Camp Moo Sul Kwan '14

This year's Camp MSK '14, was held from June 7 - 12th at Snow Mountain Ranch in Colorado.  Following one of the finest MSK Summer Expos of all time, this year's Camp MSK started six short days after the Expo.  The six days of training at Camp was filled with unlimited learning and fun!

Special guests Master Bill Jones, 6th dan from Jackson, Missouri, and Mr. Mark Fraser, 4th dan from Alberquerque, NM, joined our excellent Camp MSK Teaching Staff for all the action.

Students and instructors received a Camp MSK '14 Uniform that became dirtier and dirtier throughout the week.  Classes in Exercise, Moo Sul Kwan Judo, Sparring, Poomse, Self-Defense, Staff, Breaking, Basic Hands, Kicking, One-Step Sparring and Demonstration Work complemented the mountain bike riding, basketball, wall climbing, zip line, horseback riding, table tennis, miniature golf, kickball, kite flying, squaring dancing, frisbee tossing, hiking, movie night, musical breaking night and eating! There was also a Moo Sul Kwan black belt test on one of the days.  Twelve candidates, of varying ages, went through the physical test beginning early in the morning.

The Camp meals for over 110 hungry students were specially prepared by Cindy Tusa and Master Jones, along with Pam Sautel and other invaluable help!  Meals are always a favorite part of the Camp week, and on one evening, everyone dressed for dinner.  This year the special diinner was to celebrate the American Farmer.  Everyone  dined on kettle beef, mashed potatos and green beans straight from an old Kelso, Missouri, country recipe!

On the last day of Camp MSK, the parents, family members and friends were treated to some demonstrations.  It started off with a Camp Bicycle Demonstration by some of our older campers, and was followed by the Camp Team Demonstrations, each one named after
and demo symbolizing a United Sates Mountain Range.

Make plans for next year's CAMP MSK '15!

Give a Kick-Start to Your Kid’s Growth – Taekwondo for Health

Are you looking for a safe and fun sport that your child can grow with? Does your child need to develop good habits that include sportsmanship, respect, discipline, and focus. Taekwondo is a great way to help your child learn to love exercise and competition the right way. Kids’ taekwondo classes help your child achieve goals, get in great shape, and meet new friends. In Golden, taekwondo classes are available through the Colorado Taekwondo Institute, entering its fourth decade as the state’s premier martial arts training school. Learning the power of the kick will never seem so healthy and productive.

Safety First

Parents are always rightfully concerned about their kids’ safety when they begin participating in sports, particularly at a young age. Although injuries are often a reality when it comes to physical sports, taekwondo classes at the Colorado Taekwondo Institute are very safe for children (and adults alike).

• Custom Suspension Floors – Each campus of the Colorado Taekwondo Institute has fully custom built, suspension floors. These floors, built much like a gymnastic floor, make the strenuous workouts of our classes much easier on the feet, ankles, knees and back.
• Sparring Pads – Sparring is something done in class that is the closest thing to a real life situation for students to practice. But safety comes first. Student wear protective gear and we spar "point style", so there is no full contact sparring. This is much safer for students and students are able to spar without the fear of injury.
• Spacious Workout Areas - In each class, students are kicking and punching. Luckily each of our campuses, including the Golden campus, have very spacious workout areas. This way there is plenty of room for students to practice their moves without accidently hitting anyone else.
• Structured Classes - Classes are very structured and organized, so children are not messing around. Our dynamic instructors keep your children moving and learning, so there is no goofing around during class.

Loving Physical Fitness

Every parent wants to ensure that their child grows up to be physically fit and healthy. Obesity rates are growing in the U.S. and kids need a safe and healthy way to burn calories and develop good muscle strength. Exercise also boosts your child’s energy level, allowing them to be more active without getting fatigued, and form a lifelong love for physical fitness.Thankfully, Colorado blesses children with plenty of sunshine for outdoor activities, but Golden taekwondo and other Colorado-wide training campuses allow children to participate year-round in their favorite physical activity.

In addition to being a great way to exercise and stay physically fit, kids’ taekwondo offers students a chance to build great core strength and develop excellent gross motor skills. Using the foot as a fist helps them develop agility and confidence with all of their body movements, skills that easily translate to other sports and activities like performance and dance.

Taekwondo for Boys

Many young men face issues with aggression control and hyperactivity as they mature into their adolescent years. Taekwondo training is a great way for boys to harness their energy toward positive and healthy goals. Often, young boys can learn to be less aggressive, more confident, and even more respectful of others through the process of earning belts and learning the tenets of perseverance, integrity, focus, and discipline.

Taekwondo training can also be very beneficial for boys that struggle with attention deficit disorders that might make them lag behind in school. Through the process of achieving goals and earning belts, boys build their self-esteem and learn ways to foster inner peace through meditation and calming practices that they can use in the classroom for greater success.

Taekwondo for Girls, Too

Taekwondo is not just a great way for boys to harness energy and compete against one another. Taekwondo training is a great way for girls to develop the same qualities and tackle some of the specific challenges faced by young women. Physical fitness and agility training helps young girls develop a healthy body image early on, leading to a lifetime of good health and self-confidence that can translate to their social interactions and success in all areas of life.

Martial art training is becoming more and more popular for young girls, not just as a self-defense technique, but simply as a way for girls to show their own strength and ability to achieve goals on par with their male counterparts. Taekwondo is also a safe way for girls to participate in sports on the same level with boys and excel toward a hierarchy of goals and belts.

Sources:

http://www.taekwondo-information.org/benefits-of-taekwondo-for-children.html

http://mom.me/parenting/5156-how-does-taekwondo-affect-child-development/

Rocky Mountain High Kicks

Are you looking for a great way to teach your children a love for exercise and self-discipline that can last a lifetime? The youth in the Colorado front range can have the benefits of ancient Korean and Japanese martial arts training from skilled professionals. At each of the five campus of The Colorado Taekwondo Institute (Lakewood, Littleton, Westminster, Golden and Conifer), children as young as three years old can benefit from a fun way to release stress, improve concentration, and increase physical strength and stamina.

Taekwondo can trace its origins to the Silla Kingdom on the Korean peninsula as early as 50 B.C. Following occupation by Japan in which all forms of Korean martial arts were banned, Taekwondo schools began to spring up at the close of WWII. A few years after a demonstration in front of the United Nations in 1963, the U.S. Taekwondo Associate formed, bringing the benefits of the martial art to Americans. By 1983, the Colorado Taekwondo Institute was alive and well in Colorado under the leadership of Master James M. Sautel.

Moo Sul Kwan
Moo Sul Kwan was brought to United States in 1969 by Grandmaster Lee H. Park. His unique style of training taekwondo, as well as hapkido and judo, have transferred to the Colorado Taekwondo Institute and flourished, with training classes the preserve this traditional martial art, and provide invaluable skills to participants training in hapkido and judo. In Colorado, karate fans can also participate in specialized courses.

Martial Art Student Breaking with a Side Kick

The Foot as a Fist
The basis for taekwondo training involves using the foot as the powerful striking force that it can be. While sparring, martial artists use a variety of kicking techniques as either an offensive weapon or a defensive blocking maneuver. The foot, when used correctly, has a longer reach and can generate far more power than punching or blocking moves made with the hands and arms. Classes at the Colorado Taekwondo Institute teach many kicks, along with blocks and strikes. 

Pride and Self-Protection
Taekwondo training is not meant to make you or your child a better fighter or provide them with foolproof protection from bullying. What martial arts training can provide for your child is a sense of discipline and self-control that can be invaluable in all aspects of their lives. In addition, martial arts can be a great way to instill a love of movement and exercise, as well as a spirit of cooperation and teamwork. Here are just a few of the skills beginners will begin to develop with the proper training:

•    Strength and Balance – By using their feet and hands, students will learn how to harness the power and strength of their body. This also increases balance and agility that they can use in other activities. Students can develop an even muscle tone that helps them increase physical stamina and take pride in their body’s appearance.
•    Concentration – An increasing number of young schoolchildren struggle with concentration. Taekwondo training can help students improve their concentration and focus, enabling them to use these skills in other aspects of their life.
•    Reduced Aggression – Children and adults that struggle with feelings of aggression and frustration can help find an appropriate release in martial arts training.
•    Discipline – Martial arts training can give students motivation and discipline toward achieving goals. Techniques require patience and obedience to master and Craig taekwondo masters help build respect and discipline in students.
•    Self-Confidence – Potentially the greatest gift afforded to advancing taekwondo students is the self-confidence that is instilled by attaining goals, being awarded belts, and getting to know the strength and power they can harness with their movements.

A Variety of Courses and Events
Martial arts (Taekwondo or Korean Karate) training programs have been available at the Colorado Taekwondo Institute since 1983. Students can participate in a variety of specialized training courses where they can learn and advance as they mature. Also, CTI participates in a variety of demonstrations and tournaments to give students an opportunity to show their friends and family their progress and prowess.

Sources:
http://www.coloradotaekwondo.com/about-taekwondo-moo-sul-kwan
http://everydaylife.globalpost.com/benefits-taekwondo-kids-12644.html
http://www.worldtaekwondo.com/history.htm
http://www.taekwondoanimals.com/taekwondo-kicks.asp

MSK Summer Expo XXX Recap!

This year's Moo Sul Kwan Summer Expo XXX was fantastic!   This year's Expo theme was, "Keeping it to the Grindstone."  The many different classes, seminars and events kept this important theme in mind.

From the moment students, instructors,family members and friends arrived at Beaver Run Resort in beautiful Breckenridge, Colorado, the excitement, learning and fun began!  President of Moo Sul Kwan and the American Martial Arts Sports and Education Association, Charles F. Hildebrand was this year's special Expo XXX guest instructor.

The action began on Friday evening with a demonstration by members of the CTI Black Belt Team that is journeying to South Korea, later this month.  The demo was followed by the first round of Expo XXX classes.

MSK Expo XXX

Saturday began early with some 6:00 AM black belt training, followed by red belts at 7:00 AM.  Classes resumed at 8:00 and went through the day.  Classes included topics like; poomse, sparring, breaking, one-step sparring, self-defense, advanced training, a special Expo craft, art and so much more.

At each MSK Summer Expo, there are always special classes dedicated to parent education.  The Expo Parent Classes, taught by some of our highest instructors, were very well attended with classes involving; Parent's Self-Defense, Parent Cardio Workout, Parent to Parent Discussion and a lecture on What it Takes to Achieve a MSK Black Belt.

The annual Saturday evening Expo Banquet and Party took place with loads of fun and entertainment.  After a very tasty dinner, CTI Campus Expo Skits took place.  Always upping the ante, this year the Expo entertainment involved skits having
to do with the Black Belt Team trip to South Korea, using a famous play as a guide.  The first skit was based on Grease, by the CTI Golden Campus.  The next skits presented were based on West Side Story (Golden), Willy Wonka (Green Mountain), The Wizard of Oz (Westminster) and Annie (Conifer).

In between and after all the skits were performed, Bruce, Thomas and Black Belts in Plaid (our MSK black belt band) played music for everyone.

Sunday morning brought the Amazing Moo Sul Race 10!  Competitors were placed on teams and through a series of clues, made their way to the town of Breckenridge and back while performing all sorts of challenges.  The winning time was just over two hours.

Some of the other dynamic Expo Instructors include:  Master Merinda Sautel, Master John Sautel, Master Erik Albrechtson and 4th dans Freddy Sautel, Clayton Garner and Alice Meyung.