If I had found this out as a teenager, I would have been all over this"
 Frank Coppola received his 6th degree black belt at a ceremony held in Valley Forge, PA, May 22nd, 2010. This promotion makes Coppola one of approximately 100 other Tae Kwon Do experts in the USA to have ever earned such a high distinction. A board of eleven other high-ranking black belts from across the country promoted Coppola, who has been instructing Tae Kwon Do at the Somerset Hills YMCA, 3 days a week, since 1993.
Coppola demonstrated his Tae Kwon Do strength by breaking stacks of boards with 3 different power techniques, as well as a combination break where boards in 5 different locations are rapidly smashed consecutively. This series simulated a situation where Coppola would be defending himself from five different attackers. Additionally, Coppola executed 10 forms at random from several different belt levels, including one that very few of those in the audience had ever seen before called Shi La. The latter he recently learned at the request of one of the Masters on the review board.
Over the course of his instruction at the Somerset Hills YMCA, Coppola has promoted over 900 people to yellow belt and 111 to first degree black belt. His philosophy is simple: the reward of teaching Tae Kwon Do far outweighs the input. “I definitely get more out of the sport than I put in. When you see people learning how to defend themselves, it empowers them which, in turn, empowers me.” Coppola firmly believes that everyone who comes to learn Tae Kwon Do brings with them their own story; Coppola shares his own. “I was a very sensitive kid with no self confidence. I weighed just 98lbs and was picked on all the way through my school life. I even had sand kicked in my face, it was that bad.” When he graduated High School, Coppola breathed a sigh of relief and made himself a promise that he would never let anyone kick sand in his face again.
Beginning Tae Kwon Do at college, his instructor was results-driven and a perfect role model. He taught Coppola that protection is not a weapon but a tool and that ego and bravado should be shunned. Coppola began to realize that Tae Kwon engenders a fraternal bond with others in the sport, something he had never experienced before.
“If there is one message I would deliver to kids (or adults) it would be this – you don’t have to take it anymore. This sport makes you feel good, it’s therapeutic and it’s powerful. If I had found this out as a teenager, I would have been all over this,” adds Coppola. “The funny thing is that even after practicing this hard for 24 years, I still feel as young as a teenager -- just tougher!” Coppola likens the mission of Tae Kwon Do with that of the Somerset Hills YMCA in that they are welcoming, non-judgmental and help you in mind, body and spirit. “Teaching kids, families and adult classes at the Y is a perfect fit in my mind. It’s the real deal,” says Coppola.
Coppola offers many weekly classes at the Somerset Hills YMCA for all individuals from ages 3+ to seniors. Additionally, from July 23 – 25th, Coppola will be teaching at a summer black belt camp at Susquehanna University, Pennsylvania, open to brown and black belts only.
In the picture from left to right: Barb Hauger, 6th Degree Black Belt; John Love, 4th Degree; Victor Alfonso, Jr., 6th Degree; Steven Jimerfield, 10th Degree; Frank R. Coppola, III, 6th Dan; Victor Alfonso, Sr., 7th Degree; Pete Michaelson, 7th Degree; Bob Heckmann, 6th Degree; James Kramer, 4th Degree, Dave Schwartz, 4th Degree.
Pictures courtesy of Filip Everaert
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