Taekwondo and School

By Tyler Murphy, 1st dan

Jump Back Kick at the 25th DMAC

For me, Moo Sul Kwan Taekwondo at the CTI has always been an important part of my life!  When I was younger it always helped me at school because this martial art helped me to have better focus with the work outs and some of my extra energy got burnt off early in the morning.  I went to Red Rocks Elementary School where there was a before school program.  At this before school program, run by the Colorado Taekwondo Institute, I would get to school early several days a week before school started for the day.  I stayed there until sixth grade and when I left Red Rocks, I started attending the Littleton Campus of the CTI.  At an early age the immediate benefits for me during school were quite obvious because I had better focus and also better confidence since I started training. I had better confidence because I knew I was good at something and I always had fun doing MSK Taekwondo with the many new goals to reach.

After I graduated to middle school and started taking MSK Taekwondo classes at the Littleton Campus, the benefits were the same and even more so.  School was much harder for me, since it was my first year at D’Evelyn Jr./Sr. High School, and I didn’t really know what I was doing.  I always had at least two or three hours of homework every night but I never thought about missing Taekwondo classes.  Going to class helped me stay motivated at school and helped me to relieve stress.  I only thought about what I was doing in class instead of drowning in my thoughts about the immense amount of homework I had that night.  I always got my homework done and maintained A’s and B’s because of my training at the CTI.

As time went by and I reached higher belts, I also learned more and more about leadership in the CTI LeAD Team, and I also learned how to speak in front of people.  If I was in front of the class at Taekwondo, I had to learn how to speak, so eventually I got very good at it which helped me at school.  I was far less nervous than before;  I could speak in front of the class and ask questions without worrying what other people thought of me.  Without that worry in the back of my mind, I was also able the learn the material that we were reviewing much more efficiently because instead of being focused on other people around me, I was directing all of my energy and focus into understanding what the teacher was saying.

Another very important benefit that MSK Taekwondo brought me was relieving stress when I really needed it most. If I was having a rough day, something just wasn’t working for me, or I just had a lot of homework I always went to class. To me the most important days to come to class are the ones that aren’t really going well because working out helps to let out any negative energy, or stress, and also being around nice people with a positive attitude helps greatly to forget about what’s troubling me.  Due to my training at the CTI, I have almost made it through high school with a 3.5 GPA.  All of my teachers like me because I listen well and I also understand how to teach  because of my training.  They teachers teach at school and I teach at the CTI, which in fact aren't really that different.

Having an understanding of how to teach has helped in school because, with that understanding, I am able to comprehend why teachers do things the way they do and why they have to give homework.  Instead of complaining about all the work and why we have to do assignments I understand why they are important so I do the work to the best of my ability.

Teaching Moo Sul Kwan Taekwondo, being a member of the American Martial Arts Sports and Education Association, and taking classes over time has taught me how to plan my schedule well so that I can have time for all aspects of my life.  Therefore, it has taught me not to procrastinate in school. Doing school all day and then training at the CTI at night is always busy and I don't have much time to waste, so I have learned to be efficient and focused in all aspects of my life.

To be successful at something demands constant focus and motivation, which is why it is essential for me to maintain focus in all aspects of my life. Thanks to Moo Sul Kwan Taekwondo at the Colorado Taekwondo Institute, I am successful at school and in all other parts of my life.

Quality Instruction

By Eric Evans, 2nd Dan

Quality Martial Arts Instruction

When is the last time you ventured out to try something new and exciting?  As a father I try to provide my two sons with new adventures and learning opportunities on a weekly basis. One of these recent adventures was learning to fly RC airplanes with a group of men and women in Golden. With the Colorado Rockies to our left and the skyline of the city to our right, we enjoyed the opportunity to fly planes with instruction and help for the first time together. It is an experience I know my son’s and I will never forget. I believe the main reason we had an enjoyable experience is the quality of the instruction we received.

Anyone can try and be an instructor, but it takes time, patience and practice to be a good instructor. The instructors at the airpark provided the same patience and instruction we receive at our own campuses. Each new student was assigned a designated pilot. This reminded me of our introductory programs where the student and instructor work one on one to bring a student into the world of Martial Arts. Before any of us was allowed to pilot a plane, we were walked through the basics of the aircraft, controls, hazards, rules and etiquette of flying. There are specific commands and etiquette that must be followed to ensure everyone has a safe and enjoyable time at the airpark. For instance, prior to bringing a plane out on the runway, you announce that you would like to. This is similar to how our students wait to be invited into the workout area. In
taekwondo we want to ensure the workout area is safe for someone to enter. At the air park, this etiquette ensured that someone did not enter the runway as another plane was landing.

I was also very pleased to see that the focus and discipline my sons use in Taekwondo was exactly what was needed when flying a plane. At one point there were 6 planes in the air. If they looked away or lost their focus for a second, it could lead to disaster for the plane. Like our instructors, these men and women have spent years practicing and refining their art. The instructor also encouraged us to stick to the basics. There was no fancy flying that day, just basic ovals, which proved to be challenging enough. It is why I believe we have some of the most dynamic instruction at the Colorado Taekwondo institute. Our instructors have spent years practicing and refining their basic techniques. Without them, we would not be the martial arts school we are today.

I was also impressed with the similarities between the Arvada Modelers and our own Colorado Taekwondo Institute. As we drove up to the airpark it was apparent they have spent some time readying a location that would allow everyone to participate in a safe, and well equipped environment. The airpark stations for staging planes, a designated runway and a viewing area, made me reflect on our own campus setups. Each campus provides a safe and equipped area to practice martial arts. I am very thankful for the custom suspension floors as years of practice on concrete and hardwood floors have not been kind to my knees. Each campus is cleaned and maintained daily. I was extremely happy when we started to find out the the schools are cleaned and maintained by the students. This has provided my sons with added responsibility and a sense that the school is ours.
Quality instruction is one aspect of many that drives me to continue to learn martial arts at the Colorado Taekwondo Institute. Each student is taught at an individual level. Each student is given the opportunity to learn at their own ability, and then guided by our instructors to exceed what they thought they were capable of doing. Through years of education, and dedication to basics, we have a community that fosters the individuals that walk through our doors to become the leaders of tomorrow.

19th Moo Sul Kwan Black Belt Symposium

"Ride the Tsunami"

The 19th MSK Black Belt Symposium is slated for October 10 - 12, at the Inn at SilverCreek!

The three days of upper belt training will help our brown, red and black belts with their advanced techniques, strategies and teaching in the Moo Sul Kwan martial arts.

The theme of this year's 19th MSK Black Belt Symposium is, "Riding the Tsunami."  2014, has been incredible and record breaking!  This year's major events, the CTI Superbowl, the All-City Championships, Camp MSK '14, MSK Summer Expo XXX, the CTI Black Belt Team World Tour '14 and the recent 25th DMAC have taken the students in our CTI Campuses to new and exciting levels in their training.

Everyone is "riding the wave of success" that has been created from these incredible events in each and every class. attended  With the amazing amount of experiences gained so far this year, it's not just a wave but a Tsunami of success that we are negotiating!

 There will be loads of information for our upper belt participants and lots of training!  Heading the Symposium staff are Grandmaster James M. Sautel, Master Mindy Sautel, Master John Sautel and Master Erik Albrechtson.

Make your reservations now!

Click here for more information.

Click here to pre-register.  (Pre-registration is the only way to sign up for this special event.)

Engineering and Taekwondo

Engineering and Moo Sul Kwan Taekwondo at first glance seem to be very different  MSK Taekwondo is an art and sport and engineering was for those math and science geeks in high school and college, but are they really that different?  Engineering is the art or science of making practical application of the knowledge of pure sciences.  Taekwondo or more generally martial arts is codified system or tradition of combat practices, which can be practiced for self defense, competition, physical health and fitness, entertainment, mental, physical and spiritual development.  At first glance there may not seem to be many similarities, but as we look deeper we see that in many ways they are similar.  

It takes years of training and practice to reach the level of black belt and even longer to progress towards 2,3,4 … dan and no matter how long we have been training we can always improve, get better or learn something new.  The same goes for engineering, it takes years of schooling and formal training but that is just the beginning, we must continue to grow and learn new things and stay up on new technology and trends.

In engineering we are required to understand the physical properties of materials and leverage those properties to solve a problem, in MSK Taekwondo we must understand the physics and limitations of our bodies and minds and those of our opponents.  In engineering we are always pushing the envelope to see how much lighter or stronger or faster we can make something. Can we make it better? In martial arts we also pushing ourselves to see how far we can go, stronger, faster, are we improving? Getting better?  We see this at every level, weather it is for a beginner and seeing the gains made every class with our stretching and stamina or as we progress through belt rankings learning new techniques, poomse and even improving on the basics.    Everything in engineering is built off of basics.  Solutions to difficult problems are seldom found all at once,  Often times it is necessary to break down the problem into a series of smaller simpler problems that you already know how to solve.    We see this all the time in Moo Sul Kwan Taekwondo.  How do we learn a new poomse? Do we learn it all at once?  No we learn smaller portions and then tie them all together.

In civil/structural engineering the integrity of a building is only as good as the foundation.  If the foundation is weak (i.e. square, level, in the right location, proper rebar, concrete strength, etc) then the building will be weak.   Regardless if it is a house, a high rise or a back yard shed, all structures are ultimately dependent on the foundation that they sit on.  Does this sound familiar to taekwondo? Have you ever asked why do we spend so much time every class going over basics (stretching, punches, blocks, kicks, poomse, etc)?    Because if we don’t have a good foundation then everything we build on will be weak.  Think about it, if punches, kicks and blocks are not correct when we do them in class why would we expect them to be correct when we do poomse or sparing, or in a worst case scenario when we had to defend ourselves or someone we love.

Let’s go back and look at the idea of engineering as an art.  The definition of art can and often times can be disputed, but it often involves the idea of imaginative or technical skill stemming from intentional act.  In engineering there is almost always more than one solution to a problem.  It often comes down to what works best or looks best or sometime what can be done quickest.  Remember that all buildings don’t look the same and for that matter they don’t all serve the same purpose.  In CTI Taekwondo if we want to block an attack there might be several blocks that would work but which one will work best in this situation. Sometimes it may be that one is better not because it is the strongest or most powerful but it is the quickest and it can be thrown quickly, same thing for attacks.  What is best for the situation.  In sparing often times the decision to throw a certain kick may be as much about what your opponent is doing as it is about what you feel most comfortable with. In Moo Sul Kwan Martial Arts we spend a lot of effort to make things right.  When you are first starting it is more about form than about speed, power or height. All these things come with practice.

Colorado Taekwondo Institute: An Investment that Yields High Returns

By Holly Madayag, 1st dan

In the Business section of today’s Wall Street Journal, the headlines read as follows:“Benefit Costs Pare Humana’s Profit” … “Tullow Oil Sinks Into Loss” … “Goodyear Profit Rises on North American Sales” …  “Nintendo Swings to Net Loss” … “Sprint Swings to Profit” … “PSEG Profit Declines 36%” …

Whether you are an avid follower of the stock market or just a casual observer, news of ups and down, profits and losses, margins and dividends can be confusing and overwhelming.  Deciding to invest in something can be intimidating and scary.

As parents, we make decisions about investments on behalf of our children all the time.  Starting from when our children are very young, we invest time and energy in choosing the right playmates, the right activities, the right schools.  We invest in neighborhoods, churches, youth groups, social organizations and on and on.In the hustle and bustle of today’s busy world, parents know that it really does “take a village” to ensure a well-rounded upbringing.  An important consideration to your child’s “well-roundedness” should be the incorporation of the martial art of taekwondo.

When we make investments in the marketplace, sometimes our funds yield profitable returns and sometimes they don’t. Wouldn't it be nice if you could be guaranteed a gainful outcome?  Wouldn't it be nice if we had a personal broker who could see the future and give us unfailing advice?

Students Bowing to Show Respect

As parents, we all want our decisions that we make for our children to be the right ones.  In looking for the right taekwondo school for your child, allow me to be that broker who can, in fact, guarantee your child’s success.  Training at the Colorado Taekwondo Institute is an investment that will ensure your child’s realization, yielding high returns for them …..and YOU!

With the only obligation from your child being to 1) Pay attention in class and 2) Do his or her best, he or she will take pride in being a Moo Sul Kwan martial artist and you, in turn, will reap the benefits of a child who trains and lives by the Tenets of Taekwondo – Courtesy, Integrity, Self-Control, Perseverance and Indomitable Spirit.

• At the CTI, your child will have instructors who began their own affiliation with the CTI at very young ages themselves and have grown into outstanding members of the community.
• At the CTI, your child will be expected to demonstrate respect for peers, parents, adults and teachers.
• At the CTI, your child will learn and value the importance of self-control.
• At the CTI, your student will be exposed to the benefits of a rewarding physical fitness program.
• At the CTI, your child will have the opportunity to compete in an atmosphere that encourages discipline and friendly competition.
• At the CTI, your child will have the opportunity to participate in community service and outreach programs, such as the CTI Annual Canned Food Drive, benefiting the Jeffco Action Center.
• At the CTI, your child will have the opportunity to participate in camps, expos and demonstrations, all of which will add to your child’s level of confidence and pride in themselves.

By choosing the CTI as part of your child’s “village,” the return for you will be a child for whom it will be second-nature to respond, “Yes, sir or ma’am”, a child who will have the confidence to look others in the eyes while speaking, a child who will not be afraid to defend what is right, a child who knows the importance of  respect for others … and themselves.

I am the proud parent of three Moo Sul Kwan Martial artists who all began their training at the Colorado Taekwondo Institute at around the age of 3.  Unlike the brokers on Wall Street, I can see the future of investors of the Colorado Taekwondo Institute.  I have lived it by seeing my children’s training come full circle.  At ages 14, 11 and 9, their training continues to be taken to new levels.  But, more importantly, the CTI has always continues to reinforce the principles that we all want instilled in our kids!

If you would like more information, feel free to call any one of our campuses in the Denver Metro Area.  Many of us, after seeing the benefits for our kids, have chosen the CTI for our own martial arts training.  We are investors who have all profited from the rewards of our affiliation with the Colorado Taekwondo Institute!

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Sources:

http://online.wsj.com/home-page

25th Denver Martial Arts Champs

The 25th Denver Martial Arts Championships was a smashing success! Students, instructors, family members and friends had an outstanding time at the "Silver Anniversary" DMAC at Alameda International High School on September 12 - 13.

Black Belt Grand Championships were Hope Morgan from the Westminster Campus of the CTI and Kai Wong from the Golden Campus of the CTI.

Here are the Results!

POOMSE 

1st place
Kyle Feagans        Tyler Murphy        Thomas Ma        Michael Madayag
Kathleen Sautel        Coghan Spery        Abdu Kikhia        Erik Ondrejko

Mark Scott        Ethan Trapp        Charlie Smith        Elizabeth Hawkins
Grace Apodaca        Trish Nguyen        Shekina DeTiernne    Julian Marine 
Kenny Brancio        Konner Evans        James Healy         Steven Batts
Elise Smith        Allison Jacobson    Akram Alghnami    Lucas Richardson  
Ed Stanton        Evan Strickfaden    T.J. Tibbets        Declan Gunther  
Christina Manna    Irene Kim        Zach Farr        Merrick Oleszek
Emily Artman        Brynn Konrad        Lydia Lincke        Devan Bagley
Taylor Allen        Dean Gunther        Joshua Stencel        Mitchell Oleszek
Zach Allen        Cody Jacobson        Christian Lloyd        Evalin Dickerson
Tabor Jensen        Jack Weichert        Treyton Jacobson    Lalya Tran
Kyle Janowski        

2nd place
Hope Morgan        Michael Sandusky    Ian Randall        Justin Lautrup
Kai Wong        Collin Kreutz        Ryan Lindner        Jennifer McKernan
Vivi Brown        Allyse Nothstine    Ethan Price        Connor Brauch  
Ian Wilson        Micco Waisanen    Peyton Barnard        Owen Martin  
Makayla Trapp        Logan Gill        Devon Bilyeu        Jaron Maclin
Joanna Nowak        Kaddie Williams    Jovan Moore        Adrian Farr
Matthew Nguyen    Sean Huntley        Miette Jandreau        Ethan Jacobson
Melvin Marine        Justice De La Cruz    Ja. J. Gutierrez        Chase Wyngarden
Phillip Hoenmans    Lydia Willis        Dante Hulin        Porter Krause
Peyton Beard        Rusty Maartino        Theryn Ochsner        Brody Noonan
Noah Bolton        Da Minh Tran        Elijah Alire        Jaxson Wheat
Emily Chavez        Campbell Copt        Patrick Konrad        Anya Trilk
Ellie Stanton

3rd place
Eileen Lindner        Jocelyn Wallen        Nathaniel McKernan    Theo Lincke
Casey Feagans        Jack Eddy        Andy McDaniel        Eric Evans
Jeff Womble        Johnny Williams    Kelsey Smith        Adam Harkins      
Nina Madayag        Addie Spery        Sarah Dahle        Abbey Salamera
William Maes         Lee Tomjack        Mackenzie Telford    Adam Hutchison
Jack Eller        Ryan Wyngarden    Evelyn LaMorgese    Sam LaMorgese
Lauren Smith        Aspen Hawkins        Anna Grose        Sean Konrad
Arkhip Saratovtsev    Mateo Piza        Donovan Penrod    Jake Grose
Grayson Krause        Alex Price        Lauren Lundeen    Grant Haverkamp
Meryn Probasco    Ben Techmeyer        Aydon Lewis        Cash Estes
Aiyana Godwin        Grady Bahr        Amadeo Sandoval    Cole Leaton
Maclyn Telford        Sarah Habetler        Marley Griffin        Jasmine Salamera
Jason Stencil, Jr.

4th place
Thomas Sautel        Emily Brophy        Natasha McKernan    Peyton Brauch
Melodie Page        Jakob Deverell        Nico Trilk        Blenness Quintana
Cris Fresquez        Vinny Constantino    Sean Haverkamp    Gwen Gutierrez      
Mohale Mitchell    Robbie Crandell    Calvin Jensen        T.J. Gutierrez
Brandon Dills        Uriah Hernandez    Ian Randall        June Cisneros
Libby Williams        Makawee Mitchell    Ben Cotton        Hudson Van Voorhee
Tim Womble        Erick Rodriguez    Mariah Cordova    Nick Tibbetts
Chloe Churchill        Noah Sisk        Joseph Stano        Kayla Granner
Libby Girard        Kaylyn McEwan    Rhiley Larson        Tyler Gray
Zach Greaves        Marcy Feagans            

TIGER POOMSE

1st place
Oliver Garner        Austin Granner        Enzo D'Alessandro    Trenton Wheat
Carson Mack        Jack Gittleman        Cole Martin        Matthew Hamel

BREAKING (Under black belt)

1st place
Michael Madayag    Peyton Brauch        Tyler Murphy        Hope Morgan
Eileen Lindner        Emily Brophy        Kyle Feagans        Andy McDaniel
Jovan Moore        Akram Alghanmi    Melvin Marine        Jake Grose
Declan Gunther        Jack Eller        Matthew Nguyen    Grayson Krause
Kameron Evans        Vivi Brown        Lauren Lundeen    Emily Artman
Ryan Wyngarden    Brynn Konrad        Sean Konrad        Trish Nguyen
Dante Hulin                

STAFF POOMSE

1st place
Spery / Kreutz        Kai Wong        Garner / Sautel        Ondrejko / Murphy

2nd place
Feagans / Lindner    Peyton Brauch        McDaniel / Kikhia    Johnson / Wallen

3rd place
Brophy / Eddy        Kathlee Sautel        Morgan / Greaves    Feagans / Lindner

SPARRING 

1st place
Michael Madayag    Hope Morgan        Tyler Murphy        Thomas Ma
Abdu Kikhia        Eric Evans        Casey Feagans        Connor Brauch      
Trish Nguyen        Devon Lewis         Brynn Konrad        Jeff Womble
Natasha McKernan    Kenny Brancio        Jack Eller        Cody Jacobson
Libby Girard        Noah Bolton        William Maes        Sean Konrad
Akram Alghanmi    Jaron Maclin        Donovan Penrod    Amadeo Sandoval
Zach Farr        Evan Strickfaden    Ed Stanton        Jake Grose
Anna Grose        T, J Tibbets        Aspen Hawkins        Allison Jacobson
Rayanne Nowak    Anya Trilk        Theryn Ochsner        Grady Bahr
Emily Artman        Zachary Allen        Ashton Price        Taylor Allen
Ian Wilson        Vinny Constantino    Ethan Trapp        Kelsey Smith
Grant Haverkamp  

2nd place
Zach Greaves        Andy McDaniel              Coghan Spery        Thomas Sautel
Jennifer McKernan    Caleb Feagans                Makayla Trapp        Konnor Evans              
Peyton Barnard        Grayson Krause               Miette Jandreau          Lalya Tran
Emily Brophy        T. J. Gutierrez                Brandon Dills             Jaden Perez
Merrick Oleszek    Porter Krause                Nina Madayag        Vivi Brown
Jakob Deverell        Tim Womble                 Sam LaMorgese        Juliane Marine      
Ben Techmeyer        Jasmine Slamera               Kaddie Williams        Kaylyn McEwan  
Luke Smith         Elijah Alire                Aidan Hutchison        Declan Gunther
Benjamin Cotton    Joshua Stencel                    Jason Stencil, Jr.        Matthew Nguyen          
Jason Stencil, Sr.    Devan Bagley                    Ethan Jacobson         Mackenzie Telford
Jayne Bognar        Ellie Stanton                    Elizabeth Hawkins    Lucas Richarson        
 Peyton Beard     

               

3rd place
Sean Lawlor        Jocelyn Wallen        Erik Ondrejko        Kai Wong
Michael Sandusky    Don Johnson        Gwen Gutierrez        Nico Trilk      
Ryan Wyngarden    Maryn Probasco     Lydia Willis        Mark Scott
Rhiley Larsen        Chase Wyngarden    Grace Apodaca        Phillip Hoenmans
Elise Smith        Campbell Copt        Owen Martin        Aydon Lewis
Melvin Marine        Hudson Van Voorhee    Steven Batts        Matthew Ordaz
Adrian Farr        June Cisneros        Mateo Piza        Makawee Mitchell
Zuzanna Janowska    Everett Tompkins    Rusty Martino        Emily Chavez
Charlie Smith        James Healy        Dante Hulin        Lydia Lincke
Cris Fresquez       

4th place
Ryan Lindner        Collin Kreutz        Nathaniel McKernan    Marcy Feagans
Peyton Brauch        George Linehan        Calvin Jensen        Kameron Evans      
Zayne Lineberger     Noah Sisk        Evelyn La Morgese    Sean Haverkamp
Mariah Cordova    Robbie Crandell    Sarah Luper        Logan Gill
Allyse Nothstine    Elise Smith        Joel Whissel        Jack Eddy      
Sarah Habetler        Evalin Dickerson    Adolph Ordaz        Kayla Granner
Jacob Hoenmans    Erick Rodriquez    Tyler Gray        Devan Bilyeu
Johnny Williams    Melodie Page        Alex Price        Ethan Price
Kyle Bognar        Alice Warnick        Libby Williams        Uriah Hernandez
Christian Lloyd      
        

FIRST POINT WINS!

1st place
Sean Lawlor        Hope Morgan        Erik Ondrejko        Kai Wong
Abdu Kikhia        Ryan Lindner        Mark Scott        Brynn Konrad      
Vivi Brown        Jakob Deverell         Gwen Gutierrez        Connor Brauch
Vinny Constantino    Charlie Smith        Tyler Gray        Treyton Jacobson
Theryn Ochsner        Jacob Hoenmans    William Maes        Aydon Lewis
Grant Haverkamp    Tyler  Allen        Zoe Dickerson        Noah Bolton
Libby Girard        Rhiley Larsen        Sean Konrad        T.J, Gutierrez
Jack Eller        Akram Alghanmi    Hudson Van Vorhee    Donovan Penrod
Zach Farr        Evan Strickfaden    Ed Stanton        Ethan Jacobson
June Cisneros        Sean Huntley        Miette Jandreau        Christina Manna
Rayanne Nowak    Elise Smith        Trish Nguyen        Grayson Krause
Mohale Mitchell  

2nd place          
Caleb Feagans        Jennifer McKernan        Thomas Sautel        Thomas Ma
Michael Sandusky    Eric Evans         Jovan Moore        Aspen Hawlins
Ethan Price        Lydia Willis        Shekina DeTienne    Dante Hulin
James Healy        Ian Wilson        Josh Stencel        Layla Tran
Anya Trilk        Zach Allen        Damon Bahr        Campbell Copt
Kenny Brancio        Elijah Alire        Jasmine Salamera    Allyse Nothstine
Phillip Hoenmans    Zayne Lineberger        Connor Brauch        Grace Apodaca      
Makayla Trapp        Chase Wyngarden     Kaddie Williams     Allison Jacobson
Aiyana Godwin        Emily Artman        Grady Bahr        Cris Fresquez  
Brandon Dills        Melvin Marine        Joel Whissel        Declan Gunther
Benjamin Cotton    Matthew Nguyen    Adrian Farr        Jake Grose
Jayne Bognar                

Black Belt Grand Champions

Hope Morgan
Kai Wong

CTI Taekwondo Helps Children Succeed in School!

By Bridget Sautel, 3rd dan

There are many aspects of CTI Taekwondo that relate to a child’s success throughout their schooling. CTI Taekwondo teaches respect, social skills, self-directed learning, confidence, and most importantly a huge part of martial arts is the educational aspect. All of these characteristics that CTI Taekwondo teaches to children contribute to their success and help motivate them to want to do better in school and become more educated.

Respect is one of the main components that martial arts teaches to all students. From the very first class, students learn to respect adults, fellow students, and themselves. This respect that they learn leads into the respect they will have when interacting with teachers at school, classmates, parents, and just in life in general. The respect they learn goes all the way from answering their instructors respectfully, and knowing how to control themselves, to being able to respect their bodies and abilities. Being able to learn how to respect your own self, has to be done before a person can respect others. Knowing and learning respect in life will take a child a lot farther in school and one day in a career.

Another main aspect that CTI Taekwondo instills in students is social skills. Children will learn how to communicate with people, including adults, which a lot of kids are not able to do. In the world today, electronics have become such a big part of daily life and communication that a lot of kids don’t know how to effectively interact with kids their age, and most importantly adults. They will also learn how to be more confident in talking with fellow classmates and making friends in a new grade, or at a new school. In daily classes at the CTI, students have to work with one another physically and mentally, so social skills are put into practice every class. Training will also teach them social skills to be used out in the everyday world, from going to school, to one day finding a good job. If kids are able to talk to adults and make friends, there school life will be much easier and they will get much more out of it. These skills will help throughout daily life and reinforce children with a positive outlook on how to communicate and interact with people they need to.

Self-directed learning is one of aspects that can’t be learned in many other places other than at the Colorado Taekwondo Institute. These skills are demonstrated daily by instructors and other students and are so beneficial to other parts of daily life. Once a child is able to become a self-directed learner, they begin to want to learn things on their own, and not just because they have to or someone tells them to. They are able to ask educated questions about what they are learning in school, and are then able to progress farther not only because of asking questions but because they are asking the right questions. Being able to practice what they learn, from the CTI or school, at home is another huge part of self-directed learning. Instead of just learning new things physically and mentally, and then forgetting them, if they actually want to learn it and remember it for themselves then they will take the time to practice and work on it. Once children learn how to do this on their own, they are set to be successful in whatever they want to do in life.  At the  CTI, there are many physical parts, along with mental, that children are able to take home, practice, memorize, and bring back to class that really enhance their self-directed learning. Once they are able to learn how to do this and have the hunger to learn on their own, they can bring the same thing over to school and learn even better.

Confidence is a trait that brings a lot of people to start classes and stick with it. It takes a lot of courage and confidence to start something new or even try something out. Through tournaments and daily classes, children are taught to be confident in whatever they do and bring this confidence to every day events in life. This goes from trying out new sports, talking to new people, to making new friends, and one day being confident enough in an important job interview. This confidence also leads to having good self-esteem and being able to respect yourself and other people in daily life and events that come up. Confidence in martial arts techniques is built through interacting with others, competing in tournaments, and to be confident in being able to get to black belt and progress with courage. This confidence will eventually lead to building a great leader that can be a good role model and example to younger kids, or even adults, believe it or not.

Lastly, education is a very important aspect that sets our Colorado Taekwondo Institute apart from others.  Not only do students learn physical parts of martial arts, but there are so many educational and mental parts they are required to learn. This includes monthly “homework’s” that each have a different subject each month, such as modesty or good deeds. This helps incorporate learning to write, critical thinking, and also acting upon these behaviors in daily life. This will lead into their schooling and help with school work, learning, and writing on that end of things. A lot of our higher instructors and black belt also have teaching degrees and are school teachers, who know the importance of education tied in with the physical Taekwondo part. For each belt test there is a physical part, along with a written test. This helps them learn the history of Taekwondo, the rules, how to write better, and more about the physical aspects. A huge part of this includes memorization skills, not only with memorizing the material for the written tests, but mostly the physical moves. There are many physical moves, and groups of movements that need to be memorized. All of this expands their potential for learning and memorizing school subjects, and will later lead into success in their careers as leaders.

Respect, social skills, self-directed learning, confidence, and education are all an immense part of what we teach at the CTI that will be a huge part in a child’s success in school all the way from pre-school through college. It will make them a better person all around, and build the self-esteem and leadership that every person needs to be successful.

7th Annual CTI Picnic

Our 7th Annual CTI Picnic took place at Tanglewood Sports Park on the last day of August.  Hosted by the Golden Campus of the CTI, this was the largest picnic to date with 325+ CTI people having loads of fun in the sun!

Spearheading the end of the summer event were Michael Sandusky, 3rd dan and Eric Evans, 2nd dan, both of the Golden Campus.  With the help of the Golden students, the last Sunday afternoon in August was a blast!

As people began to arrive a spirited game of California Kickball took place with twenty people on each team.  It went down to the final out and then everyone went to eat.  Complimenting the barbequed hamburgers and hot dogs was an incredible array of sides and desserts brought by the students and families from each of all the Campuses.  From homemade ice-cream to delightful fruit salads, from CTI cupcakes to guacamole with chips, there were delicious choices for everyone.

As people finished eating, games like Frisbee tossing, volleyball, climbing around the playground and more took place!  Later a good game of ultimate Frisbee and the traditional water fight happened to the delight of the onlookers!

The students and families of the CTI certainly know how to celebrate the end of summer and start this fall season with a bang.  See you at the 25th DMAC!