Huntley martial arts instructor Rick Bjorkquist knows all too well the urge kids have to fight.

By the time he was 14, he had already endured much ridiculing by his classmates for a stuttering impediment.

“I could barely get two sentences out,” he said. “And kids being kids, they just added fuel to the fire.”

Bjorkquist enlisted in a martial arts program called Kyuki-Do in hopes that he would be able to fight back against the taunters.

A Korean art, Kyuki-Do is a mix of taekwondo, judo, jiujutsu, hapkido, and kobudo. But through his training, Bjorkquist learned fighting was not the core goal of the Kyuki-Do practice.

“Everybody think it’s like Karate Kid — full contact, put them in a body bag kind of thing,” he said. “But our system is based on family martial arts. Several families have 3 and 4-year-olds taking classes next to their children. And the idea of it isn’t about creating fighters, but helping kids become future leaders.”

The Kinder Kyuki-Do program helps students to develop the three Cs: confidence, coordination and concentration.

Kim’s Black Belt Academy Of Huntley just finished the first session of the Kinder Kyuki-Do program at the Huntley Area Park District. Kids as young as 2-years-old work on punches, kicks, blocks and other core building activities to help their coordination.

“By doing many of the same activities it builds their confidence because they know what’s coming next and they try harder,” Bjorkquist said.

The stripes students earn on their belts also give them a sense of accomplishment.

Huntley mom Jamie Deblieck has her son, Tyler, enrolled in the Kinder Kyuki-Do program at the Park District.

“He really likes it because it’s more individualized so depending on how much effort he puts in, he’s seeing results,” she said.

She and her husband, Rob, enjoy watching their son learn the practice.

“He feels so proud of himself every time he goes,” she said. “It’s fun to see him learn new things.”

Bjorkquist moved to the area in 1996 to manage Kim’s Black Belt Academy Of Elgin.

Today he is instructor at Kim’s Black Belt Academy of Huntley.

His goal is to help prevent kids from growing up to be fighters.

“There are enough of them in this world,” he said. “We need to develop leaders.”

Families who are interested in joining a class can call (847) 669-3180, stop by the Huntley Park District, 12015 Mill St., or log onto the Web at www.huntleyparks.org.

Families who are interested in Kinder Kyuki-Do classes throughout the week day can call Kim’s Black Belt Academy of Huntley at (847) 669-6030, stop by at 10993 Ruth Road, Huntley, or visit www.BuildConfidentKids.com.