But after the Fitton Family YMCA cancelled some programs due to COVID-19, including martial arts, he was contacted by concerned parents because there was no place for their children to continue taking classes. He had been an instructor there for five years.
So in September, six months after the martial arts program was cancelled, Myers opened Hallasan Summit Martial Arts in the rear of the building that houses Elite Performance & Fitness. In four months, Myers has registered 18 students, many of them he taught at the YMCA.
Myers, 42, a 1997 Hamilton High School graduate, owns and operates Steven J. Myers Siding and Trim. So that means his job as a martial arts instructor serves more of a “passion” than a profession.
“I want to take what I learned and give it to other people,” he said. “I have to do this for the kids.”
Myers, a second-degree black belt, was introduced to Taekwondo in 1993 when his step-mother said her sister was a black belt instructor. He decided to “give it a try” in high school and got hooked.
He gets satisfaction out of seeing his students mature physically and mentally.
“Some of them are shy, withdrawn,” he said. “But they develop into different people and show who they actually are and who they can become.”
The business is named after Hallasan Summit, the highest point in South Korea. It’s also home to an inactive volcano, symbolism that isn’t lost, he said.
“It’s passive on the outside and there’s fire inside,” he said.
HOW TO GO
WHAT: Hallasan Summit Martial Arts
HOURS: Monday: Closed; Tuesday: 5:30-9 p.m.; Wednesday: Closed; Thursday: 5:30-9 p.m.; Friday: 5:30-8 p.m.; Saturday: Closed; Sunday: Closed
LOCATON: 190 N. Brookwood Ave., Hamilton
PHONE: 513-341-8290
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