Recapping the Amazing Weekend: 2025 All City Champs

The 2025 All-City Championships, hosted by the Colorado Taekwondo Institute, took place this past weekend at Alameda International Jr/Sr High School in Lakewood, Colorado. This annual event brought together students of all ages and belt levels for two days of spirited competition, camaraderie, and personal growth.

Participants showcased their skills across various disciplines, including Poomse, sparring, self-defense, and board breaking. The tournament emphasized not only technical excellence but also the core values of Taekwondo: respect, perseverance, and sportsmanship. 

The All-City Championships served as a platform for students to challenge themselves, learn from their experiences, and celebrate their achievements with peers and instructors alike. The success of the tournament reflects the commitment of the Colorado Taekwondo Institute to nurturing both the physical and personal development of its students. 

For more information about upcoming events and programs, including the upcoming MSK Summer Expo and Camp MSK, visit the Colorado Taekwondo Institute's official website. 

Below are the official results from the big day. A very special congratulations to our two black belt grand champions, Diego Quezada and Ahas Weerapura!

POOMSE

1st Place
Kyle Feagans, Collin Kreutz, Katie Dahle, Quynn Cotner, Meredith Botnick, Lauren Dahlberg, Marley Powers, Diego Quezada, Jordan Rutz, Rebekkah Copel, Zachary Cotner, Carina Dulong, Zoe Economou, Emily Green, Warren Mcdonald, Mason Zerbib, Keatyn Adams, Cooper Curry, Tara Cady, Amallia Chapman, Armando Gomez, Daniel Gray, Christina Sanders, Kendrick Toney, Elias Amann, Ellie Combs, Torin Dimascio, Zane Farrier, Anthony Garcia, Wyatt Knorr, Ron Meyer, Nolan Smedes, Jack Wicken, Colin Williamson, Noah Buteyn, Nirajit Dhakal, Mia Garcia, Austin Gross, James Klausner, Kara Koster, Avery Liu, Leuyen Nguyen, Mila Olivares Castro, Ecton Scherer, Adeline Alayash, Mckenzie Farmer, Jaxon Foster, Natalie Huntley, Arnav Narumanchi, Anitej Narumanchi, Natalie Teska, Asher Whalen, Cory Balk, Holden Bassett, Selam Dusharm, Dashiel James, Nicholas Johnson, Desmond Long, Zyler Martin, Nicolas Rivera Mesa, Matthew Decross, Louisa Duncan, Tucker Mercier, Alexander Meyers

2nd Place
Nick Slinkard, Eileen Lindner, Ethan Price, Lillian Eichelberger, Lily Laird, Matthew Roberts, Henry Rumph, Dale Sanders, Gavin Vahle, Tristyn Cvanciger, Nethika Suraweera, Shiven Venkat, Aarush Venkat, Owen Eberhard, Joel Hall, Ellie Pechon, Sam Powers, Landon Adams, Rose Basnet, Anna Copel, Landon Dulmage, Mary Groff, Stella Reyniers, Lyra Bratz, Alice Burgin, Anastasia Contreras, Lorenzo Gomez, Bill Graves, Hayden Jeffries, Dylan Kiser, Issay Mendoza Cruz, Siri Molnar, Leanh Nguyen, Joshua Stephenson, Jameson Bloor, Aaron Botnick, Eoin Daly, James Daly, Jj Defelice, Dominic Ditallo, Jay Karkula, Dawson Portera, Lily Rosetta-Mcbryde, Mireyah Santiago, Keira Teska, Marty Bolt, Ben Buteyn, Grayden Craig, Vesper Gaczol, Tallen Garramone, Angel Hernandez, Avery Madison, Robert Poe, Adrian Sundseth, Kailea Alarcon, Hannah Bonnot, Valentina Catano-Iberico, Whesly Goenaga Her, Tommy Jacoby, Rowan Meyer, Brie Rivera, Elijah Sykes-Maxey, Delta Warner, Paul Burmester, Michael Doherty, Alice Duncan, Dylan Quirke

3rd Place
Kathleen Sautel, Mark Scott, Kirun Agarwal, Darcy Stanton, Ace Ashworth, Alexis Chavez, Jasmine Salamera, Ellie Stanton, Lily Strickland, Ahas Weerapura, Jaxson Hipsher, Ivy Jensen, Paul Paisley, Khristin Paisley, Keira Sherman, Oliver Garner, Carter Hoffman, Zachary Kahan, Franco Ramirez, Henry Chiabotti, Dan Copel, Ada Lekan, Mia Martinez, Landon Sidley-Mercado, Alexander Aguilar-Glaub, Jack Arland, Weston Evarts, Presley Hobler, Gabriel Kahan, Naomi Kaup, Gwen Spilling, Garrett Thomson, Connor Thomson, Kim Williamson, Violet Wondel, Oliver Scears, Evan Clough, Taylor Crane, Ansel David, Stryder Martin, Peter Morehead, Eric Phillips, Quintyn Upshaw, Junior Alarcon, Tyrion Bieker, Axel Garcia Arand, Colin Gilbert, Andrew Kahan, Hendrix Lacey, Teagan Locken, Josephine Phillips, Angel Rivera, Mohamad Aldous, Andra Deiotte, Laz Logan, Watson Macneill, Sofia Malave Regnau, Saoirse Meyer, Maryn Meyer, Luna Rivera, Kaitlyn Doherty, Brandon Gough

4th Place
Peyton Brauch, Vivi Brown, Averie Chavez, Kayla Albrechtson, Susan Burgstiner, Evan Mcewan, Ivy Strickland, Josie Landis, Kaylyn Mcewan, Zuri Cady, Katie Harding, Ryan Marine, Zach Trujillo, Keegan Christenson, Eddie Garner, Ron Deiotte, Finn Deiotte, Olivia Ivie, Timofii Lesyk, Ruth Berry, Aleina Evarts, John Hicks, Sophia Palfreyman, Chris Ray, Easton Ellender, Felix Kelson, Luisianny Quero Zerpa, Erin Wolf, Skylynn Benefield, Jane Buonanno, Mila Nelson, Terrance Sanders, Bobby Sorensen, Sam Sykes-Maxey, Jasper Walsh, Tempest Bieker, Lily Carrillo, Ashley Slinkard

TIGER POOMSE

1st Place
Adrian Ibarra, Leo Claveau, Avian Abdin, Maverick Besaw, Alden Pilcher, LeMai Nguyen, Lukas Zioba, Leighton Evarts, Freya Mixon, Zachary Wolf, Charlie Farmer, Atticus Albrechtson, Aryan Bhatt, Haoyi Zhou, Oliver Rackl, Silas Corbett, Sigmund Kelson

SPARRING

1st Place
Collin Kreutz, Kathleen Sautel, Vivi Brown, Averie Chavez, Sarah Dahle, Diego Quezada, Alexis Chavez, Ahas Weerapura, Zachary Cotner, Carina Dulong, Shiven Venkat, Aarush Venkat, Ivy Jensen, Joel Hall, Henry Lewis, Tara Cady, Armando Gomez, Daniel Gray, Landon Dulmage, Mary Groff, Stella Reyniers, River Manuelito, Ellie Combs, Wyatt Knorr, Ron Meyer, Colin Williamson, Siri Molnar, Joshua Stephenson, Weston Evarts, Gabriel Kahan, Gwen Spilling, Garrett Thomson, Kim Williamson, Nirajit Dhakal, Avery Liu, Mila Olivares Castro, Eoin Daly, Dominic Ditallo, Mireyah Santiago, Luna Bratz, Natalie Huntley, Natalie Teska, Grayden Craig, Adrian Sundseth, Angel Rivera, Felix Kelson, Dashiel James, Desmond Long, Whesly Goenaga Her, Skylynn Benefield, Jenny Powers, Matthew Decross, Michael Doherty, Kaitlyn Doherty, Brandon Gough, Ashley Slinkard

2nd Place
Mark Scott, Katie Dahle, Kirun Agarwal, Lauren Dahlberg, Jordan Rutz, Lily Laird, Matthew Roberts, Henry Rumph, Emily Green, Mason Zerbib, Tristyn Cvanciger, Jaxson Hipsher, Josie Landis, Keatyn Adams, Ellie Pechon, Oliver Garner, Zach Trujillo, Christina Sanders, Kendrick Toney, Landon Adams, Dan Copel, Mia Martinez, Elias Amann, Torin Dimascio, Jack Wicken, Lyra Bratz, Hayden Jeffries, Naomi Kaup, Violet Wondel, Ron Deiotte, Olivia Ivie, Timofii Lesyk, Mia Garcia, Austin Gross, Kara Koster, James Daly, Keira Teska, Evan Clough, Taylor Crane, Quintyn Upshaw, Aleina Evarts, Mckenzie Farmer, Arnav Narumanchi, Asher Whalen, Ben Buteyn, Hendrix Lacey, Erin Wolf, Jackson Bloor, Selam Dusharm, Tommy Jacoby, Mohamad Aldous, Saoirse Meyer, Luna Rivera, Levi Kucera, Alexander Meyers, Paul Burmester

3rd Place
Shekina Detienne, Tyler Murphy, Ethan Price, Meredith Botnick, Ellie Stanton, Evan Mcewan, Ivy Strickland, Elsie Mcdonald, Zoe Economou, Warren Mcdonald, Nethika Suraweera, Paul Paisley, Bob Padget, Cooper Curry, Owen Eberhard, Sam Powers, Carter Hoffman, Zachary Kahan, Aspen Henderson, Amallia Chapman, Rose Basnet, Henry Chiabotti, Keegan Christenson, Nolan Smedes, Lorenzo Gomez, Bill Graves, Dylan Kiser, Leanh Nguyen, Presley Hobler, Finn Deiotte, Oliver Scears, Noah Buteyn, Leuyen Nguyen, Dawson Portera, Stryder Martin, Peter Morehead, Ruth Berry, John Hicks, Sophia Palfreyman, Anitej Narumanchi, Marty Bolt, Angel Hernandez, Avery Madison, Junior Alarcon, Tyrion Bieker, Andrew Kahan, Josephine Phillips, Luisianny Quero Zerpa, Nicolas Rivera Mesa, Valentina Catano-Iberico, Brie Rivera, Delta Warner, Tucker Mercier, Alice Duncan

4th Place
Kyle Feagans, Quynn Cotner, Darcy Stanton, Marley Powers, Ace Ashworth, Rebekkah Copel, Khristin Paisley, Kaylyn Mcewan, Lucy Paisley, Franco Ramirez, Zuri Cady, Ryan Marine, Hank Haubner, Logan Martin, Ada Lekan, Landon Sidley-Mercado, Eddie Garner, Anastasia Contreras, Jack Arland, Connor Thomson, James Klausner, Jay Karkula, Lily Rosetta-Mcbryde, Adeline Alayash, Jaxon Foster, Tallen Garramone, Robert Poe, Holden Bassett, Rowan Meyer, Elijah Sykes-Maxey, Andra Deiotte, Mila Nelson, Terrance Sanders, Bobby Sorensen, Sam Sykes-Maxey, Easton Miller, Louisa Duncan

FIRST POINT WINS!

1st Place
Nick Slinkard, Shekina Detienne, Vivi Brown, Diego Quezada, Ahas Weerapura, Ellie Stanton, Elsie Mcdonald, Marley Powers, Carina Dulong, Ivy Jensen, Mason Zerbib, Warren Mcdonald, Keatyn Adams, Zach Trujillo, Sam Powers, Zachary Kahan, Zuri Cady, Ryan Marine, Daniel Gray, Mia Martinez, Rose Basnet, Henry Chiabotti, Wyatt Knorr, Gabriel Kahan, Kim Williamson, Jack Wicken, Hayden Jeffries, Naomi Kaup, Lorenzo Gomez, Dylan Kiser, Leanh Nguyen, Oliver Scears, Avery Liu, Eoin Daly, Dominic Ditallo, Luna Bratz, Mia Garcia, Keira Teska, Taylor Crane, Chris Ray, Grayden Craig, Adrian Sundseth, Asher Whalen, Angel Hernandez, Andrew Kahan, Tallen Garramone, Dashiel James, Whesly Goenaga Her, Jenny Powers, Luna Rivera, Valentina Catano-Iberico, Mila Nelson, Matthew Decross, Tucker Mercier, Ashley Slinkard

2nd Place
Kathleen Sautel, Mark Scott, Averie Chavez, Darcy Stanton, Lauren Dahlberg, Evan Mcewan, Lillian Eichelberger, Dale Sanders, Shiven Venkat, Emily Green, Jaxson Hipsher, Paul Paisley, Bob Padget, Kaylyn Mcewan, Keira Sherman, Joel Hall, Henry Lewis, Tara Cady, Armando Gomez, Mary Groff, Kendrick Toney, Landon Adams, Amallia Chapman, Colin Williamson, Siri Molnar, Gwen Spilling, Lyra Bratz, Violet Wondel, Ron Deiotte, Timofii Lesyk, Presley Hobler, Connor Thomson, Nirajit Dhakal, Mila Olivares Castro, Mireyah Santiago, Evan Clough, Dawson Portera, Stryder Martin, Ruth Berry, John Hicks, Lily Rosetta-Mcbryde, Felix Kelson, Arnav Narumanchi, Erin Wolf, Anitej Narumanchi, Junior Alarcon, Adeline Alayash, Desmond Long, Skylynn Benefield, Selam Dusharm, Tommy Jacoby, Nicolas Rivera Mesa, Sam Sykes-Maxey, Alexander Meyers, Paul Burmester, Alice Duncan

STAFF POOMSE

1st Place
Collin Kreutz, Katie Dahle, Ethan Price, Diego Quezada, Elsie Mcdonald, Evan Mcewan, Matthew Roberts, Jasmine Salamera

2nd Place
Kyle Feagans, Peyton Brauch, Darcy Stanton, Quynn Cotner, Marley Powers, Lauren Dahlberg, Lillian Eichelberger, Meredith Botnick

3rd Place
Nick Slinkard, Mark Scott, Kirun Agarwal, Ahas Weerapura, Dale Sanders, Jordan Rutz, Henry Rumph, Ivy Strickland

4th Place
Shekina Detienne, Kathleen Sautel, Averie Chavez, Sarah Dahle, Ace Ashworth, Lily Strickland,

BREAKING/TARGET KICKING

1st Place
Kathleen Sautel, Tyler Murphy, Vivi Brown, Diego Quezada, Elsie Mcdonald, Lauren Dahlberg, Lillian Eichelberger, Ahas Weerapura, Susan Burgstiner, Carina Dulong, Shiven Venkat, Emily Green, Tristyn Cvanciger, Josie Landis, Lee Tomjack, Zach Trujillo, Zachary Kahan, Joel Hall, Oliver Garner, Cooper Curry, Owen Eberhard, Tara Cady, Mary Groff, Kendrick Toney, Stella Reyniers, Kim Williamson, Ron Meyer, Aaron Botnick, Arnav Narumanchi, Anitej Narumanchi, Axel Garcia Arand

SELF-DEFENSE

1st Place
Ecton Scherer, Easton Ellender, Kailea Alarcon, Maryn Meyer, William Tran, Charlie Johnson

2nd Place
Vesper Gaczol, Teagan Locken, Nicholas Johnson, Zyler Martin, Watson Macneill, Dylan Quirke, Lila Story

3rd Place
JJ Defelice, Colin Gilbert, Hannah Bonnot, Lily Carrillo, Zane Brown

BASICS CHALLENGE

1st Place
Adrian Ibarra, Leo Claveau, Avian Abdin, Maverick Besaw

2nd Place
Alden Pilcher, LeMai Nguyen, Lukas Zioba, Leighton Evarts

This Weekend! The 2025 All-City Champs!

Hi everyone! We are looking forward to our 2025 All-City Champs tournament this Friday and Saturday, April 25 & 26!  

Competition and Arrival Times: 

Black Belts will compete on Friday night at 6 pm.  Spectators are welcome.  

All other students (white through red) will compete on Saturday. You will find details on your competition time below.  You will need to arrive 30 minutes prior to the start time of your competition to check in, etc.  Some divisions may begin early, so please be at Alameda at your arrival time.  Thank you.  

Purple, Brown, & Red belts, all ages: 8 am start time, 7.30 am arrival time

Ages 8 and under; white, yellow, orange, green, blue belts and all tigers: 10.30 am start time, 10 am arrival time

Ages 9 and up; white, yellow, orange, green, blue belts: 12.30 pm start time, 12 pm arrival time (Please note that we might be able to start early this Saturday so please arrive by 12noon.)

Location details, parking:

The tournament will be at Alameda International High School which is located at 1255 S Wadsworth Blvd., Lakewood, CO 80232.  

Please park in the large parking lot on the southwest corner of Louisiana and Allison St. (There is another parking lot on the northwest corner of Arizona and Allison / north of the tennis courts that can be used for overflow parking).

Please do not double park and/or block someone in.  If both parking lots are full, there is a lot of neighborhood street parking available in the area or you can see if there is room in the main entrance parking lot.  

You will enter the school through the doors facing west. The title 'ALAMEDA INTERNATIONAL' is written in large block letters above the doors. 

Checking students in, getting them to their rings, their competitions:

Once you enter, you will be directed to a check-in table.  The check-in will be divided up alphabetically by last name so please proceed to the table marked with the first letter of your last name.

While checking-in, someone will write ring numbers on your hands.  You will have a green number on your right hand and a red number on your left hand.  Once you have your ring numbers, you will head to the upper bleachers of the gym to settle in.  You will be called down to the floor for the group photo and will proceed to the green ring number after the group photo.

Parents of younger students competing at 10.30 am, you will take your student down to the gym floor when called for the group photo.  After the group photo, announcements, etc., black belts will take the students to their correct ring number which will be the GREEN number on their right hand. The ring number will be labeled with big signs. These ring signs are not color coded, so please look to the ring number on your student's hand that is green and disregard the color of the ring sign.  

Once students are settled at their rings, we ask that spectators stay in the upper bleachers and off the gym floor for safety and to provide more room for the competitions.  Please show your students where you will be so they know where to find you.  If you have a very young child (tigers ages 2 - 4) who needs assistance, it is okay if you need to stay nearby on the gym floor.

Tiger students (2-4 and some 5 year olds who attend 30 minutes classes) will compete in two divisions in the same ring and then will be dismissed for the day.  Please come pick them up at the photo podium after their Following Directions division.

All other students will compete in poomse first. We ask that parents remain in the upper bleachers during these competitions, please.  After poomse competition ends, students will then go to the RED ring number on their LEFT hand for sparring (school program students will not spar but will compete in Self-Defense instead).

Parents of students ages 7 and under, please come down to the podium to collect your student after their first competition and to help them get to their second.

Students ages 8 and under will be finished with their competitions after sparring.

After your student is done competing in all of their divisions, please come down to the edge of the gym floor to collect them.  Thank you.

Students ages 9 & up will compete in three or four events. Please do not leave until your student has competed in everything (poomse, two sparring divisions, and then students ages 12 & up, ranks orange and above will also compete in breaking). After sparring divisions conclude, please stay in the gym and listen for their name to be called to their additional divisions and ring numbers.

Etiquette and Uniform:

All students should arrive already dressed out in their uniforms with their belts tied.  Anyone with long hair will need to have it tied back securely.  No jewelry is permitted, and freshly pierced ears need to be covered from front to back with medical tape and/or bandaids.  Students should wear a white crewneck t-shirt beneath their uniform top.  Students should not wear jeans or secondary pants underneath their uniform pants as this will inhibit their ability to kick.

If you have any questions at all, please reach out to your instructor.  We are so proud of all of our students' hard work and preparation, and we look forward to this weekend!  Thank you.

Self-Defense Classes

By Gavin Vahle, 1st dan

Self-defense lessons can be an important thing to learn. This means finding the right training program is the key to succeeding and being able to learn the necessary techniques to effectively use self-defense. The Colorado Taekwondo Institute (CTI) is the perfect place to do this because of its varied training area’s, extraordinary instructors, and the ultimate goal to persevere to excellence. 

One of the big reasons that CTI is able to have such success is because of their unique process of training. Trainees start with the exercise of jumping jacks, push-ups and sit-ups. Followed by an extensive stretching routine that then prepares students for what is called basics. These include all the basic movements, strikes, blocks and kicks that will be used in every other area of the sport. Basics will give a good foundation of not only physical and athletic strength, but also an initial repertoire of moves that can be utilized. Then after the foundation is formed, the students proceed forward with poomse, which are made up of a series of moves that are performed against multiple imaginary foes. These apply the skills from the basics and add more emphasis on the stances and balance, as well as combining moves in faster motions to teach mastery of those techniques. Beyond poomse there is much more, but specifically self defense and one-steps are what make the student’s training complete. The series of preset self defense techniques, which teach a student what to do if being grabbed by their wrists, neck, clothes, and more. There are also one-step sparring which relate to more formal attacks and defenses and prioritize distancing and control of the required movements. This entire program then comes together to produce amazing martial artists, but this is only possible with the exceptional instructors.

These exceptional instructors aren't foreign experts, but rather locally cultivated and trained into being the best martial arts instructors out there. Every single black belt in CTI has gone through at least one, and more likely multiple black belt testing cycles. These testing cycles are composed of 9-month long periods where a martial artist who is determined to be ready for black belt goes through dozens of pretests, completes writing articles, an extensive research paper, a black belt project to help their specific campus and both a physical and written test that both separately take an entire day to complete. This extensive process targets a black belt, and the arduous process to even become ready for the cycle, shapes them into becoming amazing people who are knowledgeable in every part of the sport. A lot of them are also school teachers who have an amazing way of managing discipline and responsibility, and can expertly shift their teaching style to different audiences ranging from tigers (0-5 years), juniors (6-12 years), teens (13-16) and adults (17+). These different class levels allow for all ages to be able to train more effectively, and also allows everyone to excel to their full potential. Sections dedicated to the younger ages are more sided with the art of the sport being poomse and advanced kicking, while the older classes still hit the major points of poomse, but focus more majorly on self defense moves, one-steps, free sparring, and breaking. The instructors also do a great job with flexible scheduling and setting up a workout plan that works for anyone. They also help prepare participants for the various events throughout the year, such as the tournaments, expos, and summer camps.

The events held are really what defines CTI’s excellence. Let’s start with the tournaments which are held in the fall, early winter and multiple in the spring. These events contain different parts that relate to each niche of the sport. Really there are two main branches of all martial arts, the art, and the self-defense aspect. These tournaments take each part of that  and display that. The regular events are poomse, sparring, and breaking. The poomse exemplifies superior qualities of precise movements and timing, and encapsulates the art of the sport. Whereas sparring represents quick reflexes and impromptu thinking, and helps plan formulation to succeed. The breaking combines the two, requiring both concentration and power, which are qualities needed for both the art of taekwondo and its self-defense applications. Then in my opinion, the more important events to attend are the summer expo, summer camp and fall upper belt symposium. These events really hone in on specific technical skills and allow more insight on the subjects, by working with different instructors. These events all take place up in the mountains, in a less busy and face-paced world, allowing for pure fixation on the training and improvement of taekwondo values and skills. The different instructors' unique and valuable insights help develop a conceptual understanding of not only how to defend oneself, but the why behind the methodology of CTI’s processes.

Self defense is an essential quality to have, not only to have the confidence to be able to get out of sticky situations and stand-up for others, as this can prove to be difficult at first. A comprehensive understanding of self defense, includes the ability to think fast and have an arsenal of things one can use in each unique situation. CTI promises all of that with outstanding training and instructors, and will help the development of strength (physically and mentally) by providing a calendar of events and competitions, allowing the martial artists to really strive to be their best. The final part of CTI’s general success is the motto, which means "self control, before self defense". It shows that to understand self defense, one must have to utilize control and logic before engaging in reaction. This sentiment embodies the very core principle of CTI, and is why with its six campus locations (Green Mountain, Littleton, Conifer, Westminster, Golden and Craig) and various afterschool programs around the Denver metro area, joining the CTI leads to learning superior self defense.

Benefits of Martial Arts for Teens

By Katie Minden, 2nd dan

Martial arts for teens offers extensive benefits in areas including exercise, memory, and learning. Martial arts such as Taekwondo, Jujitsu, Karate, etc. are able to challenge and satisfy teenagers in a way that assists in the common struggles teens often experience. Organizations such as the Colorado Taekwondo Institute (CTI) are perfect to engage restless teens in a fulfilling and challenging activity to stimulate their bodies and minds. Martial arts can aid in stress, boredom, mental illness, and the general need for gratification that one can acquire by becoming involved in a sport. 

To begin, the most obvious benefit of martial arts for teenagers is the physical aspect. Many teens now are often pinned down with the burden of heavy school work or jobs, and even when enough free time rolls around, teens may take the time to rest or spend time on their phone. This rest is most definitely needed and deserved, but it can get to a point where instead of using down-time constructively to rest and restore, teens may fall into laziness and boredom. The assumption may be that adding on another task such as practicing martial arts into a weekly routine would add more burden to a teen’s already busy life, but martial arts can often be a time to relieve built up stress while also physically challenging oneself. A twice weekly class is enough to cultivate a teenager’s body into a strong, healthy vessel, which will translate into benefits at school and in life. At the CTI, our instructors are completely aware of the hectic lives teens live, but they also firsthand have either seen or have personally experienced the benefits of doing martial arts for teens. A workout routine is perfect to realign a teen’s mind through physical activity, and by combining the physical and mental aspects used in every martial arts practice, teens can clear clutter in their mind while challenging it simultaneously. 

Martial arts for teens is easily one of the most creative outlets that one can utilize. Often, with school and other activities, everyday life becomes completely objective, but at the CTI, we encourage each student to come to class with their ideas, questions, and learning developments they experience while practicing Taekwondo. While each martial arts program contains their specific aspects that the student must learn, oftentimes there is room for teens to explore why and how they can move their body in each form. This also adds to the physical aspect of understanding the connections of the body, from the hands to the feet and more, as well as the mental connection of practicing mind to muscle connection in every move performed. The CTI also strives to harbor reflexive thinking skills with martial arts aspects like free-sparring, a way to practice unchoreographed moves in a quick and high intensity manner while still remaining in a controlled and safe environment. In this way, martial arts for teens cultivates the free-thinking aspect as well as still requiring after and fore-thought about why the moves they practiced either did or did not prove successful. 

With the numerous distractions that happen every second of a teenagers life, oftentimes it is easy to become disconnected from the surrounding world and difficult to stay focused on any task necessary. Martial arts for teens serves as a stellar outlet to both improve focus for teens, while cultivating a grounded attitude in high-stress situations. The beginning steps of the program offered at the CTI always include establishing the expectation that to achieve the most out of every class, a student must focus their attention on their instructor. This concept often requires much more attention when applied to younger children, but teens are at a perfect developmental stage to understand that if they focus their attention on what they are being taught, they will understand the material quicker, allowing for a quicker progression. Along with providing a more enjoyable experience for a teenager, it also provides incentive to focus because the feeling of moving up and learning more becomes exciting. 

Martial arts may seem daunting especially considering the multifaceted nature of the physical and mental ways of learning required to understand martial arts. However, the Colorado Taekwondo Institute thrives to both challenge all students that walk in our doors and especially the teenagers which have some of the greatest potential to take what can be learned in martial arts and apply it to their everyday lives. The critical thinking and evaluation skills attached to the learning and memorization of different skills benefit teenagers in their school, work, and home lives. The physical outlet to relieve stress allows teenagers to constructively use their time not only to break away from the ever-constant homework, but to focus on something that targets and stimulates satisfactory parts of the brain which teens need so as not to become too bogged down. Martial arts for teens offers a range of benefits in a variety of ways which both provide the teenager with a more expansive outlook and allow for these new perspectives to permeate into the hectic lives of teenagers and offer some guidance. 

How Taekwondo Teaches Courtesy

By Kayla Albrechtson, 1st dan

Taekwondo classes can teach students many life lessons beyond self-defense and physical fitness. Each student is expected to learn and demonstrate the tenets of Taekwondo within their training. These tenets are courtesy, integrity, indomitable spirit, perseverance, and self-control. Each of these tenets plays a critical role in a taekwondo student’s training, but the tenet of courtesy may be overlooked the most, especially when considering competitions. However, it is during taekwondo competitions that courtesy is needed the most.

Courtesy is about more than good manners; it is actually an act of respect, which is expected of every taekwondo student at all times. In the Moo Sul Kwan taekwondo class, students must follow class rules and respect their fellow students and instructors. An example of the courtesy students learn in the taekwondo classroom would be using ‘ma’am’ or ‘sir’ to address a black belt. However, acts of courtesy towards your fellow classmates and the lower belts are just as crucial because they foster a classroom environment that is calm, polite, and more conducive to learning. An excellent example of one student showing courtesy to another would be raising your hand before you talk to avoid talking over another student. By raising your hand to speak, all students can participate in class, even if they have a softer voice or may be shy.

Since taekwondo is a competitive sport, courtesy during tournaments is critical to foster an appropriate and fun competitive environment that helps students learn and grow in taekwondo. A great example of this would be during a free sparring match. Before the match, competitors will bow to each other as a sign of respect and are expected to adhere to the rules of the free sparring match. This is an act of courtesy because not only are the competitors respecting the opponent, but they are also respecting the sport of taekwondo itself. By doing so, students create a fun competition that becomes a great learning opportunity.

The courtesy students learn in the Moo Sul Kwan taekwondo classroom can be used in their everyday lives at school, work, or social situations. Since courtesy is essentially an act of respect towards another person, using courtesy in the school or workplace can lead to better opportunities. People are more likely to want to work with someone who displays courtesy at all times and in all situations. Because someone becomes more pleasant to work or study with, their teachers, fellow students, or coworkers begin to look to them in more challenging situations when a calmer head is needed. This is especially true for people who work in customer service jobs or any other job requiring someone to deal with the public, clients, or others. People who demonstrate courtesy even in tricky social interactions are more likely to calm charged situations and receive more positive outcomes from that situation. 

Displaying courtesy in the taekwondo class is a great way to practice this tenet for use in the real world. As with any skill, consistent practice is vital to being courteous in a student’s everyday life.