Ryan Hoover’s Extreme Karate is described as a “new school with old school values”. By blending goal-oriented and context driven training with a highly qualified staff and a focus on the individual goals of each student, RHEK is trying to create a unique niche in our martial arts community.

RHEK currently has two locations in our area. Their primary facility is a 3200 square foot space in the Forest Brook Shopping Center on Union Road in Gastonia, fully equipped with mats, hanging bags, the highest quality training equipment, separate men’s and women’s dressing areas, and a fully stocked pro shop.

In Charlotte, the Jewish Community Center on Providence Road will play host to the Krav Maga program beginning this Fall. In addition, RHEK offers training in Charlotte via private, semi-private and corporate packages.

Students range from age 3 to 60 and up, all with very diverse backgrounds, and all linked by a common goal – self-improvement.

“The martial arts are practiced for health and fitness, sport, law enforcement, spiritual benefits as well as for self protection,” explains Hoover. “Everyone is unique – old, young, abused, ADHD, bullied, uncoordinated – but they can all expect to be challenged, mentally and physically, to step out of their comfort zone, and to have a lot of fun.”

Ryan Hoover’s extreme Karate offers a diverse instructor team and training. Instructors have been trained in many systems and styles, with backgrounds in law enforcement, emergency services, and child welfare. Beyond the martial arts training, some RHEK instructors are certified Kid-Safe agents, Speed, Agility, and Quickness trainers, personal trainers, and more. But they all share a common philosophy.

“We believe knowing and embracing limits is the only way to conquer them,” explains Hoover. “We want to help people do that. Prepare the mind and the body will follow.”

For a full list of class offerings and their updated schedule, check out their website at www.rhek.com. In addition to Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, Thai boxing, Kempo and Kung Fu, RHEK’s menu options also include:

Karate: a system of self-defense created in the Orient that believes in strengthening the mind and body through self-discipline, fitness and awareness. RHEK offers a well-balanced program for kids that emphasizes life skills and mental benefits (self-confidence, respect, responsibility, honor, and much more.)

Krav Maga: created to bring students to a high level of proficiency in a relatively short period of time and focuses on teaching simple self protection techniques which are specifically catered to reality based attack situations.

Krav Maga Fitness: gets you into fighting shape using cardio classes, heavy bag work, and sports conditioning techniques to burn fat and tone muscle.
Hoover is proud of the accomplishments of both his students and instructors as well as the impact they continue to make in the community. And while their programs continue to grow, Hoover says the truest reward is in the stories.

“The most rewarding thing is hearing the success stories from parents about their children and from adults using their training to become better people,” says Hoover. “At the end of the day, those are the things that make what we do worthwhile. They have much more value than anything we could put on the wall or in a trophy case.”

Whether your goal is self-protection, life skills, mental benefits, fitness, sport fighting, or all of these, RHEK can provide you with the necessary tools to accomplish it.

Give them a call for yourself or for your children and start the journey toward self-improvement.