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LOCATION
2621 Summit Ave, Plano, TX 75074, United States of America
HOURS
Group classes are on hold; all classes now are by appointment only.
Beck Martial Arts teaches the different martial art styles of Hapkido, Taekwondo, and Arnis in Texas. BMA has been in the Dallas / Fort Worth area throughout its history starting from out of the Olympus Gym in 1993. In the DFW area, instruction is easy to find for the various punching/kicking martial arts such as Taekwondo and Karate. Grappling arts such as Judo, Jujutsu, and Aikido are less common but there are a few around. Hapkido arts (Hap Ki Do, Hwarangdo, Kuk Sool Won, Han Moo Do, Krav Maga, Viet No Vuem) and Filipino Martial Arts (arnis, kali, eskrima) are very rare. They are often treated as adjunct arts - someone attends a seminar or two, learns a few techniques, and claims to teach the art. Master Beck has studied the arts of Hapkido, Taekwondo, and Arnis in depth to black belt levels under different instructors. Although they merge together well, each is an excellent standalone martial art and each is best taught separately with respect for its cultural flavor, tradition, and history. The current boom in mixed martial arts is fine as far as technique goes, but tends to focus totally on competitions and physical skills; losing the other benefits of martial arts. The BMA approach to each class is to always encourage self-development and enhance self-defense skills through physical and mental training. Master Beck feels that traditional martial arts are the best way to gain skills in self-defense and self-development (and Hapkido and Arnis have always had a mixture of strikes and grappling and cover every range), but that getting people into great shape while introducing them to martial arts basics is a worthwhile endeavor.He has previously offered a Martial Fitness class that combines kickboxing, MMA, and physical conditioning. Such a class does not fit into his current schedule, but demand makes a difference, Email Master Beck if you want one.
About Master Beck
Master Instructor David N. Beck has studied martial arts for nearly 4 decades, starting Hapkido in the fall of 1983 with Master Yong Chin Pak at Iowa State University, starting Taekwondo with Master Pak in 1986, and starting Modern Arnis with Professor Remy Presas in 1993. Master Beck formed Beck Martial Arts and started teaching on his own in September of 1993. Master Beck is certified 7th Dan Black Belt in Hapkido by the World Sin Moo Hapkido Association and is a direct student of the founder of Hapkido, Dojunim Han Jae JI. Master Beck is certified 4th Dan Black Belt in Taekwondo by the Kukkiwon (headquarters for the World Taekwondo Federation), and is a student of Grandmaster Sun Heesup LEE. Master Beck is certified Lakan Dalawa Black Belt (2nd degree) and Advanced Instructor in Arnis de Leon by the International Arnis de Leon Federation, and is a student of Grandmaster Anding de Leon. Master Beck has also had some additional training in Yanagi Ryu Aiki-Jiujitsu, American Kempo karate, judo, grappling, and boxing. Master Beck has been certified previously by NAPMA (the National Association of Professional Martial Artists) to teach the Cardio Karate form of aerobic kickboxing. If you want still more information, here's a more in-depth martial arts resume and history of how Beck Martial Arts came about. Mr. Beck is a Certified Software Development Professional experienced in object oriented development , test automation, performance testing, and cloud technologies. Mr. Beck is married with a young daughter. For him, teaching martial arts is a labor of love. To contact Master Beck, call 214-334-5951 or Email. You can see pictures of some of Master Beck's teachers in the Gallery.
Pricing
As much as Master Beck enjoys teaching, he can't teach for free -- a location to train in is a necessity and his time has value. However, without his own storefront and a lease hanging over his head, he doesn't have to require long term commitments or contracts the way many schools do, and BMA will never do sales tricks like cash out discounts. Pricing is simple and straightforward. Rates are per prepaid month (large discount over 50%), prepaid 6-pack (small discount 1/6 off), or per class on a pay-as-you-go basis. This encourages students to come to as many classes as possible while keeping things reasonable for those who can't train as regularly and allowing for drop-ins. There are also family discounts to encourage relatives to train together, and crosstraining discounts to encourage open minds. Students pay Master Beck all fees directly and he pays rent to EPA/PAC. If you are here to price compare, that is not really a good way to decide on a school. Price does not correlate directly with quality. A low price doesn't mean a bad product, nor does a high price mean it's great. The bottom line is that martial arts is not a commodity business, it is a service. You may find a martial arts school on every street corner, but there is no McDonald's type of consistency -- every school and every teacher is different. I am not a fit for everybody. At BMA you are encouraged to try it (first class FREE!) and see if it fits you and your needs. There are many other criteria you can consider besides price before deciding on a school; let me expound on some:
- Style - styles *do* have pluses and minuses, although the individual is always more important than the style.
- Rank of Instructor - Certifying organizations vary. Some have good quality control, some do not. Every so often a TV station does a story with a reporter obtaining a black belt for their dog via the mail... How many years the instructor has been studying is a better indicator than the number on the piece of paper they have on the wall. If they have jumped from organization to organization or if they won't tell you their rank history that's a bad sign.
- Lineage - It may seem impressive to have studied with a 'name' - a Bruce Lee, a Remy Presas, a Chuck Norris. Or to trace back over a hundred years to the founder of an art. But how much was lost in translation? There's usually a dropoff at every level...
- Skill of instructor - An instructor who might be a fantastic martial artist could be a lousy teacher, with very little or none of his/her skill coming across to the students. The best way is to judge a teacher by his/her students, and not by just one. By and large, are they respectful, friendly, knowledgeable, and skilled?
- Teacher/Student Relationship - Some people respond well to lots of overt discipline and a military atmosphere. Some do not. Teachers vary with whether they encourage questions in class and with how relaxed or how serious the atmosphere is.
- School focus - The best school in the world for Olympic Taekwondo competition is not going to do much for a police officer needing skill in restraint techniques. 'Combat' focus on disabling or killing techniques are great for a sentry; not for your 10 year old to have ingrained as muscle memory instant reaction. Does what the school focuses on meet YOUR needs?
Current Specials
- Introductory trial (group class - FREE!!!!!
- Introductory package - $49 - includes intro half hour private lesson and 4 group classes
- Bring a Friend - Bring a friend along, they get a free trial class, you get a 1/2 price private lesson. Bring 2 friends, get a free private lesson.
Regular Prices for Group Classes:
- Arnis 3x/week: $35 per class, $175 for a 6-pack, $195 for a month (typically 12 classes which would be $420 on a per class basis, you save BIG going monthly)
- Hapkido 3x/week: $35 per class, $175 for a 6-pack of classes, $195 for a month (typically 12 classes)
- Taekwondo 2x/week: $35 per class, $175 for a 6-pack of classes, $130 for a month (typically 8 classes)
Regular Prices for Private Lessons: Private lessons can be any time mutually agreeable to student and Master Beck. If held at another location, Master Beck may charge an additional $1/mile outside a 20 mile roundtrip. Introductory private lesson (1/2 hour) $25 Private lesson (1 hour) $150 Semi-private lesson (1 hour, 2-5 people) $250
Prices for Rank Promotion Fees: Prices for Rank Promotion Fees: Belt Rank Certification Fees are the same across the arts. Each art has 10 levels under black belt. For the first 3 rank tests, $50. For the second, $75. For the third, $100. For black belt levels, $150 plus the certification fee of the relevant organization.
Discounts: (Discounts apply off a monthly base).
Discounts do not stack.
- Family discount - 30% off each additional family member
- Crosstraining discount - 30% off each additional art
- Packaged private lessons - 10% off when buying 3 or more
MASTER DAVID N. BECK
MARTIAL ARTS RESUME
HAPKIDO
Began September 1983 under Master Yong Chin Pak at Iowa State University. Achieved 1st degree black belt in the fall of 1987. At the time Master Pak was not certifying HKD black belts, so I don't have a piece of paper from him to stick in a frame and put up on the wall. But I have the knowledge, the actual belt he tied around my waist, and pictures. After graduation in December 1988, began study with Master Yon Sun Kim in Texas. Achieved 2nd Dan under Master Kim on 3/29/90, and 3rd Dan on 6/17/92 (certification via World Hapkido Federation). Split with Master Kim because of a number of philisophical differences and opened Beck Martial Arts in September of 1993. Met Sin Moo HKD Master David Henderson in March of 1995 and began occasional seminars with Masters Henderson, Larry Dorsey, Chad Zweig, and Dojunim Han Jae Ji. Achieved 4th Dan on May 14, 1996 (certification via World Sin Moo Hapkido Association. Went back to World Hapkido Federation in late 1999 to certify 3 of my HKD students as 1st Dans during a time when Dojunim Ji was moving around and difficult to contact. Promoted to 5th Dan on June 29, 2000 via the WHF. Re hooked up with Dojunim Ji in 2004 and after hosting him for a couple seminars to better master the Sin Moo curriculum and its updates since 1996, accepted promotion by Dojunim Ji to 6th Dan on June 11, 2005 (World Sin Moo Hapkido Association). Promoted to 7th Dan by Dojunim Ji on July 6, 2020. Have also trained in numerous seminars with other masters, including Grandmaster Geoff Booth, Grandmaster Ian Cyrus, Grandmaster James MacMurry, Grandmaster Sun Kyu Yang, Grandmaster JR West, and Grandmaster In Sun Seo. Continuing training and teaching.
TAEKWONDO
Began training in 1986 under Master Yong Chin Pak at Iowa State University, achieving 7th Gup. Then studied with Master Yon Sun Kim in Richardson,Texas in January, 1989; achieving 1st Dan on January 21, 1991, certification via the Kukkiwon (World Taekwondo Federation). Continued study and achieved 2nd Dan on June 21, 1993 (Kukkiwon certification). After split with Master Kim later in 1993, began training with Grandmaster Sun Hee-Sup Lee. Achieved 3rd Dan on Sept. 20, 1996 (Kukkiwon certification). Continued training and achieved 4th Dan through GM Lee on Nov. 5th, 1999 (Kukkiwon certification). Continuing training and teaching, though less frequently than Hapkido. I am way overdue for testing for 5th Dan, someday I will get around to it...
ARNIS
Began with seminar training in Modern Arnis in 1993 under Professor Remy Presas. Began group and private lesson training with Grandmaster Anding de Leon in late 1994, training off and on somewhat sporadically as time allowed, including attending the Professor's summer camps in Dallas 1993, '94, '95, and '96. Did not test for rank at the camps in '95 and '96, wanting to master the whole curriculum as taught by Guro de Leon. Did so and achieved black belt on August 25, 1999 (certification via International Modern Arnis Federation). After the Professor's death and the formation of the International Arnis de Leon Federation, achieved black belt in Arnis de Leon from the IADLF in 2002. Achieved Lakan Isa level of black belt in Arnis de Leon from the IADLF in Dec 2012. Achieved Lakan Dalawa from the IADLF in Jan 2022. Have also attended seminars by other Filipino Martial Arts teachers such as Remy's brother Grandmaster Ernesto Presas, Datu Tim Hartman, Datu Dieter Knuttel, Grandmaster Art Miraflor, Gat Puno Abundio Baet, Master of Tapi Tapi Chuck Gauss, and Guro Dan Inosanto. Have studied other training materials from other Filipino systems including GAT (Garimot Arnis Training), Mirarada, Pekita Tirsia, Inayan Serrada, , and the Dog Brothers. Continuing training and teaching.
OTHER
Informal boxing training with a longtime Dallas Golden Gloves competitor. Grappling training with friends involving wrestling and Brazilian jujutsu. Seminars and informal training with friends in aikijujutsu, Shorin-Ryu, Kempo, Pekita-Tirsia, Eskrido, and jo staff. Seminars and certification by NAPMA to teach Cardio Karate aerobic kickboxing. Certification in CPR and First aid.
TEACHING AND BECK MARTIAL ARTS
First started thinking about teaching about blue belt or so, after being the highest rank on a Saturday HKD workout at Iowa State, running the class, and finding out how much I enjoyed it. From that point on I was learning how to teach from my instructors besides studying the martial arts themselves. Taught HKD under auspices of Master Pak beginning in 1985. Taught HKD and TKD under auspices of Master Kim beginning in 1989. Opened Beck Martial Arts as a sole proprietorship in September of 1993. Taught HKD and TKD out of the Olympus Gym in Garland from 1993 - 1995, then from the Kids in Motion dance studio in Sachse (1995-6) then from the North Texas Performing Arts Academy dance studio in Wylie (1996-7). All three went out of business! I finally got tired of finding new locations on short notice and teaching out of non martial art places and opened my own storefront in Wylie in September 1997. Taught HKD, TKD, aerobic kickboxing, and arnis from the storefront from 1997-2000. But with a full-time job, the birth of a daughter, the distance from my home in Plano at the time, and an illness in the family, it was taking too much time. Closed the storefront in September 2000. From 2000 - 2007 taught out of Sun Lee Texas TKD Center, first in Plano and then in Richardson. From 2008 through 2009 taught out of the Douglas Community Center in Plano, in 2010 taught at Power Play Fitness in north Dallas, from 2011-2019 Jerome's Gym in Richardson, and from 2019-the present Elite Performance Academy/Pure Athlete Center in Plano. Taught many self-defense and HKD seminars, including to sororities, family and friends of existing students, gym members, company employees, and the general public.
