Why Choose the CTI

 By Caleb Feagans, CTI Instructor

Like my own personal experience, parents and families often begin their search for martial arts schools for their kids or themselves by searching the web for ‘karate schools’. When my family and I first started to search for karate schools near us, none really stood out and impressed us; however, we did find the Colorado Taekwondo Institute (CTI), which has continued to impress us for 14 years and counting.  But why should you consider Taekwondo? And why should you consider the Colorado Taekwondo Institute over other Taekwondo schools? CTI not only teaches students the art of Taekwondo but the rich history of Korea. Not only will you be learning valuable self-defense techniques and sparring, but you see through demonstration how integrity, respect, courtesy for others, and self-control skills reinforce a well-rounded martial arts student and overall better person.

When my family and I started, we had no idea what Taekwondo was or what the difference was between Karate and Kung-Fu or why I should ever try it over the other two martial arts, but I soon learned why Taekwondo, especially at the Colorado Taekwondo Institute is so special. Although Karate and Kung Fu are similar to Taekwondo, the Korean martial art focuses more on kicking and leg techniques than the other two martial arts which emphasize the use of hand techniques.  After all, the definition of Taekwondo is the Korean art of smashing with the bare feet and hands. Taekwondo still utilizes several hand techniques but the hands are less emphasized in the Taekwondo basics and sparring. 

The classes offered at the Colorado Taekwondo Institute are taught by instructors with years of experience and training.  There are classes from ages 2 and up at a variety of locations around the state of Colorado and the CTI caters to all ages when teaching and there is something that all ages groups can learn by participating in CTI classes. Tiger classes (ages 2-4) focus on basic listening and motor skills and is a great release of energy. The junior classes (ages 5-11) are a great way for kids to start exercising regularly and help boost their confidence as they remain healthy! Teen (ages 12-15) and adults (ages 16 and up) begin a goal-oriented program that helps them learn the basics of self-defense and fitness. The CTI’s classes are structured the same regardless of what campus students attend classes and most other schools do not have a “backbone” basics routine quite like the Colorado Taekwondo Institute. 

The CTI was founded in 1983, and they continue to teach and accept new students every day for the past 37 years and there is no sign of stopping anytime soon.  So the next time you consider searching for any Karate schools near your location, consider stopping in at the CTI and see how Taekwondo can help you not only get in shape and learn self-defense, but be a better student at school, a better employee, and a better person.

Where can I start Karate lessons?

By Lydia Willis, 1st dan

“Where can I start Karate?” Whenever taekwondo, karate, or any martial arts comes to mind, I think of the Colorado Taekwondo Taekwondo, where I take my karate classes. Why? Because it has many benefits including exercise, leadership and a wide variety of skills to learn.

First, Colorado Taekwondo Taekwondo provides difficult, yet enjoyable exercise. We warm-up with lots of jumping jacks and stretches. Unlike other martial art schools, we all have a chance to count out loud ten jumping jacks. But, we don’t count in English, we count in Korean because Taekwondo originates from Korea. A very long time ago the farmers in Korea had a hard time defending themselves during any combat so they develop their own fighting skills that would smash through armor and get them to the height of a man on a horse. Most words we use that relate to a move or command are in Korean. A normal class schedule includes our warm-up, the Taekwondo basics, something we call patterned movements or poomse, and a fun game or self defense segment at the end of class. Instead of saying Taekwondo basics we just call that part of class basics. In basics we work on our punches, strikes, blocks, and kicks. We have three kinds of punches, high, low, and mid, later on when we work on self defense or poomse they come into play. Actually everything we do in basics translates into poomse and self defense. That’s why we call them the basics. Poomse is a group of moves put into one flowing set. It’s kind of like making music notes into a whole song, but the notes are the moves and the song is the poomse itself. We are taught many, many, many poomse as we progress through the belts that we earn. Self defense is pretty self explanatory. We learn different defenses for different situations. Or we play a game. There are lots of different games for use to play, some strengthen our reflexes or abilities, while others seem to just be for fun. 

Next, we learn leadership skills from the beginning of our Taekwondo career. When you begin Taekwondo whether you are 2 or 62 you show respect by saying "yes sir" or "yes ma’am". As you progress in belts the amount of leadership skills you need increases too. As a white belt, it isn’t your responsibility to line everyone up for class, it’s whoever is the highest belt student in class. It takes a lot of courage and leadership to make the group assemble correctly. Another example is when we have game time, specifically relay races. Someone is the captain on every team and sometimes they have to work hard and set a good example for the rest of their team. The captain also has to keep their group in line, literally, and behaviorally. It takes a whole lot of leadership skills to participate in Taekwondo.

Finally, we can look into the many physical skills that you will learn in Taekwondo. First of all, we must learn about endurance. To learn endurance, we do around two hundred jumping jack per class and several push-ups, sit-ups, and difficult stretches. The main part of class is basics where we work on our kicks, punches, strikes, and stances. All of basics plays into different parts of class, mostly our or poomse. In poomse we learn to precisely time our moves and to work hard in memorization. Poomse is probably the biggest part of Taekwondo, but it has a rival. In class we also work on self-defense. The two different types of self defense learned are called, one-steps and just straight up self defense. We have twenty-six one-steps and lots of self defense. Sometimes there is a world tour where we go to some country, including South Korea. We also are given the opportunity to go above and beyond in our learning with something we call Black Belt Club. As the name states it is a class that prepares you for black belt. It’s a class for those looking to challenge their memory with lots of new activities.

Taekwondo is an amazing experience no matter how old or young you are. It has so many perks including exercise, the gaining of leadership skills, and the knowledge of many different physical skills. You should come down to any CTI campus and at least try out a karate class.

Taekwondo and Karate Lessons at the CTI

By Collin Kreutz, 2nd dan

Are you looking to begin karate lessons or martial arts classes? Would you like to get in shape, learn to defend yourself, and most importantly, become a well educated learner and leader through consistent martial arts practices? Well, you are in luck, because the Colorado Taekwondo Institute is for you!

There are a multitude of reasons in which taekwondo or karate lessons will benefit you, all of which are offered at the highest level at the Colorado Taekwondo Institute. The mission statement of the CTI asserts, “To encourage world-class leadership through educational excellence and Moo Sul Kwan martial arts traditions”, articulating our goal of promoting education in correlation with physical fitness. Not only will beginning your journey in Taekwondo yield a stronger, quicker, and healthier physical self, but a sharper and more thoughtfully apt mental self as well. These physical and mental growths gained from taekwondo compliment and sustain each other, promoting development and progress as a person in life outside of martial arts.

Taekwondo is a great way to develop yourself physically and get in the best maintainable shape for your own body. Involving many different kinds of physical workouts, whether it be engaging in quick intense exercises, or persistent stamina building ones, martial arts is extremely effective in both building physical strength and endurance. One of the prime contributors to the physical developments gained through taekwondo is that of consistency, which is presently available more so in taekwondo than in many other sports and activities. In general, taekwondo classes will be attended twice a week, with consistent tournament and events held alongside those throughout the year. The consistency of martial arts training will ensure that you will not fall into the struggles of losing your physical fitness, even briefly, which can be an incredibly challenging pit to pull yourself out of. Additionally, our workouts are designed to build a foundation of basics in the taekwondo training before moving no to more advanced and physically adept techniques. This ensures that your body will attain a very valuable, strong, and solid physical foundation, which is extendable to the rest of your activities in your life warranting bodily fitness.

However, the CTI is not simply concerned with developing your physical self. Our five tenets of taekwondo, perseverance, self-control, indomitable spirit, integrity, and courtesy, are instructed into our students every single class, promoting their educational and moral developments. Taekwondo students are presented with new challenges every single day, whether it be striving for your next belt, preparing for the upcoming tournament, or even simply fixing a mistake pointed out by your instructor. Learning how to battle through new challenges in effective manners, and being able to maintain control of your mind and spirit through these challenges will be highly provocative of creating a more driven and determined individual. Additionally, students are taught a high degree of respect and honesty through their training, further developing their morally correct social and educational skills, as well as their leadership capabilities. Through training at the CTI, it can be guaranteed that the student will improve mentally as a whole, improve every other aspect of life as a more mentally healthy person.

Training at the Colorado Taekwondo Institute is the best choice anybody could make for themselves, their relatives, or their friends. So, if you are interested in karate, taekwondo, or martial arts classes, the CTI is the best place for you!

Learning Self-Respect and Respect For Others Through Taekwondo

By Bruce Dean, 1st dan

To me respect means many things in many different ways.  The first of these is the flavor of respect that is accompanied by wariness.  But it is not merely wariness or fear.  One might be wary of a gale at sea or a forecast of several feet of snow in the mountains, or one might be wary of an opponent’s awesome defensive side kick.  But to do nothing about this wariness is merely to be afraid.  Rather, to respect something fearful one must take measures to mitigate the possible impacts.  In a gale on a boat at sea, the respectful sailor would change course to out run or avoid the worst parts of the storm.  And he would batten down all the hatches, reef the sails, run safety lines and wear a safety harness while on deck.  For the case of the snow storm in the mountains the respectful mountain man would stock up on food and water, and periodically shovel and plow to mitigate the chance of snow loads damaging the house or of being trapped or “snowed in”.   And if a generator was available the mountain dweller would wisely make sure that it had plenty of fuel and was in proper working order, before the storm.  And in the case of the opponent and his awesome defensive side kick the respectful student would avoid showing his front and avoid just “charging right in.”

And still another type of respect is the one that comes with a sense of admiration.  But this is not merely to like or dislike.  Instead it is a sense of admiration that is accompanied by an appreciation of what is required to achieve that which is admired.  For example, one might admire a particular guitar player or singer, but unless one understands what was required for that musician to achieve their level of virtuosity it is very difficult to truly respect their accomplishment.  Similarly, one might admire what Bruce Lee or Jackie Chan or Jet Li does on a movie screen – even though movies are, of course, choreographed.  But unless one understands the level of proficiency required of a martial artist to go full speed and yet not injure his opponent it is once again difficult to really respect what these martial artists/actors are doing.  Which is to say nothing of the respect commanded by a 79 year old great grand master who does 2000 or more leg chops while teenage children of steel can barely walk after 200.

And the final flavor of respect that I have in mind is respect that comes with a sense of reverence. - a sense of holiness or destiny.  And this type of respect can be found and experienced in many different ways.  For example, someone who does not hold reverence for life and its remarkability might not have any reservations about building a deck out of wild harvested redwood.  But the student who holds a reverent respect for life and its myriad forms could likely only imagine that the appropriate place to see redwood is not in Lowes or Home Depot, but rather in an old growth forest.  And a similar sense of reverent respect must extend to one’s self.  The gift of life is not one to be squandered. And while there are many who abuse themselves with unhealthy habits (My family and I love the term “death sticks” from the second Star Wars movie when referring to cigarettes) the student who has a proper measure of self-respect must revere their body as the incredible gift it is.  It must be cared for and treated appropriately.  It must be nourished and kept fit.  And it also must be properly cared for when injured or ill.  And listened too.  By showing a reverent respect for one’s self the  student is first able to maximize the holy gift he was given – life itself. But also by showing a reverent respect for himself, the student is able to fully and truly respect life in all its forms, including his fellow humans.

The Martial Art Instructors Behind the CTI

By Tyler Murphy, 2nd dan

All teachers or instructors have to be dedicated no matter what it is that they are teaching. Martial arts is no exception to this rule. Whether it is Taekwondo, karate or any other martial art the dedication of instructors is essential to the students success. Having dedication to the student is the only way to be with any type of education, especial with martial arts like Taekwondo and karate. Dedication is essential because it is the only way for a student to learn effectively while still experiencing enjoyment, and also passing on the art. If skillful teaching is completely absent from a school, it is impossible for anything to be taught through the generations. Taekwondo is an art that has been around for thousands of years; this has only been achieved through effective teaching and dedication, which is why there must continue to be good martial arts instructors. Any art that has already lasted thousands of years should be able to last even longer.

Taekwondo instructors with the Colorado Taekwondo Institute are only able to achieve their positions as teachers through dedication, persistence, and a desire to teach; Their hard work to become teachers guarantees that all CTI instructors are looking out for the student and have the student’s their best interest in mind. As the instructors continue to show their hardworking attitude they will gain more experience which will only improve their teaching ability. Experience is an essential part of learning; it can only be attained with time but with hard work and focus somebody can reach the same result in much less time than somebody who has not worked as hard. The most impressive part with CTI instructors is that they attend their own classes even when they are teaching classes. They never become stagnant with their training because they are always working hard to improve themselves on top of working for their students. it is essential for instructors to continue taking classes so that they can increase their body of knowledge so that it can be passed onto the student. By working hard towards growth instructors will ultimately become better instructors. Since the student can only be as good as their teacher it is important that the instructors continue to grow which is the case with all CTI instructors. A 1st dan black belt has to know, without mistakes, about 30 different forms along with hundreds of self defense techniques, and they must maintain what they know. As they become higher black belts they will learn even more which is plenty to worry about, but on top of that they are also instructors and have to worry about their students and have busy lives on the side. To be a Taekwondo instructor they must be dedication to the art, the school, and their students which is the case with all of them.

The Colorado Taekwondo Institute is definitely on the right track. There are many strong instructors and many of the master martial arts instructors also have degrees in teaching and are Jeffco school teachers. Teaching is the most important part when it comes to something like martial arts. If, as an organization, we continue focus on developing good instructors and skilled teachers we will be able to continue teaching Taekwondo and teaching skills so that CTI and Moo Sul Kwan Taekwondo can live on for a very long time to continue helping people.

Martial Arts Teaches Excellence in Leadership

By Eric Evans, 2nd dan

“Excellence is to do a common thing in an uncommon way.” - Booker T. Washington

One thing that many parents will notice when watching their children participate in a kid's karate class taught at the Colorado Taekwondo Institute, are the leadership skills being instilled in their children. Goal setting, focus, discipline, and integrity are just some of the many wonderful benefits students learn from the martial arts classes being taught.

As we teacher leadership within the CTI classes, we are consistently striving for excellence. This is not something that we are born with. It takes dedicated effort. We cannot stand by and wait for someone to tell us what to do, we must take responsibility and put forth our own effort. Waiting for someone to tell you to practice or do your homework will lead to complacency and failure. Success is gained by self examination, self direction and self improvement.

Throughout history, remarkable men and women achieved greatness by knowing what they wanted and then doing something about it to achieve their goal. We would not have many of the things we take for granted in our lives if the leaders of the past sat idly by and waited for someone to tell them to try.

It takes 10,000 hours of dedicated effort to master something. In your training that requires you to put forth effort outside of class, on your own. If you only practice Taekwondo twice a week for an hour a class, it would take you 96 years to reach 10,000 hours. If you make one extra class a week and the yearly tournaments, the duration is almost cut in half. However, if you consider what would happen if you practiced 5 hours a week outside of class. The duration is drastically reduced to 20 years. Interestingly enough, 20 years is the minimum time in rank to reach 5th dan.

Excellence in Taekwondo can be achieved by anyone. It requires dedicated effort, self motivation, flexibility and perseverance. If you're looking for an activity for yourself or looking for kid's karate or martial arts classes, then you've found a great place at the Colorado Taekwondo Institute.

Frequently Asked Questions About Taekwondo

By Erik Albrechtson, 5th dan

Taekwondo is the Korean art of smashing with the bare feet and hands. It's the most commonly practiced martial art in the world, with active practicing students in over 200 countries. It is the only martial art, besides boxing, wrestling and judo, that is a medal sport in the Olympics. As an instructor of Moo Sul Kwan Taekwondo, I often get many questions related to Taekwondo and other martial arts. This article is sort of a F.A.Q. in an attempt to try and help the average person understand more about Taekwondo and martial arts in general.

What's the difference between Taekwondo and Karate?

Early people in every part of the world developed ways of defending themselves from wild animals and other people trying to harm them, from the Native Americans to the Aztecs to the ancient Koreans. Taekwondo is one of the martial arts that developed in Korea (along with Hapkido), Karate & Judo were developed in Japan, and Kung Fu & Tai Chi in China. Each martial art has its own characteristics. Taekwondo is commonly known for its strong kicks. 

But styles can vary between schools. Two Taekwondo schools can be as dissimilar as a Taekwondo school and a Karate school. The main thing a student or parent wants to look into when picking a martial arts school is the program being taught to the students and the quality of the instruction. Martial arts that have been around for thousands of years wouldn't have survived if they didn't protect their practitioners. So less of a focus should be on which martial art is being taught, but instead questions like "how experienced are the instructors?", "what benefits are being taught to students?", and "is the instructor a good role-model for what I'm looking for myself/child?"

How do you pronounce Taekwondo?

Hangul is the Korean written alphabet. When written in Korean, Taekwondo is 태권도. Hangul is a phonetic language (more about this in the next section) so each character makes a certain sound. 

The first grouping of characters (태) is pronounced "tae" or /tā/ (think "take" without the 'k'). It's common in the United States to hear it pronounced "tie" or /tī/, but this is incorrect and means something completely different in Korean. 

The second grouping of characters (권) is pronounced "kwon" or /kwɑːn/.

The third grouping of characters (도) is pronounced "do" or /dō/. 

A video of the pronunciation can be found below (source 4).  

How do you spell Taekwondo?

This one gets a bit more complicated. First you need to understand how Hangul works. Before 1443, people in Korea wrote using the Chinese alphabet, but it was very complicated and hard to learn. In 1443, King Sejong the Great, the fourth king of the Joseon Dynasty, put into works the creation of their own alphabet that was easy enough for the common person to learn. This effort brought forth Hungul, which the Koreans still use to this day.

Hangul is a completely phonetic alphabet. Each symbol makes a certain sound when read. One thing that is dissimilar that own English, is that the characters are grouped by each syllable instead of word. So for example, my name written in Hangul is 에릭. The first grouping is the "Eh" sound and the second is the "Rick" sound. 

Since Taekwondo consists of three syllables, it is written as 태권도. When translated to English we get three groupings of "Tae" "Kwon" and "Do". But since it's one word, we bring them together to Taekwondo (much like Erik is one word in English). You might often see it written "Tae Kwon Do" or "Taekwon-do", but generally Taekwondo is the accepted way of spelling it. 

Have more questions? Feel free to email me at info@startmartialarts.com or leave a comment below!


Sources:
1- http://www.korea.net/Government/Current-Affairs/Others?affairId=331
2- http://www.rio2016.com/en/the-games/olympic/sports
3- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aztec_society
4- http://www.talktomeinkorean.com/shows/how-to-pronounce-1/
5- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hangul

Find the Right Martial Art for You

In the twentieth century, Asian martial arts spread across the western world in a number of ways. The popularity of film and television stars like Bruce Lee and others had a tremendous impact on American culture. In the 1960’s, martial arts training began to grow into the physical fitness, self-defense, and spiritual training ritual that has become in virtually every region of the country. For kids’ martial arts, Colorado offers training opportunities for boys and girls as young as five, through the Colorado Taekwondo Institute. For martial arts classes, campus locations around Denver and the Rocky Mountains, as well as locations like Golden and Lakewood, taekwondo is a great way for kids to build confidence and focus. Beyond taekwondo, students can learn qualities from a variety of Moo Sul Kwan martial arts that include hapkido and judo.

Moo Sul Kwan Taekwondo

Moo Sul Kwan Black Belts in Korea

Chinese and Japanese arts like kung fu and karate have been popular in the U.S. since the 1960’s, but at the same time, centuries old arts of Korea also gained popularity through the teachings of Grandmaster Lee H. Park. At the Colorado Taekwondo Institute, Moo Sul Kwan taekwondo is practiced, beginning with Tiger classes for kids between two and five years old. Students will begin as white belts when they enter the youth program, learning the basic tenets of taekwondo, as well as basic sparring stances and positions.

The significance of the basic poses may seem trivial to many students at first. Moo Sul Kwan emphasizes the cultural significance of different poses, and how they are used to exemplify respect and sportsmanship, as well as honor of the traditions that allowed the practice to persevere through government outlaw of the sport and political upheaval. Just as other martial arts contain in their movements a variety of meanings, taekwondo is a practice that involves combat training, as well as spiritual grounding and physical fitness.

Hapkido Basics
Where taekwondo focuses on kicking techniques that optimize strength, speed and power, hapkido uses balance and physics to use leverage to your advantage against an opponent. Moo Sul Kwan practice includes emphasizes three identities of the martial art: combat, healing, and internal growth. Hapkido tradition is based on the study of how the body responds to external pressure and the economical use of body movements to create the most power.

Mastering the techniques of hapkido involves utilizing the position, balance, and movements in a way to create the most power, even against a larger, stronger opponent.This can be crucial for kids’ martial arts; Colorado Taekwondo Institute offers opportunities for Moo Sul Kwan students to boost their self-esteem and learn to overcome obstacles. Hapkido uses three theories that dictate movements: Yu, Won, and Wah:

• Yu (Theory of Flowing Water) – One way in which you can overcome the force of an opponent is to redirect the power, like flowing water, to force its energy to another location. Force, like water, will not contest an obstruction; it will simply find ways around it and therefore, can be deflected and diffused away from its original destination.
• Won (Theory of the Circle) – Symbolically, the circle is an important feature of hapkido in terms of life cycles and nature. In sparring, the circle represents the ever-present range of motion that needs to be defended and utilized to strike an opponent. The circle is also important in relation to the rejection of straight, or rigid movements, in favor of looser, flowing body movements that more closely resemble circles.
• Wha (Theory of Harmony) – Students studying hapkido focus on mind, body, environment, and technique. In order to integrate these aspects of the art, harmony becomes an essential element of hapkido training. To accomplish this, students learn to incorporate knowledge with movement, and then movement with environment, and finally combine these skills with well-practiced technique.

Judo and Mul Soo Kwan
Judo has a long history as a combat and self-defense technique. In Moo Sul Kwan training, judo techniques are taught with care to ensure the safety of kids. Judo and hapkido place an emphasis on “balance breaking” or using learned techniques to overcome the position of an opponent or defend against an opponent’s strike. Judo training helps bring about a physiological awareness that few other sports can elicit, and judo was developed as more than just a style of effective combat.

As with other kids’ martial arts, Colorado’s judo training can help students build physical strength and focus, increasing self-esteem through a safe way to develop muscles and physical fitness. Lakewood taekwondo classes can introduce students to a world of Asian martial arts in an environment that promotes sportsmanship, respect, and confidence building that can last a lifetime.

Sources:
http://taekwondobible.com/trainings/basic/basic.html
http://voices.yahoo.com/the-growth-spread-asian-martial-arts-the-6497384.html
http://www.hapkidoselfdefense.com/theories.htm

Children Teaching College Students Taekwondo

The age spectrum of people who are skilled in martial arts is very broad. There are pupils of Taekwondo from the ages of 3 to 93. And it is usually the norm for younger adults and teenagers to be schooled in martial arts by someone of there senior. But this day in age the tables have turned and the masters of Taekwondo and self-defense are younger people, even children.

In India these “little” masters are in fact so skilled in the martial arts of Taekwondo and Karate that they are actually teaching people much older than them who are attending college.

The little masters say that teaching people helps them maintain their overall fitness.

An large group of Indian students from Little Flower English medium school (the equivalent of middle school in the United States), Kalavoor and St. Augustine’s high school, Mararikulam, teach Taekwondo to the students of St Joseph’s College for women in Alappuzha.

The college students, who have been learning the martial art of Taekwondo for several years at Sabarmathi Sports Promotion center, were requested to be in attendance by many of their teachers of St. Joseph’s College to make their students more adept in the art of self-defense.

Vinaya Jijo, who is a class four student at Little Flower English medium school and the youngest member of the teaching team, says she is very excited about teaching taekwondo to the students in the college.

“We have performed before the students and teachers to give an orientation to students,” said Jijo. “They were impressed by our performance and have invited us to take a class for students at the college.”

Keerthy Raju, a BSc Physics student at the college, who invited the school students to train them, says,  "It is useful to train in taekwondo as it maintains the physical fitness, helps muscular development and enables a person to defend himself when the need arises. We will begin training classes in taekwondo by next month. They will be held every week at the college auditorium.”

Dr Jyothi Lekshmi, one of the professors at the Malayalam department of the college, has said that they asked the young children to teach their students after seeing one of their amazing demonstrations.

“We believe they could teach our students well,” said Lekshmi. “We have given instruction to our students to take part in the training program if they want to learn the martial arts,”

Taekwondo vs. Karate: What is the Difference?

If you are tired of sitting around on your behind all day, or if you are looking for an invigorating way to get physically and mentally fit, you may be considering signing up for a martial arts school. But there are many schools to choose from, and it can be difficult to determine which one suits you best. While there are numerous schools taught these days, two of the most popular continue to be karate and taekwondo.

You've probably heard of both of these schools; but how are they different? To a large extent, they aren't. Both revolve around sparring with a partner. Both teach a respect for self and others, and both mark advancement through upgrades in belt colors. But the most fundamental difference between the two martial arts schools is that karate focuses on punches and taekwondo focuses on kicks.

Don’t both schools use both kicking and punching? Yes, just to varying degrees. And which fighting action you are favoring ultimately determines your go-to stance, posture, and weight distribution. Taekwondo classes will teach you to keep your legs relatively straight and lengthened. You will be turned sideways to your opponent, and you will keep your weight largely on your back leg - this is to allow for quick, powerful kicks from your front leg.

Karate, on the other hand, positions its students in a lower crouching position. Since most of the fighting is done through the hands, it is beneficial to have knees bent more greatly - this allows for a “spring-loaded” effect, in which the fighter can push up from the legs and add a great deal more force to a punch. The karate posture also tends to place weight on the front leg, which is less conducive to kicks but helpful when delivering a punch.

The two martial arts schools also create differences in fighters’ torsos. Karate classes train fighters to greatly engage their hips; the spring-loaded stance allows for quick hip rotations, which help to drive punches even more strongly. Shoulders remain relatively low, relaxed and un-engaged. Taekwondo classes, on the other hand, teach fighters to greatly rely on their shoulders - this can be explained in part by the fact that the straighter-legged, kicking posture of taekwondo does not allow for hip rotation as greatly as karate does, so more strength is derived from the shoulders.

As you can see, there are differences between what you will learn in karate classes and taekwondo classes. To put it in a nutshell, karate will teach you to dominate with your hands, while taekwondo will teach you to master the strength of your legs. Whichever school you choose, you will be learning an ancient art that will not only allow you to protect yourself, but will involve you with a positive community that will ultimately make you a stronger, healthier person.

Kids' Karate: Summertime in Conifer and Littleton

It’s finally here: summer has rolled back around, leaving kids running gleefully away from their last classes, ready for swimming and playing in the great outdoors. But we also are all familiar with that same old sentence we are sure to hear after a few weeks of scholastic freedom: “I’m bored!”

While it can be hard for adults to relate to the idea of “boredom,” we all know how prevalent it is for young kids, especially in mountain towns. If you are looking for a great solution to the what-to-do problem, consider enrolling your child in a kids’ karate class. Give your child some summer structure with a class schedule to follow, with other kids who are working towards the same goals. With multiple campuses around Colorado, CTI is enrolling now for Littleton karate and Conifer karate, among others.

What benefits can a kids’ karate class give your child? Good guidance, for one thing. In today’s world, it can be worrisome to wonder who might be influencing your son or daughter when you are not around. At our martial arts academy, kids are guided by our instructors not only in combat, but in respect. One of the essential elements of martial arts is their emphasis on discipline and respect for others and self; your son or daughter will be coached on how to behave to bring about the most peace for society.

Another benefit parents can expect when they enroll their child in Littleton karate or Conifer karate with CTI is an increase in healthy peer friendships. Childhood is a fun, but sometime scary time, and the presence of friends is essential to happy growth. Kids’ karate classes bring good kids together, where they work towards the same goals, provide each other with support, and celebrate each other’s achievements. Friendships are build that last throughout childhood and beyond, and your son or daughter learns what it means to lean on and support others.

Finally, kids’ martial arts training is extremely beneficial to your son or daughter’s health. Childhood obesity has become a serious problem in America, leaving many parents wondering what they can do to get their kids up and moving. Karate is a great way to pump up heart rate and strengthen muscles and, when started at an early age, sets a person on a healthy exercise track for life. So if you’re ready to give your child something do that will both entertain and enrich them, consider CTI kids’ karate classes today.

The Differences between Tae Kwon Do and Karate

Karate is often the most common term for martial arts used in the United States. At some point in time many people began to think all eastern fighting styles as the same or some kind of “Karate.” This is similar people of the U.S referred to soda pop as “Coke”, or tissues as “Kleenex.”

The average person asking about the difference between Karate and Taekwondo (or sometimes Tae Kwon Do) isn’t looking for a deep philosophical meaning of Taekwondo and Karate. Instead, they are looking to be free from worry that the Judo, Karate or Taekwondo School they sign their children up for are going to yield teaching not unlike what was taught in the movie Karate Kid. Karate and Taekwondo are virtually the same in this mindset.

So what is the real, in-depth difference between Taekwondo and Karate?

One of the main differences between the two is the country of origin. Karate originated in Okinawa, Japan. Taekwondo on the other hand was created in Korea. Practitioners of Karate and Taekwondo both argue that they were the first to create martial arts. But martial arts most likely began to spring up in several different places in Asia about the same time. Taekwondo origins began in the Korean martial arts of Taekkyon, Subbak and Takkyon. It was around 1950 and the end of the Korean War that “Taekkyon-do” became Taekwondo.

Karate uses more hand techniques than Taekwondo. But Taekwondo uses more foot techniques. Both Karate and Taekwondo have kicking, punching, locks, grappling and throws. Teachers of Karate and Taekwondo will emphasize certain elements over others, it depends on the school.

The biggest difference between Karate and Taekwondo is how they have evolved. In the beginning they both were used as forms of self defense. It is speculated that both Taekwondo and Karate were used in military service or criminal activity. This was at a point in time one would need to rely on empty handed combat, but even today hand to hand martial arts are needed.

Taekwondo, has become both martial art and sport. Olympic competition has driven Taekwondo technique to incredible levels. Taekwondo, at its upper levels, is a full contact, full speed combat sport. Practicing theory of the techniques as well as the physical are both very critical. Taekwondo classes allows for more self expression, whereas the Karate classroom is well-ordered and uniform. Students are encouraged to find their voice, their tactic within established rules.