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.