Being Active and Healthy with Children's Martial Arts

By Emily Brophy, 1st dan

Being active for any kid is important, and it keeps them in shape. Getting a child into a program early can make an impression and it will stick with them the rest of their life. The Colorado Taekwondo Institute (CTI) has a perfect opportunity for kids to join in our classes. These kids karate classes are focused around keeping the child busy working on techniques the whole time. Our instructors focus on developing the kids listening skills, as well as motor skills.

Every class is structured to help the students as much as possible. Our kids martial arts classes are much more than just about punching and kicking. These programs help the kid with respect, discipline, and staying healthy. Getting a child into an activity with other new people can be difficult but at CTI our instructors are great at making every child feel welcome. CTI provides martial arts classes for kids from ages 3-12 as well as teens and adults. As well as a thorough warm up, with jumping jacks, and stretches, the CTI provides the student with a basic routine that is performed every class. This basic routine shows up in every other technique the student does in that class.

After basics, CTI instructors do poomse (patterned movement), which is a combination of everything learned in basics. The classes and curriculum keeps getting more complex and is more fun as the child goes up the belt ranks. Along with the physical part of kids karate, comes the mental part. Every class requires the student to be engaged and listening to the instructor the whole class. As the student become used to the classes this gradually get easier and easier.

Classes at the CTI also show the kid how to be courteous, and respectful to their fellow classmates as well as at home. Monthly homework at the CTI gives the student to chance to show their instructor how responsible they are. This homework challenges the student to be respectful, courteous, and responsible. It gives the student information about staying healthy when it comes to eating, and exercising. When a student finishes this homework they are given a yellow stripe to put on their belt as a sign that they did the assignment that month. These stripes are important for the student to progress in the belt ranks. At the CTI when the kids instructor feels that they are ready for the next belt, the kid will go to a test with students of different campus and belts. Then after the instructor feels the kid has has improved and has really earned it, the student will receive their new rank. Having the students prove themselves ready for the next rank gives the student a sense of integrity and confidence. It shows the student not to give up and keep pushing for what they want.

Kid's karate classes can be an important a fun part of a kids daily life. While the student is going to the same class 2 times a week they can meet new people. Children's karate gives the student a chance to learn something new every single day. The child is never bored at a class because they are learning or experiencing something new every time. Next time a kid needs to be physical and keep in shape, send them to a kids class at the Colorado Taekwondo Institute at any of our six Colorado locations.

Closer or Farther Away?

By Eileen Linidner, 2nd dan

Every day is an opportunity to get closer to your goals.  Whether your goal is a better grade in your hardest class at school, a raise at work, or your next belt in CTI Taekwondo, you can advance toward it every day.  Or you can slip farther away every day.

Every day can be progress, moving ever closer to that next belt, higher grade, advanced job.  But all movement takes energy.  It requires action to get closer, otherwise you’ll drift away, almost staying where you are; but really falling behind.  Movement requires effort – focus on your goal and discipline to achieve it.

Nothing stays the same, every day is either going to get you closer to the next thing, or farther away from it.  Which will it be?  Do you take advantage of the daily opportunity and do 10 more pushups, stay 10 minutes later at work to finish that report, do another set of math problems?  That may all the difference.  Practice that new poomse move at home and get closer to that new belt.  Take one minute out of your day to do 10 pushups and 30 sit ups.

Every day is an opportunity, a choice.  Every day only comes once.  Don’t miss today’s chance to improve yourself.  You’ll be surprised how quickly it becomes a habit, how fast you get better and stronger.  How one day you look back and see how far you have come from where you started and how close you are to that goal.

Live a Life of Integrity

By Hope Morgan, 2nd dan

Integrity is one of those abstract qualities everyone wishes to possess but often find difficult to apply in real life situations and practical dilemmas. When faced with difficult decisions, what will you choose and how will you arrive at your goals?

There are so many reasons to live a life of integrity. For one, it’s easier. While it may not seem like it upon first looks, it’s much simpler living honestly rather than deceitful. Often times, making unethical decisions can seem pretty painless in the short-term span, but those unethical decisions almost always comes back to take their toll. If you think about it, will you ever truly feel happiness or satisfaction in struggling to remember the lies you must maintain, living in fear of potentially getting caught, or never feeling like you truly earned your reward? However, a life pursued with integrity will earn you peace and pride in yourself.

Leading a life of integrity also builds trust in your relationships w
ith others. Someone with integrity is someone others can count on. He is someone others can depend on to follow through. He is the one who will be promoted at work, the one who will prove successful time and time again. He is the one his friends will be comfortable opening up to in times of crisis. When you choose to live a life of integrity, all of your relationships will be healthier, stronger, and overall, more satisfying.

Integrity is a value we should strive to incorporate in all areas of our lives. It seems like a fairly straightforward quality, but it can definitely come to prove difficult. Here are some areas you can start with:

• Integrity at work: You are getting paid to do a job, not goof around. There are, of course, exceptions, but if you are supposed to be doing something, then do make sure you are doing it. Don't take credit for others successes. If your company or coworkers pressure you to make an unethical decision, walk away.
• Integrity in your friendships: Keep your promises. Follow through on what you say you are or are not going to do and don’t let your friends down. Be the vault. When a friend trusts you with confidential information, lock those secrets away. Don’t talk smack about other people. Saying something behind someone’s back you wouldn’t say to their face shows a distinct lack of integrity.
• Integrity in your Taekwondo classes: Give 100% all of the time. Have personal integrity and don’t cheat yourself. Don’t waste your time by slacking off and not pushing. Be honest with yourself, your instructor, and your fellow students and work to achieve your goals. 

Finding the Right Martial Arts School and Program

By Lydia Lincke, 1st dan

Finding the right martial arts school is tough, and it’s easy to waste lots of time looking for places nearby that are cost effective and give you the same benefits of a world class organization. Age old practices that have been being refined for thousands of years are continuing to grow and develop, and thoughtful, disciplined, and respectable students of today are the result of this. However, there are only a select few martial arts programs that are the result of this long train of martial arts development.

Moo Sul Kwan taekwondo offers many of these benefits, and the things that are taught here aren’t limited to traditional martial arts techniques. Through our extensive training, students gain the ability to maintain self discipline, learn how to be a leader, and learn to work with others.

The training that is done in MSK taekwondo is a perfect way to get, and stay, in shape. The regiment is typically two classes per week, so there is a balanced and healthy amount of workout almost all of the 52 weeks of the year. During these classes, instructors encourage self directed learning, starting as soon as white belt. Ideas such as practicing techniques at home and taking your martial arts training with you into your daily life are urged. Valuable life lessons are instilled in students and martial arts training becomes a lifelong practice that is applied in every area of one’s life.

As the students get higher up in the belt ranks, leadership is expected. Students are broken out of their shells of comfort and put into situations in which they are able to translate their own knowledge into words to other students. In this way, students are put in the spotlight in a friendly way so that they are practicing leadership with their friends and peers: a perfect way to transition into once scary things like teaching or public speaking. In this way, self confidence is built in a positive way so that students almost don’t realize they are becoming more self assured until they are a red or black belt standing in front of an entire class teaching students the basics of martial arts.

One of the most important values (http://coloradotaekwondo.blogspot.com/2013/08/why-enroll-your-child-in-taekwondo.html) that is taught indirectly in MSK martial arts is teamwork. Martial arts are typically very individual sports, and they allow students to focus more on themselves and their own improvement in any area of their life. However, part of the training includes self defense and being taught to be aware of everything that is going on around you. Self defense is always practiced with another person, and students can learn to cooperate and communicate with their partner without words in a class setting. Having awareness of other moving people around you is taught through experience. In MSK martial arts, forms, or poomse, are often practiced in groups in which students must learn to work together with the people around them almost subconsciously so that safety is ensured and collisions don’t happen.

If you are looking for a martial arts program that is more extensive than just learning punches and kicks, MSK is the place to stop looking. Truly beneficial lifelong practices are hard to come by, and you won’t easily find another friendly, applicable, and rewarding program like Moo Sul Kwan taekwondo. You can enroll any time of the year and any one of our locations in Colorado: Lakewood, Littleton, Conifer, Golden or Westminster. We appreciate your interest!

Integrity

By Casey Feagans, 1st dan

Integrity is important no matter where you are and where you go. You may be at Moo Sul Kwan Taekwondo, home, school or at an after school activities but you should always use your integrity to make the right decisions, even when hanging out with friends.

Integrity has more than one meaning. One of the meanings is having the quality of being honest and having strong moral principles. For example, if you ask your mom or dad to play a video game and they asked you if you had cleaned your room; you should be honest and say yes or no. Integrity also means the state of being whole or undivided. For example if you’re playing a group game in P.E. you should play fair with everybody.

To me, integrity means to be honest and people should be fair to each other. Whether you are spending the night at somebodies house or at a birth
day party you should be respectful to the adults that are there. Using respect and being honest at home is super important. You can use respect and honesty everyday 24/7 at home with your parents, siblings, and pets. For example, you can give your dog some exercise by taking him/her on a walk.

You can use integrity no matter where you are. Some examples may be home, school, at the Colorado Taekwondo Institute, sports, etc. Integrity is super important especially when you are on a team, like a sports team or the CTI black belt team. Everybody on the team can use integrity to make the team become even better!

Integrity is a big part of manners and behavior so you should use it in the right ways and the best ways possible. Remember to use integrity throughout your life not just in extra activities.

Martial Arts Classes in Conifer, CO

Has anyone in your family been wanting to try martial arts or self-defense classes? Maybe the children want to learn karate like Kung Fu Panda, or maybe you want to learn self-defense to be able to protect yourself and family. In any case, there is quite a variety of martial arts schools in Conifer, CO area that are available to you. But the quality of each school will vary greatly and you will want to find the school with the best quality of instruction and teachers. We recommend classes at the Colorado Taekwondo Institute, Conifer location for a variety of reasons when looking for classes in Conifer, Bailey and Evergreen, CO.

First off, our classes for kids are amazing. According to healthychildren.org, each year more than 6 million children in the United States participate in some type of martial arts. There are so many benefits from children practicing martial arts, including mental benefits (such as focus, discipline, perseverance, and developing respect for self and others) and physical benefits (such as muscular strength and endurance, energy release and motor development) that it's easy to see why many parents are eager to get their children involved with karate in Conifer, CO.

Adults too will benefit from our martial arts and self-defense classes. The physical and mental benefits are the same for adults, but in addition there are some that apply more towards adults. These include stress release, goal-oriented physical activity and learning self-defense to protect yourself and loved ones. The website examiner.com has an article explaining many of the great reasons why adults should get involved with martial arts.

But if all martial art schools give these benefits, why chose the Conifer location of the Colorado Taekwondo Institute? As with anything else, the quality makes a huge difference. You want to find the best school possible for you or your children to attend to maximize the results and to get the most from the program. Here are four reasons why the CTI is the best school in the Conifer area for children's and adult martial arts:

• Educated Instructors -  We don't hire any outside instructors; each instructor is "home-grown" from white belt and developed into one of our educated instructors. This allows us to provide the very-best in quality instruction. Each black belt instructor has years of martial arts instruction and also instructor development.
• Structured, Dynamic Classes - each class taught is set in a structured environment. Students are led by the instructor through a routine of exercise, basic and advanced Taekwondo techniques. With this structure, students are learning disciple and focus. They aren't running around being wild, they are developing themselves mentally.
• Safe Learning Environment - Each of our campuses is designed with the best quality of instruction in mind. We build our own custom suspension workout floors and have quiet workout areas so students can focus on their learning and not become distracted with outside influences.
• Staff that Cares - All of our teachers put students first, teaching to help our student foster their passion for martial arts in the same way we learned. Our school isn't a "belt factory" designed to get as many students in the door as possible and promote them in a money-making scheme. Every instructor here cares about their students and wants to encourage and help them develop all of the wonderful things that martial arts have to offer.

The best way to see if our martial arts classes in Conifer, CO are the best for your family is to give us a call and set up a time for our no-obligation introductory special. It'll give you a chance to come in and see in person how the benefits you're looking for will be developed and just how wonderful classes are. You can give us a call at 303-838-2783 or you can register right here on our website. We look forward to serving you!


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Sources:

1- https://www.healthychildren.org/English/healthy-living/sports/Pages/Martial-Arts.aspx
2- http://www.examiner.com/article/it-is-never-too-late-to-start-martial-arts-training

Looking for Martial Arts Classes in Westminster, CO?

It can be difficult to find an activity that everyone in the entire family can participate in. Some activities are limited by age, some by gender and some by having a natural talent towards. It's pretty unique and special to find an activity that everyone in the whole family can participate in- and become successful at the same time. But, one of those such activities is martial arts classes at the Colorado Taekwondo Institute.

It's no secret that martial arts lessons have so many benefits for kids and adults. Physically, martial arts classes get you into shape, develop flexibility and have been shown to prevent many diseases, (such as heart disease and diabetes). The mental benefits are pmartial arts schools in Westminster, CO, you want to be sure to find the very best school you can with the best facility, instruction and black belt teachers.
lentiful too, including respect, discipline, focus and confidence. But all martial arts schools aren't the same. When looking into

Finding the best program when looking for kids karate or adult self-defense in Westminster, CO can be a challenge. There can be such a variety to schools and programs, and often people don't know what to look for when looking into martial arts schools. But here are just some of the few reasons why classes at the Westminster location of the Colorado Taekwondo Institute are some of the best available for you and your family:

• Structured, Dynamic Classes - each class taught is set in a structured environment. Students are led by the instructor through a routine of exercise, basic and advanced Taekwondo techniques. With this structure, students are learning disciple and focus. They aren't running around being wild, they are developing themselves mentally.
• Safe Learning Environment - Each of our campuses is designed with the best quality of instruction in mind. We build our own custom suspension workout floors and have quiet workout areas so students can focus on their learning and not become distracted with outside influences.
• Educated Instructors -  We don't hire any outside instructors; each instructor is "home-grown" from white belt and developed into one of our educated instructors. This allows us to provide the very-best in quality instruction. Each black belt instructor has years of martial arts instruction and also instructor development.
• Staff that Cares - All of our teachers put students first, teaching to help our student foster their passion for martial arts in the same way we learned. Our school isn't a "belt factory" designed to get as many students in the door as possible and promote them in a money-making scheme. Every instructor here cares about their students and wants to encourage and help them develop all of the wonderful things that martial arts have to offer.

The best way to see if our martial arts classes in Westminster, CO are the best for your family is to give us a call and set up a time for our no-obligation introductory special. It'll give you a chance to come in and see in person how wonderful classes are and how the benefits you're looking for will be developed. You can give us a call at 303-233-0039 or you can register right here on our website. We look forward to serving you!

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Sources:
1- http://www.fightingmaster.com/articles/medicine/medicine.htm

Lakewood, CO Martial Arts Classes

Have your children shown interest in martial arts, or have you been thinking about getting into a self-defense class? Maybe your kids want to learn karate like the Ninja Turtles, or maybe you want to learn self-defense to be able to protect yourself and family. In any case, there is quite a variety of martial arts schools in Lakewood, CO that are available to you. But their quality will vary greatly and you will want to find the school with the best quality of instruction and teachers. We recommend classes at the Colorado Taekwondo Institute, Lakewood location for a variety of reasons when looking for classes in Lakewood and Denver CO.

Let's start with our classes for kids. According to healthychildren.org, each year more than 6 million children in the United States participate in some type of martial arts. There are so many benefits from children practicing martial arts, including mental benefits (such as developing respect for self and others, focus, discipline and perseverance) and physical benefits (such as energy release, motor development, muscular strength and endurance) that it's easy to see why many parents are eager to get their children involved with karate in Lakewood, CO.

Adults too will benefit from our martial arts classes. The mental and physical benefits are the same for adults, but in addition there are some that apply more towards adults. These include stress release, goal-oriented physical activity and learning self-defense. The website examiner.com has an article explaining many of the great reasons why adults should get involved with martial arts.

But if all martial art schools give these benefits, why chose the Lakewood location of the Colorado Taekwondo Institute? As with anything else, the quality makes a huge difference. You want to find the best school possible for you or your children to attend to maximize their results and to get the most from the program. Here are four reasons why the CTI is the best school in the Lakewood area for children's and adult martial arts:

• Educated Instructors -  We don't hire any outside instructors; each instructor is "home-grown" from white belt and developed into one of our educated instructors. This allows us to provide the very-best in quality instruction. Each black belt instructor has years of martial arts instruction and also instructor development.
• Structured, Dynamic Classes - each class taught is set in a structured environment. Students are led by the instructor through a routine of exercise, basic and advanced Taekwondo techniques. With this structure, students are learning disciple and focus. They aren't running around being wild, they are developing themselves mentally.
• Safe Learning Environment - Each of our campuses is designed with the best quality of instruction in mind. We build our own custom suspension workout floors and have quiet workout areas so students can focus on their learning and not become distracted with outside influences.
• Staff that Cares - All of our teachers put students first, teaching to help our student foster their passion for martial arts in the same way we learned. Our school isn't a "belt factory" designed to get as many students in the door as possible and promote them in a money-making scheme. Every instructor here cares about their students and wants to encourage and help them develop all of the wonderful things that martial arts have to offer.

The best way to see if our martial arts classes in Lakewood, CO are the best for your family is to give us a call and set up a time for our no-obligation introductory special. It'll give you a chance to come in and see in person how wonderful classes are and how the benefits you're looking for will be developed. You can give us a call at 303-989-7542 or you can register right here on our website. We look forward to serving you!



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Sources:

1- https://www.healthychildren.org/English/healthy-living/sports/Pages/Martial-Arts.aspx
2- http://www.examiner.com/article/it-is-never-too-late-to-start-martial-arts-training