Why Taekwondo is Great for Teenagers Like Me

By Collin Kreutz, 2nd dan

Have you ever considered getting your teenager involved in martial arts such as Taekwondo or Karate? Do you want them to get in shape, develop as a more well rounded person, and/or become proficient at defending themselves through participating in martial arts? Then look no further, because the Colorado Taekwondo Institute is the place for you! The Colorado Taekwondo Institute had been instilling excellence in our students physically and mentally for nearly 35 years. Established in 1983, our goal has always been to develop the most thoughtful, involved, physically adept, and motivated individuals of all ages, abilities, and experiences.

Anybody can join Taekwondo, whether the prospective student is a four year old child, a thirteen year old teenager, or a forty year old adult. The overwhelming benefits of what students can learn will help to promote growth and a healthier lifestyle for all different types of people, whether it be learning responsibility and respect at a young age or improving your determination and confidence at work. In fact, Taekwondo is a fantastic medium for different ages and abilities to work together towards a common goal, allowing the development of friendships and comradery to push on another to new limits.

Taekwondo is a fantastic way to improve physical health and wellness through consistency and hard work. Both aerobic and anaerobic exercise are vast networks within Taekwondo, helping to build strength, quickness, and endurance. Altogether, Taekwondo is one of the best sports for physical fitness in terms of consistency, as classes occur year round unlike many other sports and activities, and consistent practice is unquestionably the best way to improve your ability. Additionally, the physical developments of martial arts for teens will translate wonderfully and complement many other sports and activities. Whether it be through the consistent training of Taekwondo, or the extremely tough exercise at an event or test, the physical nature of the body will always benefit in some way when practicing Taekwondo.

However, one of the primary aspects that makes Taekwondo and martial arts so beneficial is the focus on promoting knowledge and education alongside the physical elements of the sport. Participating in martial arts for teens not only improves physical abilities, but mental ones as well through the development of leadership, respect, and our five tenets of Taekwondo: perseverance, indomitable spirit, self-control, integrity, and courtesy. Our instructors work hard to impart these qualities upon our students, and make sure that their training complements their education. These mental growths will help in every other part of your life, assisting in improving yourself at home, school, work, and wherever you may go.

Joining the Colorado Taekwondo Institute will also open up a large avenue at making new friends, attending exciting events, and stepping out of your comfort zone. We hold a multitude of events throughout the year, whether it be tournaments, expos, symposiums, or summer camps and day camps, all of which are excellent ways to complement one's training and meet new people. Furthermore, these events, along with test for the next belt, offer a great challenge to the student that must be overcome, further assisting in improving their mental willpower and determination.

So, if you are looking to join teens martial arts lessons, the Colorado Taekwondo Institute will be a great fit for you, no matter what you age or abilities are. Come along and join the fun!

Family in Taekwondo

By Gwendolyn Gutierrez 1st Dan

I started Taekwondo in 2006 when I was 2 years old with my older brother. Throughout these 11 years I have wanted to give up multiple times but then my brother always reminded me to keep pushing and trying my best no matter how hard it was. He has given me opportunities that I wouldn't have if I joined without him. Having family in Taekwondo gives you a bigger advantage than anything else.

Every single time that I have gotten new moves in the past, my instructor would always tell me to practice them at home. Especially when you're younger, it's hard to stay accountable on practicing those moves. The beautiful thing about having family in Taekwondo is they can help you keep that accountability so you don't get distracted and forget to practice. Also, if your family knows to the same place or further on patterns or one-step sparring, they can help you with anything that you're struggling with. This helped me a lot because I would forget difficult moves easily so one day if I needed help I could just ask my brother and he would usually have an answer. My favorite part about having family at home that does Taekwondo is getting help on homework. Every month when the CTI homework comes out, it's hard to make sure you're on top of it and keep track of it. When you have family there to do it with you, it's a lot easier to finish it. But it's not only homework. This past year when my brother and I had to fill out training charts for the Sweden and Norway world tour, we would forget to fill it in a lot. Then we came up with a system to sit down at a table together right after dinner and fill them out together and we actually started to keep up with our charts.

One of the hardest things that I always struggled with in Taekwondo was motivation. There was like a 6 month period where I didn't really have anything pushing me towards that black belt. But then I reached that age where i realized having a sibling motivated me. Having family in Taekwondo pushes you to get better and work harder than them. Suddenly I had a goal to reach and even though it may sound a little stupid and childish, it helped me in extraordinary ways. It helped me see what I was finally going to get in the end even without having it. As I got out of wanting to work harder than my brother, the motivation was still there. Without that motivation to want to be better, I wouldn't be who I am today inside and outside of Taekwondo.

Family can be a powerful thing when it comes to any activity or sport. I got lucky to be being able to participate in martial arts for families. A lot of people don't have that luxury. Even though siblings can be very annoying at times, they are always still very helpful. I think that if you're going to join Taekwondo, do it with a sibling, your parents or any family member, because, trust me, it definitely pays off.  I wouldn't have my black belt if it were for having family in Taekwondo and I will always vouch for that.

Raising a Black Belt

I’m pretty sure it was March 17th, 2009.  That was the day I dragged my six year old son to the second floor dojang in Aspen Park for his first Moo Sul Kwan Taekwondo lesson.  His mother and his sister and his teachers at the Aspen Park Montessori school had been telling me that he would not do as he was told – which was news to me because he always did what I told him, but regardless - and with a three week parents only vacation to Italy on the horizon – to be supported by grandparents watching my son and his older sister – I thought it wise to enroll him in some activity that might instill some respect for authority.  Years later when I think of parents enrolling their tigers and juniors for just such a purpose I can’t help but feel for Mrs. Lindner.

And so began the more than eight year journey of raising a blackbelt.   But what really does that mean?  What does it truly mean to have that amazing young fourteen year old man who has achieved that goal and is now enroute to others?  The first thing is the sacrifice that we as his parents have made. It’s not cheap.  And there is a tremendous time commitment.  But to have seen him grow in his martial arts, and to see how his martial arts growth has molded him as a young man has been a joyful experience.  I guess one of the first and most poignant examples of how it has molded him was to see him as a leader.  He plays football in the fall.  And last season was the first time we saw him basically take control of his team.  Before the games and at half time when the entire team huddles on the field and one of the players is in the middle of the giant huddle shouting cheers to psyche up the team, it was our son who was the one in the middle of the huddle shouting the cheers, “Who are we?!?!?!?  MUSTANGS!!!!, What’re gonna do?!?!?! WIN!!!!”  It still chokes me up to think about.  And I have absolute certainty that my wife and I have the CTI and Moo Sul Kwan to thank for the precocious maturity and self confidence that our son shows.

And what else does it mean to raise a Moo Sul Kwan Blackbelt?  It means raising an exemplary kid.  Yes, he sometimes still leaves his socks on the counter and getting him to do the dishes is often like pulling teeth, and we refer to cleaning his room as “mowing’ his room.  But we almost never have to bug him about his grades – He is an A/B student almost without trying.  And he stands up for what’s right without even thinking about it.  Recently at school one of the members of his “squad” (as a group of friends is apparently known these days) was the attempted victim of a bully (yes, there was a girl involved).  And fortunately for my son’s friend – and unfortunately for the bully – this occurred right in front of my son.  From various accounts, without even thinking about it, and only using the amount force required, my son subdued the bully until the situation was defused.  That again showed the precocious maturity and self-confidence to which I credit Moo Sul Kwan.  My son didn’t feel the need to fight.  He had nothing to prove to anyone.   He simply defended his friend until the threat was gone.

Raising a black belt – there is no manual or instruction booklet.  But when I think back on the six year old ornery kid who barely came up to Grandmaster Sautel’s belt, and then I think of the amazing young man who at fourteen years old is now taller than me, and then I think of how incredibly proud I am of the young man he has become, well, all the time and money and effort through the years hasn’t been spent. It has been invested.  And I dare say it has been invested wisely.

Thank you CTI

- Bruce Dean, 2nd dan

28th Denver Martial Arts Championships

A wonderful two day tournament at Alameda International Junior/Senior High School took place September 8-9, 2017!  It was the 28th Denver Martial Arts Championships and it was even bigger than last year's!

Students from across the CTI competed in poomse, sparring, breaking and more at this annual fall championship tournament.  The action began on Friday evening with Moo Sul Kwan black belt competitions including; sparring, breaking and poomse.  Black Belt poomse was very well done, sparring was exciting and there were boards flying all over the place!

Saturday began early with black belt staff competitions.  Red, brown and purple belt divisions went next and were followed by all the other belt and age groups.  Our United States National Anthem was sung this time by Mr. Michael Sandusky, 4th dan and Mr. Kameron Evans, 1st dan.

Here are the results!

POOMSE

1st place
Brynn Konrad, Devon Bilyeu, Dakota Jesse, Dante Hulin
Natasha McKernan, Jennifer McKernan, Collin Kreutz, Stephen Sautel
Jason Stencel, Sr., Avery Mitzlaff, Da Minh Tran, Isaac Jensen
Jacobi Field, Deb Denny, Chris Cardella, Abbey Salamera
Sigourney Zager, Lauren Smith, Kylee Ruhser, Luke Smith
Joshua Sencel, Quynn Cotner, Mitchell Oleszek, Fran Walker
Colin Cook, Helen Grenillo, Meilani Wilcox, Khristin Paisley
Shaydon Tuttle, Katelyn Minden, Lars Den Hartog, Mary Moen
Diego Quezada, India Ross, Bella Lasater, Hayden Welch
Jonathan Castro, Conor McCarthy, Sage Icaza, Larry Rathbone, 
Averie Chavez, Caiden Murphy, Kylee Odom, Judson Ver Beek
Rowan Lasater, Camila DeGroot, Charlie Booten, Leo Clair
Ryann Beaver, Finnegan Handlin, Marley Powers, Mason Rutz
Jensen Cook

2nd place
Keet Holdridge, Joshua Miller, Trish Nguyen, Katie Dahle
Lexi Johannes, Eileen Lindner, Tyler Murphy, Brian  Steward
Lee Tomjack, Logan Gill, Lydia Willis, Nick Tibbetts
T.J. Tibbetts, Irene Kim, Sean Huntley, Elizabeth Hawkins
Aiden Sturm, Kaddie Williams, Jacob Hoenmans, Sarah Luper
R. J. Larson, Elijah Alire, Julian Marine, Naomi Price
Sophia Sandoval, Pierumberto Sosta, Rickert Speckman, Alex Tan
Bowen Meyer, Ian Burger, Ashlee Grose, Ben Barron
Courtney Moen, Emerald Shankin, Andriana Hoy, Eva Welch
Kyrie Horine, Francesca DeGroot, Debra Chandler, Kayla Roberts
Ahas Weerapura, Tristan Garcia, Jordan Rutz, Ella Hayes
Rachel Wilcox, Gavin Thurman, Ashton Sipes, Jacob Woodruff
Evan McEwan, Michael Lemmon, Lucy Paisley, Oliver Garner
Adam Lemmon

3rd place
Gwen Gutierrez, Makayla Trapp, Mya Field, Ethan Price
Kenny Brancio, Rick Orton, Nathaniel McKernan, Andy McDaniel
Bill Schwartz, Calvin Jensen, Meryn Probasco, Jack Weichert
Devan Bagley, Anna Grose, Alice Warnick, Phillip Hoenmans
Brendan Arink, Vivi Brown, Tyler Cobb, Derek Simpson
Lance Schwartz, Alex Schwartz, Christian Lloyd, Jackie Uchiyama
Andra Vieru, Amy Krupp, Jayden Scherer, Patrick Stolle
Dalton Cole, Isabella Sandoval, Bryce Cole, Hannah Meadows
Annie Abbink, Chiara Esposito, Lucah Meyer, Josefina Kuberry
Jonathan Wright, Eliseo Bandala, Lucas Kaster, Miki Sedivy
Elsie McDonald, Dylan Soule, Ivy Strickland, Roan Prall
Leto Ochsner, Ella Barron, Cameron Oakberg, Connor Girard
Alexis Chavez, Soren Vanderstek, Andrew Votaw, Zachary Cotner
Noah Gomez

4th place
Merrick Oleszek, Ryan Wyngarden, Jameson Healy, Jakob Deverell
Justin Lautrup, Don  Johnson, Peyton Brauch, Hope Morgan
Dean Loux, Arkhip Saratovtsev, Cody Jacobson, Lauren Dahlberg
Robbie Crandell, Susan Burgstiner, Erick Rodriguez, Sarah Dahle
Mariah Cordova, Kirun Agarwal, Marley Griffin, Race Sober
Jasmine Salamera, Will Kennedy, Jason Stencel, Jr., Kaylyn McEwan
Vi Vu, Angela Almaraz, Tina Vo, McKenna Erbes
Grant McKissack, Tayler Tipton, Lex DeHaven, Devin Martin
Logan Rumph, Charlotte Lafler, Randy Hernandez, Michael Meadows
Roland Dander, Caleb Romero, Jennifer Kautz, William Van Oster
Layla Tran, Lillian Eichelberger, Liam Greene, Nathaniel Keckler
Maslynn Hobley-Bess, Logan Keckler, Aidan Soule, Curtis Kuberry
Lennix Chavez, Hudson Handlin, Noah Vaughn
 

TIGER POOMSE

1st place
Esmeralda Lafler, Ryan Marine, Abby Booten, Kaleb Grown
Hunter Humeniuk, Juliana DeGroot, Owen Hughes, Lily Strickland
Zane Kaulbach, Elias Vaughn, Maryn Rolfing, Rue Weerapura
Amalina Tarr, Lincoln Walker, Zoey Krupp, Kaiden Rogers
Kaytie Rogers, Harper Farquhar, Toby Palminteri, Kaden Kuberry
Sammy Powers, Andrew Wilcox

BREAKING (Black Belt)

1st place
Brynn Konrad, Ryan Wyngarden, Dakota Jesse, Natasha McKernan
Nathaniel McKernan, Mark Scott, Jennifer McKernan, Nick Slinkard

BREAKING (Under black belt)

1st place
Katelyn Minden, Arkhip Saratovtsev, Devan Bagley, Avery Mitzlaff
Deb Denny, Luke Smith, Lance Schwartz, Kaddie Williams
Jason Stencel, Sr., Brendan Arink, Cody Jacobson, Julian Marine, 
Will Kennedy, Grant McKissack, Devin Martin, Amy Krupp
Pierumberto Sosta, India Ross, Mary Moen, Bella Lasater
Jovan Moore, Bowen Meyer
 

STAFF POOMSE

1st place
Nina Madayag, Brynn  Konrad, Devon Bilyeu, Peyton Brauch
Collin Kreutz

2nd place
Evelyn LaMorgese, Shekina DeTienne, Dakota Jesse, Natasha McKernan, Nathaniel McKernan

3rd place
Joshua Miller, Lexi Johannes, Ryan Wyngarden, Keet Holdridge
Tyler Murphy
 

SPARRING 

1st place
Chase Wyngarden, Evelyn La Morgese, Ryan Wyngarden, Dakota Jesse
Trish Nguyen, Dante Hulin, Hope Morgan, Stephen Sautel
Andy McDaniel, Arkhip Saratovtsev, Derek Simpson, Chris Cardella
Lauren Dahlberg, Lauren Smith, Moriah Cordova, Sarah Luper
T.J. Tibbetts, Brendan Arink, Alex Price, Jason Stencel, Sr.
Sigourney Zager, Elijah Alire, Joshua Stencel, Mary Moen
Lex DeHaven, Josefina Kuberry, Pierumberto Sosta, Brian O'Reilly
Shaydon Tuttle, Theryn Ochsner, Colin Cook, Katelyn Minden
Kim Freeman, Lucah Meyer, Helen Grenillo, Henry Rumph
Lars Den Hartog, Courtney Moen, Jonathan Castro, Annie Abbink
Hannah Meadows, Jordan Rutz, Curtis Kuberry, Averie Chavez
Lennix Chavez, Alexis Chavez, Caiden Murphy, Aidan Soule
Ahas Weerapura, Mason Rutz, Rachel  Wilcox, Leo Clair
Cameron Oakberg, Rowan Lasater, Juliana DeGroot, Ashton Sipes

2nd place       
Keet Holdridge, Gwen Gutierrez,  Joshua Miller, Jakob Deverell
Natasha McKernan, Justin Lautrup,  Jennifer McKernan, Nick Slinkard
Don Johnson, Avery Mitzlaff,  Jovan Moore, Luke Smith
Kylee Ruhser, Vivi Brown,  Miette Jandreau, Abbey Salamera
Robbie Crandell, Jack Weichert,  Cody Jacobson, Lee Tomjack
Lydia Willis, Jacob Hoenmans, Marley Griffin, Bella Lasater
Lucas Kaster, Hayden Welch, Fran Walker, Alex Tan
Bowen Meyer, Isabella Sandoval, Grant McKissack, Meilani Wilcox
Khristin Paisley, Conor McCarthy,  Amy Krupp, Ben Barron
Bruce Cole, India Ross,  Jayden Scherer, Ashlee Grose
McKenna Erbes, Ivy Strickland,  Michael Lemmon, Elsie McDonald
Andrew Votaw, Harper Farquhar,  Zane Kaulbach, Judson Ver Beek
Owen Hughes, Zachary Cotner,  Marley Powers, Connor Girard
Ryan Marine, Nathaniel Keckler,  Camila DeGroot, Jensen Cook

3rd place
Nina Madayag, Makayla Trapp, Devon Bilyeu, Kameron Evans
Lexi Johannes, Ethan Price, Shekina DeTienne, Tyler Murphy
Rick Orton, Sam La Morgese, Mathias Bauer, Race Sober
Quynn Cotner, Kirun Agarwal, Meryn Probasco, Elizabeth Hawkins
Devan Bagley, Nick Tibbetts, R.J. Larson, Bill Schwartz
Jasmine Salamera, Will Kennedy, Julian Marine, Adriana Hoy
Michael Martin, Kyrie Horine, Patrick Stolle, George Vieru
Logan Rumph, Sophia Sandoval, Ian Burger, Angela Almaraz
Tina Vo, Rickert Speckman, Vi Vu, , William Hobley-Bess
Devin Martin, Emerald Shankin, Michael Meadows, Tayler Tipton
Sage Icaza, Lillian Eichelberger, Gavin Thurman, Maslynn Hobley-Bess
Evan McEwan, Ryann Beaver, Tristan Garcia, Roan Prall
William Van Oster, Logan Keckler, Sabrina Jensen, Jacob Woodruff
Kaleb Brown, Matthew Roberts, Layla Tran, Adam Lemmon

4th place
Brynn Konrad, Mya Field, Devon Lewis, Jameson Healy
Allyse Nothstine, Johnny Williams, Katie Dahle, Zach Greaves
Mark Scott, Brecken Lusk, Sean Huntley, Irene Kim
Alice Warnick, Sarah Dahle, Logan Gill, Isaac Jensen
Lance Schwartz, Dean Loux, Jason Stencel, Jr., Francesca DeGroot
Malachi Romero, Larry Rathbone, Andrei Amihalachio, Andra Vieru
Paul Paisley, Aylen Icaza, Kayla Roberts, Roland Dander
Nethika Suraweera, Eliseo Bandala, Diego Quezada, Chiara Esposito
Jonathan Wright, Evan Zdechlik, Eva Welch, Kylee Odom
Finnegan Handlin, Ella Barron, Silas Rees, Ella Hayes
Dylan Soule, Dylan Wellensiek, Oliver Garner, Lucy Paisley
Liam Greene, Charlie Booten, Leto Ochsner, Lily Strickland
Noah Gomez
 

FIRST POINT WINS!

1st place
Merrick Oleszek, Makayla Trapp, Devon Bilyeu, Dakota Jesse
Lexi Johannes, Dante Hulin, Hope Morgan, Zach Greaves
Rick Orton, Avery Mitzlaff, Jovan Moore, Luke Smith
Kylee Ruhser, Kaddie Williams, Miette Jandreau, Sarah Luper
Jacobi Field, Brendan Arink, R. J. Larson, Jason Stencel, Sr.
Lydia Willis, Elijah Alire, Tyler Cobb, Mary Moen
Lex DeHaven, Pierumberto Sosta, Brian O'Reilly, Bowen Meyer
Theryn Ochsner, Colin Cook, Angela Almaraz, Kim Freeman
Rickert Speckman, Helen Grenillo, Ben Barron, Lars Den Hartog
Courtney Moen, Jayden Scherer, Annie Abbink, Eva Welch
Ivy Striuckland, Michael Lemmon, Ella Barron, Evan McEwan
Ryann Beaver, Zane Kaulbach, Aidan Soule, Owen Hughes
Zachary Cotner, Rachel Wilcox, Liam Greene, Ryan Marine
Nathaniel Keckler, Juliana DeGroot, Jensen Cook

2nd place
Nina Madayag, Gwen Gutierrez, Joshua Miller, Jakob Deverell
Trish Nguyen, Ethan Price, Jennifer McKernan, Brian Steward
Andy McDaniel, Arkhip Saratovtsev, Mathias Bauer, Derek Simpson
Quynn Cotner, Lauren Smith, Alice Warnick, Abbey Alamera
Robbie Crandell, Jack Weichert, Da Minh Tran, Dean Loux
Sigourney Zager, Jacob Hoenmans, Marley Griffin, Bella Lasater
Lucas Kaster, Fran Walker, Larry Rathbone, Shaydon Tuttle
Kaylyn McEwan, Paul Paisley, Katelyn Minden, Tina Vo
Conor McCarthy, Jackie Uchiyama, Henry Rumph, Caleb Romero
Emerald Shankin, Jonathan Castro, Tayler Tipton, Hannah Meadows
Lillian Eichelberger, Soren Vanderstek, Averie Chavez, Silas Rees
Alexis Chavez, Caiden Murphy, Roan Prall, William Van Oster
Mason Rutz, Lucy Paisley, Leo Clair, Kaleb Brown
Rowan Lasater, Layla Tran, Noah Gomez

Black Belt Grand Champions 
Daktoa Jesse and Brynn Konrad

Waiting to be Uncovered: Golden CTI

By Brian Steward, 4th dan

The Golden area location of the Colorado Taekwondo Institute is located at the intersection of 20th and Youngfield, in The Place shopping center, and has been instructing students since 2005. Our neighbors include Tafolino's Mexican restaurant, Rise Dance Studio and Teller’s Kitchen. We are proud to serve students from all around the Denver metro area including students from Golden, Wheat Ridge, Arvada, Edgewater, Lakewood and Denver.

The Golden location has excellent martial arts facilities including a large workout space complete with custom suspension flooring to ensure the safety of our students. Our workout space has large windows to encourage the viewing of our classes by friends and family. The Golden campus uses high quality martial arts training equipment including punching bags, falling mats, and kicking targets. Our instructors use of our specialty equipment enhances the learning of our students in all of our classes.

We offer a variety of classes which cater to students of all ages and abilities, with classes for students as young as three and classes which offer adult martial arts instruction. We have students of all belts in our classes from white belt to black belt. All of our classes are taught by certified Moo Sul Kwan black belts who are trained in martial arts instruction by 8th degree black belt Grandmaster James M. Sautel. Our outstanding instructors include 2nd degree black belts Peyton Brauch and Justin Lautrup. The chief instructors of the Golden location are 4th degree black belts Michael Sandusky and Brian Steward.

Give us a call today to check out our introductory specials. They are a great way to come in to see what we have to offer. We look forward to meeting you!

Kihap

By Mark Scott, 2nd dan

The kihap is known to anyone who is familiar with Moo Sul Kwan Taekwondo as the yell that comes with a strike or kick at the point of impact.  The kihap has many benefits in MSK Taekwondo including helping produce more power in a technique.  The kihap can help you to call for help or draw attention to yourself if you are being attacked.  The kihap might even scare you attacker away.  The kihap can also help distract your opponent as a fake for a moment to allow you to land a strike or kick.  The kihap tightens up the core which helps stabilize and defend against and prevent injury in an attack situation.  The kihap also acts as a method to gain focus and psych yourself up for giving your maximum effort.  The extra focus and energy helps get even more power while helping you breath as well.  All of these benefits are taught to us, but have any of these benefits ever truly been proven.

Some studies have been done that prove that indeed the kihap can indeed help get more power out of a technique.  The studies not only involve Taekwondo martial artists, but also athletes from the game of tennis and just normal people testing their strength.  The game of tennis doesn’t use the kihap per se, but is using another similar breathing technique called grunting.  Grunting is similar to the kihap in that is tightening the core and helping breath by expelling the air from the lungs.

The studies with tennis, do indeed prove that grunting not only provides an increase in power, but provides other benefits.  The studies show that the power of the serves and forehands in tennis increase by 10%[1].  The extra power produced also doesn’t cause any more physical strain than not grunting[2].  This means that even though more power is being produced, the energy required is no more draining on the tennis player than if he didn’t grunt.  The grunting also seems to distract the opponent on each hit, reducing the reaction time[3].

The studies in Taekwondo show that roundhouse kicks have 10% more acceleration when a kihap is performed than without[4].  The kihap also is shown to be equally effective when used by more experienced martial artists or with a novice[5].  Not only are the kicks coming faster, but muscle strength is also increased by around 7%.

Anyone who has tried to break a board with and without a kihap can attest to the difference in power with using the kihap.  These studies put some hard evidence behind the personal experience we all have.  The studies definitely prove that we should not neglect the importance of the kihap when we need extra strength and power.


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[1] Citation: Dennis G. O’Connell D, Hinman M, PT, Hearne K, Michael Z, Nixon S. The Effects of “Grunting” on Serve and Forehand Velocity in Collegiate Tennis Players, J Strength Cond Res. 2014 Dec;28(12):3469-75. doi: 10.1519/JSC.0000000000000604.

[2] Citation: Callison, ER, Berg, KE, and Slivka, DR. Grunting in tennis increases ball velocity but not oxygen cost. J Strength Cond Res 28(7): 1915–1919, 2014

[3] Citation: Sinnett S, Kingstone A (2010) A Preliminary Investigation Regarding the Effect of Tennis Grunting: Does White Noise During a Tennis Shot Have a Negative Impact on Shot Perception? PLoS ONE 5(10): e13148. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0013148

[4] Citation:  Martins R, Cantergi D, Loss J (2014): The influence of kihap on the impact of Dolio-chagui kicks in Taekwondo. Motriz. Revista de Educação Física, March2014. DOI:10.1590/S1980-65742014000100008

[5] Citation: Amy S. Welch & Mark Tschampl (2012): Something to Shout About: A Simple,Quick Performance Enhancement Technique Improved Strength in Both Experts and Novices, Journal of Applied Sport Psychology, 24:4, 418-428

Self-Defense Classes at the CTI

By Tyler Murphy, 2nd dan

At the Colorado Taekwondo Institute our classes are a good workout while practicing self-defense. Our self-defense classes are designed so that practicing self-defense techniques is a workout in itself; our basic routine is the backbone of the class which is a very effective method of practicing to develop muscle memory. With repetition the muscle memory will develop so that the self-defense techniques will be there when they are needed, if the situation ever presents itself. We practice multiple strikes including punches and other hand techniques along with many kicks. Since our legs are longer and stronger than our arms they can be a very effective tool when sparring and in a self-defense situation. That being said our legs are also much more difficult to train than the arms, which makes the basic routine a necessity in being able to develop and learn new kicks while mastering our basic kicks.

Another benefit of CTI classes is the warm-up and stretching that we do. The warm up focuses on cardio allowing us to stretch effectively without injury, but still allowing growth. Our classes are tailored to the student’s growth in and out of class. In terms of self-defense the warmup and stretching allow us to become stronger, more flexible and in better shape, which, with consistency will lead to great improvement over the basic routine and the self-defense techniques that we practice. Another large part of our class is poomse.

Poomse are our forms, meaning “pattern movement”; poomse further expands our training essentially including the basic routine but with different movements so that we can practice our techniques in different stances and body positions while focusing on cardio and other forms of fitness. We also teach specific self-defense techniques in our black belt club pertaining to certain grabs and situations that may occur. With the many methods of practice our classes allow students to become very proficient in the self-defense techniques that we teach and improve their all-around conditioning giving us benefits in all areas of life.

Consider calling the Colorado Taekwondo about their adult Taekwondo program if you are looking for a self-defense class for you or a loved one.

Becoming A Martial Artist

By Amy Krupp, blue belt

As a kid growing up in the 1980s and 90s, it seemed that all of the movies I most enjoyed watching centered around the martial arts. Everything from The Karate Kid to the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles I enjoyed. Ever since I can remember, I’ve wanted to study the martial arts. I never had the opportunity to when I was a child, but in a way, I’m glad I never did. It gave me the opportunity to participate in martial arts lessons at the Colorado Taekwondo Institute.

The CTI martial arts school is more than just your run of the mill dojang. I’ve only been a student for a year and a half, but the improvements to my overall quality of life thanks to the CTI are incredible. We’ll get the physical improvements out of the way first. Since becoming a student, I’ve lost 15 pounds and have dropped two pant sizes, and the weight is still coming off. My physical strength and endurance have increased significantly. My flexibility has improved dramatically. With two small kids at home, this has been invaluable. I can pick them up and carry them without an aching back and tired arms. I can play tag with my daughter and nephew while running at full speed, and not feel the need to take a break after only a few minutes. I can sit on the floor and build train sets with my son without my entire body protesting. I used to have to really motivate myself to exercise. Now, I just don’t feel right without regular exercise. The training I’ve received at the CTI has given me back my youth.

As wonderful as this all is, my training has done so much more than give me back my physical health. It’s improved my mental health as well. It’s hard to describe the level of stress relief that comes with being a student at the CTI. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve walked in the door to go to class, stressed to the max. My workday was terrible, traffic was awful, world events were downright depressing. I walked through the door carrying all of that stress and anger in my muscles, my heart, and my mind. But all of that leaves the moment you bow in to class. The positive environment is apparent immediately. You can feel the passion of both the instructor and the students. It’s difficult to be around that type of energy and not get a boost in your overall outlook on life. Not to mention the high level of concentration needed to perform the exercises and forms in class. There’s so much to focus on in training, that there isn’t room to think about anything else. Within minutes, the worries and stress of the day are forgotten. This translates to me being a happier, more patient, and more relaxed person, which in turn improves my life overall. On the days that I don’t have class, I often will practice martial arts lessons in my basement after work just to get a moment of peace and calm in my day.

Lastly, being a student of the CTI has given me something that may be even more valuable. It’s given me a feeling of belonging. It’s given me a hobby that is really more of a passion and a way of life. My instructor and my fellow classmates are really more than that- they are family. My classmates are my brothers and sisters. My instructor is a true role model. As an 8th degree black belt, Grandmaster James Sautel is an inspiration. Coming in as a new white belt, I respected his belt and his rank. Now, after studying under him for a year a half, and seeing how he truly embodies the five tenets of Taekwondo (courtesy, integrity, perseverance, self control, and indomitable spirit), I can’t help but have enormous respect for him as a person. After attending numerous events with the CTI and learning under a variety of black belts and master instructors at these events, I see that it isn’t just him. Everyone that I’ve ever had the privilege to work with and learn from at the CTI is just like this. The entire organization is brimming with people that would do anything for each other, and that strive to make the world a better place. It’s hard to put into words how amazing it is to be a part of something like that.

It’s pretty amazing to me to look back on this past year and a half, and see how much my quality of life has improved thanks to being a student of the Colorado Taekwondo Institute. I have 15 months of training under my (green) belt, but a lifetime of martial arts lessons ahead of me. I went from pretending to be a ninja in my backyard as a child to becoming a martial artist as an adult. And I’m proud to say that I will be for the rest of my life.