The Keys to Living Stress Free

By Jocelyn Wallen, red belt

Stress it one of those things that is inescapable.  It follows you wherever you go, school, work, even home.  Too much homework, late hours, distractions, distractions, and more distractions.  It seems like stress won’t ever go away, that you won’t ever have more time, or more fun, but there are a few key ideas to help those of us who can sometimes feel hopeless in the balance.

Key number 1: Sleep.  Getting sleep is probably the easiest stress relieving activity.  It seems kind of obvious, but even an extra hour of sleep can change your entire day from a slump to a day full smiles.

Sleep is also a key factor in preventing sickness.  When a person misses out on their recommended hours of sleep they become 26% more likely to come down with a cold (according to mayoclinic.com), and being sick is stressful.


Key number 2: Time management. Sounds easy right?  Sure it is, if you actually do it.  It’s really hard to stay on top of everyday life, homework and chores are so much less fun than television or friends, but they have to be done.  Work out a schedule that is easy for you to follow that doesn’t bunch up all of your work in one place.  Allow some time for fun stuff, and brain breaks, and stick to it!  When you spread the work out it becomes easier and doesn’t seem like nearly as much.  Making it much less stressful.


Key number 3: Mindset. Every bad thought you think will lead to another, but the same does apply to good thoughts too.  Thinking about how happy or not stressed you are will make it better, and little by little you can chill out.   You think happy, you’ll be happy.

As an all honors student, who also does marching band and Moo Sul Kwan Taekwondo at the Colorado Taekwondo Institute, I’ve dealt with stress, and the occasional freak out, but everything passes eventually - all you have to do is get through it.  Breathe.  Take a step back and remember the three keys. These keys will help you unlock a stress free life.

Gaining Confidence from MSK Taekwondo

By Zach Greaves, red belt

The Colorado Taekwondo Institute teaches their students how to be confident in everything they do, to learn how to persevere, while showing them how to become leaders and teache
rs.

Every class we ‘kihap’ or yell our hearts out.  We bring our winning spirits every day and we are asked questions that are difficult, and sometimes, as upper belts, are asked to help others.  All these things take confidence that is developed on the journey to the very special Moo Sul Kwan black belt.

At the beginning of training it’s not expected for you to be confident - but that is why MSK Taekwondo is so great because the training breeds confidence and it is the place to go to when you want to develop confidence.

Throughout the journey to MSK /AMASEA black belt, your skills are tested through trials and crucibles of wit, strength, flexibility, eagerness, dedication, discipline and confidence.  Quitting is an option, but having the drive and strive to keep going and excelling and never giving up is a MSK black belt trait that is highly coveted.  Not everyone has this trait but it can be learned through the confidence that builds inside of the student. from good training.

It’s weird to think about going through life without confidence.  It would be really hard, but MSK martial arts demand it.  So we learn it and master it to become smarter and stronger.  It also just makes things more fun when everyone is really smart and confident in what they are doing.  It makes the environment safe, it's more enjoyable and you reach higher levels in your understanding of the art.

Confidence is really a big part of life.  Having confidence and a determination to succeed is the number one facet to achieving a Moo Sul Kwan black belt in life.

Perseverance

By Collin Kreutz, red belt, age 12

Perseverance is when you are dedicated and set on achieving a goal, and you keep pushing hard and trying to achieve that goal, no matter what stands in your way and how hard it will be.  Perseverance is very important to succeed in achieving your goals.

Perseverance is very important in order to achieve my goal, getting my 1st dan black belt in Moo Sul Kwan Taekwondo.  I need to use perseverance to make my way through the testing cycle, including the written test, physical test, and other difficult parts of getting your black belt.  Every student in Moo Sul Kwan Taekwondo at the Colorado Taekwondo Institute uses perseverance to achieve their MSK Taekwondo goals.

Perseverance is also important at a CTI Taekwondo Tournament.  In order to win a trophy or medal in a division, you must use perseverance to try your hardest and your best.  Otherwise, you won’t be as effective in your power and technique because you will be thinking about something else, instead of pushing to the limit and doing great in the division.

Perseverance is also used for your goals in life.  You could use perseverance to get good grades in school, win a basketball game, and many other goals. You must persevere and go as hard as you can to achieve any goals that you have and want to accomplish or achieve.

The reason I think perseverance is very important is because if you don’t persevere and try harder than normal, you most likely won’t ever achieve any of your goals.  Perseverance plays a very large part in accomplishing anything you want to in life.

Perseverance may be the most important thing to achieve any of your goals, along with dedication and confidence.  Whether your goals are in Moo Sul Kwan Taekwondo, or outside of MSK Taekwondo, it is always very important to persevere to get those goals.

The CTI Super Bowl is Here!

The 39th CTI Super Bowl!

THE SUPER BOWL has finally arrived!  The weather got us back in March when we had to postpone the tournament weekend due to snow.....the last time this happened was in 1988.  Mother Nature wins . . . this time.

So you know what this means?  It means that we are going to have the best Super Bowl of all time!  This weekend - APRIL 26 - 27!

It will take place at Alameda International High School in Lakewood, Colorado.

There will be events for all ages and belt levels.  Black Belts and red belts begin on Friday evening.  You can check your 39th CTI Super Bowl tri-fold for start times, for registration and other information, or you can click here.

Let's make this the best tournament of all time!   See you there!