"The New England Tae Kwon Do Karate Club was founded in 1979 by Regent and Grand Master Ron Bastien. He has been involved in the martial arts for over 55 years. In addition to Tae Kwon Do, Regent and Grand Master Bastien has also studied Isshin-ryu Karate, Judo, and Tae Kwon Do Moo Duk Kwan. He received his Master's belt in Tae Kwon Do from Professor Larry Garon in 1982 and recently he was promoted to Regent, 9th degree Grand Master in 2014. Also, he was invited and accepted a World Wide International Ambassadorship from a Japanese Goju Ryu Federation. This is a huge honor and privilege for him and the entire Tae Kwon Do Karate Club. Included in his acceptance of this outstanding honor and privilege as World Wide Ambassador, the Goju Ryu Federation has promoted three of the Regent Ron Bastien's 7th Degree Grand Master Instructors to the Goju Ryu Federation National grading board for the United States of America. Grand Master Eileen Bastien, Grand Master Greg Baran and Grand Master Darrell Stam. We are so honored and privileged to receive such outstanding recognition."
Our club spans several locations in Massachusetts and New Hampshire. We have 400 students, 80 black belts and sixteen (including Regent Ron Bastien) which have their Grand Master's and Master Instruction levels in Tae Kwon Do, 350 years of experience between all the Master level instructors. Our club is family oriented. We encourage parents and guardians to participate with their children in non-contact Tae Kwon Do. Adults and children are not split up, but instead learn and work out together. An important aspect of the club's philosophy is that Tae Kwon Do be taught to perpetuate the style and for the love of the art, not solely to make profit.
