As for the advanced members, all of those black belts in the class who went to the state meet qualified for nationals, he said. Not only do his students receive numerous awards, but Chaar himself has received international recognition, and competed in the 1988 Summer Olympics in Seoul for Lebanon. In Seoul, a disqualification for showing up late in the second round ended his run for the gold. At this year's World Karate Championships in the Poconos, Chaar left with gold medals in the weapons and fighting form competitions and a silver in sparring due in part to an illegal hit. However, I never go to a tournament meaning to hurt someone.
Control is a big part of the sport, because anyone can hit.
The club began in 1988, but Chaar did not take over as instructor until last fall. Among the overall membership, Chaar said 15 of the 50 members and seven of the 16 black belts are women. You don't need to know hundreds of kicks, you just need to master three or four. For me, martial arts is not about the need to win some belts. Anyone interested in getting a kick out of Tae Kwon Do should contact Chaar at 861-3099.