From a young age, Kenton Good developed a deep fascination with martial arts. As he encountered martial arts in various forms, the more his curiosity grew. One way was through video games. “In various arcades, there would be fighting games with characters and the movements of the characters, in particular the ways that they could kick and use their legs, was always really interesting to me,” shares Kenton. “The characters also had biographies that would play on the side saying this guy does Karate or Muay Thai or TaeKwon-Do, and it made me want to learn more.”
Kenton began exploring different kinds of martial arts and found that TaeKwon-Do piqued his interest the most. Over the past three decades, Kenton’s early fascination grew into a lifelong pursuit. He continues to train in TaeKwon-Do and has devoted many years to teaching others. Through the years, he has experienced many different benefits of TaeKwon-Do.
“I love how it connects you to your whole self. Clearly, it is a physical activity, and you learn about your muscles and your balance, but you also learn a mental focus about controlling your movement and making it just right,” he says. “Beyond that, you learn about how you work emotionally when you're faced with a new challenge or situation.”
It is his love for the holistic nature of TaeKwon-Do and the desire to share the art with others that motivated Kenton to partner with Brian Brown to open Radiant Martial Arts & Fitness. “Our mission is that we want to build good people,” explains Kenton. “TaeKwon-Do has tenets, or character traits, that we value including courtesy, integrity, perseverance, self-control, and an indomitable spirit. We want our students to be able to demonstrate these tenets and show that every person deserves respect and dignity. These are things that we practice in class and are lessons that extend outward into life.”
The newly opened studio offers traditional one-hour TaeKwon-Do classes with an emphasis on personal instruction from experienced trainers. “We want to help our students set goals and achieve those goals. We will work with them wherever they are at and help them make small steps towards these successes,” says Kenton. “With TaeKwon-Do, there is always a new challenge, always another step you can make. So we have a path forward and something that you can say at the end of the day that you did and succeeded.”
Training in TaeKwon-Do teaches kids how to control their body and exercise while they are focusing on a task. Adults find martial arts beneficial as a cardio workout, a way to learn and improve balance, and as an avenue to maintain the energy to move their body while keeping the mind fresh. For all ages, the benefits of TaeKwon-Do reach beyond the physical and mental aspects into the social sphere as well.
“It is important to remember that we are social creatures, so being with people is important to our mental health. I love how training connects you with other people. The friends that you make in TaeKwon-Do and the camaraderie of training together are great,” says Kenton. “In this world with so many screens and an increasing feeling of isolation, especially among adults, studies show benefits to someone’s overall wellness when having a moderate level of intense training where you are making physical contact with another person such as with martial arts.”
Radiant Martial Arts & Fitness cultivates an exciting atmosphere perfect for the whole family to come and participate in together. Classes are most appropriate for students who can focus for the hour-long classes, which in Kenton’s experience usually begins when kids are seven to eight years old. He has also trained with people well into their 80s and explains that there is no upper age limit for participants.
“TaeKwon-Do and martial arts are such whole-body experiences,” he says. “Having something that you can do to connect your mind and your body is great for people even into their later years, because it helps keep their mind sharp and their body healthy.”
Being locally owned allows Kenton and Brian to work closely with students to match them with the right classes and make adjustments when needed. “We want classes to be flexible in order to accommodate your schedule. Our goal is to be able to work with you to get a class that suits you,” Kenton explains. “We are also excited to offer personal instruction from someone who has extensive experience and who is going to care about your progress, care about you as a person, and help you accomplish your goals.”
For more information on classes and opportunities through Radiant Martial Arts & Fitness, located at 8127 W. 94th Avenue in Westminster, visit www.radiantmaf.com, call 303-392-5370, or email radiantmaf@gmail.com. Also follow Radiant Martial Arts & Fitness on Facebook and Instagram.
"Having something that you can do to connect your mind and your body is great for people even into their later years, because it helps keep their mind sharp and their body healthy."