10018
(212) 764-7250 ext. 201
Fax (646) 365-3054
www.laninlaw.com

One year ago this month I decided I needed a change in my life. I walked into one of Alvin's classes and fell in love with kickboxing and exercise. At that point I started twice a week and then proceeded to take privates with Alvin and then added another 2 times a week. I was kickboxing 5 times a week. Last August I decided to go on a hiking trip to Italy this May. I've never hiked before but thought that the kickboxing would help me with the endurance of the 5 hour hikes a day. Well I was correct, not only was I able to hike 4 to 6 hours a day with no problem, I led the 14 people in the mountains. I was the only person who had never hiked a day in her life and yet I was able keep up and pass them all by on the mountains. If it wasn't for the kickboxing I would have been on the bottom of the mountain waiting for the group daily. The classes have changed my body, I'm now two sizes smaller than I was a year ago and I have a strength in my legs and arms that was never there before. More importantly my mind is so clear and strong when I'm taking Alvin's classes, his commitment to his students and the art is so motivating that when you leave his class you feel you can do anything you set your mind out to do. Karen Goldfarb, Fort Lee NJ
Traffix, Inc.
Phone: 845 620-1212 ext. 209
Fax: 845 503-2170
www.traffixinc.com
www.sendtraffic.com

Dear Sir, As a parent of one of your students, I want to take the opportunity to thank you and your close-working associates for all that you do for your Taekwon-do students. You have helped to instill in my child a deep and profound sense of discipline, integrity, compassion, commitment, and dedicated loyalty not only to the sport of Taekwon-do, but in all the aspects of her life. Her association with Team USA and your teachings have given her a stable foundation upon which she continues to flourish in academics wherein she is a Top Honor Roll Student excelling in chemistry and dance; in her social standing within her community where she is known as a young lady full of grace with a wonderful reputation; and of course she continues to Honor the Lord within her spiritual family at Abyssinian Baptist Church. She is determined to attend Rutgers University or Farleigh Dickenson just so she can remain close to home and to you to continue her studies in martial arts. I thank you for all you have done to show her that the premise of engaging in sports activities is not only to win but also to participate honorably. We are all looking forward to the next Scrimmage Skills training session with Team United, as the last session was a great success. Now that the children understand what to expect, I believe they will come even more prepared to work even harder than before and this is the wonderful quality that you instill in our children. It is a gift most appreciated.

Dear Mr. Bernard, Today, we briefly visited a taekwondo gym in our new neighborhood, and I just wanted to write and tell you that there is no place like Team USA TKD Fitness The type of students you attract, the discipline these kids show, your philosophy and care in teaching these kids.....it cannot be compared to any other place. I realize that we have been spoiled for many years while belonging to Team USA TKD Fitness. Even after our move, we will have our daughter continue to train in taekwondo, but we will find no place like Team USA TKD Fitness. We are hoping that we can make time in the near future to have our daughter continue to train with you. You have a lot to be proud of as you are one of the greatest Masters. We are so proud to have had our daughter train with you.