Friday, October 16, 2015

Taekwondo Training at the Colorado Taekwondo Institute

By Jennifer McKernan, 1st dan

Black belt mom does a kick with her two taekwondo kids

When does "workout" become "training"?  Perhaps when one's goal changes from "getting in shape" to excellence in a sport or art like the martial art of Taekwondo!

No doubt about it, a quality martial arts class is a great way to get in shape.  After all, it takes energy and physical fitness in order to kick and punch effectively, practice self-defense, do pattern movements (poomse), and eventually break wooden boards.  The classes that are held at Colorado Taekwondo Institute are carefully designed so that anyone, no matter what age, previous experience, or level of physical fitness, will be able to get "in shape" to do martial arts.

Working out in class is fun!  Meeting others, being challenged at your speed and level, and then, improving your level of fitness so that jumping jacks, sit ups and even push-ups becomes part of your regular routine, has you on your way of mastering skills  in martial arts that you never had before.  As one progresses through the levels of belts, starting with white belt, then yellow belt, then several other colors all the way up to the black belt, workouts start to soar into training.  The reason is because, in addition to advancing in skills and being promoted to the next belt level, there are also the tournaments!

At CTI, 4 tournaments are held every year.  They are the DMAC or Denver Martial Arts Championships, the Lee H. Park Team Championships, the CTI Super Bowl, and the CTI All-City Championships. (More information about our tournaments: http://www.coloradotaekwondo.com/denver-martial-arts-tournaments).   The friendly competition allows everyone to compete at their skill level and age division.  Specific practicing and increased conditioning helps improve the chances of winning and training then becomes more desirable.  Competition is great because it brings out mental challenges and sportsmanship that isn't gained from just attending classes.

There are also other taekwondo and karate training programs beyond the weekly workout classes that are offered at CTI.  They are the Black Belt Club that meets during the week and the Masters Club and LeAD Team which meets on Saturday.  These classes are more detailed where students implement a variety of educational material from additional self-defense techniques to role-playing teaching scenarios and judging techniques.There are other events, too, such as the MSK Summer EXPO, MSK Camp and the Black Belt Symposium  where everyone gathers at a resort or ranch in the mountains and experiences excellent additional training, and also the Master’s Seminars on a specific topic a few times a year.  (More information about our martial arts conventions: http://www.coloradotaekwondo.com/major-events)   There are a lot of programs to increase one’s training, that’s for sure!   It is a whole lot of fun, too!

Taekwondo training at the CTI goes beyond the physical workouts and weekly classes.  With dedicated instructors and quality programs, there is much emphasis on education, self-directed learning and character growth such as self-discipline, self-control, perseverance and integrity.  No wonder it's called training and not just workouts!

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