A traditional Korean martial art, Tang Soo Do combines kicks, strikes, blocks, and is a powerful tool for self-defense as well as artistic expression through combative movement. Training also results in the development of individual character, discipline, respect, and physical fitness. Sa Bom Nim Kathleen Degnan teaches our Tang Soo Do classes, including the advanced Red Belt/Black Belt Class.

Students can attend karate classes up to 4 days a week. Attendance at least twice per week is strongly recommended in order for the student to get exposure to the variety of exercises and enough repetition of techniques.

Sa Bom Nim Kathleen Degnan has been studying Tang Soo Do for almost 24 years under the direction of Master Joe Fitzgerald. She is a Master Instructor and continues to train with Master Fitzgerald, in addition to attending national seminars and tournaments in order to improve her skills as a martial artist.

For more than 15 years, Master Degnan has been teaching Tang Soo Do in the Chicago area; as head instructor for the University of Chicago’s Tang Soo Do club, and starting in 2014, in her own program on Chicago’s north side. In late 2020, she opened a karate school in the Hyde Park neighborhood. In 2021, she began training in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu under Jay Valko (Valko BJJ) and is currently a blue belt, training under both Jay Valko and Justin Metcalfe. Master Degnan is passionate about her training, and loves to share her excitement for Tang Soo Do, Kali-Eskrima, and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu with her students.