The 50th CTI Superbowl Results Are Here!

The 50th CTI Superbowl tournament was held on February 28 & March 1 at Alameda International School. Over 300 students of all belts and ages competed, learned, and had a memorial day. Photos will be available soon on our website's Photo page.

Special thanks to all family members and friends for their support to make this special day possible!

Congratulations to our Grand Champions, Zuri Cady, Haley Holley, Tara Cady. and Daniel Gray!

Poomse

1^st Place
Collin Kreutz, Katie Dahle, Diego Quezada, Lillian Eichelberger, Elsie Mcdonald, Meredith Botnick, Quynn Cotner, Zoe Economou, Emma Burden, Tristyn Cvanciger, Josie Landis, Mason Zerbib, Ellie Pechon, Cooper Curry, Keatyn Adams, Katie Harding, Armando Gomez, Cole Robertson, Dan Copel, Landon Adams, Rose Basnet, Alice Burgin, Carter Hoffman, Gabriel Kahan, Harrison Wilkins, Omar Platero Mancia, Haley Holley, Bryce Yushka, Kristen Cooke, Gwen Spilling, Austin Gross, Dylan Kiser, Warren Locken, Ecton Scherer, Leanh Nguyen, Elias Amann, Zane Farrier, Avery Liu, Betsy Nanguse, Jay Karkula, Kara Koster, Naomi Kaup, Jameson Bloor, Noah Buteyn, Aaron Botnick, Natalie Huntley, Justin Ibarra, Felix Kelson, Arwyn Robinson, Mckenzie Farmer, Juliana Barrera Ramirez, Cash Parker, Theodore Fuselier, Robert Poe, Holden Bassett, Avery Madison, Ben Buteyn, Maryn Meyer, Tommy Jacoby, Desmond Long, Canyon Lutz, Romy Burnett, Lila Story, Timothy Prokudin

2^nd Place
Peyton Brauch, Katie Minden, Caiden Murphy, Averie Chavez, Lily Laird, Ace Ashworth, Henry Rumph, Carina Dulong, Ivy Jensen, Warren Mcdonald, Nethika Suraweera, Owen Eberhard, Ace Garcia, Rebekkah Copel, Sam Powers, Tara Cady, Kendrick Toney, Jaxson Hipsher, Christopher Cochenour, Jackson Foster, Anna Copel, Jack Wicken, Anthony Garcia, Issay Mendoza Cruz, Kira Rhyden, Duncan Zook, Makenzie O'Connell, Keegan Christenson, Alec Rhyden, Torin Dimascio, Cyrus Khatri, Hadley Wilkins, Sheen Pandita, Asher Yushka, Thomas Mcnair, Stryder Martin, Jasper Walsh, Kolbe Pries, Adrian Sundseth, James Klausner, Mia Garcia, John Hicks, Keira Teska, Aleina Evarts, Taylor Crane, Ansel David, Olivia Roberts, Annelise Carey, Angel Hernandez, Nicolas Rivera Mesa, Zyler Martin, Eric Phillips, Junior Alarcon, Jace Bauer, Ethan Zhang, Jordan Lawyer, Logan Petrescu, Nicholas Johnson, Teagan Locken, Haddie Shimoneck, Brie Rivera, Grayson Keck, Luna Rivera, Luca Parks

3^rd Place
Kyle Feagans, Ethan Price, Nathaniel Keckler, Ivy Strickland, Lauren Dahlberg, Evan Mcewan, Susan Burgstiner, Khristin Paisley, Zachary Cotner, Kaylyn Mcewan, Zuri Cady, Oliver Garner, Shiven Venkat, Logan Martin, Daniel Gray, Tk Nguyen, Stella Reyniers, Jase Hessler, Ryan Marine, Dalila Lopez, Olivia Ivie, Joshua Stephenson, Rylan Lamkin, Ada Lekan, Christina Sanders, Amallia Chapman, Henry Chiabotti, Truc Nguyen, Ellie Combs, Pierce Baker, Leo Duffey, Celia Lunardi, Carter Camp, Weston Evarts, Mila Olivares Castro, Luna Bratz, Erika Cooke, Carlos Ramirez, Skylynn Benefield, Eoin Daly, Jackson Janacek, Thomas Hurst, Dawson Portera, Asher Whalen, Tyrion Bieker, Charlotte Wertz, Angel Rivera, Kaliyah Oxley, Evan Anceravicius, Madison Janecek, Kailea Alarcon, Adeline Alayash, Jaydn Bauer, Mireyah Santiago, Jack Macdonald, Hugh Dionne, Emma Moncrief, Alexander Bonnot, Devohn Vega-Corona, Jaxton Archuleta-Kordis, Selam Dusharm, Tucker Mercier, Tallen Garramone, Mara Banks, Chase Downham

4^th Place
Tyler Murphy, Ed Stanton, Alexis Chavez, Andra Vieru, Dale Sanders, Lily Strickland, Ahas Weerapura, Logan Keckler, Bob Padget, Paul Paisley, Rue Weerapura, Keira Sherman, Hilde Groff, Mary Groff, Zachary Kahan, Jennifer Kautz, Garrett Thomson, River Manuelito, Mia Martinez, Millie Hessler, Violet Wondel, Oliver Scears, Lorenzo Gomez, Lyra Bratz, Shreeyan Khatri, Reid Baker, Milo Vaughn, Milo Conner, Anastasia Contreras, Landon Dulmage, Jackson Bloor, Leif Kooyman, Standish Kingsbeck, Andrew Kahan, Sophia Palfreyman, Quinn Hester, Danek Salach, Soren Chartier, Carlos Canel Aguirre, Cory Balk, Leuyen Nguyen, Luisianny Quero Zerpa, James Daly, Luke Wingate, Hendrix Lacey, Rory Duffy, Loxley Mcelhaney, Wyck Gaczol, Ruth Berry, Jane Buonanno, Colin Gilbert, Sofia Malave Regnau, Lincoln Rezny, Dylan Crane, Qymani Bernero, Arin Harrold

  

Tiger Poomse

1^st Place
Dashiel Landry, Adrian Ibarra, Leighton Evarts, Leo Claveau, Sigmund Kelson, Charlie Farmer, Jaxton Landry, Spruce Lundquist, Lemai Nguyen, Silas Corbett, Enzo Santana, Hudson Fess, Porter Mordja, Atticus Albrechtson, Violet Lopez, Gracelynn Moncrief, Nakoa James, Tyler Poe

 

Sparring

1^st Place
Collin Kreutz, Diego Quezada, Elsie Mcdonald, Zoe Economou, Armando Gomez, Alice Burgin, Haley Holley, Avery Liu, Kara Koster, Natalie Huntley, Arwyn Robinson, Tommy Jacoby, Desmond Long, Katie Minden, Carina Dulong, Ace Garcia, Tara Cady, Jack Wicken, Issay Mendoza Cruz, Kira Rhyden, Torin Dimascio, Cyrus Khatri, John Hicks, Keira Teska, Aleina Evarts, Olivia Roberts, Annelise Carey, Junior Alarcon, Nathaniel Keckler, Zuri Cady, Daniel Gray, Tk Nguyen, Ryan Marine, Olivia Ivie, Rylan Lamkin, Ada Lekan, Ellie Combs, Pierce Baker, Eoin Daly, Tyrion Bieker, Evan Anceravicius, Selam Dusharm, Alexis Chavez, Logan Keckler, Mary Groff, Garrett Thomson, Mia Martinez, Lorenzo Gomez, Lyra Bratz, Reid Baker, Leif Kooyman, Andrew Kahan, Cory Balk, Hendrix Lacey, Eli Anceravicius, Isaiah Sanchez, Evan Clough, Axel Garcia Arand, Terrance Sanders

2^nd Place
Lillian Eichelberger, Josie Landis, Mason Zerbib, Ellie Pechon, Dan Copel, Bryce Yushka, Gwen Spilling, Austin Gross, Jay Karkula, Jameson Bloor, Noah Buteyn, Aaron Botnick, Mckenzie Farmer, Robert Poe, Caiden Murphy, Averie Chavez, Ace Ashworth, Warren Mcdonald, Owen Eberhard, Sam Powers, Kendrick Toney, Makenzie O'Connell, Jace Bauer, Brie Rivera, Luna Rivera, Khristin Paisley, Kaylyn Mcewan, Jase Hessler, Joshua Stephenson, Amallia Chapman, Truc Nguyen, Carter Camp, Weston Evarts, Mila Olivares Castro, Charlotte Wertz, Angel Rivera, Adeline Alayash, Emma Moncrief, Tucker Mercier, Tyler Murphy, Paul Paisley, Hilde Groff, Zachary Kahan, Oliver Scears, Milo Vaughn, Jackson Bloor, Leuyen Nguyen, Luisianny Quero Zerpa, Loxley Mcelhaney, Sarah Dahle, Connor Thomson, Presley Hobler, Jack Arland, Hayden Jeffries, Elijah Yushka, Quinn Hetzel, Josephine Phillips, Whesly Goenaga Her, Liam Dedent

3^rd Place
Quynn Cotner, Tristyn Cvanciger, Cole Robertson, Carter Hoffman, Gabriel Kahan, Harrison Wilkins, Dylan Kiser, Betsy Nanguse, Justin Ibarra, Felix Kelson, Cash Parker, Canyon Lutz, Romy Burnett, Ivy Jensen, Nethika Suraweera, Rebekkah Copel, Anthony Garcia, Alec Rhyden, Kolbe Pries, James Klausner, Mia Garcia, Taylor Crane, Nicolas Rivera Mesa, Jordan Lawyer, Grayson Keck, Ivy Strickland, Lauren Dahlberg, Oliver Garner, Dalila Lopez, Christina Sanders, Henry Chiabotti, Leo Duffey, Luna Bratz, Skylynn Benefield, Mireyah Santiago, Ed Stanton, Dale Sanders, Ahas Weerapura, Bob Padget, Rue Weerapura, River Manuelito, Millie Hessler, Shreeyan Khatri, Milo Conner, Sophia Palfreyman, James Daly, Ruth Berry, Dylan Crane, Eddie Garner, Seth Raymond, Dominic Ditallo, Jaxon Foster, Aylani Lopez, Natalie Teska, Alina Madruga

4^th Place
Emma Burden, Keatyn Adams, Rose Basnet, Omar Platero Mancia, Kristen Cooke, Leanh Nguyen, Elias Amann, Zane Farrier, Naomi Kaup, Holden Bassett, Avery Madison, Peyton Brauch, Lily Laird, Jaxson Hipsher, Jackson Foster, Duncan Zook, Sheen Pandita, Asher Yushka, Thomas Mcnair, Adrian Sundseth, Angel Hernandez, Eric Phillips, Logan Martin, Erika Cooke, Dawson Portera, Asher Whalen, Jack Macdonald, Hugh Dionne, Jaxton Archuleta-Kordis, Tallen Garramone, Andra Vieru, Lily Strickland, Keira Sherman, Jennifer Kautz, Violet Wondel, Thomas Burden, Henry Lewis, Landon Sidley-Mercado, Ailani Lopez Martinez, Laurel Cummings, Delta Warner 

 

First Point Wins!

1^st Place
Ed Stanton, Lillian Eichelberger, Caiden Murphy, Averie Chavez, Dale Sanders, Zachary Cotner, Ace Garcia, Zuri Cady, Rebekkah Copel, Cooper Curry, Daniel Gray, Tk Nguyen, Hilde Groff, Stella Reyniers, Olivia Ivie, Rylan Lamkin, Garrett Thomson, Eli Anceravicius, Joshua Stephenson, Gabriel Kahan, Anthony Garcia, Christina Sanders, River Manuelito, Keegan Christenson, Haley Holley, Torin Dimascio, Cyrus Khatri, Ellie Combs, Pierce Baker, Lorenzo Gomez, Truc Nguyen, Ailani Lopez Martinez, Celia Lunardi, Skylynn Benefield, Avery Liu, Evan Clough, Jackson Bloor, Quinn Hetzel, Mia Garcia, Dominic Ditallo, Adrian Sundseth, Olivia Roberts, Tyrion Bieker, Cory Balk, Charlotte Wertz, Leuyen Nguyen, Luisianny Quero Zerpa, Felix Kelson, James Daly, Dylan Crane, Natalie Teska, Carlos Canel Aguirre, Tommy Jacoby, Desmond Long, Brie Rivera, Tucker Mercier, Tallen Garramone

2^nd Place
Collin Kreutz, Diego Quezada, Nathaniel Keckler, Ivy Strickland, Andra Vieru, Lily Strickland, Carina Dulong, Logan Keckler, Josie Landis, Khristin Paisley, Paul Paisley, Ivy Jensen, Bob Padget, Ellie Pechon, Oliver Garner, Tara Cady, Kendrick Toney, Cole Robertson, Alice Burgin, Jack Wicken, Issay Mendoza Cruz, Kira Rhyden, Ada Lekan, Connor Thomson, Carter Hoffman, Alec Rhyden, Henry Chiabotti, Oliver Scears, Gwen Spilling, Austin Gross, Jack Arland, Dylan Kiser, Leo Duffey, Shreeyan Khatri, Eoin Daly, Leif Kooyman, Jay Karkula, Josephine Phillips, Kolbe Pries, James Klausner, Sophia Palfreyman, Jaxon Foster, Landon Dulmage, Natalie Huntley, Arwyn Robinson, Annelise Carey, Mckenzie Farmer, Justin Ibarra, Cash Parker, Mireyah Santiago, Jack Macdonald, Hugh Dionne, Delta Warner, Kaliyah Oxley, Jaydn Bauer, Rory Duffy, Selam Dusharm, Canyon Lutz, Grayson Keck, Terrance Sanders

 

Staff Poomse

1^st Place
Collin Kreutz, Katie Dahle, Caiden Murphy, Diego Quezada, Alexis Chavez, Quynn Cotner, Evan Mcewan

2^nd Place
Katie Minden, Ethan Price, Lillian Eichelberger, Ivy Strickland, Elsie Mcdonald, Meredith Botnick

3^rd Place
Peyton Brauch, Ed Stanton, Averie Chavez, Nathaniel Keckler, Andra Vieru, Lily Laird, Ellie Stanto

 

One-Step Sparring

1^st Place
Collin Kreutz, Katie Dahle, Katie Minden, Diego Quezada, Meredith Botnick, Averie Chavez, Nathaniel Keckler, Lily Laird, Carina Dulong, Khristin Paisley, Emma Burden, Owen Eberhard, Henry Lewis, Shiven Venkat, Daniel Gray, Stella Reyniers, Tara Cady, Carter Hoffman, Harrison Wilkins, Duncan Zook, Haley Holley, Truc Nguyen, Kristen Cooke, Standish Kingsbeck, Kolbe Pries, Landon Dulmage, Betsy Nanguse, Carlos Canel Aguirre, Angel Hernandez, Eric Phillips, Juliana Barrera Ramirez

2^nd Place
Tyler Murphy, Ed Stanton, Sarah Dahle, Caiden Murphy, Quynn Cotner, Elsie Mcdonald, Lauren Dahlberg, Ahas Weerapura, Ace Ashworth, Mason Zerbib, Tristyn Cvanciger, Ace Garcia, Zuri Cady, Rebekkah Copel, Ellie Pechon, Katie Harding, Hilde Groff, Jase Hessler, Jaxson Hipsher, Christopher Cochenour, Anna Copel, Makenzie O'Connell, Amallia Chapman, Landon Sidley-Mercado, Bryce Yushka, Adrian Sundseth, James Klausner, Naomi Kaup, Cory Balk, Kaliyah Oxley, Nicolas Rivera Mesa, Selam Dusharm

3^rd Place
Peyton Brauch, Alexis Chavez, Lillian Eichelberger, Andra Vieru, Lily Strickland, Kayla Albrechtson, Zachary Cotner, Zoe Economou, Kaylyn Mcewan, Nethika Suraweera, Rue Weerapura, Oliver Garner, Keatyn Adams, Tk Nguyen, Dan Copel, Jackson Foster, Landon Adams, Henry Andonov, Joshua Stephenson, Anthony Garcia, Christina Sanders, Ada Lekan, Hadley Wilkins, Thomas Hurst, Justin Ibarra, Jaydn Bauer, Angel Rivera, Brie Rivera

 

Most Kicks

1^st Place
Oliver Garner, Warren Locken, Dashiel Landry, Jackson Janacek, Adrian Ibarra, Maryn Meyer, Zyler Martin, Madison Janecek, Kailea Alarcon, Luke Wingate, Charlie Farmer, Jaxton Landry, Violet Lopez 

2^nd Place
Ecton Scherer, Quinn Hester, Kaydance Veith, Leighton Evarts, Sigmund Kelson, Theodore Fuselier, Ethan Zhang, Wyck Gaczol, Spruce Lundquist, Silas Corbett, Enzo Santana, Gracelynn Moncrief

3^rd Place
Jasper Walsh, Ansel David, Danek Salach, Jackson Fitch, Alexander Bonnot, Lemai Nguyen, Nakoa James, Tyler Poe, Lila Story

 

 

 

 

 

It's Almost Here: the 50th CTI Superbowl

 

Hi everyone!

We are looking forward to our 50th CTI Super Bowl tournament this Friday and Saturday, February 28th and March 1st!

IMPORTANT! Please note: While we do not typically charge a spectator fee at the tournaments, this tournament we are going to collect donations for Brown Big Ministries. Brown Bag is a local non-profit providing assistance for families and veterans. They are in need of new hats, gloves, socks, and underwear for all ages and sizes. If each of our families donated one or more of these items, we would be able to collect a mountain of much-needed cold weather gear for folks in our community. Donation bins will be available when you check-in for the event on Saturday.

Competition and Arrival Times: 

• Demo Practice - Black Belt club members - 5pm on Friday night 
• 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: 1 pm start time, 12.30 pm arrival time

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.  

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 most kicks 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 Most Kicks 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 four or five events. Please do not leave until your student has competed in everything (poomse, two sparring divisions, Team Round House Kicking, and then students ages 12 & up will also compete in One-Steps). 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.

We All Have Potential

By Carina DuLong, Red Belt

Potential is defined as qualities or abilities that may be developed over time to lead to success in the future. These abilities can be physical or mental, and everyone has a different set of strengths that helps them succeed. Some qualities that allow people to have strong potential are the traits we foster in our taekwondo students such as respect, honesty, courtesy, integrity, perseverance, and self control. By developing these important characteristics, anyone can make progress towards their goals and make connections with people who can help them reach their full potential.

Use others as examples

Watching and listening to others who are experts in their fields provides an example to show us what is possible. Whether it’s taekwondo or a different skill, observing and learning from others sets us on the path to greatness. There is so much to learn from those around us and when we have people to look up to, it can provide the necessary motivation and unlock our potential to reach our goals. In taekwondo, we are surrounded by people we can use as role models. Our black belts who have dedicated many years of their lives to mastering Moo Sul Kwan taekwondo are a perfect example. Every one of our new white belts has the potential to become a black belt as long as they pay attention and try their best, but they may need the motivation of seeing what they can become to push them through the difficult parts of the progression through belts. Personally, one of my favorite hobbies is crocheting. I’m good at following directions and am patient enough to follow through with the projects I’m working on, yet observing others lets me realize how much more I can improve. Many people crochet for a living and they have so much practice they can create their pieces without looking and crochet so fast I can’t even tell what’s happening. A key part of maximizing our own potential is realizing what we don’t know, so we can continue to improve.

Be aware of current limitations

No two people have the same set of skills and we all have different strengths that allow us to excel in different areas of life. Therefore, being aware of our own current limitations can help avoid being discouraged and losing motivation. We all have the potential to achieve our goals, but we may have to go about it in a different way or practice certain skills more than someone else. In taekwondo, some people are super flexible and can do the full splits the day they start, while other people may be stiff and can’t even touch their toes. Likewise, the super flexible person may lack power while the stiff person is stronger and quicker. These people may be disheartened that they can’t touch their toes or are told to have more power, but that means they have a goal to work towards. Our instructors point out techniques that need work because they know we have the potential to change and do better. We have an opportunity to confront a challenge and improve rather than a reason to lose hope.

Help others realize their own potential

Helping others realize their own potential is a rewarding part of life. In our taekwondo classes, upper belts and older students strive to be good examples and do the best they can to help the lower belts and younger students. Our black belts use their years of experience to make helpful corrections, allowing us to improve. By upholding strict taekwondo standards, Colorado Taekwondo Institute ensures that these ancient martial arts skills continue to have a positive influence on new generations of students for both self defense and personal development.

How potential pertains to taekwondo

In taekwondo, many people have the goal of reaching black belt and beyond. We focus on practicing skills such as speed, flexibility, and strength along with mental attributes like focus, perseverance, and discipline. Our potential can be nurtured through consistent training, practicing outside of class, pushing past our limits, and setting goals that challenge us. Unlocking our full potential requires dedication and willingness to push through the challenges of the journey while learning from mistakes and building confidence from successes. Practicing taekwondo allows us to improve ourselves mentally and physically and, with the help of others, develop skills we may have never thought possible.

How potential affects life outside of taekwondo

We also increase our potential for success by incorporating the physical, mental, and ethical philosophy of taekwondo into our daily lives. Our teachers encourage us to be the best versions of ourselves, and we know that unenthusiastic performance will not lead to improvement. In our lives outside of taekwondo, we are open to learning new things and sharing our knowledge with others. We are confident that diligence and perseverance will achieve the best results possible. We are trained to maintain a positive mindset and are comfortable being uncomfortable, which increases our potential for greatness, whether it be in our jobs, school, or hobbies.

The Value of Integrity: A Pillar of Everyday Life

By Eric Evans, 3rd Dan

Integrity, often considered the cornerstone of moral character, is a timeless virtue that holds immense significance in our everyday lives. It is the alignment of our actions, thoughts, and words with our deeply held principles and values. While integrity may seem intangible, its impact is far-reaching and touches every aspect of our personal and professional lives. In this article, we explore why integrity is vital and how it influences our interactions, relationships, and overall well-being.

Integrity breeds trust, forming the bedrock of meaningful connections. When individuals consistently demonstrate honesty and reliability, others develop confidence in their character. By living with integrity, Moo Sul Kwan students convey authenticity and create an environment of openness, where people feel safe to express themselves. Whether it's in personal relationships, workplaces, or even casual encounters, trust is fundamental for effective communication and fostering healthy connections.

Integrity is closely tied to personal growth and resilience. When we commit to living in alignment with our values, we cultivate self-awareness and a sense of purpose. Upholding our principles requires courage and self-discipline, leading to personal development and the ability to make informed decisions. Colorado Taekwondo classes help students develop these principles and self-discipline. Moreover, the integrity developed in class enables us to weather challenges with resilience, as it provides a moral compass to guide us through difficult times, instilling a sense of conviction and strength.

In today's interconnected world, reputation holds significant importance. Integrity plays a crucial role in shaping how others perceive us and ultimately impacts our professional and social success. Consistently acting with integrity establishes a positive reputation built on reliability, credibility, and ethical conduct. This reputation, in turn, opens doors to opportunities, fosters cooperation, and attracts like-minded individuals who value integrity. Moreover, integrity cultivates loyalty, as people are more inclined to support those who consistently display honesty and transparency.

Living a life of integrity is essential for nurturing inner harmony and well-being. When our actions align with our values, we experience a sense of congruence and inner peace. Integrity helps us avoid the internal conflict that arises from compromise and deceit, fostering emotional well-being and mental clarity. By practicing integrity, we nurture a positive self-image, boosting our self-esteem and overall satisfaction with life.

Integrity serves as an essential compass in our journey through life. Its significance extends beyond individual actions, influencing our relationships, reputation, personal growth, and overall well-being. By cultivating integrity in our daily lives, we build trust, authenticity, and resilience while enhancing our chances of success and fostering inner harmony. As we strive for a more ethical and just world, let us recognize the enduring value of integrity and embrace its transformative power in shaping a brighter future for all.

34th DMAC Results!

 

The 34th Denver Martial Arts Champs was held on September 6-7 at Alameda International School. Over 300 students of all belts and ages competed, learned, and had a memorial day. Photos will be available soon on our website's Photo page.

Special thanks to all family members and friends for their support to make this special day possible!

Congratulations to our Grand Champions, Meredith Botnick and Katie Minden!

DMAC Results

POOMSE

1st place

Collin Kreutz, Caleb Feagans, Katie Minden, Lily Strickland, Averie Chavez, Diego Quezada, Evan Mcewan, Zoe Economou, Emma Burden, Tristyn Cvanciger, Brandon Kirt, Gavin Vahle, Katie Harding, Ellie Pechon, Henry Lewis, Eddie Garner, Daniel Gray, Franco Ramirez, Kendrick Toney, Tara Cady, Mary Groff, Joshua Dollar, Everett Ungar, Duncan Zook, Henry Chiabotti, Kira Rhyden, Jack Wicken, Anthony Garcia, Makenzie O'Connell, Elias Amann, Carter Camp, Isabel Cole, Haley Holley, Wyatt Knorr, Siri Molnar, Gwen Spilling, Lyra Bratz, Leo Duffey, Cyrus Khatri, Dylan Kiser, Asher Yushka, Noah Buteyn, Jay Karkula, Sophia Palfreyman, Kolbe Pries, Yuvan Rauniyar, Keira Teska, Avery Liu, Rahi Rauniyar, Ron Deiotte, Laz Logan, Andra Deiotte, Anitej Narumanchi, Natalie Teska, Adeline Alayash, Ashton Hogue, Natalie Huntley, Veronika Lesyk, Leuyen Nguyen, Arwyn Robinson, Mckenzie Farmer, Arnav Narumanchi, Luna Rivera

2nd place

Tyler Murphy, Kathleen Sautel, Katie Dahle, Konner Evans, Jasmine Salamera, Meredith Botnick, Nathaniel Keckler, Allan Stanton, Ace Ashworth, Keira Sherman, Zachary Cotner, Mason Zerbib, Cooper Curry, Rebekkah Copel, Joel Hall, Logan Martin, Armando Gomez, Landon Adams, Anna Copel, Tk Nguyen, Christopher Cochenour, Ariana Lamb, Eli Anceravicius, River Manuelito, Alice Burgin, Millie Hessler, Ada Lekan, Keegan Christenson, Violet Wondel, Jack Arland, Luna Bratz, Ellie Combs, Timofii Lesyk, Ron Meyer, Truc Nguyen, Mila Olivares Castro, Colin Williamson, Torin Dimascio, Zane Farrier, Austin Gross, Shreeyan Khatri, Stryder Martin, Eoin Daly, Quinn Hester, John Hicks, Kara Koster, Betsy Nanguse, Tyler Tillman, Asher Whalen, Jackson Bloor, Caroline Fogg, Mia Garcia, Aaron Botnick, Cory Balk, Ben Buteyn, Tyrion Bieker, Hendrix Lacey, Jack Macdonald, Loxley Mcelhaney, Rowan Meyer, Jace Bauer, Sage Melone, Erin Wolf, Sage Petty

3rd place

Peyton Brauch, Abbey Salamera, Ed Stanton, Colston Yoder, Kirun Agarwal, Marley Powers, Jordan Rutz, Thomas Burden, Bob Padget, Ivy Jensen, Kaylyn Mcewan, Rue Weerapura, Zuri Cady, Oliver Garner, Vincent Andonov, Dan Copel, Jase Hessler, Aliyah Huckaby Rafaelson, Alex Kirt, Rose Basnet, Hilde Groff, Bill Graves, Presley Hobler, Gabriel Kahan, Christina Sanders, Amallia Chapman, Alec Rhyden, Landon Sidley-Mercado, Alexander Aguilar-Glaub, Laura Martinson, Anastasia Contreras, Hayden Jeffries, Leanh Nguyen, Sheen Pandita, Isaiah Sanchez, Bryce Yushka, Lorenzo Gomez, Ailani Lopez Martinez, Thomas Mcnair, Elijah Yushka, Jameson Bloor, Taylor Crane, Laurel Cummings, Naomi Kaup, Hassid Mendoza Cruz, Quintyn Upshaw, Dominic Ditallo, David Enriquez, Aleina Evarts, Peter Morehead, Amy Milligan, Jaydn Bauer, Elena Behm, Crystalie Wolfe, Evan Anceravicius, Annelise Carey, Jordan Lawyer, Saoirse Meyer, Robert Poe, Olivia Roberts, Marie Spears, Lennon Petty

4th place

Kyle Feagans, Sarah Dahle, Ethan Price, Quynn Cotner, Elsie Mcdonald, Dale Sanders, Lillian Eichelberger, Josie Landis, Nethika Suraweera, Warren Mcdonald, Sam Powers, Shiven Venkat, Zachary Kahan, Jennifer Kautz, Ryan Marine, Stella Reyniers, Jackson Foster, Sean Marrufo, Aspen Swift, Zach Trujillo, Theron Bearce, Finn Deiotte, Olivia Ivie, Rylan Lamkin, Issay Mendoza Cruz, Neev Pandita, Milo Conner, Weston Evarts, Emery Hetzel, Lily Rosetta-Mcbryde, Andrew Kahan, Dawson Portera, Sebastian Schuster, JJ Defelice, James Klausner, Ruth Berry, Luca Chrzan, James Daly, Hugh Dionne, Rowan Lamkin, Avery Madison, Calvin Spears

TIGER POOMSE

1st place
Clesse Hilton, Theodore Peterson, Oliver Scears, Hudson Wiegand, Skylynn Benefield, Luke Hilton, Dashiel Landry, Leo Claveau, Leighton Evarts, Atticus Albrechtson, Jaxton Archuleta-Kordis, Silas Corbett, Enzo Santana, Carson Simmons, Sloan Chrzan, Violet Lopez, Tyler Poe, Zachary Wolf

SPARRING

1st place

Collin Kreutz, Katie Minden, Zoe Economou, Ellie Pechon, Henry Lewis, Daniel Gray, Kendrick Toney, Tara Cady, Duncan Zook, Kira Rhyden, Haley Holley, Wyatt Knorr, Siri Molnar, Gwen Spilling, Lyra Bratz, Luke Hilton, Sophia Palfreyman, Kolbe Pries, Yuvan Rauniyar, Avery Liu, Ron Deiotte, Natalie Teska, Natalie Huntley, Arnav Narumanchi, Nathaniel Keckler, Mason Zerbib, Tk Nguyen, Eli Anceravicius, Violet Wondel, Luna Bratz, Torin Dimascio, Zane Farrier, Austin Gross, Shreeyan Khatri, Eoin Daly, John Hicks, Betsy Nanguse, Cory Balk, Loxley Mcelhaney, Rowan Meyer, Ed Stanton, Marley Powers, Kaylyn Mcewan, Aliyah Huckaby Rafaelson, Alexander Aguilar-Glaub, Laura Martinson, Lorenzo Gomez, Crystalie Wolfe, Lennon Petty, Warren Mcdonald, Sam Powers, Theron Bearce, Emery Hetzel, Ruth Berry, James Daly, Hope Morgan, Vivi Brown, Alexis Chavez, Ace Garcia, Henry Andonov, Dalila Lopez, Evan Clough

2nd place

Kathleen Sautel, Kyle Feagans, Sarah Dahle, Diego Quezada, Meredith Botnick, Jordan Rutz, Quynn Cotner, Ahas Weerapura, Ace Ashworth, Zachary Cotner, Ivy Jensen, Rue Weerapura, Nethika Suraweera, Rebekkah Copel, Joel Hall, Zuri Cady, Oliver Garner, Shiven Venkat, Franco Ramirez, Mary Groff, Landon Adams, Ariana Lamb, Ryan Marine, Jackson Foster, Joshua Dollar, Henry Chiabotti, Jack Wicken, Makenzie O'Connell, Millie Hessler, Ada Lekan, Keegan Christenson, Gabriel Kahan, Issay Mendoza Cruz, Carter Camp, Isabel Cole, Leo Duffey, Cyrus Khatri, Jack Arland, Ron Meyer, Sheen Pandita, Ailani Lopez Martinez, Milo Conner, Jay Karkula, Keira Teska, Rahi Rauniyar, Tyler Tillman, Taylor Crane, Naomi Kaup, Hassid Mendoza Cruz, Amy Milligan, Andrew Kahan, Dawson Portera, James Klausner, Andra Deiotte, Ashton Hogue, Veronika Lesyk, Ben Buteyn, Elena Behm, Evan Anceravicius, Jordan Lawyer, Rowan Lamkin, Avery Madison, Calvin Spears, Sage Petty

3rd place

Caleb Feagans, Katie Dahle, Konner Evans, Colston Yoder, Kirun Agarwal, Elsie Mcdonald, Lillian Eichelberger, Andra Vieru, Emma Burden, Gavin Vahle, Josie Landis, Logan Keckler, Cooper Curry, Armando Gomez, Christopher Cochenour, Dan Copel, Jase Hessler, Alex Kirt, Rose Basnet, Jennifer Kautz, Stella Reyniers, Zach Trujillo, River Manuelito, Bill Graves, Presley Hobler, Amallia Chapman, Alec Rhyden, Olivia Ivie, Mia Martinez, Landon Woodland, Neev Pandita, Ellie Combs, Timofii Lesyk, Mila Olivares Castro, Colin Williamson, Hayden Jeffries, Leanh Nguyen, Isaiah Sanchez, Elijah Yushka, Noah Buteyn, Quinn Hester, Jackson Bloor, Caroline Fogg, Mia Garcia, Dominic Ditallo, Aleina Evarts, Peter Morehead, Anitej Narumanchi, Arwyn Robinson, Tyrion Bieker, Jack Macdonald, Jace Bauer, Jaydn Bauer, Annelise Carey, Robert Poe, Luca Chrzan, Luna Rivera, Erin Wolf

4th place

Peyton Brauch, Shekina Detienne, Darcy Stanton, Lily Strickland, Evan Mcewan, Dale Sanders, Kayla Albrechtson, Lily Laird, Brandon Kirt, Keira Sherman, Thomas Burden, Bob Padget, Logan Martin, Keatyn Adams, Zachary Kahan, Sean Marrufo, Aspen Swift, Anthony Garcia, Alice Burgin, Christina Sanders, Landon Sidley-Mercado, Finn Deiotte, Rylan Lamkin, Elias Amann, Dylan Kiser, Stryder Martin, Anastasia Contreras, Thomas Mcnair, Weston Evarts, Lily Rosetta-Mcbryde, Kara Koster, Jameson Bloor, Laurel Cummings, Quintyn Upshaw, David Enriquez, Jacob Schuster, Adeline Alayash, Leuyen Nguyen, Hendrix Lacey, Saoirse Meyer, Hugh Dionne, Sage Melone, Marie Spears

FIRST POINT WINS!

1st place

Hope Morgan, Kyle Feagans, Katie Minden, Ed Stanton, Marley Powers, Alexis Chavez, Meredith Botnick, Ahas Weerapura, Zachary Cotner, Ivy Jensen, Rue Weerapura, Nethika Suraweera, Gavin Vahle, Sam Powers, Rebekkah Copel, Zuri Cady, Shiven Venkat, Cooper Curry, Keatyn Adams, Henry Andonov, Armando Gomez, Dan Copel, Jase Hessler, Rose Basnet, Stella Reyniers, Duncan Zook, Ada Lekan, Issay Mendoza Cruz, Amallia Chapman, Alec Rhyden, Rylan Lamkin, Neev Pandita, Haley Holley, Wyatt Knorr, Gwen Spilling, Lyra Bratz, Luna Bratz, Torin Dimascio, Zane Farrier, Emery Hetzel, Ellie Combs, Colin Williamson, Isaiah Sanchez, Stryder Martin, Kolbe Pries, Ron Deiotte, John Hicks, Andrew Kahan, Noah Buteyn, Mia Garcia, Natalie Teska, Natalie Huntley, Cory Balk, Loxley Mcelhaney, Rowan Meyer, Crystalie Wolfe, Ashton Hogue, Evan Anceravicius, Jordan Lawyer, Tyrion Bieker, Jaydn Bauer, Annelise Carey, Arnav Narumanchi

2nd place

Caleb Feagans, Katie Dahle, Darcy Stanton, Abbey Salamera, Ethan Price, Averie Chavez, Allan Stanton, Ivy Strickland, Zoe Economou, Mason Zerbib, Warren Mcdonald, Ace Ashworth, Joel Hall, Oliver Garner, Tara Cady, Tk Nguyen, Aliyah Huckaby Rafaelson, Mary Groff, Ryan Marine, Jackson Foster, Jennifer Kautz, Vincent Andonov, Eli Anceravicius, Alexander Aguilar-Glaub, Laura Martinson, Joshua Dollar, Henry Chiabotti, River Manuelito, Presley Hobler, Olivia Ivie, Alice Burgin, Shreeyan Khatri, Lorenzo Gomez, Isabel Cole, Jack Arland, Ailani Lopez Martinez, Dylan Kiser, Thomas Mcnair, Betsy Nanguse, Jay Karkula, Keira Teska, Tyler Tillman, Amy Milligan, Dawson Portera, James Klausner, Aleina Evarts, Kara Koster, Laurel Cummings, Aaron Botnick, Sebastian Schuster, James Daly, Ben Buteyn, Elena Behm, Rowan Lamkin, Avery Madison, Calvin Spears, Luca Chrzan, Hendrix Lacey, Sage Petty, Erin Wolf

BREAKING

1st place

Hope Morgan, Averie Chavez, Diego Quezada, Lily Strickland, Evan Mcewan, Zachary Cotner, Zoe Economou, Zuri Cady, Logan Martin, Tara Cady, Daniel Gray, Sean Marrufo, Anna Copel, Makenzie O'Connell, Bill Graves, Christina Sanders, Ron Meyer, Naomi Kaup, Jackson Bloor

TARGET KICKING

1st place

Rue Weerapura, Shiven Venkat, Cooper Curry, Dalila Lopez, Franco Ramirez, Landon Adams, Clesse Hilton, Skylynn Benefield, Dashiel Landry, Evan Clough, Zachary Wolf

2nd place

Oliver Scears, Luke Hilton, Jj Defelice, Jaxton Archuleta-Kordis, Sloan Chrzan

STAFF POOMSE

1st place

Collin Kreutz, Mark Scott, Katie Dahle, Katie Minden, Meredith Botnick, Nathaniel Keckler, Matthew Roberts

2nd place

Peyton Brauch, Shekina Detienne, Ed Stanton, Ethan Price, Konner Evans, Quynn Cotner, Lillian Eichelberger

3rd place

Kyle Feagans, Kathleen Sautel, Caleb Feagans, Darcy Stanton, Abbey Salamera, Jordan Rutz, Colston Yoder

This Weekend: 34th Denver Martial Arts Champs!

We are looking forward to our tournament this Friday and Saturday, September 6th and 7th!  

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: 1 pm start time, 12.30 pm arrival time

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.  It is marked with a red star in the graphic below.  

Checking students in and getting them to their rings:

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 and announcements, 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.  

All other students will compete in poomse first.  After that 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 in Walking Drills 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.

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.

Sparring will also be the final competition for white and yellow belts ages 9 - 11.

Orange belts and above, ages 12 and up, will also compete in breaking.  After their sparring division concludes, please stay in the gym and listen for their name to be called to their breaking ring.

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.

Boards

If your student is competing in breaking (students age 12 and up, orange and above), they will need to provide their own boards for this competition.  Please touch base with your instructor with any questions you may have here.

Lastly, please do not attend the tournament if you or your student is ill or has tested positive for Covid.  Thank you.  

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.

Integrity at its Finest

By Bridget Sautel, 5th dan

To embody the quality of integrity requires upholding a consistent state of honesty, and not letting anything compromise moral and ethical values one may have. From the very start of our CTI Taekwondo training, we strive to develop a ‘black belt attitude,’ which cannot be mastered without embracing integrity. Establishing this characteristic in taekwondo will allow for the student to transfer this into their everyday life’s outside of class, resulting in a successful well-rounded lifestyle. Integrity can then be passed on to future generations, including white belts just starting class, and can become an infinite process of sharing the essence of what integrity is all about. 

As a white belt moving up through the belt colors, it becomes clear quickly that practice at home is needed for memorization of poomse and to maintain physical fitness. Taking the initiative to practice outside of class involves integrity, because it is something that you have to take upon yourself by choice. Having this much needed practice outside of class will permit the student to continue using integrity when back in class, by executing their OWN moves within the group, without copying others. This will boost the class as a whole and convince others that integrity is crucial in martial arts training. 

There are many ways that integrity is developed within a CTI class, including always keeping your fellow students safe, learning how to make mistakes and learn from them, and being honest with ourselves when a certain technique or poomse could use some improvement. All of these pieces of integrity will undoubtedly carry over into our everyday lives outside of taekwondo, into school, work, and in other social situations. At school, integrity can be used when doing homework, taking tests, and developing relationships with teachers/peers. At work, integrity can mean standing up for what’s right and doing what you should be doing even if no one is looking. In public, the student is a representative of CTI, which can mean helping people out who are in need, being cordial and empathetic to the unknown, and being honest with family, friends, and spouses.

Integrity involves finding ways to better yourself and become a self-directed learner, and is a quality that will always get you farther in the long run- even if it’s not easy! Integrity allows you to feel confident that you put all effort into what you do and believe in, and most importantly can be passed on to future generations and white belts.

Coming Right Up! 2024 DMAC Tournament!

By Konner Evans, 2nd dan

Mark your calendars because the 34th Denver Martial Arts Championships is right around the corner! The Denver Martial Arts Championships will be hosted at Alameda International on September 6-7. Join us for exciting competitions for student of all ages and belt.

The Denver Martial Arts Championships is the beginning to another exciting year of Moo Sul Kwan tournaments! This is a great opportunity for your student to learn the importance of competition and sportsmanship. Don’t miss your chance to start this year off strong!

Events Include:

• Poomse
• Tiger Poomse
• Most Kicks
• Sparring
• First Point Wins
• Breaking
• Target Kicking
• Staff Poomse

Schedule:

• Friday: 
• 6:00pm - Black Belts
• Saturday:
• 6:30am - Black Belts
• 8:00am - Red, Brown & Purple (all ages)
• 10:30am - White-Blue (ages 8 and under)
• 1:00pm - White-Blue (ages 9 and up)

Spectators are welcome to come and watch anytime!

Registration for the tournament online by clicking on this link! Registration is due August 29th. Your student should receive a brochure in class soon with more information about the tournament. Talk to your instructor for more information or any questions about the tournament!

Tournaments are key to being a successful student in Moo Sul Kwan. Students will improve in their Taekwondo training but also develop and improve important life skills. Students will get valuable feedback from both their fellow competitors and judges on how they can improve. Students also learn the value of competition. Competition inspires everyone to work harder in class to continue to improve. Students also learn how to understand and follow rules of competition. 

Students will also benefit from tournaments by building relationships with their peers. At tournaments students have the opportunity to meet other students around their age and belt level as well as everyone else in the Moo Sul Kwan family. Students will also learn to respect others such as their fellow competitors. Also to respect and listen to those in authority. Also participants will learn to have good sportsmanship by learning to show respect to their fellow competitor regardless of the results of the competition. 

Participating in Tournaments also gives students the opportunity to compete on their own which will help them learn to think as an individual. In doing so students will also develop confidence in themselves. 

Tournaments help students develop essential skills both in Taekwondo and in life. Tournaments push students to strive for the next level of their training. Don’t miss your chance to participate in the 34th Denver Martial Arts Championship and register today!

The Benefits of Training at a Martial Arts School

By Mark Scott, 4th dan 

What is different about martial arts compared with other sports and exercises? All sporting activities have the benefit of providing exercise. Martial arts have more benefits that other sports don’t provide. The benefits extend and change across the different ages engaged in a martial arts school. Benefits for children might not be as important to an adult in martial arts. Similarly, the benefits that an adult receives might not be necessary in a developing child.

For the young child, the benefits are less about the fitness and self-defense, but focuses more on discipline and control. As described in this article from Colorado Taekwondo Institute (The Best in Preschool Martial Arts 2024), the children will learn most of the same techniques as teens and adults. Many of the same details will be enforced, but the focus for the younger children will be on body control, mental fortitude and self-discipline. The younger student will gain self-confidence and benefits in their grades at school and behavior at home.

One article from the Colorado Taekwondo Institute website (Morgan, H 2016) details the eight benefits children can get from martial arts classes. As martial arts require practice to get better, martial arts encourage physical activity to get better and progress. Martial arts also increase self-esteem and encourage social interaction and teamwork which are important to the development of a child as they grow up. Martial arts also helps children learn respect and the ability to focus and concentrate as needed. Another important benefit is non-violent conflict resolution. Learning to control anger and find ways to solve problems outside of fighting. And especially at Colorado Taekwondo Institute, the benefit of the educational development through the stages of progressing with the training and reaching goals.

Martial arts also benefit kids with ADHD. In the article by Michael Lara, M.D. (Lara M, n.d.), found that kids with ADHD involved with a martial arts school finished more of their homework. The kids were better prepared for classes in school. The kids showed improvement in their grades. Other improvements were seen as they tended to break fewer rules overall and jumped out of their seats less often than before the martial arts classes.

Adults are looking to get into shape, to learn self-defense skills or joining a martial arts class to try something new. Some might use exercise as a means to relieve stress, but those in martial arts classes have a proven method for stress release.  In one study (Johnstone, A 2018) adults who participated in martial arts for three to six months were shown to have reduced depression symptoms, reduced levels of stress and higher self-esteem.  The adults were also able to manage stress better after prolonged martial arts classes.

Another important benefit found in practicing at a martial arts school was found in the same study. Practicing martial arts increases the ability to retain and restore memories. The martial arts students were found to be able to memorize and recall complex sequences better than the control groups. As martial artists have to memorize many moves and sequences as part of training, it would make sense that a martial artist would excel in this area.

Many studies (Naves-Bittencourt 2015) detail the effectiveness of classes at a martial arts school as engaging the brain in ways that enhance the physical and mental abilities. The effectiveness of martial arts as an exercise has an increased health benefit over other forms of exercise. The studies indicate a better level of stress management and overall better quality of life.

 

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The Best in Preschool Martial Arts 2024, Colorado Taekwondo Institute website, accessed 20 May 2024, <https://coloradotaekwondo.blogspot.com/2024/01/the-best-in-preschool-martial-arts.html>.

Morgan, H 2016, 8 Reason Your Child Should Join a Martial Arts Program, accessed 10 May 2024, <https://coloradotaekwondo.blogspot.com/2016/02/8-reason-your-child-should-join-martial.html>

Lara, M n.d, The Exercise Prescription, accessed 10 May 2024, <https://chadd.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/ATTN_06_12_Exercise.pdf>

Johnstone, A 2018, Martial arts offers brain-boosting benefits for all ages, research finds, accessed 20 May, 2024, <https://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/health-and-families/healthy-living/martial-arts-physical-mental-benefits-health-exercise-tai-chi-karate-a8342756.html>

Naves-Bittencourt, W et al 2015, Martial arts: mindful exercise to combat stress, accessed 20 May, 2024, <https://www.eurjhm.com/index.php/eurjhm/article/view/355>

Patience

By Ethan Price, 2nd dan

Patience is defined as the ability to accept or tolerate delay without becoming upset. 

As a Black Belt in CTI, Patience is far more than a necessary skill; it is practicing Patience that has led to attaining a Black Belt in the first place.

Students in CTI do not move quickly up the ranks without being patient. At all ages and abilities, the CTI student will only move as fast as he or she is capable of learning. However, there are set schedules of ‘time in rank’ (via stripes and credits) that mean that even the best students will have to wait for an appropriate amount of time to test for the next rank. 

The patience to work diligently towards the next rank requires self-motivation and self-control. The CTI student must take time to work on his or her skills, and must allow time for growth. Even the best instructors have taken a lot of time to perfect the skills they teach their students. Every baby step is a step forward. It takes patience to see the long view of attaining each rank up the ladder, but patience in small things will inevitably lead to positive results.

An important example of this is exemplified by a study done on children, where participants were presented with a marshmallow on a plate. The children were told that if they waited to eat it until the researcher came back, they would receive a second marshmallow in addition to the first. Not many children waited, and of those that did, they showed, in a follow-up study, that they had better life outcomes (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stanford_marshmallow_experiment). This study has had numerous follow up experiments since then, and has shown similar results.

As a Black Belt, patience is a perfected skill, though it is all the more necessary in every way. Black Belts do not learn new poomse every class; they do not learn a new One-Step or Self-Defense technique every week. They will learn, if their instructor sees that they are ready. Black Belts will learn one small chunk of a poomse and then it falls to them to practice over the weeks before they will learn more. Patience is as essential to the Black Belt learning process as wearing the belt itself. However, it is not the patience of a Black Belt that makes them able to learn this way; it is patience gained through every rank that is the reason that they earn that belt at all.