Taekwondo is a Korean martial art, similar to karate.

The sport has continued to grow all over the world, and that includes the Rio Grande Valley.

A martial arts school, Ed's World Class Taekwondo, in Brownsville has been around for nearly three decades, giving an in-depth experience into the martial art.

"This sport is basically about trying to become better than you were yesterday," Owner of Ed's Taekwondo, Ed Arriaga, said.

Taekwondo not only requires discipline, but also determination.

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"First, you got to have desire, you got to have the want, by having the want, eventually you will develop the discipline," Arriaga said.

Ed's Taekwondo has been in business for nearly 30 years. Arriaga first opened up his studio in 1996 and since then the business has grown.

"It's grown during a period of time. We have a competition team, we have a toddler team, we also have junior kids, so we have a variety of classes," Arriaga said.

The instructor says it's not just about teaching the kids about martial arts.

"We have to build a great technique before we even get to the higher levels," Arriaga said.

It's about starting from the ground up and, most importantly, instilling a sense of self-worth in each of the students.

"They can build confidence, they can develop a lot of self-respect and most importantly, they develop self-discipline," Arriaga said.

Arriaga even has a team that competes and has won some hardware.

"Competition wise, we develop a number of students that go to the elite level and basically compete at the state category and even in the national category," Arriaga said.

The team made it all the way to the U.S. Nationals.

"We had a great turnout, we brought back about four medals. One of our students also was selected to represent the United States of America into going to the USA Team trials in January," Arriaga said.

Arriaga hopes, one day, his studio will be represented at the world's biggest competition.

"We would love to one day represent the RGV, not only that, but represent the USA at the Olympics," Arriaga said.

Something he wants to see come true in 2028.

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