About · New Lenox, IL
The Right Class
For The Age They Are.
Pride Martial Arts is a kids-focused academy in New Lenox, run by Ron Poholik — 30+ years teaching, and the 2017 national Instructor of the Year. Every child here trains in a class built for their stage of development.
01 / Why this school exists
Most Kids Classes
Are Built For
The Average Kid.
Walk into most martial arts schools and you'll see a five-year-old and an eleven-year-old in the same line, being taught the same drill with the same words. One of them is lost. The other is bored. Usually both.
That's not a discipline problem or a talent problem — it's a development problem. A four-year-old's brain physically cannot process a four-step combination the way a nine-year-old's can. Ask it to anyway and the child decides they're "bad at this."
Pride is built the other way around. Four separate kids programs, each written for a narrow age band, each teaching to what that brain and body are actually ready for. Kids progress because the class meets them where they are.
02 / Who runs the mat
Ron
Poholik.
Owner & Head Instructor · Black Belt · 30+ Years Teaching Martial Arts
Ron Poholik has spent more than 30 years on the mat as a full-time martial arts instructor, teaching thousands of kids across the Chicago southland. In 2017 he was named the Greatmats National Martial Arts Instructor of the Year — an award voted on for teaching, not for trophies. At Pride Martial Arts in New Lenox he runs the age-specific SKILLZ curriculum: separate classes for 3–4, 5–6, 7–9, and 10–14, because a four-year-old's brain and a twelve-year-old's brain do not learn the same way.
2017 Greatmats National Martial Arts Instructor of the Year
30+ Years
Full-time martial arts instructor
4 Age Groups
Ages 3–4, 5–6, 7–9, and 10–14
Thousands Taught
Kids and families across the southland
03 / What the school stands on
Age-Specific. Earned.
Kids First.
Age-Specific
Four separate kids programs, not one class with a wide age range. A 4-year-old and an 11-year-old are given different drills, different language, and different expectations — because their brains are in different places.
Earned, Not Given
Stripes and belts are tested, not handed out on a schedule. When your child comes home with one, it means they did the thing in front of an instructor who was watching.
Kids First, Always
Instructors are on the floor with the class — coaching, correcting, and knowing every kid's name. Parents sit ten feet away and watch every minute of it.
04 / How we're different
Four Things
You'll Notice.
Your child is placed by development, not just by birthday
Early SKILLZ (3–4), Basic SKILLZ (5–6), Core SKILLZ (7–9), Extreme SKILLZ (10–14). Each program teaches to what that age group can actually absorb — attention span, coordination, memory, and impulse control all change year to year.
The curriculum measures more than kicks
Every cycle tracks physical, intellectual, emotional, and social development alongside technique. That's why parents notice the change at home and at school before they notice it on the mat.
Small enough that nobody hides in the back
Classes are capped so every child gets touches, reps, and eye contact. A quiet kid can't disappear here, and a high-energy kid gets redirected instead of ignored.
A first class that isn't a sales pitch
You start with a real class and a short conversation about your child specifically. If we're not the right fit for them, we'll say so out loud.
05 / The short version
How We
Got Here.
30+ Years
On the mat, full time
Ron Poholik has taught martial arts professionally for three decades, working with thousands of kids and families across the Chicago southland.
2017
National Instructor of the Year
Named the Greatmats National Martial Arts Instructor of the Year — an award decided on teaching and community impact, not competition record.
Today
Pride Martial Arts, New Lenox
A dedicated kids academy running the age-specific SKILLZ curriculum plus Judo for Kids, serving families from Frankfort, Mokena, Joliet and across Will County.
06 / Where we train
New Lenox, IL.
1005 West Laraway Road, Ste 200, New Lenox, IL 60451
(815) 957-5425
Afternoon and evening classes weekdays · Saturday mornings
Families drive to us from Frankfort, Mokena, Joliet, Manhattan
Come See It.
$19.99 for 2 Weeks Unlimited Classes.
Free uniform included. Your child gets placed in the class built for their age — then you decide.