Sharpen Yourself

By Eric Evans, 1st dan

Receiving a family heirloom can be bittersweet.  Heirlooms generally have been in the family for several generations and each item has a different story.  The more the item was used, the greater the stories behind them.  Each item shows wear in a different way depending on how often it was maintained.  For example, a pocket knife handed down generation to generation has been through many uses.  If properly maintained, it can be sharper than the day it was forged.  Moo Sul Kwan Taekwondo is similar to the pocket knife.  We have been given an heirloom that was brought to the United States by Lee H. Park in 1969.  MSK Taekwondo has been practiced, honed, sharpened and passed down year after year and it has spread to thousands of students across the US..

Our Moo Sul Kwan Taekwondo skills are like the knife in that they must be maintained.  Remember back to when you first started class.  Every move you were given was an adventure.  If you are like me, you took that new gift home, practiced it daily and sharpened your new skills.  The new move or poomse was a prize that you cherished.  That same ferocity must be maintained throughout your MSK Taekwondo career. Like the pocket knife, if you allow your moves to become dull, collect dust and become rusty, it will take two to three times longer to refine them back to where they need to be. When this happens to a knife, it requires the removal of more metal from the blade, making the lifespan shorter.

Every day sharpens or dulls your skills.  You are either one step closer to your next belt or moving one step further away.  An extra class a week or an extra 5 minutes of practice a day at home will have a huge impact on your skills and progression to black belt.  Taking a significant amount of time off can require extensive rework on skills you may have previously mastered.  To aid in this progression, it is helpful to maintain a training chart with all of the skills and poomse you know.  your routine from week to week to maximize your efforts.  Concentrate on improving one or two skills in each class. For example, you might want to concentrate on proper chamber hands and looking before each move in basics and poomse.

Finally, it is not enough to keep these skills to yourself.  Your training is enhanced through demonstrations, assistant instruction and becoming a Moo Sul Kwan instructor.  You will learn to take more pride in your work and have a stronger desire to properly maintain your skills.  The passing on of the heirloom will also push you to refine and better understand MSK Taekwondo.  One of the best opportunities you have available to you from day one to help this progression is the CTI Black Belt Club.  This extra class a week expands on the basic skills you learn in your regular class and prepares you for the next level.  CTI BBC classes also provides the opportunity to join Lead team on Saturdays and prepares you for your Black Belt test.  Each day holds a new opportunity for you to maintain the gift you have been given.  Seize each day and use it to its full potential.  Take 5 minutes a day to work through your poomse, sit-ups and push-ups.  You will not be disappointed in the results.

The DMAC is Back!

The Colorado Taekwondo Institute is hosting the 23rd Denver Martial Arts Championships at Alameda International High School September 22nd and 23rd.

Black Belt Breaking with a Kick

Students of all belt levels and ages will compete in Poomse, Sparring, First Point Wins!, and Breaking.  Competitions begin with black belt competitions on Friday evening after the CTI Private Lesson Extravaganza.  Private lessons are given by the black belts to benefit the next CTI Black Belt Team World Tour.  Students have the opportunity to choose their black belt and work on their tournament poomse, breaks, and sparring techniques right in the gymnasium where they will compete the next day!  The CTI Private Lesson Extravaganza is always popular and slots fill up quickly.  Check your CTI Campus bulletin board and sign up soon!

Saturday morning will begin early for the black belts, and as the day goes on, the other students come according to the championship schedule.  Click here for more information on times and rules.

At noon, the traditional group line-up takes place.  Competitions continue when the noon activities are over.

Remember, admission is always free for our family members and friends.  We appreciate our family and friend support and encourage everyone to come, watch and enjoy the exciting action and Moo Sul Kwan sportsmanship displayed by our competitors.

CTI Mission Statement

The Colorado Taekwondo Institute has been teaching educational martial arts in Colorado since 1983. We teach our students self-defense, confidence, respect, focus along with physical fitness, but ultimatly the mission of our school is:

"To teach and encourage world-class leadership through educational excellence and Moo Sul Kwan martial arts traditions"

On our school patch we have a latin phrase, "discit qui ducit" which means, "who learns leads." We want to turn each and every one of our students into educated leaders. For children this means learning the value of education and developing them into leaders at school and h
ome, and for adults it means learning the importance of continued education and development of leadership skills at work and home.

Want to learn more about what we have to offer? Go to www.StartMartialArts.com or give us a call at 303.428.5377 to learn more about our dynamic classes!

Stepping Out of Your Comfort Zone

Mrs. Morgan on Camera for Channel 2!

Have you ever done anything that you were unsure of?  In Moo Sul Kwan Taekwondo we develop a confidence about ourselves, but that doesn't mean we are 100% sure all the time.  Having confidence means, even though we are apprehensive about something, we move forward with it anyway.  We’re confident enough to know, no matter what the outcome, in the end, we will be better because of it.

Every morning while I get ready for work, I listen to the news on television.  One morning they highlighted this lady who did boxing to keep in shape.  She was about my age and looked pretty fit.  I was really impressed with what she was doing.  I thought to myself how great it was that Channel 2 was highlighting people’s work-out program.   And of course, without thinking twice, I submitted the Moo Sul Kwan work out we do at the Colorado Taekwondo Institute.  I figured if this lady could inspire me with her boxing work out, maybe I would inspire someone with my MSK Taekwondo work-out.  I really didn't think they would actually call me, but they did.

Thinking about being in front of Channel 2's camera made me nervous.  When I submitted my work-out, I wasn't really thinking about the whole camera thing.  What if I made a mistake?  Not only was I representing myself for tons of people who watch the news, but I was representing Moo Sul Kwan.  Was I capable?

Luckily my fellow students at the Westminster Campus agreed to come in and work out with me on the day of the filming.  Having their support made me not quite as nervous.  All of us were really happy that we constantly go over basics in every class.  Once we got into our side stance and started doing punches and strikes, we forgot the camera was even there. Master Albrechtson’s words to “push hard in every class” really hit the mark now.  Because we all were so used to giving every technique everything we got, pushing ourselves to the limit for the camera, didn't seem as difficult as we thought it would be.

We did a shorter version of what we do in class and I talked about how training at the Colorado Taekwondo Institute is for someone who wants to push themselves beyond their own limits.  I highlighted the leadership experience we get, not just from instructing, but from helping each other out.

In the end, all went well and everyone felt really good about the segment.  The women who filmed us seemed impressed with the work-out.  I was satisfied, not only with myself, but with my fellow students who worked out with me.  We didn't let fear of a television camera stop us from showing what we have to offer.  I was proud to able to share my passion for what C.T.I is all about, to people out there who may be looking for what I was looking for when I found Moo Sul Kwan.

So remember, never stop pushing yourself beyond your limits.  You never know when a camera might be around to film what you can do.

Click here to see the Channel 2 Report on Mrs. Morgan!

Symposium Time in October

The 17th Moo Sul Kwan Black Belt Symposium is taking place this year at the Inn at SilverCreek near Granby, Colorado.  The MSK Symposium is hosted by the Colorado Taekwondo Institute and is led by Grandmaster James M. Sautel, 7th dan.  Master Mindy Sautel, 6th dan, Master John Sautel, 6th dan and Master Erik Albrechtson, 5th dan.  Karen McHugh, 4th dan, Freddy Sautel, 4th dan, Clayton Garner, 4th dan and Alice Meyung 4th dan round out the Symposium Teaching Staff.

Advanced classes and events will begin on Friday evening and go until Sunday afternoon.  During the weekend, there will be events like the Symposium Adventures and the Saturday Evening Symposium Banquet.  Classes will range from advanced sparring and judging technique to teaching techniques and competition training and much more!

The theme of the weekend is, "Keep pushing," a favorite phrase of Great Grandmaster Lee H. Park, founder of Moo Sul Kwan and the AMASEA.  GGM Park thought it necessary for our upper belts to receive continuous training to stay sharp and improve - and during this weekend we will keep pushing for the future!

Any questions can be directed to your instructor about this special weekend.