Elizabeth Schwettman

Hello, my name is Elizabeth Schwettman, but I go by Betsy. I hope this short bio will help you to know your instructor a little better.

I never saw myself as a martial artist, much less ever becoming a black belt. I had never physically fought anyone, or really had to defend myself. I never considered myself tough enough to study martial arts. But, when I saw the excitement my four year old daughter had about her taekwondo classes, I knew I had to be a part of her martial arts journey. What I didn’t expect was that I wasn’t just following her training – I was creating my own journey as well.

When my 4 year old daughter began martial arts, I sat and watched a few classes. Then, my husband and I decided it was better to participate than to sit and watch – I had to be there anyway, I may as well make the most of my time. I found that I really liked it. Taekwondo reminded me a lot of the same moves and flexibility that I had mastered in high school, when I was captain of a few different dance and drill teams. Memorizing forms was just like memorizing a dance routine. The flexibility that I needed for kicks returned to my body; even after years of not really stretching my legs at all. I discovered that I was a lot tougher than I thought – certainly capable of holding my own in sparring situations.

As I was progressing through my kup belts in martial arts, I remember Grand Master Rankin asking me if I was planning to make it to black belt. I gave him an honest answer, “Right now in my life, I can only really think about achieving the next belt, after that – I don’t know”. I am proud to say that I earned my black belt in June of 2021 – even the pandemic couldn’t stop me!

One of the things that I like most about being a black belt is being an instructor. I have been a Spanish and an English as a Second Language teacher for the past 16 years. I have the knowledge and skills to teach almost any kind of student. I recognize different learning styles and can adapt how I teach to each individual student. I am fluent in Spanish, so I can even teach in Spanish if that’s what is needed!

I enjoy practicing martial arts with my family. I love the fact that my husband, daughter and I are all passionate about the same thing. We encourage each other during training, celebrate our successes and help each other grow as marital artists. Together, we have created a school that will hopefully become a cornerstone of Gilpin County culture.