37th CTI Superbowl Results

The 37th CTI Super Bowl was held on February 25-26 at Alameda High School in Lakewood, Colorado.  285 participants kicked, punched and blocked their way to fun, learning and success as family members and friends cheered us on!

Congratulations to Grandchampions:  Emily Brophy, Andrew Madayag, Zachary Boender, Rob Sarche and Dante Hulin.  All of the grandchampions were under black belt at our end of the year CTI Super Bowl.

Friday evening started with black belt competitions including the always exciting blindfolded breaking division.  Saturday morning began bright and early with some advanced black belt sparring followed by red belt poomse and sparrring competitions.

We sang the National Anthem at the noon Super Bowl group line-up.  Then an "impromtu" demonstration was given by some of the black belts, followed by a point sparring demonstration given by Shawn Sweeney and Erik Ondrejko.

The rest of the day Saturday was filled with Poomse, Sparring, First Point Wins!, and Breaking divisions by students of all ages and belt levels.  There were even some Tiger divisions with students who were very young!

Thanks goes to all of the Super Bowl helpers, Alameda High School's National Honor Society and all of our family members and friends who helped us celebrate this fantastic two day Super Bowl!

Orange Belt Competitors from the Tournament

Click here for a welcome to the 37th CTI Superbowl -  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rRkSNi781P8

Click here for a short video of some of the breaks we saw this weekend - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cI2cm9d2jTg

Thanks to each of our helpers, scorekeepers, timers and everyone else who made the CTI Super Bowl such a success in learning!

RESULTS

POOMSE
1st place
Abdu Kikhia       Freddy Sautel       Bridget Sautel       Rosie Sokolove
Annie Sautel       Crystal Wallace       Dante Hulin       Brett Carpenter
Jordan Stiller       Eilidh Spery        Madeline Rougier      Kaden O’Brien
Mykes Howard       Caleb Feagans       Zach Greaves       Emily Brophy
Tyler Murphy       Eileen Lindner       Kai Wong       Zachary Aparicio
Anna Good       Drew Madayag       Kyle Feagans       Jennifer McKernan
Calvin Bishop       Nahanial McKernan      Nicholas Boender      Natasha McKernan
Zachary Boender      Brian Good       Kelsey Smith       Kellen Reeves
Jessica States       Zachary Brinker      Kenneth Brancio      Mason Louth
Joshua Miller       Gwen Gutierrez       Thomas Ma       Caleb Neel
Elijdh Gusmus       Alejandro Deppmeier      Elizabeth Hawkins      Nico Trilk
Jake Dipple       Jonah Sidwell       Jaxon Gard       Jacobi Field
Owen Landis       Ruby Merello       Madison Hadley      Anthony Pfluke
Megan Garcia

2nd place
Michael Sandusky      Erik Ondrejko       Jackie Wallace
Hannah Walker       Stephen Sautel       Sarah Dipple       Ryan Lindner
Delaney Zandin       Lisa Dunkin       Jordan Crawshaw       Angela Orford
Ian Randall       James Pennington      Dean Loux       Nate Watkins
Emma Hartmann      Rhonda Lawrence      Paton Brauch       Trevor Koch  
Owen Hartmann      Brandon Pennington      Trevor Glassman      Karen Carreon
Effie Gibbons       Benjamin Pugh       Lauren Lundeen      Peter Losasso
Clayton Prevatte      Mark Scott       Denysee Fernandez      Shekine Detienne
Lisa Landis       Thomas Baptist       Mya Field       Sabrina Jameson
Elise Smith       Matthew Ashworth      Mason Bishop       Skyler Brooks
Dietrich Wasmoen      Adriana Carreon       James Perez       Dylan Ezrol
Gloria Alvarado       Jacob Henderson      Jamie Barnes       Rhys McClean
James Neel       Alda Andreychuk      Chloe Haines       Charlie Greco
Ryan Pennington

3rd place
Eric Evans       Sierra Field       Chris Wallace       Brittany Walker
Brian Steward       Alice Meyung        Natalie Lundeen      Ezekial Biddle
Jakob Deverell       Don Johnson       Alyssa Copper       Holly Madayag
Coghan Spery       Michael Madayag      Cody Crawshaw      Damien Rupp
Jenny Grosshans      Gabriel Gallegos      Jshulie Vogel       Alexander Grosshans
Casey Feagans       Don Symington      Marcy Feagans      Courtney Hayden
Mitchell Kelley       Nickolas Pugh       Nate Orwick       Alan Fernandez
Rob Sarche       Chase Williams       Leah Teglovic       Karen Reeves
Alexandra Ezrol      Aiden Greco       Sabrina Jameson       Aksel Wasmoen
Zuzanna Janowska      Jake Gose       Connor Lussow       Mason Lawrence
Robbie Crandell      Mason Golliher       Vinny Constantino      Adam Harkins
Nathan Todd        Ashlee Grose       Ian Trevenen       Waylon Weeks
Samantha Biesemeier      Logan Gill       Timothy Fenstermach      Chase Wyngarden

4th place
Clayton Garner      Chanda Walker        Jason Walker       Shawn Sweeney
Michael Rinko       Brendon Dodson       Treyton Jacobson       Sophia Sarche
Keoni Derosia       Mark Cordova        Tanner Copper       Alicia Leone
Collin Kreutz       Kathleen Sautel       Lexi Johannes       Luke Gunzner
Melodie Page       Kira Malmgren       Reilly Bellen        Theodore Lincke
Allison Lawrence      Carl Gibbons       Vivi Brown       Naomi Price
Romelle Reeves       Keith Reeves       Ethan Jacobson       Annica Edstrom
Tyler Tatman       Makayla Trapp       Ryan Wyngarden      Sarah Luper
Abigail Gibbons      Merrick Oleszak      Max Landis       Victoria Pednault-Ash
Kyle Fanning       Ryan Skluzak       Cody Barnhardt       Sean Konrad
Mateo Piza       Allison Jacobson      Grant Haverkamp      Nate Braid


TIGER POOMSE
1st place
Malaki McRant        Torin Fischer       Kaden Langley       Owen Parkins
Eva Carreon       Samuel Jacobson      Hannah Hoffman      Triston Gusmus
Kane Mullin       Sean Haverkamp      Mia Langley       Brynn Konrad
Dawson Wellard      Gianni Aragon       Chelsea Sarche       Lydia Willis
Holden Langie      Macy Wallen       Bryce Weeks        Maddelynn Vaughn
Mason Ford


SPARRING
1st place
Clayton Garner       Abdu Kikhia       Bridget Sautel       Chris Wallace
Hannah Walker       Jordan Stiller       Nathaniel McKernan      Paige Kreutzer
Effie Gibbons        Gloria Alvarado       Ryan Wyngarden      Aksel Wasmoen
Zachary Brinker      Zach Boender       Karen Carreon       Don Symington
Dakota Jesse       Natasha McKernan      Coghan Spery       Anna Good
Drew Madayag       Alexander Grosshans      Michael Madayag      Emily Brophy
Peyton Brauch       Myles Howard       Delaney Zandin       Gwen Gutierrez
Dietrich Wasmoen      Brett Carpenter       Ryan Lindner       Damien Rupp
Jake Grose       Dante Hulin       Rob Sarche       Kelsey Smith
Jaxon Gard       Ian Trevenen       Mason Louth       Timothy Fenstermach
Elsie Smith       Jonathan Stone       James Neel       Ashlee Grose
Max Landis       Nathaniel Parkins      Emily Fanning       Nico Trilk
Elizabeth Harkins       Skyler Brooks

2nd place
Freddy Sautel       Brian Steward       Erik Ondrejko       Annie Sautel
Crystal Wallace      Eileen Lindner       Ben Pugh       Sara Dipple
Emily Dipple        Joren Good       Angela Orford       Allison Jacobson
Caleb Neel       Vivi Grown       Alan Fernandez       Connor Lussow
Ethan Price       Josephine Hobson           Peter Losasso       Zachary Aparicio
Allison Lawrence      Jackson Grosshans          Henry Gibbons        Kathleen Sautel
James Pennington      Ian Randall      Kai Wong       Emma Hartmann
Sabrina Jameson      Elijah Gusmus       Dean Loux       Zach Greaves
Tyler Murphy       Mason Bishop        Keoni Derosia      Chase Williams
Denysee Fernandez      Rhys McClean       Sean Konrad       Koa Wong
Hailey Koch       Anthony Pfluke       Samuel Johnson      Treyton Jacoboson
Abigail Gibbons      Utah Bryant       Merrick Oleszak      Megan Garcia
Aiden Greco       Kaden O’Brien

3rd place
Michael Sandusky       Rosie Sokolove       Jackie Wallace
Thomas Sautel       Rhonda Lawrence      Nicholas Pugh       Lauren Lundeen
Maddy Grosshans       Natalie Lundeen      Jordan Crawshaw      Ezekial Biddle
Ethan Jacobson       Clayton Prevatte      Jennifer McKernan       Trevor Glassman
Nathan Orwick       Collin Kreutz       Casey Feagans       Victoria Pednault-Ash
Jack Robben       Brandon Pennington      Kira Malmgren       Nate Watkins
Zac Johannes       Sean Lawlor       Eilidh Spery       Zuzanna Janowska
Tyler Tatman      Don Johnson       Luke Gunzner       Tanner Copper
Thomas Ma       Jakob Deverell       Brian Good       Naomi Price
Jacobi Field       Mateo Piza       Annica Edstrom       Charlie Greco
Holden Langie       Owen Landis       Madison Hadley      Jake Dipple
Robbie Crandell      Adrianna Carreon      Kenneth Brancio       Gavyn Gusmus

4th place
Sierra Field       David Wallace       Shawn Sweeney       Chanda Walker
Abdu Kikhia       Melodie Page       Mitchell Kelley       Sarah Luper
Thomas Baptist       Sophia Sarche       Madeline Rougier       James Perez
Marcy Feagans      Carl Gibbons       T.J. Gutierrez       Trevor Koch
Nikki Garcia       McKenna Louth      Cody Crawshaw      Sarah Dahle
Gabriel Gallegos      Reilly Bellen       Jocelyn Wallen        Abby Lundeen
Mason Lawrence      Mark Cordova       Isaac Trevenen       Seth Hughes
Mark Scott       Lisa Landis       Max Finnemore      Mya Field
Nate Braid       Grant Haverkamp      Waylon Weeks       Jamie Barnes
Myers Hoffman      Alejandro Deppmeier       Connor Brauch       Jack Cremona


FIRST POINT WINS!
1st place
Freddy Sautel       Abdu Kikhia       Bridget Sautel       Erik Ondrejko
Rosie Sokolove        Holly Madayag       Nicholas Boender      Sara Dipple
Effie Gibbons        Aksel Wasmoen      Gavyn Gusmus        Elizabeth Hawkins
Zachary Brinker       Zachary Boender      Vivi Brown        Don Symington
Dakota Jesse       Coghan Spery       Allison Lawrence       Andrew Madayag
Henry Gibbons       Emily Brophy       Michael Madayag       Natasha McKernan
Myles Howard        Delaney Zandin       Abbey Lundeen       Elijah Gusmus
Mark Cordova       Ryan Lindner       Damien Rupp        Mason Bishop
Dante Hulin       Rob Sarche        Naomi Price       Sean Konrad
Koa Wong       Hailey Koch       Charlie Greco        Samuel Johnson
Owen Landis       Ashlee Grose        Max Landis        Merrick Oleszak
Emily Fanning       Kaden O’Brien

2nd place
Hannah Walker        Chris Wallace       Chanda Walker        Michael Sandusky
Lisa Dunkin       Nicholas Pugh        Paige Kreutzer
Emily Dipple        Kenneth Brancio       Joren Good        Allison Jacobson
Connor Lussow       Alan Fernandez        Courtney Hayden      Ethan Price
Nathan Orwick       Zachary Aparicio       Anna Good       Jack Robben
Brandon Pennington      Lexi Johannes        Caleb Feagans        Josephine Hobson
Peyton Brauch       Emma Hartmann       Sabrina Jameson       Mason Lawrence
Don Johnson       Zach Greaves       Tanner Copper       Thomas Ma
Jakob Deverell       Brian Good       Denysee Fernandez       Max Finnemore
Mason Louth        Elise Smith       Timothy Fenstermach       Holden Langie
Ryan Pennington      Madison Hadley       Jake Dipple        Alejandro Deppmeier
Megan Garcia       Kyle Fanning


BREAKING
1st place
Freddy Sautel       Abdu Kikhia        Erik Ondrejko       Chris Wallace
Rosie Sokolove        Shawn Sweeney      Seth Hughes       Jordan Stiller
Delaney Zandin       Alan Fernandez       Rob Sarche       Karen Carreon
Coghan Spery        Marcy Feagans      Nathaniel McKernan      Benjamin Pugh
Nate Watkins       Emily Brophy       Zach Greaves       Damien Rupp
Kai Wong       Theodore Lincke      Andrew Madayag       Dakota Jesse
Trevor Glassman       Zachary Boender


TEAM STAFF POOMSE

1st place
Alice Meyung / Bridget Sautel / David Wallace / Jackie Wallace

2nd place
Clayton Garner / Abdu Kikhia / Erik Ondrejko / Chris Wallace

3rd place
Freddy Sautel / Stephen Sautel / Michael Sandusky / Rosie Sokolove

Congratulations to our many participants and helpers who took part in the CTI arena!


Under Black Belt 37th CTI Super Bowl Grand Champions:

Emily Brophy, Andrew Madayag, Zachary Boender, Dante Hulin and Rob Sarche

Some Things You Must Have!

By Jim Sautel, 7th dan

There's no way around it for Moo Sul Kwan Success.

Every worthwhile thing or endeavor has items that have got to be on the checklist to succeed.  For example, human beings have to have oxygen.  Cars need gas or a gas-substitute to operate.  Basketballs need baskets.

In class the other night, it happened again.  Students in the junior black belt class were blasting their basics out.  They were sharp and crisp. . . they were strong and refined for where they were at - and that feeling hit me again.  That feeling of knowing that basics is something that we just have to have in our MSK martial arts for success.  Basics are - Essential things.  Primary things.   Indispensable things.  Elemental things.  Critical things.

In Moo Sul Kwan martial arts we have to have basics.  Just as a fish needs water, just as a bird needs feathers, and just as a bear needs hair, we need the constant presence of MSK basics in our training.

With constant thought and training given to basics, successes are guaranteed.  We reach different layers of understanding, complex and unattainable without good strong basics.

Being successful in any area in life requires some elemental blocks, or must have a primary foundation to be present for success.  In MSK Taekwondo, it feels good to be strong in the basics.  We need and want the drilling of  basic techniques and exercises because we know what it takes to reach the outer limits.

Notice how wonderful it feels when we get back to “regular” class after our competitions and events. Dynamic Moo Sul Kwan students instinctively look forward to the good, hard basic routine after such adventures.  Want success, keep doing your basics!

Orange Belt Nails it in Ten

By: Jim Intriglia, orange belt

Ten Words for Responsibility

Ten words that I feel relate to being responsible, with short definitions for each one:

• Reliable:  A measure of if a person can be counted-on to fulfill a responsibility.
• Trustworthy:  A sense of whether a person can be trusted to fulfill a responsibility.
• Duty:  A feeling or commitment that a person feels motivated to fulfill.
• Maturity:  A human characteristic that demonstrates wisdom through continuous learning, over time.  Mature people choose to fulfill their responsibilities that they have committed to fulfilling.
• Timeliness:  A measure of whether a person can fulfill a responsibility at a promised time or date.
• Commitment: Agreeing to accept responsibility to complete an action or a task.
• Leadership:  Demonstrating how to be a responsible leader by fulfilling duties and setting a good example for others to follow.
• Action:  Completing a series of logical steps that will fulfill a responsibility.
• Accountable:  Accepting consequences associated with being responsible.
• Worthiness:  Do others share a sense that you are ready, willing and able to fulfill a responsibility?

It is important to be responsible at home, school work and at the CTI, as all of these areas have people that depend on us being responsible.  At home, family members are accountable for fulfilling a variety of responsibilities, from doing well in school to earning a paycheck to maintain the family lifestyle.  At work, many projects depend on us being responsible in fulfilling our duties, taking action to ensure important tasks are completed, and being accountable for our actions or inactions.  

As in Moo Sul Kwan Taekwondo, working as a team at work depends on each member of the team behaving in a responsible fashion.  In the CTI class, classmates are responsible for helping each other achieve the aims and objectives that each CTI student works to achieve. We are responsible and accountable to our instructors in helping them achieve the goals and objectives of the school, to ensure its continued growth so more students can experience the benefits that Moo Sul Kwan Taekwondo has to offer.

Kickin' it in Neuschwanstein

By: Alice Meyung, 4th dan

One of the places we will be visiting in Germany is the Neuschwanstein Castle.  In 1869, King Ludwig II began construction on the castle in Bavaria near the town of Fussen.  Ludvig II wanted to live in a fantasized version of the “old German knights’ castles” (from a letter to Wagner, 1868).  Ludvig II greatly admired the composer Richard Wagner and used his work as inspiration in the design of the castle.  Neuschwanstein means “New Swan Stone” after “the Swan Knight” from Wagner’s Lohengrin.  Wagner’s opera characters inspire many of the rooms and decor inside the castle.  The combination of designs from the Middle Ages and the musical mythology of Wagner make the castle look like a fantasy fairytale.  In fact, Walt Disney modeled Sleeping Beauty’s castle in the Magic Kingdom after Neuschwanstein. 

Neuschwanstein was built in the 19th century, long after castles were no longer useful as defensive strategy so aesthetic designs could prevail.  Ludvig hired Christian Jank, a theatrical designer, as the architect for the castle.  The romanticized medieval look of the castle combined with technology of the age makes Neuschwanstein unique. The castle had heat, flushing toilets, running water, and hot water in the kitchens and baths.  

Originally the construction of the entire castle was expected to take three years; however, Ludwig was a perfectionist as well as extravagant.  It took fourteen carpenters over four years to finish the woodwork in Ludvig’s bedroom.  When the king died in 1886, seventeen years after construction began, only 14 rooms of the castle were finished and construction still continued.  Ludvig slept in the castle for only eleven nights in his life, and there is no thrown in the thrown room since the castle wasn’t completed until after his death.  Every year over one million tourists visit the castle.  Photographs are not allowed inside the castle and are hard to find.  Going inside and seeing it will be like a fairytale!  I hope I get to do Chung-Mu in one of the many beautiful gardens!

Sources:

"Neuschwanstein Castle." Neuschwanstein (2010): n. pag. Web. 2 Dec 2010. 
<http://www.neuschwansteincastle.net>.  

"Neuschwanstein Castle." Wikipedia (2010): n. pag. Web. 30 Nov 2010. 
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neuschwanstein_Castle>

Masters Seminars a Kick!

By: Taryn Dwyer, orange belt

One of the foundations of Colorado Taekwondo Institute is continuous learning.  This is evident in the fact that once you become a black belt you are not considered a master of Taekwondo, but rather a master of the Basics.  Learning never ends and you can never know it all.  I think that this is one of the things that draw students of all ages to the martial arts, and to Moo Sul Kwan Taekwondo in particular. 

The CTI does an amazing job of fostering this desire to always be learning by offering its students numerous opportunities to learn.  Not only are there classes held five days or more a week, there are tournaments four times a year, a 3-day Expo in the Summer, as six-day Camp MSK and even other camps and clinics.  In addition, the CTI occasionally holds seminars that allow students from all of the campuses to come together to learn more about a particular aspect of their study. 

On January 22, the CTI held two such Masters Seminars at the Green Mountain Campus, Poomse & Target Kicking.  The event was advertised as an event for “all belt levels”.  As an adult lower belt myself, I am often nervous about such things because I have an unfounded fear that I will arrive the morning of the seminar and find myself in a room of upper belt students or a room of Tigers.  This was not the case at all.  The participants in the seminars ranged from brand new Tigers, to adult white belts who had just started their studies a couple of weeks prior, to master instructors.  

We started the first seminar much like we start every class and every promotion test, with warm-ups and stretching.  Then we began the Poomse part of our training for the day.  I honestly had no idea what to expect.  I did not know if the instructors were going to break down our highest Poomse with us or if they were going to teach us new moves.  What I was not expecting was for the instructors to start breaking down the ready stance, or Chunbi Chasi.  The second rule of Poomse Training is “In assuming the ready stance be calm, cautious, and courageous.”  I had memorized it months ago and I recited it in promotion tests and in class on numerous occasions, but I had never really given it much thought.  We listened to Grandmaster Sautel talk about it and then as a group we practiced our ready stance.  And then we practiced some more.  It really made me stop and think about what I was doing and realize that there really is a reason for everything we do in class.   

After a few more practice rounds we split into groups based on age and belt rank and were assigned a black belt instructor to work with.  I really enjoyed this part of the seminar because not only did we get to meet other students who were at the same point in their studies as we were, but we got to work with other instructors.  I know that I am partial to the instructors at my own campus, as I am sure we are all, but I always enjoy the opportunity to work with other instructors when the opportunity presents itself.  It is always interesting to get a new perspective on our moves and fresh eyes to help us know what we need to work on.  We again worked on our Ready Stance and then progressed to another rule of Poomse training, “In turning, look first, then turn.”  Sounds simple enough, but I was amazed how often I was not doing it.  Out instructor started with our most basic Poomse, Four-Directional Punch and we worked on looking and then turning.  The simplest thing, but it makes such a big difference.  We went on like this, working on one small part of out training and then putting all those small things together.  Then we did something that I have never done before, we had to do a poomse with out right hand (or left hand) behind our backs.  Just when I thought I really knew what I was doing they helped me realize just how much more I had to learn.  At the end of the Poomse seminar each group had to get up and perform a Poomse in a way that they had never done it before.  Some had to do it with their eyes closed, some with one hand behind their back, and others had to do it mirror image of their group.  It was a great end to a great experience.  We all took a short break, grabbed our targets, and got ready for the second half of our day.

The next part of the day focused on Target Kicking.  After a second warm up and some more stretching, we were again broken into groups based on age and belt rank.  This part of the day was slightly different.  We stayed in the same groups, but we rotated through different stations and got to work on different skills with different black belts.  We started working on some basic kicks that I had done in class before and learning how to hold the targets for our partners.  It was something I really enjoyed learning about because now my kids and I can practice at home together.  We also got feedback on our form and learned how to improve out accuracy and power.  We then progressed to some more advanced kicks that were new to me and challenged me a great deal.  It was great to be able to spend so much time dedicated to an area that we usually do not get to spend a whole lot of time on in class.  Other rotations included “sparring’ against a bag and working on timing of our kicks using a target and a swinging belt.  It was a challenging afternoon and I left feeling like I had learned a lot and pushed myself farther than I would have thought possible.  We ended this part of the seminar with a demonstration by some of the black belts of some advanced breaks.  It was motivating and entertaining at the same time.

Overall the seminars were an amazing experience and I am so glad that I pushed myself and attended them.  I returned to class the following week feeling energized and reinvigorated and anxious to incorporate what I had learned into my work in class.  If you were not able to attend the Poomse & Target Kicking Seminars, or did not know if they were really right for you, I highly recommend that you make a point of attending them the next time they are offered.  It is a great opportunity to learn more about Moo Sul Kwan Taekwondo and improve your skills beyond what you would be able to learn just by attending class.  I would like to thank CTI for continuing to offer programs that push us to become stronger athletes and better people. 

Staying Healthy

. . . you also receive the fantastic bonus of emotional strength.

Training in Moo Sul Kwan martial arts does many wonderful things to improve the physical condition of your body, but often overlooked is the many fantastic benefits that the martial arts has on your emotional state (affective domain).   It’s generally agreed that reducing stress levels makes us stronger to fight the many ailments that affects us.  Reducing your stress levels, improving your own self-concept and gaining self-confidence helps improve your overall health. Kicking, blocking, striking and performing the many other martial arts techniques sharpen our focus - our ability to concentrate, and instills the admired traits of self-discipline and respect for others. 

Each of these effective benefits help to make us happier, and being happy has numerous benefits like keeping that old blood pressure down and helping to put an end to unnecessary worrying.  Happy people tend to be more respectful and enjoy life more compared to negative, depressed individuals.  

You can see stress in peoples’ faces and you can also tell when people are happy and successful. Training at the Colorado Taekwondo Institute can begin at any age and helps you to not only become more physically fit, while learning self-defense skills, but you also receive the fantastic bonus of emotional strength. 

CTI Masters Seminars a Hit

CTI Masters Seminars - Poomse & Target Kicking

By: David Wallace, 1st dan

The CTI Masters Seminars on Poomse and Target Kicking were held at the CTI Headquarters in Lakewood on January 22nd, 2011.

Led by Grandmaster James M. Sautel (7th dan) and instructed by Master Instructors Merinda J. Sautel (6th dan), John T. Sautel (6th dan) and Erik R. Albrechtson (5th dan) and the CTI 4th dan Black Belts including Mr. Freddy Sautel and Miss Alice Meyung.

Saturday morning started out strong with the Poomse Seminar. Grandmaster Sautel led students from the CTI Green Mountain, Littleton, Westminster, Golden and Conifer Campuses through a quick warm-up of jumping jacks and stretching. After warm-ups we broke off into groups and started working on various forms of Poomse techniques.

The first thing we worked on in my group was how to look first and deconstructed each count with look first, see your opponent or attacker and identify the threat, then throw the block or punch. After that my group worked on locking out the back leg and getting the heal down in the front stances and making sure your stances are correct before moving on to the next move in your Poomse. These are basic techniques that we worked on in our basic Poomse like Four Directional Punch, Chongi and Taegeuk Il Chang. As a student, this Poomse Seminar was a great way to refresh myself in the basic components of my own Poomse. As an instructor, it was an invaluable tool to take back to my own students.

After a short break, we went right into the Target Kicking Seminar. Again, Grandmaster Sautel had us warm-up and stretch just as we do before any regular class or event and then we broke off into groups again. We started out with the proper target holding techniques and stances and then moved on to basic kicking and how to identify the proper target areas to more advanced kicking and striking and how to be more precise in your kicking and sparring. We really had quite the work-out and was able to utilize different tools such as sparring bags and square targets that we sometimes don't normally get to use in our regular classes.

At the end of the day, I think everyone who attended either one of the CTI Masters Seminars, or both, had an amazing time, had an amazing work-out, and came away from it with infinite amounts of invaluable knowledge and a better understanding of not only the basic techniques of Poomse and Target holding but a better understanding of how Moo Sul Kwan Taekwondo works and how educational and fulfilling it is, I know I did.