Grand Master Dominick Giacobbe first opened Tang Soo Karate and Iron Hand Fitness in 1974 in Blackwood and later moved to Cherry Hill. Now, the ninth degree black belt holder is bringing his expertise to the Coliseum in Voorhees. The former Flyers practice facility is bringing together a host of options for South Jersey fitness buffs. “The concept is to have a whole complex for fitness,” Giacobbe explains. “It’s a good mindset. What’s happening is we’re getting a lot of people who are involved in fitness in the same place.”
In complement to facilities that offer things like swimming and basketball, Iron Hand Fitness features classes in the traditional art of Korean karate as well as boxing, sports- and circuit-training, tai chi and yoga.
“We have traditional karate, where you are in a uniform, it’s a very disciplined class focused on respect and honorability. We do it the old way, it’s the 2,000-year-old art of Korean karate, called Tang Soo Do,” he says. There are classes for both children (4 to 11 years old) and adults (age 12 and up).
Giacobbe’s expertise goes beyond martial arts, having worked with professional boxers for many years. “I trained Sugar Ray Leonard and Evander Holyfield for their championships fights and worked on several other world championship fights. I design the [boxing] class to be the same workout that the professionals did. We have a one-hour class that is very intense, you learn how to punch and move and do all the stances, but you don’t get in a ring and get knocked out,” he explains. “We also provide sports fitness for athletes. I was the conditioning coach for several years at local high schools and the trainer for the Philadelphia Eagles football players for 12 years. Our sports fitness will make athletes stronger and faster.”
Other fitness classes include:
Circuit training, which combines weights, ply-o-metrics and explosive cardio, is designed for sports fitness
Crossfit, which is good for building strength and core training
Tai chi, which is good for health and eternal energy
Yoga, which enhances flexibility and mindfulness
With a focus on family, Iron Hand’s class schedule is designed to be convenient for parents and children alike. “We coordinate our exercise classes at the same time as our karate classes so parents can put their kids in a class while they work out,” Giacobbe says. “Our target is to work with the whole family; we even have special prices that we give to families.
Karate Class Schedule
Children:
Monday through Friday
6 p.m. to 7 p.m.
Saturday 10:30 a.m. to noon
Adults:
Monday 10 a.m. to 11 a.m.
Monday to Friday 7 p.m. to 8 p.m.
Saturday 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.
Tang Soo Karate and Iron Hand Fitness
333 Preston Ave., Suite 1, Voorhees
(856) 375-2111
IronHandNewJersey.com
Published (and copyrighted) in Suburban Family Magazine, Volume 7, Issue 9 (November, 2016).
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