The Five Principles of the CTI

 By Caiden Murphy, 1st dan

The 5 principles of CTI are integrity, courtesy, perseverance, self-control, and indomitable spirit which apply to Moo Sul Kwan Taekwondo in many ways. Courtesy is an important aspect in Moo Sul Kwan Taekwondo and in regular world experiences because respect and politeness are important. In MSK Taekwondo courtesy is shown by the way we address black belts as sir or ma'am to respect the hard work they have put into their art. In CTI classes, courtesy is shown by calling teachers Mr or Ms to respect the hard work that they put in to get there and the knowledge they share. These examples also show ways of being polite because you are respecting them.

Integrity is important in many ways because you should always be truthful and stick to your moral principles. This is because sticking to your moral principles shows who you truly are and lying will cover your true self up and make you not who you truly are. Moral principles are an important part of life because they help us decide things on how we truly want to so we can live the best life we can.

Perseverance is an important part of MSK Taekwondo and real life because being able to go through hard times and get stronger from them is a very good quality. An example of perseverance in the Colorado Taekwondo Institute is getting to your black belt. This shows that you have patience because of the long wait, and that you can persevere through the hard times throughout that journey. In real life perseverance is important because if you want to reach any long term goal of yours then it's not going to be easy and you will have to persevere through the hardships of reaching your goal. When you persevere and reach whatever goal you might have then you will feel very relieved and good about yourself because you persevered.

Self-Control is a very important part of Moo Sul Kwan Taekwondo and life because controlling yourself from doing things can help you make less bad decisions. This applies even more to people that know self-defense because you know ways to hurt people and not doing so requires self-control. This also applies to real life because lets say that you are on a diet and you really want to stick to it but you have been tempted by so many things but you still stick to it. This is an example of self-control because you are controlling yourself to not do things that are tempting but you don't want to do.

Indomitable Spirit is the prospect of having an unbreakable spirit, and this would include being positive and not letting things get you down. In MSK Taekwondo this is relevant  because you get constructive criticism and you don't want to take it the wrong way because everyone is just trying to make you better. This applies to real life because if you have indomitable spirit you can literally do anything you want to do because you will not get broken or give up halfway through. This is also important because giving up is a main reason that people don't reach their goals but if you have indomitable spirit, that won't be a problem. This is why the 5 principles of MSK Taekwondo are very important aspects of life and we should all try to implement them into our everyday lives.

Perseverance and Commitment

By Caleb Feagans, 2nd dan, CTI Instructor

Perseverance is one of the tenets of Taekwondo that we study and learn about during our training. Many of us understand the importance of perseverance but at times we may forget when it is needed the most. The definition of perseverance is persistence in performing a task or attaining a goal despite difficulty or resistance. Perseverance is probably the most applicable tenet of Taekwondo as many of us have needed to use perseverance at school or work but, none can compare to our training here at the Colorado Taekwondo Institute (CTI). The road to black belt, and beyond, is long and tedious and requires much dedication, work, and commitment. At times we may want to give up and stop trying, but at that moment is the time when a student in the CTI needs to understand the importance of perseverance and apply it.

Perseverance is used every day in small doses and you may not even know that you are showing perseverance. Most of us had a paper in school or a project at work that we thought could wait and we wanted to procrastinate. However, Taekwondo training at the CTI helps us understand that instead of procrastinating, we should take advantage of the time we have now and at least start those projects. Starting or completing a task instead of waiting and putting off that project is an example of us using perseverance. An example of this in MSK Taekwondo would be studying for a written test or doing your monthly excellence sheet. These things maybe aren’t the biggest priorities in our everyday lives but in order to further enhance our Moo Sul Kwan training, these activities are essential. And if we as students let ourselves procrastinate and put off these items then we are not bettering ourselves, but taking steps backwards. Every class we do basics and are reminded that if we aren’t pushing 100% every class and strive to take steps forward, then we are actually taking steps backwards. That concept still applies to homework, written tests, and articles. These tasks require perseverance and we may not think of needing it with these tasks but in order to attain a black belt, students must learn to have perseverance, in any task, either physical or mental.

Not only do we need to work hard and have perseverance in our classes and training, but we also need to set a black belt example outside of the school. One of the hardest parts of training at CTI is understanding that the behavior that we are required to follow in the school is the same type of behavior that we need to exhibit in life. Perseverance is essential to do this. There are many times in life that will test this training and we may be tempted to break that training. A true Moo Sul Kwan martial arts black belt has to understand that the behavior exhibited in classes and around other students, instructors and assistant instructors is the same behavior that needs to be shown to co-workers, classmates, and any stranger. Although this may be tough, it will help your training and the road to become a black belt will be a little easier. Applying this skill to life will also help you become a better person. Although many students know the definition of perseverance, we may not know how to apply it to our training and our lives but the quicker you learn how to do that, the better off you will be in your MSK Taekwondo training and school or work. 

How the Founding Fathers used the Five Tenets of Taekwondo

By Karen Carreon, red belt, CTI LeAD Team Member

For those who are requested to give speeches in CTI soon, the topic at hand is to speak about a person who has signed the Declaration of Independence.  I must admit, my memory of history is quite foggy and so I decided to read up on our very own history. First, a Founding Father can be described as “a person who starts or helps start a movement or institution.”  Specific to our country, a Founding Father is “a member of The Convention that drew up the U.S. Constitution in 1787.” The efforts of our Founding Fathers was to break free from the Monarchy of Great Britain and create our own government that best suited Americans. 

To create a document, present it to King George III, fight for our freedom and liberties to lay down the framework of our current operating system of government took amazing courtesy, integrity, perseverance, self control, and of course an indomitable spirit.

First, it took some courtesy, i.e., consideration for others to word things in a way that allows and encourages freedoms and opportunities for its citizens, rather than blind loyalty to a crown that has the potential of tyranny.  Consideration and courtesy also is in play when the Constitution was written to have large and small states with equal representation and a checks and balance system of legislation so that no one branch or entity has too much power.

Integrity means an adherence to a code of conduct.  Our Founding Fathers adhered to many codes of conduct.  They came from many backgrounds from lawyers to farmers.  Some had political background and some did not. But they all shared a desire to create a government that served the common good and that the rules or laws applied to everybody.

It took a lot of perseverance and self control for our Founding Fathers to even be able to get together and discuss what it is the colonies want and will fight for.  There were no easy travel plans, no telephones. Many rode horses for days through inclement weather and other obstacles just to meet. It took steady persistence to draft, to write, to agree, to come together united and create a document that not only shaped our country but inspired other countries to do the same.

And finally, our Founding Fathers demonstrated great indomitable spirit.  To declare independence from Great Britain in writing was a daring act. They could have faced death as punishment.  Many fought in the Revolutionary War. It was their life's mission to help create our great nation and we should always remember to honor them and all our veterans who serve to maintain our freedom.

Tenets of Taekwondo in my Mom!

By Melodie Page, 1st dan

Today would have been my mother's 103rd birthday.  She is not alive to day, but she did live to be 102 years, one month and five days. She, Hazel Leigh Whitney Parcel, was an amazing woman who had many exciting experiences in her life.  She had many years to learn from her mistakes and gain tons of wisdom.  In 1935, while attending a Bible institute in Denver. CO, she decided that she wanted to be a missionary to Africa after hearing an African missionary speak at her school.  My father also attended the school and was also inspired by the African missionaries' talk.  After graduation they decided to get married and go to Africa together. They had five children, two of which, my middle sister and myself, were born in Africa.  Even though my mother probably never even heard the word "Taekwondo" until her seventies or after, she lived her life by the tenets of Taekwondo, courtesy, integrity, perseverance, self-control, and indomitable spirit.  There are many examples of situations in her life that she embodied these tenets.


COURTESY

My Mother had a strict Grandmother that she lived with during her childhood. I am sure that her training in courtesy began there. Children in those days were trained to respect their elders, say yes ma'am and yes sir, be seen and not heard and not interrupt adult conversation. My mother was also expected to do many chores around the house and to get good grades in school.
In her autobiography, A Clay Pot Named Hazel, my mother describes some of her experiences at the Bible Institute. "To help us learn to work with different types of people, students changed roommates every two months". The only way you can get along with new roommates every two months is to have a fair amount of courtesy in your personality.

Later on in her life our family traveled a lot when we were back in the United States in order to raise financial support for the missionary work. We visited a lot of churches where we children were trained to be polite to the members of the congregation, and the hosts that put us up for the night. We were always to eat what was put in front of us and be grateful. My older sisters remember also being tacitly required to help in any way possible. My Mother led by example. My mother also never wanted to impose or cause extra work for people that hosted us. She would take our own sheets and towels to use so that extra laundry would not have to done by our hostesses.


INTEGRITY

When my mother decided to become a missionary, she also decided to become a nurse in order to help the people she would minister to, medically. After returning to the United States permanently, she worked in hospitals wherever we lived and was the main breadwinner for the family. We finally settled in Wichita, Kansas in1967 after living in Nebraska and New Mexico after our return from Africa. She worked at St. Francis Hospital in the intensive care unit. Evidently, one day she gave the wrong dose of medication to a patient with no dire consequences. Apparently she didn't tell anyone at that time. When my mother was 98 my sister who she lived with, noticed she was receiving a lot of mail with an R. N. In the return address. R. N. Stands for registered nurse. My sister asked her what was going on but my mother only said, "Maybe I'll tell you some day." After Mom died my sister had to go through her papers and found these letters and read them. That was when my sister was able to determine the whole story. The mistake had been weighing on my Mom's mind so she decided to confess. She wrote a letter to the head of nursing at St. Francis hospital.

Upon receiving the letter, the head of nursing decided to read the letter at the next department meeting. She encouraged the nurses at the meeting to write to my Mom and share the mistakes they had made in their careers. Mom must have cherished these letters because she kept them the rest of her life.


PERSEVERANCE 

My Mother persevered through so many challenges in her life. In her twenties she set three main goals for her life. She wanted to be a mother of a large family, she wanted to be a nurse and she wanted to be a missionary to Africa. Before my mother and father got married she started nurses training in Colorado Springs. He was living in Denver and they saw each other rarely. But in 1940 they got married and started their family. My oldest sister and only brother were born in quick succession. Mom never complained but she always had difficult pregnancies. Yet she went ahead and experienced five of them (lots of nausea) so that she could have a large family. That's almost four years of complete misery. It takes perseverance to get through that!

Having children interfered with Mom and Dad's planned departure for Africa, but they were finally ready to go when they discovered that children were not being issued passports because of the war. Dad was urgently needed to help with the mission work so the hard decision was made that Dad would go on to the Congo and Mom would stay here in the United States with the children until the war was over. She had one more year of nurses training to complete so she went San Bernardino where she had friends who would care for my brother and sister while she attended school.
Nurses training wasn't easy back then. It was a 24/7 endeavor. They would work an eight hour shift and attend classes and study and try to get a little sleep all in one day. That's not including having to starch and iron uniforms, whiten shoes and don those white stockings (seams perfectly straight). Mom lived at the school and got to see her children on weekends sometimes.

Finally the war was over and Mom and my brother and sister were issued passports to travel to the Congo. Mom had finished her last year of nurses training and had graduated and passed her boards. At last she was a full-fledged registered nurse! After packing, getting immunizations, and some French lessons Mom and my siblings traveled to New York City by train where they were to fly to Africa on Pan Am. Dad had purchased the tickets in the Congo because the price was better, but upon reaching the New York ticket office they were told there were only reservations for one child. After much communication between New York and Congo the matter was apparently resolved. Mom had planned a weekend trip to Philadelphia to visit old friends before leaving for Africa. While there she received word that all planes of the type she was scheduled to fly on were grounded due to a tragic accident in one of them. All that type of airplane were out of service until it could be determined what caused the accident.Pan am had nothing else available because the war had just ended and planes were in short supply. Mom and the kids were stuck in New York for seven weeks until Pan Am could finally put them on a plane bound for Liberia.

After flying by way of Labrador, Ireland, and Portugal they finally landed on the continent of Africa in the city of Casablanca. They still had to fly to Liberia but after stopping there to let off the other passengers the plane flew on to Kinshasa, Congo.

From there they were to fly to Bukavu where Dad was waiting for them. However as soon as they got to Kinshasa they were told that they had just missed the flight and it only went once a week. So they waited a week and went back to the airport to continue their journey. However they weren't allowed to board the plane because supposedly one of the children's fares had not been paid even though my Dad had bought tickets for one adult and two children originally. Evidently this mistake had not been taken care of in New York as had been thought. Unbelievably my Mom and siblings had to wait another week to get to Bukavu and to my Dad. I am still not sure if they ended up paying for an extra child or if it finally got straightened out.

My Mother could easily have given up at any of these setbacks and decided just to stay home in the US. She could have sent word to my Dad that she wasn't coming and that he should make arrangements to come home too. But no she did not. She had her goals and she did not waver. I am sure she felt discouraged and exhausted at times but she kept pressing on until she made it ti the Congo.


SELF-CONTROL

One of the areas of my life where I struggle with self control is eating too much. If my mother struggled with this She was able to control it. She was never overweight her whole life. She would eat small portions and often would not eat both pieces of bread when eating a sandwich. She worked very hard cooking on a wood-burning stove, ironing with flat irons, and washing clothes with wringer washer that had a handle agitator. She was always up early to start her day of work. Even in her nineties when she came to visit me she would do cooking and cleaning for me while I was at work. One day when she was not feeling well because of her angina she apologized to me for not doing housework that day. "I'm afraid I didn't get much accomplished today" she said to me when I got home. Of course I told her that she did not have "accomplish" anything at any time during her visit but being idle just wasn't in her makeup. In her 100th year she decided to write a book about her life. She worked diligently almost daily to get it finished "in time" before she passed but made it and saw it published a year before her death. In the week I spent with her before her death she mentioned that she had two other books planned that she had hoped to write.


INDOMITABLE SPIRIT

Indomitable spirit is closely tied to perseverance and my Mom had plenty of both. One of my favorite incidences showing Mom's indomitable spirit involved our German Shepard dog. His name was Nippy and the only thing he loved more than my Mom was chasing goats. The African men owned lots of goats and goats were their bank accounts. The goats were mainly used for trading and were especially useful for buying wives. One unfortunate day Nippy caught a goat and ripped its belly open. Men armed with spears came to our house and demanded that we turn Nippy over to them so they could kill him. The goat wasn't dead yet and my quick thinking Mom made a deal with the men. If she could save the goat then they would not kill Nippy and we would ensure that he would not chase anymore goats. They brought the injured goat to her and she sprinkled some penicillin powder in the wound and stitched the poor creature back together. The goat lived and our dog was saved! He did have to wear a muzzle for awhile after that until he understood that goats were off limits.
My Mother was so determined to help the Africans and to serve her family that she labored day in and day out for years. The list of the things she did just goes on and on.
She did all the things a Mother usually does for her children, cooking, feeding, bathing, cleaning, changing diapers ( cloth ones), laundry, and sewing clothes for all of us on a treadle sewing machine. Then there was her medical clinic where she stitched up wounds, treated diseases, dispensed vitamins and worm medicine, administered vaccinations, and delivered babies. She wrote primers and song books for the Africans in their language, Kilega, and had them printed. She taught school to the children. She translated portions of the Bible into Kilega. She trained young men in the rudiments of first aid to help her in the clinic. Our family would sometimes travel to other villages and I would "help" Mom tell Bible stories to the children with paper figures of Bible characters and a flannel covered board. On Sunday's she would teach Sunday school to the Africa kids and play the piano for the singing during the church service. The indomitable spirit she showed to get out of bed every day and work so hard is just unbelievable.

Perseverance

By studying the problem from all angles and using the correct approach to solve it, perseverance is used effectively. The purpose of perseverance is to move consistently towards a solution and goal. Moving forward is the key and acting without a plan may seem like ground gained but is lost effort if not true towards your goal.

Having a plan of attack and staying strong even through the tough parts, all the way to the end is what proves that a person has perseverance. Even in smaller, seemingly insignificant tasks, one must prove they are persistent in order to be trusted with bigger responsibilities. Using perseverance in every task proves us to be the best team member and leader we all can be.

Easier said than done. How can one who wants to work towards a goal but be not be consistently consistent go about persevering towards that goal? Back to line one: study the problem from all angles and use the correct approach to solve it. Move consistently with a game plan. Don't set yourself up to fail with wild expectations of yourself, start out slow and pick up momentum. The best runners start with a jog and build to a run and then kick it into a sprint at the end. Not the opposite. I myself have several charts for the different areas of my life. I have a schedule of when to do what at work, one to track my progress in my business and a training chart for Moo Sul Kwan Taekwondo at the CTI to keep myself growing stronger and better in my form, poomse and defenses. The best game plan for myself is a visual, interactive reminder of what and when and it keeps me accountable to my leaders as to what is actually happening. By staying consistent and gradually ramping up my routine, I can ensure consistent growth and long term the compound effect will kick in. Having a plan helps me to stay on the right track and to achieve my goals more effectively.

Using persistence yourself shows those around you around you the importance of perseverance and how to accomplish their own goals. Helping them to set up a game plan and outline their course of action gets them on the right track however they have to do the work and seeing other people who are accomplishing their goals may be the motivation they would need to fulfill theirs. This is especially true with younger association such as siblings or students. Stressing the weight of using perseverance in every part of their lives will set them up for success in school work and someday a business of their own. Instilling the quality of perseverance in those around you will help everyday tasks become easier and to be done more effectively.

All in all, perseverance will either break or make your goals and dreams. Without perseverance dreams are just dust in the wind and will never fully be realized to their full potential. However, using perseverance with every step makes the journey worthwhile at the end but even this can be difficult to see in the middle of the trip. Keeping yourself motivated is the biggest asset to your perseverance and doing whatever you need to do to keep your momentum is essential. Keep calm and carry on is an all-too-common phrase but it's the truth when it comes

Why Individual Sports, Including Martial Arts, Are Valuable for Teenagers

From the time they are born, children are constantly growing physically and mentally each day into the adult that they will one day become. They learn and grow as toddlers, children and as teenagers. Much research shows that children are developing well past their teenage years. In fact, according to the National Institute of Mental Health, "the brain doesn’t look like that of an adult until the early 20s."

So the teenage years are a valuable time for children to continue to learn life skills, such as perseverance, self-reliance, confidence, focus and physical fitness. Team sports often can provide the same benefits, but often they are not as beneficial because they have to rely on the team. If they aren't the best on a team, they won't play as often as the "super stars" on the team. With an individual sport, such as Karate or Taekwondo, each teen puts in their own effort and they receive what they put into it. Martial arts for teenagers are so wonderful and they develop so many benefits, including:

Perseverance: "The road to success is dotted with many tempting parking places." - Author Unknown -- One great thing with martial arts, such as Taekwondo or Karate, is that they have a belt system which teaches students to persevere. Each belt has certain requirements that the teen must learn and master before moving on to the next belt. The process to get to black belt will take many years and a teen will have to persevere to obtain that goal. Luckily with the each of the small goals along the way, they learn how to push step-by-step to work hard until they reach their goal.

Self-Reliance: "Youth athletes in individual sports learn to be self reliant. Their success is entirely dependent on their own efforts. If they want to win, they can’t count on someone else carrying them through the competition. If they lose a match, individual sport athletes can’t blame anyone else for their failure. This teaches them to be responsible for their own action and decisions." -Sports Signup

Confidence: "It takes courage to grow up and become who you really are." -E. E. Cummings -- Often times children will start to become more shy or reserved during their teen years. But it is also the time when they need to learn to speak up and have great self-esteem. Speeches in high school, job interviews and public speaking are all right around the corner for them, and this is an important time for them to learn to have high esteem for themselves and to be confident.

Focus: “Lack of direction, not lack of time, is the problem. We all have twenty-four hour days.” -Zig Ziglar -- Teenagers are often stereotyped as being lazy and lacking focus. As above, the teen years are important for their development for the "real world" after high school. Martial arts classes, such as those taught at the Colorado Taekwondo Institute, are a great way for teens to develop their focus. Classes are structured and students need to focus on the task at hand to learn and develop their moves as they prepare for their next belt or an upcoming tournament.

Physical Fitness: "Approximately 12.7 million, or 17 percent, of children and adolescents are obese." -American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry -- This is an alarming statistic. Almost one out of 5 American children are obese, not just overweight, but obese. More and more children are eating less healthy and getting less excersise. Teen martial arts are great for developing physical fitness. Jumping jacks (cardio), push-ups & sit-ups (muscular strength & endurance), all through kicking, punching and blocking are a great, and fun way, for teens to keep themselves in shape and become much more healthy.

As you can see, individual sports are great for the development of teenagers. Teen martial arts is something you should consider for your child. With five Denver-metro locations, the Colorado Taekwondo Institute is bound to have a class and program that will work for your family. Give us a call today and see what we have to offer your family.

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SOURCES:

1- http://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/publications/the-teen-brain-still-under-construction/index.shtml

2- http://blog.sportssignup.com/blog/bid/120786/5-Benefits-of-Individual-Sports

3- http://www.aacap.org/AACAP/Families_and_Youth/Facts_for_Families/FFF-Guide/Obesity-In-Children-And-Teens-079.aspx

Perseverance

By Collin Kreutz, red belt, age 12

Perseverance is when you are dedicated and set on achieving a goal, and you keep pushing hard and trying to achieve that goal, no matter what stands in your way and how hard it will be.  Perseverance is very important to succeed in achieving your goals.

Perseverance is very important in order to achieve my goal, getting my 1st dan black belt in Moo Sul Kwan Taekwondo.  I need to use perseverance to make my way through the testing cycle, including the written test, physical test, and other difficult parts of getting your black belt.  Every student in Moo Sul Kwan Taekwondo at the Colorado Taekwondo Institute uses perseverance to achieve their MSK Taekwondo goals.

Perseverance is also important at a CTI Taekwondo Tournament.  In order to win a trophy or medal in a division, you must use perseverance to try your hardest and your best.  Otherwise, you won’t be as effective in your power and technique because you will be thinking about something else, instead of pushing to the limit and doing great in the division.

Perseverance is also used for your goals in life.  You could use perseverance to get good grades in school, win a basketball game, and many other goals. You must persevere and go as hard as you can to achieve any goals that you have and want to accomplish or achieve.

The reason I think perseverance is very important is because if you don’t persevere and try harder than normal, you most likely won’t ever achieve any of your goals.  Perseverance plays a very large part in accomplishing anything you want to in life.

Perseverance may be the most important thing to achieve any of your goals, along with dedication and confidence.  Whether your goals are in Moo Sul Kwan Taekwondo, or outside of MSK Taekwondo, it is always very important to persevere to get those goals.