Today we’d like to introduce you to Joseph Hoeber.
Hi Joseph, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I started my Chung Do Kwan Taekwondo journey over 20 years ago, training under my 4th-degree black belt teacher, John Mee of Blue Wave Forever. Starting when I was 9, I was a very shy kid and had a challenging time retaining information that was taught in class as well as applying the proper techniques. Little did I know, at that time, I had an audio & visual learning disability that was later professionally diagnosed by The National Association for Child Development. This obstacle in my life, during this timeframe, also impacted my studies at my school. However, through effort, perseverance, and working hard daily to improve my Taekwondo training & learning comprehension, and also became more confident in my social skills. Discovering how to overcome these obstacles, with the guidance of my instructors, has led me to become a second-degree black belt in the art of Chung Do Kwan Taekwondo & also earn my Business Degree at UMSL.
I’ve begun to take my knowledge pool and help it forward through teaching. At first, I helped out at my teacher’s school at Blue Wave Forever, located in Wentzville Missouri, and also was an assistant instructor at one of my colleagues school called Blue Wave Life, located down in Brentwood, MO, which is ran by 4th degree black belt Robert Chisenhall. My experience has properly prepared me to co-run a school of my own in Chesterfield, MO: Inertia Martial Arts and Fitness. I’m thankful I can co-own my school and train alongside my fiance, Paige Compton, a 1st degree black belt. We teach three days a week on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays when we are needed to train ourselves. We have helped foster such a great community and family at our school and are amazed at the personal growth and mental resiliency that our students have demonstrated over the past months. The greatest thing about taekwondo is it is for life. You can be 5 or 75 and start as a new student. The values in taekwondo help imbue themselves in other parts of my life, teaching me discipline, confidence, and feeling capable of doing anything I set my mind to. Taekwondo has woven itself into every aspect of my life, and I am forever changed by the imprint it has made upon me.
Can you talk to us about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned? Looking back, has it been easy or smooth in retrospect?
The road to taekwondo has sometimes been challenging. Whether there is a particularly grueling class that makes your vision tunnel and your muscles sore for weeks or mental obstacles such as pursuing my Business Degree at UMSL that took away focus from training, one must always set their mindset in the proper space for achieving their goal. I want to be a Master of Chungdokwan someday, and I will do everything in my power to reach that goal and pass my knowledge to future generations of taekwondo students. I have the tenacity to keep pushing forward; even when my teacher’s calisthenics push me to exhaustion, I must keep pressing forward. Mindset is everything. With a proper mindset, one can’t be powerful. And that is one of the most incredible things about the art I train in; it teaches self-defense and controlled, devastating power. Currently, I have had a slight setback in my training from a knee surgery that has postponed my testing for 3rd degree. While many might mope that they wouldn’t be able to test, this has propelled my taekwondo journey even more. I can focus more on controlling my stomach muscles in my techniques than before my injury. It has allowed me to look at taekwondo from a more holistic perspective and train in areas that need improvement that I may not have seen before.
I appreciate you sharing that. What should we know about Inertia Martial Arts and Fitness LLC?
My fiancé likes to call me the “Batman” of taekwondo; I’m a real estate agent by day and a taekwondo instructor by night. I want to spend my whole life helping people, whether that’s finding a family their first home to grow together in, assisting empty nesters to downsize to a home that better fits their needs, or building someone’s confidence through taekwondo and empowering them to take that confidence to school, work, and home. What makes our school so unique is the beautiful balance of teaching styles between me and my fiancé. She was incredibly technically focused and could put any technique in less than a dime-sized spot for any person. Her precision and attention to detail make her perfect for helping identify areas of improvement in student’s pathing, footwork, and more. I help bring out intensity in our students and can help explain techniques in a highly visual way that allows students to picture each application better. We are polar opposite styles of the same Chungdokwan taekwondo, and that melding of styles helps create a balanced approach that brings out the best in our students.
Our membership is $68/mo, and we have a no-contracts, no-nonsense policy. We want taekwondo to be accessible to everyone and offer family discounting to create bonding opportunities for you and your family. We offer two weeks of trial classes, and we hope anyone who tries our school falls in love with the art of taekwondo and our community just like we have. Our classes are on Mondays at 5 PM, Wednesdays at 5:30 PM, and Thursdays at 5:30 PM. There are no shortcuts in the beautiful journey that is taekwondo, and we look forward to seeing you soon to see the transformative benefits that can result from martial arts training.
We love surprises, fun facts, and unexpected stories. Please share something that might surprise us.
A surprising fact about myself is that I’ve broken concrete slabs before with various techniques, from elbow strikes to side kicks!
Pricing:
- Monthly membership is $68/mo
Contact Info:
- Website: www.inertiastl.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/inertiastl/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/inertiastl/
- Youtube: www.youtube.com/@InertiaSTL
Image Credits
Lauren West
