A Center For Martial Arts Makes Comeback In Palos Hills

PALOS HILLS, IL — The owner of a long-time martial arts studio wiped out by the pandemic is betting everything he has to reopen in a new location.

A Center For The Martial Arts, formerly located in Worth, reopened this pas weekend in the Bosa Plaza at 10717 S. Roberts Rd., Palos Hills. Residents can stop by, meet the instructors, sample Japanese candy, and learn more about the center’s programs. Take a free lesson or set up a free class for later. The center will open at 10 a.m.

The center has been serving the South Side since 2006; its owner, Bob Garza, has been a martial arts instructor since the 1990s.

“The pandemic closed us down. We didn’t qualify for PPP,” said Garza, a sixth degree black belt. “I was teaching on Zoom from my house for my students. We decided when things got better to find a new location.”

Garza became interested in Japanese-style martial arts while serving with the U.S. Marine Corps in the 1970s. He has invested in a new air cleaning system and there are sanitizing stations everywhere. Investing about as much money as he lost closing his Worth studio in 2020, Garza is abiding by CDC/IDPH COVID-19 guidelines. He has a sign on his door asking students to “help me keep my business open, mask up.”

“I won’t be able to survive this again,” he said. “We’re pushing everybody to follow the guidelines.”

A Center for the Martial Arts offers classes for children, teens and adults. The center is open seven days a week. Most classes are held in the evening, starting around 6:30 p.m. Monday through Friday, and all day Saturdays and Sundays. Tai Chi classes for seniors take place 9:30 a.m. Tuesday and Thursday.

In addition to Tai Chi, different programs are offered in Aikido, Jujitsu, karate and Japanese swordsmanship throughout the week.

“We offer free classes all the time,” Garza said. “People can try a free lesson without any obligation.”

Garza is hoping that he won’t have to go back to offering classes on Zoom. His former Worth location had 60 children signed up for classes. After the state’s first COVID shutdown, the center today has five students. Garza wants to let his students know that the center has reopened in Palos Hills.

“We took a big chance spending money just to reopen,” he said. “If we can make it through the winter and get to next spring, we’ll survive.”

Follow A Center For Martial Arts on Facebook.