RELIGION : Minister Teaching Spiritual Combat : Students build self-defense skills along with their faith, says minister, an ex-Marine who has a black belt in tae kwon do.

Ralph Pina watches while his tae kwon do students warm up for class with a series of martial poses, punctuating the slow, gliding movements with sharp kicks and jabs.

As these students build self-defense skills they are also developing their Christian faith, explains the ex-Marine-turned-minister and a black belt in tae kwon do.

“We not only train students in the art of fighting, but in the art of spiritual combat, and how to believe in the power of prayer as opposed to using your hands,” Pina, 35, said.

The semiweekly classes, sponsored by Bethany Church of Alhambra, are held at First Christian Church in Monrovia. There are about 20 students, who range in age from 6 to 39, with an average age of 12, Pina says.

Each class begins with a prayer instead of the customary meditation.

“In coming here they develop new skills and new abilities,” Pina said. “They gain confidence in themselves, they begin to believe in themselves, and it gives them a sense of self-worth. I think it helps them not only in their tae kwon do training, but throughout their lives.”

As a class session begins, students pair up on the floor to practice self-defense techniques.

“You’ve got a bully in the schoolyard and he wants your milk money, or a kiss--I don’t know which,” Pina said, grabbing a youngster by the collar. “If he’s got a gun, give him everything. I don’t teach anybody how to block bullets.”

A few swift moves will knock the bully on his back, Pina says.

Four years ago, Pina made an abrupt career switch, becoming a minister with the Assembly of God Church after a 10-year stint in the Marine Corps. With a decade and a half of martial arts training under his belt, he started the tae kwon do classes two years ago. Although his gentle voice and earnest manner marks him as a man of the cloth, his muscular build and quick reflexes reveal his training as a fighter.

Students who had trouble in school begin to shape up with the discipline and motivation the class offers, Pina says.

“It’s helped me because you really have to study for the belt,” said Amber Guined, 24, a Citrus College student and a member of Pina’s class. “I’m at school, so it helps me really get into the studying and not flake off so much. It helps me concentrate.”