COSTA MESA : Children Get Kick Out of Karate Class

Andrew and Kenny Barlow, 7-year-old twins missing the same front teeth, stand side by side in a 2,700-square-foot studio that is tucked behind Harbor Boulevard.

Listening intently to an instructor, they swing around 360 degrees, deliver a kick and throw a punch.

“A month ago, all they did was watch television and argue,” says their mother, Kimberly Barlow, watching from the sideline.

“Now they want to come here every day, and when they get home, they practice and give each other constructive criticism.”

The second-graders and their 14-year-old brother are among the 40 children and 20 adults who now study Kenpo karate, boxing and kickboxing at the recently opened South Coast Martial Arts/Boxing Center.

But South Coast is not one of those martial arts studios or boxing gyms with monthly rates that most parents cannot afford.

The studio is a nonprofit endeavor that charges youths $25 a month for as many as 15 classes a week.

And the center hopes one day to offer free scholarships for those who qualify.

The center’s focus is on youth, but adult memberships--which are offered to help pay the center’s overhead--cost $45 a month for 12 weekly adult classes and six sessions with both adults and children, says Regina Sahagun, 30, who started the studio with her husband.

“We’re a community service to target young people,” she says. “We want to teach them to say no to drugs, say no to alcohol, say no to gangs and come in here to get their aggression out in a positive manner.”

Regina Sahagun and her husband, Joaquin, operate the center and teach classes at night and on Saturdays while working full-time day jobs and raising their two young children. She is also undergoing chemotherapy for breast cancer.

Mexican-born Joaquin Sahagun, 43, a piping designer who grew up in South Central Los Angeles, has studied Kenpo karate for 20 years and has achieved the rank of third-degree black belt.

His wife, an Orange County native, runs an accounting firm and has trained in boxing and karate since 1984.

“We met in a karate studio eight years ago and got married a year later,” Regina Sahagun said. “Karate has been a way of life for both of us. We’ve always done it. . . .”

The couple says their ultimate goal is to create an Olympic team. In the meantime, they are seeking money to offer scholarships to drug-free youngsters who maintain at least a C average in school and who manage to stay out of gangs.

Money is also needed to buy additonal equipment, provide transportation to competitions and offer additional classes, including those on English and Spanish comprehension, first aid, CPR and personal safety, as well as with drug, alcohol and tobacco prevention seminars.

For Kimberly Barlow, the center was an answer to a prayer.

“I can send all three of my children here for less than the cost of one membership at other studios,” she says.

“Now they’re more confident, have a lot more energy and are motivated to get up and do something.”

Kenny says he likes coming to the studio because “it’s fun, and it makes me feel better.”

“It’s fun, and it’s just like playing,” adds his brother Andrew. “I like to come every day.”

For further information, call (714) 545-5759.