Kicks Karate has signed on to take over the space previously occupied by Amazing Lash Studio at 5554 Norbeck Rd. in the Rock Creek Valley shopping center in Rockville.
Founded in 1994 by Master John Bussard, an 8th Degree Black Belt, Kicks Karate operates martial arts schools throughout the I-270 corridor, with locations stretching from Bethesda and Rockville through Gaithersburg and Clarksburg and into Urbana and Frederick.
Kicks Karate offers martial arts programs for children as young as 3 through adults, with students grouped by age and experience. The academy also offers adult kickboxing classes focused on fitness and martial arts techniques.
According to the company, its programs are designed to develop skills including self-confidence, self-discipline, self-defense, fitness, mental focus and emotional awareness. Kicks Karate currently serves more than 2,000 martial arts students.
Bussard began training in martial arts in 1979 under Grandmaster Ki Whang Kim and competed throughout the 1980s and 1990s, capturing 18 Grand Championships. He holds a degree in Kinesiological Sciences from the University of Maryland and completed Harvard Business School’s Program for Leadership Development in 2016.
An opening date for the new Rock Creek Valley location has not yet been announced.
