Lakeshore Tae Kwon Do

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Lakeshore Tae Kwon Do Lakeshore Tae Kwon Do is a Martial Arts Education Center that specializes in providing the best Tae Kwon Do training the area. Mr.

The school has been serving Manitowoc and the surrounding area for over 45 years. Lakeshore Tae Kwon Do specializes in providing the best martial arts and character building programs in Manitowoc, WI, for children and families from ages 4 years old and older. Our school teaches not only the skills of physical self-defense, but seeks to broaden the definition of what self-defense is and make it more relevant to today’s world. Presentations on diabetes awareness, picking good roles models, healthy diets, environmental projects and bullying prevention are examples of some of the areas our school considers relevant self-defense topics. Although our students and instructors practice the physical skills of martial arts daily, Lakeshore Tae Kwon Do isn’t just about kicking and punching. It’s about millions of acts of kindness, of leadership and patience, of community, friendship, and everything our teachers at the school share with our students.
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Mr. Mark Weber is the founder and instructor of Lakeshore Tae Kwon Do. He holds a 7th Degree Black Belt in Tae Kwon Do, has attained Certified Instructor Levels in four different styles of Inayan Eskrima (a Philippine martial art), and is a Black Belt Instructor in Japanese Style of Kodenkan Danzan Ryu JuJitsu. He runs the school with his wife, Erica, who teaches the 4-6 year old class, and they employ one long time student (of 22 years) as an assistant instructor. Together our instructors have over 80 years combined experience. Our school has been at its current location at 823B Jay Street for the last 14 years. The facility has undergone many improvements in recent years. Our facility features two classrooms, a nice seating area for spectators, top quality matted floor, an extensive assortment of targets and training equipment for classes, and a new audio/video system capable of larger presentations. Lakeshore Tae Kwon Do’s longevity is due to our instructors’ commitment, the schools and its students dedication to serving the community, and a whole lot of students during the last three decades. In 2016, Lakeshore Tae Kwon Do was awarded the Lake Michigan Champions of Conservation Community Organization Award for their community-minded assistance with beach clean ups with the Friends of the Manitowoc River Watershed. The school has also participated in many local and national fundraising, educational, and charitable events including: The United Way Kickoff, Red Cross, shoe drives for Soles4Souls and Think Kindness, Salvation Army Bell Ringing and food drives, St Jude Children’s Hospital, Crime Prevention Day and National Night Out, Tom Drill’s Showtime, Lakeshore Weekend for Kids benefiting the Children’s Hospital, and hundreds of demonstrations for local events and organizations. Weber also volunteers many hours in area schools in physical education programs and after school programs like the Jefferson Elementary Community Learning Center Grant Program. In 2018 he was awarded Master Instruct of the Year by the United Taekwondo Alliance. The school has raised 10,000’s of dollars for local charities and received many awards. Lakeshore Tae Kwon Do is an institution in the community, and a school with a whole lot of experience under its belt.

Your child goes quiet the moment a group looks their way. That silence is something to practice, not wait out.Kids don't...
10/08/2026

Your child goes quiet the moment a group looks their way. That silence is something to practice, not wait out.

Kids don't learn to speak up by being told to do it in the moment that actually counts, in front of a teacher or a full classroom. They learn it in the small rounds nobody's grading: ordering their own food at a restaurant, answering the phone when Grandma calls, saying their own name out loud to someone new. None of those feel like a big deal, and that's exactly why they work. Low stakes now means less freeze later.

On the mats, we build that same practice into class without ever calling it that. A student answering out loud, counting a count in front of the group, stepping up to show something they just learned. It's a rep, not a performance. And reps are what turn a quiet kid into a kid who's simply used to using their voice.

If your child hangs back in group settings, look for the small, safe chances this week. Let them place their own order. Have them answer the door. Give them one small thing to lead, even in front of just you. It adds up faster than most parents expect.

What's one small way your child has surprised you by speaking up lately?

🐾 432.53 MILES!What an amazing effort by our Lakeshore Tae Kwon Do students and families who participated in this year's...
10/06/2026

🐾 432.53 MILES!

What an amazing effort by our Lakeshore Tae Kwon Do students and families who participated in this year's Walk for Animals to support the Lakeshore Humane Society!

Together, our participants walked an incredible 432.53 miles, while also collecting donations and supplies for the animals at the shelter.

Congratulations to our two mileage challenge winners — one of our adult students completed 61.5 miles, and one of our youth students completed 48.9 miles! 🏆

A special thank you to Anna Peltier for organizing this year's effort for Lakeshore and keeping everyone motivated throughout the challenge.

We're proud of everyone who walked, donated, and helped support the Lakeshore Humane Society. It's another great example of our students and families putting the values we teach into action in our community.

Great job, Lakeshore! 👏🐾

🎗️ Kick-a-Thon T-Shirt Reminder!Our 13th Annual Kick-a-Thon shirts are available to order — and you don't have to be a c...
10/06/2026

🎗️ Kick-a-Thon T-Shirt Reminder!

Our 13th Annual Kick-a-Thon shirts are available to order — and you don't have to be a current Lakeshore student to get one!

Orders are due Saturday, October 10 at 11:00 AM.

👕 Children & Adult Sizes — $20
👕 2XL & larger — $22
🖤🩷 Available in Black or Pink

To order, put cash or check made out to Nichole Cogswell in an envelope with the size(s) and color(s) clearly written on it. Bring or drop it off at Lakeshore Tae Kwon Do. Payment is due when ordering.

Whether you're a current student, former Lakeshore family, friend, or supporter of Kick for a Cure, you're welcome to order!

Deadline: Saturday at 11:00 AM. 🎗️

Your child's first class starts before they ever step on the mat.Walking into a room full of strangers is the hardest fi...
10/05/2026

Your child's first class starts before they ever step on the mat.

Walking into a room full of strangers is the hardest five minutes of the whole thing, and we know it. So a first class isn't built to get a kid sparring or breaking boards on day one. It's paced so nothing feels like a test.

They watch for a minute before anyone asks them to join in. An instructor learns their name fast and uses it, not just "buddy" or "champ." The first moves we ask a new student to copy are simple enough that almost everyone gets them right away, on purpose, because a small win in the first five minutes changes how the rest of the class goes. We keep new students with kids close to their own age and level, not thrown in next to advanced belts who've been training for years.

By the end of that first thirty minutes, most of the kids who walked in staring at their shoes are the ones raising a hand to go again. That shift is the real goal of a first class, more than any kick or block.

If you've got a first-timer who's hesitating, give us a call and we'll tell you exactly what their first class will look like before they ever walk through the door.

Most adults who come try their first class stall out on our stairs before they even reach the final step.It's usually th...
10/04/2026

Most adults who come try their first class stall out on our stairs before they even reach the final step.

It's usually the same thought running through their head: I haven't done anything like this since high school. What if everyone else already knows what they're doing? What if I look ridiculous?

What actually happens once you walk in is different. Nobody in that room is watching to see if you've got it figured out yet, because none of them did either, on their first night. Our classes for teens and adults are built around exactly that moment: slow enough to learn the basics without feeling exposed, structured so someone who hasn't exercised in years and someone who plays a sport every week can both start on the same page.

Forty-five years of teaching people to walk through that door has taught us one thing: the hardest part of Tae Kwon Do usually isn't the kick or the fall. It's the trip on the stairs before your first class. Everything after that gets easier.

If you've been putting off trying something new, what's actually stopped you? We'd love to hear it in the comments.

Today, October 2, marks ten years since the passing of my close friend and fellow martial artist, Jay Davis.Jay was a Tu...
10/03/2026

Today, October 2, marks ten years since the passing of my close friend and fellow martial artist, Jay Davis.

Jay was a Tukong Moosul Martial Arts Master, a gifted teacher, and a great person. He taught at Lakeshore Tae Kwon Do in the early 1980s while living in Wisconsin. Some of our original black belts will remember him and the time he shared with us.

Jay moved to Austin, Texas, in the mid-1980s, and I was fortunate to visit him there several times. I fondly remember our time together, both here in Wisconsin and in Austin, and the many stories and memories that still bring a smile to my face.

Ten years later, I still miss my friend. I’m grateful that martial arts brought us together and that our friendship gave me so much to remember.

Rest in peace, Jay. You are remembered with friendship and respect.

Photo: Me on the left and Jay Davis on the right, during one of my visits to Austin, Texas.

—Mr. Weber

🩷 Want to support our Kick-a-thon but can’t be there? You can donate online!Lakeshore Tae Kwon Do’s 13th Annual Give a K...
10/02/2026

🩷 Want to support our Kick-a-thon but can’t be there? You can donate online!

Lakeshore Tae Kwon Do’s 13th Annual Give a Kick to Cancer Kick-a-thon takes place October 24. Our students are collecting pledges toward a $10,000 goal to support local cancer care.

Donate here:
https://secure.aahgiving.org/goto/Kickforacure

If your donation supports a particular student, please let their family know so it can count toward their fundraising total.

Thank you for helping our students give a kick to cancer! 🥋🩷

After dinner, most four-year-olds turn into pure motion. Little Dragons gives that energy somewhere to go.Four-year-olds...
10/02/2026

After dinner, most four-year-olds turn into pure motion. Little Dragons gives that energy somewhere to go.

Four-year-olds don't come with an off switch. One minute they're spinning circles around the living room, the next they're climbing the back of the couch, and by bedtime everyone's worn out in a way that doesn't feel like it helped.

Little Dragons is built for exactly that stage of life. The class moves fast on purpose. Kids kick, jump, punch pads, and practice moves that burn real energy, but every drill also asks them to freeze on a signal, wait their turn in line, and listen for what comes next. That combination is what makes the difference. They come out tired, and they come out having practiced patience and listening too.

Parents tell us it shows up off the mat as well. A kid who could barely sit through dinner starts managing a car ride without a meltdown, or waiting their turn without a fuss. That's not luck. It's practice, each week, at the age when the habit is still forming.

If dinner-to-bedtime has turned into a wrestling match at your house lately, come watch a class sometime. We're happy to walk you through what a typical class looks like.



https://manitowockarate.com/

The brick storefront on Jay Street has been standing for more than 120 years, long before anyone in Manitowoc owned a sm...
09/30/2026

The brick storefront on Jay Street has been standing for more than 120 years, long before anyone in Manitowoc owned a smartphone or drove past in a car. Storefronts like it have seen decades of shops open and close, awnings change color, and window displays come and go. Right now, if you look inside, you'll find kids lined up in white doboks learning how to fall without getting hurt, and adults working on the same front kick they'll use to feel steadier walking to their car at night.

We've been in this building for 25 of its 120-plus years. Mark Weber started teaching here when it was already an old building with a long memory, and we've never seen a reason to leave. The floors have been walked by three generations of the same families, some of whom started as Little Dragons and now bring their own kids through that same door.

Downtown buildings like this one hold more than their bricks suggest. Next time you're walking past on 9th Street, know that behind that door, kids are learning to stand a little taller and adults are picking up a skill they hoped they'd never need but are glad they have.

Come say hello sometime, we'll show you around.

🥋 Our 13th Annual Kick-a-thon is coming up!Lakeshore Tae Kwon Do students have started collecting pledges for Give a Kic...
09/27/2026

🥋 Our 13th Annual Kick-a-thon is coming up!

Lakeshore Tae Kwon Do students have started collecting pledges for Give a Kick to Cancer. This year, we’re aiming to raise $10,000 for local cancer care.

📅 Saturday, October 24
📍 Community House, Two Rivers, WI
⏰ Kicking begins at 10:30 AM

If a student asks you to sponsor them, thank you for supporting their effort. Let’s give a kick to cancer together! 🩷

Address

823 Jay Street
Manitowoc, WI
54220

Opening Hours

Monday 9am - 8pm
Tuesday 9am - 9pm
Wednesday 9am - 9pm
Thursday 9am - 9pm
Saturday 10am - 12pm

Telephone

(920) 686-0421

Website

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