Martial Arts Lessons at Westminster Taekwondo Institute

When your toddler, child or teenager express an interest in martial arts, whether they want to be a Kung Fu Panda or actually learn to protect themselves and develop awareness, where do you turn? There is quite a variety of martial arts schools in the North Arvada/Westminster, Colorado area that are available to you. But the quality of each school will vary greatly and you want to find the school with the best quality of instruction and teachers for you and your family.

The Westminster Taekwondo Institute offers the best and most convenient martial arts classes in the area.  The Westminster school is located in the Lake Plaza Shopping Center - right off W. 88th Avenue and Garrison Street - with easy access from the Village of Five Parks, Leyden Rock and Candelas.  The school is in the corner until, next to Applauze Salon and I Love Sushi.

First of all, our classes for kids are amazing.  There are so many benefits from children practicing martial arts, including mental benefits (such as focus, discipline, perseverance, and developing respect for self and others) and physical benefits (such as muscular strength and endurance, energy release and motor development) that it's easy to see why many parents are eager to get their children involved with karate in Arvada and Westminster, CO.

Adults too will benefit from our martial arts and self-defense classes. The physical and mental benefits are the same for adults, but in addition there are some that apply more towards adults. These include stress release, goal-oriented physical activity and learning self-defense to protect yourself and loved ones. The website examiner.com has an article explaining many of the great reasons why adults should get involved with martial arts.

But if all martial art schools give these benefits, why chose the Westminster location of the Colorado Taekwondo Institute? As with anything else, the quality makes a huge difference. You want to find the best school possible for you or your children to attend in order to maximize your results and to get the most from the program. Here are four reasons why the CTI is the best school in the Arvada/Westminster area for children's and adult martial arts:

• Educated Instructors -  We don't hire any outside instructors; each instructor is "home-grown" from white belt and developed into one of our educated instructors. This allows us to provide the very-best in quality instruction. Each black belt instructor has years of martial arts instruction and also instructor development.
• Structured, Dynamic Classes - each class taught is set in a structured environment. Students are led by the instructor through a routine of exercise, basic and advanced Taekwondo techniques. With this structure, students are learning discipline and focus. They aren't running around being wild, they are developing themselves mentally.
• Safe Learning Environment - Each of our campuses is designed with the best quality of instruction in mind. We build our own custom suspension workout floors and have quiet workout areas so students can focus on their learning and not become distracted with outside influences.
• Staff that Cares - All of our teachers put students first, teaching to help our students foster their passion for martial arts in the same way that they learned. Our school isn't a "belt factory" designed to get as many students in the door as possible and promote them in a money-making scheme. Every instructor here cares about their students and wants to encourage and help them develop all of the wonderful things that martial arts have to offer.  Our students come first.  The instructors work to encourage and lead them into being the best student they can be.

The best way to see if our Westminster martial arts lessons at the Westminster Taekwondo Institute are the best for your family is to give us a call and set up a time for our no-obligation introductory special. It'll give you a chance to come in and see in person how the benefits you're looking for will be developed and just how wonderful classes are. You can give us a call at 303-428-5377 or you can register right here on our website.

Martial Arts Lessons at Littleton Taekwondo Institute

By Katie Dahle, Red Belt

Located between a sushi restaurant and a video gaming store there sits an unassuming Littleton martial arts school in a shopping center on South Simms Street. Its entrance in the corner of the parking lot beckons with bright window lights and decals of martial arts. If you watch, you’ll see a wide range of people come in and out of that front door. A mother with her 4 year old son dressed in a tiny uniform, a family wearing different colored belts but all wearing the same uniform, or even just a man with a duffle bag of sparring gear holding the door open for a friend. Each and every one of them are there for a reason, to learn Taekwondo. This is the place for Littleton martial arts lessons.

This is the site of one of the campuses for Moo Sul Kwan Taekwondo in the Denver area (part of the Colorado Taekwondo Institute). Founded in 1994, the outstanding staff of black belt instructors at this school are able and eager to teach people of all ages and abilities. Classes during the week are divided by age but all students are taught the same principles of respect, confidence, integrity, perseverance and indomitable spirit.

Stepping inside the Littleton Taekwondo Institute, you’ll be treated to the sight of world class teaching in effect as students and teachers sweat their way through a work out that trains every part of the body. The class will flow from a warm-up of jumping jacks, to a series of stretches, to a Basics routine that covers strikes, blocks and kicks. The rest of the class ranges from Poomse (Taekwondo forms), to self-defense, or even a relay race.  The classes are positive and fun, whether you’re looking for an energy drain for your toddler or want to get in shape and be healthy yourself.

So if you’re on the hunt for Littleton karate, taekwondo, or other martial arts, come visit the Littleton Taekwondo Institute campus on Simms Street and stay a while. Give us a call at 303-979-2621 or you can request more information from our website here to get started.

Looking for the Right Martial Arts School

By Melodie Page, 1st dan

Have you ever considered taking a martial arts class for adults? Have your kids expressed interest in taking karate lessons? Are you looking for an individual activity for your teenager with positive role models? If any of these are true for you r your family, I recommend the Colorado Taekwondo Institute with convenient locations in Westminster, Golden, Lakewood, Littleton, Conifer and Craig.

I am a rather mature adult and I have been taking classes at CTI for over eight years. I have been totally impressed with the quality of instruction. I sincerely feel that if I can be successful at Taekwondo, then almost anyone can. We have martial arts classes for children and adults with a wide variety of people in them. Ages from 2 and up, beginners to black belts, and all kinds of abilities. 

Often adults get involved in our martial arts classes for adults after enrolling their kids and then seeing how everyone starts at their own ability and works their way up at their own pace. It looks hard, but our instructors are experts at teaching the basic moves, even breaking them down into small components, so that anyone can learn and master them.

At the Colorado Taekwondo Institute  everyone of our instructors have been trained to the highest standards.  Their training is overseen by our founder Grandmaster James Sautel who was trained by Great Grandmaster Lee H. Park who originally trained in Korea and came to the USA to teach the Korean traditional art of Taekwondo. Our training focuses on basic moves which are then incorporated into more complicated techniques. Our instructors genuinely care about each student and help them in an encouraging manner to become the best martial artist they can be. Our classes are a structured learning environment starting with stretching and warm ups and then moving on to learning basic kicking and punching techniques. The utmost attention is paid to preventing injuries, especially for adults. 

In addition to our regular classes, the CTI holds several tournaments throughout the year where students from all our campuses can compete with each other. In addition, we also have two weekend long conventions (one for specifically for black belts) where appropriate classes are held for children and adults at different belt levels.  Sometimes we will have an extra informative class on the weekend that students can attend if they wish. For kids, we have a week-long summer camp held at Snow Mountain Ranch, CO.  We also host some socials events such as our summer picnic and Christmas party.

Please checkout our website at coloradotaekwondo.com or call our main campus in Lakewood for more information if you're intereseted in martial arts training. The phone number is 303-989-7542 where you can sign up for an introductory class or just ask questions.  You can also contact us online and ask for a call back at your convenience.

Dynamic Teamwork Skills at 18th Lee H. Park Team Champs

By Hope Morgan, 3rd dan

It’s so hard to fully grasp the full importance of teamwork, but it is one component that undoubtedly determines the success of nearly every entity.  Because it’s a topic discussed so often, most people know the theory, but few practice it with the same conviction, and with the 18th Lee H. Park Team Championships  just around the corner, it’s imperative that students learn and understand the key principles of teamwork, and put them into action.

First and foremost, there should be clarity as to what the team wants to achieve.  How can you expect to accomplish what you desire if you’re not clear on what that is?  In the absence of an objective, team members may not know their responsibilities within the group which will decrease your chances of success.  In addition, team members should be willing to learn from one another.  Each and every person has individual strengths and weaknesses.  Some parts of the routine may come easily to you, while others require more practice and guidance.  You can learn way more from your peers than you ever will alone.  I know that personally, I have a hard time asking for help, but when put in a team situation, I have to develop the mentality that allows me the willingness to take advice and give some back.

Finally, it’s important that the final competition is healthy.  We all know it’s fun to win, and of course we want to work towards that, but in reality, there’s always room for improvement, and as a team, your ultimate goal should really be to perform your absolute best!

While there are no “clear-cut” rules that will guarantee successful teamwork, there are several things you can take upon yourself to boost your victory.  I always like to try and keep my team enthusiastic and motivated.  Yes, it’s essential that everyone works hard and practices repetition, but with that hard work should come an abundance of fun.  Acknowledge someone when they are progressing, and make it entertaining for the group as a whole.  Increase their excitement, and I can promise your team will work harder.

And perhaps the biggest key factor to success is communication among the members of the group.  Remember, you are working with several different individuals who might have different ideas and learning styles than you.  What may seem right to one person may seem wrong to another.  Don’t be afraid to speak up and make decisions among the group, but also be willing to listen and test out your team members’ considerations.

Much of our Moo Sul Kwan Taekwondo journey is focused on the individual.  Each and every student progresses at their own pace and learns at the rate best suited to them.  Their advancement is largely dependent on their own personal performance.  Our 8th CTI Hanmadang tournament offers students opportunities to experience the elements of teamwork. Rather than just pushing yourself for your own benefit, you’re pushing to better your team as a whole.  An extra layer of motivation becomes visible as students realize they need to work to become an asset to their team, not the member dragging the team down.  Furthermore, the team tournament is fantastic in developing further comradery.  It’s truly friendly competition, between you, the members of your team, and your opponents.  This is not an event to be missed!  It’s an afternoon of fun and a lifetime of learning!