Taekwondo for Kids & Adults

By Henry Rumph, 1st dan

If you're thinking about getting started with Taekwondo, then you want to find a school that safe, has a quality program, and has a structured program for both kids and adults. The Colorado Taekwondo Institute (CTI) is exactly what you are looking for. And CTI has many various campus in the Denver  metro area, making them conveniently located for your family. They are safe, they build character, and they are amazing with kids and adults.

One of the things that the CTI taekwondo classes does an exceptionally good job at is promoting development, both physical and mental, in their students. They do this through a variety of rules, expectations, and responsibility. When a student joins CTI, the first thing they will be introduced to is the rules that they are expected to follow. All of these rules center around either respect for their teacher, respect for the room, safety, or respect for their fellow students. These rules, and the fact that the instructors hold the students accountable for following them, prompt discipline and a respectful attitude in the students at the campus. Furthermore, every class that the student attends will begin with exercise and stretching, and then the class itself is also extremely physically active, though the instructors tailor it so every level of physical ability is able to participate and join. This results in not only mentally strong students but physically strong students who have learned to respect their peers and act in a responsible manner. Yet classes can only achieve this feat because of their wonderful instructors.

Every instructor at CTI is an experienced, high-level black belt who has not only had years of training in taekwondo classes but years of experience teaching it as well. Even more so, each instructor is experienced and capable of teaching any age group, from the youngest of children to the oldest of adults. There are classes for every age group, from toddlers, to children, to teenagers, to adults. These wonderful instructors have had experience teaching all of these age groups, and it is clear that they deeply care for each of their students of all ages. In fact, it is not uncommon for them to go out of their way to help their students if they are not meeting the goals that are set for them. They often do this either by helping them before class, after class, or, if necessary, they are also willing to offer private lessons so that no one person falls behind.

One of the biggest pros for attending the CTI taekwondo classes is that there is nearly no risk for injury in any of their classes. CTI is a taekwondo organization, which means that, though they teach a martial art, there is a significant emphasis on first understanding form and body language before a student is allowed to begin doing anything that may result in injury to another student. Furthermore, all students are required to wear proper pads and equipment when sparring, which has resulted in an injury rate of almost zero over their more than 30 years of teaching. Furthermore, each and every instructor is fully aware that their top priority is the safety and well-being of their students, and they will all go to great lengths to keep their students safe while still turning them into competent and effective martial artists. When one takes all of this into consideration, the chance of your child getting injured at the CTI is almost nothing, while all the while they will be growing both as a person and as a martial artist.

Overall, as martial arts organizations go, CTI is easily one of the best choices because of their convenient location, safe atmosphere, effective character building, and amazing instructors. All of these things make certain that CTI is a trustworthy institution that is everything anyone could ever want in a martial arts organization.

Taekwondo Classes

If you have been looking to pick up a martial art, you have come to the right place. The Colorado Taekwondo Institute is an outstanding school for taekwondo classes. Coming from Korea, Taekwondo is one of the original oriental martial arts along with karate, hapkido, and judo. Taekwondo is indigenous to Korea, which means this type of self-defense comes from and evolved solely in Korea. It has been around for thousands of years under a few different names such as So Bak. The word taekwondo also means “the art of smashing with the feet and hands” in Korean. While all martial arts share some similarities, taekwondo is far superior to other martial arts. The style taught at Colorado Taekwondo Institute called Moo Sul Kwan teaches great values to students, is a great physical fitness program, and has a friendly and welcoming environment.

The best part about Moo Sul Kwan Taekwondo is the strong character it teaches its students. In the student manual, there is a list of the tenets of taekwondo. These values include courtesy, integrity, perseverance, self-control, and indomitable spirit. These tenets of taekwondo can be seen in everything we do. From the regular classes to the tournaments to the social events, we are constantly reminded of and taught these traits. Along with that, there are monthly homeworks that teach about other traits of a black belt such as honesty, healthy eating, and the importance of exercise. The most important value taekwondo teaches is how to work hard and the accomplishments that come with it. So, one great benefit of Taekwondo is the important principles it teaches.

Another important aspect of taekwondo classes is the physical workouts. Not only does Moo Sul Kwan Taekwondo make you a better person mentally, but it also makes you physically fit. With all jumping jacks, stretches, and exercise, you are sure to workup a good sweat. There is focus on endurance training and muscular fitness in taekwondo. At the beginning of a typical class, we do jumping jacks, which elevate your heart rate and get you breathing. Then we do stretches, which prevent injuries and energize you. In this section, we do pushups and sit-ups, and these help with all of the techniques and help your muscular fitness. Later on, we do the basic kicking and punching routine, which again helps with endurance. This physical fitness is a great help to other sports as well as living a healthy lifestyle.

Lastly, the environment created by the Colorado Taekwondo Institute is a family friendly and inviting atmosphere. At the CTI, even with the competitions, we are all one big family. Even after your first class, you are guaranteed to meet a few new people. The CTI welcomes almost all ages from your five year old child to your seventy year old grandma. There are many different classes that cater to the varying ages and abilities of students. The biggest sign of the friendly environment though is the act of shaking hands, which students do all the time. At the end of every class, the students shake hands and tell each other good job. Even after a fierce sparring match at one of our tournaments, the competitors have a genuine handshake after and show mutual respect. As you can see, the CTI provides a positive environment to learn the great martial art that is taekwondo.

Taekwondo Classes at the CTI

By Makayla Trapp, 2nd dan

Moo Sul Kwan Taekwondo is a great activity for kids of all ages.  The Colorado Taekwondo Institute offers Taekwondo classes that provide physical activity and teach discipline in a fun and safe way to kids of all ages.  At the Colorado Taekwondo Institute kids learn martial arts techniques that can help them defend themselves in certain emergency situations.  Kids also learn how to respect the people around them (parents, instructors, adults, peers, and themselves) and are taught to always try their best and pay attention inside and out of class. 

At the Colorado Taekwondo Institute, all of the instructors aim to teach each and every student in in an effective, fun, and safe way.  Instructors get to know each child individually and know when each child is trying their very best.  Students and instructors learn to gain each other’s trust and each kid really feels that their instructor cares about their progress.  Every instructor’s goal is to teach each child in such a way that they leave feeling great about their abilities.  While instructors correct kids if they are doing something wrong, they also strive to build the child’s self-esteem.  The instructors at the Colorado Taekwondo Institute understand that each kid has different skill levels, and work with each student to bring out the best martial artist in each student. 

The Colorado Taekwondo Institute also offers many different activities outside of classes that students are encouraged to take part in.  These activities and events include tournaments, expos, summer camp, day camps, and many others.  Tournaments provide kids the opportunity to compete against each other in a friendly and safe environment.  All students are encouraged to congratulate their fellow competitors regardless of what place they get in competitions.  Tournaments are a great way to teach kids to be humble if they win and to still keep their head up even if they do not win.  This is because the main focus of the tournaments is not to win, but rather to try your best and participate in the CTI community.  The expo is an event that usually occurs at the beginning of summer and takes place in the mountains.  This event provides kids with the opportunity to learn in an environment outside of class and learn with students who they might have never met.  Along with that, kids take many different classes at expo that are taught by different instructors and cover many different topics and techniques.  Summer camp is a camp where kids stay in the mountains without their parents and provides a fun opportunity for kids to learn taekwondo and do many more fun camps activities.  Day camp is provided in summer, winter, and fall and usually runs for a week.  Students can attend for half days or full days and are given the chance to practice and perfect their techniques.  The CTI also provides other activities and events, such as demonstrations, special workouts and symposiums for upper belts, tests, and family events such as the annual picnic. 

By doing taekwondo classes through the Colorado Taekwondo Institute, both kids and parents meet new people and families.  Kids are exposed to an atmosphere where getting to know their fellow peers is encouraged and most students make many new friends through taekwondo.  By participating in events, the families of students also meet other parents and families, strengthening the bond between their child and taekwondo.  Overall, Moo Sul Kwan Taekwondo is a wonderful activity for kids and can help them in many different areas of their life. 

Martial Arts in Littleton

When someone says “martial arts,” what comes to mind? It may be a movie star like David Carradine, Chuck Norris or Bruce Lee. For me, it used to be Jackie Chan. I like that he always plays a good guy and the use of every day objects and set props in his fight scenes are wildly clever. Since I began learning taekwondo, the words, marital arts, bring a completely different set of images to my mind.

Colorado Taekwondo Institute is a wonderful educational journey which encompasses mind, body and spirit. Littleton is much like other Colorado communities in that it offers a wide range of activities. When I got tired to the health-related activities that had become a part of my life, I searched close to home for something that would motivate me to stay active and offer a learning component. (Really: how many times can one do a bicep curl and not get bored?)

Historically, as indicated by the word “martial” defined as appropriate to war, early forms of martial arts were created for combat situations such as military, law enforcement and self-defense. Throughout the centuries, martial arts have also become a way to create personal physical and spiritual fitness. The spiritual component may have started due to the creation of these arts by monks and nuns. The concept of martial arts as a sport solidified in the 20th century when various sparring forms became competitive. For example, the summer Olympics now have competitions in taekwondo, judo and boxing.

The Littleton location, as well as all other locations, of the Colorado Taekwondo Institute (CTI) offers a great workout for bodies of all ages and genders. As mentioned previously, in addition to contributing to physical fitness, martial art training has benefits for mental health. Who doesn’t want to have better self-esteem, emotional and physical self-control and spiritual growth?

I am over 60 years old and began taking martial arts only a few years ago. As an unusual age demographic for a beginning student, the reasons I was attracted to marital arts are the same reasons as everyone else which it usually one or more of the following: physical fitness, self-defense, mental alertness and to create a learning opportunity. Senior citizens are overlooked in this type of sport and rightfully so as they are not the first people that come to mind where martial arts are concerned. People who have been active most of heir lives find the desire for fitness does not disappear just because one’s knees are no longer able to do a double-diamond bump run when skiing. We have learned to adapt our fitness routine to make it more age-appropriate. Littleton CTI black belt instructors understand how far to push to achieve the maximum benefit. They help me improve stamina, create the ability for physical safety and assist me with my ever-diminishing memory. To illustrate the improvement in my daily life, I can testify the few times I have fallen in the last year have resulted in little to zero body damage which I can only surmise is due to improved coordination and body awareness.

Not every form of martial arts is right for every student. And, not every school is right for everyone. But, I have observed a wide range of students at the Littleton campus of CTI who are having fun while learning and living better lives. The school has created the experience many different people are looking for in martial arts.

My grandparents worked physically tough jobs and had no need look for external fitness routines. Similar to other baby-boomers, my occupation tends to create more opportunities to get a keyboard workout than one which encompasses the entire body. I plan to go into retirement in Littleton in fighting shape and a Moo Sul Kwan Taekwondo marital arts education has created the process to do just that.

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.

Kids Taekwondo Classes: So Many Benefits!

By Zach Greaves, 2nd dan

Childrens Taekwondo is a great way to get your children into something new and cool. For kids Taekwondo the best school in Denver is the Colorado Taekwondo Institute. We have many classes that have our students strive to become more focused, disciplined and become leaders in our community. With exciting workouts that range from thirty minutes (for our toddler classes) to an hour (for our junior classes), kids get to express themselves and work hard through kicking and punching. The CTI has a great environment for kids to have a safe place to learn to be themselves through martial arts excellence.

Speaking from personal experience, Taekwondo has lead me to be more confident and disciplined. It helped me throughout school and other activities. I can also see now how it teaches students focus and developing motor skills (though when I was a kid and first starting I was just having fun learning). Going through life with something to lean back on physically and emotionally is really important.

Parents, I know your kids will always have you but having that something else when they get older is great!  Especially when going through school Taekwondo for your kids can really help. The focus and discipline that they get out of our classes will be very valuable. We at Colorado Taekwondo Institute are very serious about the education of our organization. We help kids to go in the right directions to be scholarly and get homework in on time and be early. Each month, students have homework to complete which focuses on some other aspect we instill in our students: self-control, perseverance, positive mental image, etc. And the exercises that we do and we encourage them to lead by example and get to places early and get everything in on time. This provides opportunities for our students later when it's already easy for them.

I really appreciate that I've learned in my time with the Colorado Taekwondo Institute. It has taught me so much, and I continue to learn and grow even now as an adult. I'm thankful my parents put me into classes here when they were looking for kids Taekwondo, and I hope you do the same for your children!

Taekwondo and Kids

By Kelsey Smith, 1st dan

Martial arts are beneficial to people of all ages, but the long-term behavioral benefits are especially prevalent in the children who start Taekwondo at a young age and adopt the concepts of self-discipline, self-control and confidence. Children’s Taekwondo differs not in the way it is taught, or the types of techniques learned, a 3-year old child learning basics will do the same routine as an 14-year old teenager, or a 30-year old adult, but more in how the disciplines are picked up and what is emphasized to the student by their instructor.

In kid's Taekwondo, learning the martial arts techniques as a form of defense is still the main goal, but the focus for the younger children is the body control and mental discipline which is still being developed. Whereas for adults, equal parts technique and and discipline are taught to the lower belts to ensure success as upper belts, the children’s education is centered around mainly the concept of Ho-Shin, as well as the body awareness required in class. Large, overarching techniques such as low stances, objective focus and tight hands remain the same, but  the nuances in certain basics such as foot position in kicking or focusing before striking come later, once the children have hit the intermediate belts and begun to have the self-discipline required for more advanced techniques.  

Until that point, the emphasis remains on the mental fortitude to become a successful black belt- developing children’s self-confidence, their understanding of their own bodies and how to control themselves. This discipline in class then carries over into other aspects of their lives, encouraging good behavior at school and at home, and making these children of Taekwondo almost like little ambassadors of our school’s tenets and beliefs. And creating the habit of having control over their bodies and minds allows for these kids to grow up and continue to grow and develop their skills as they progress through Taekwondo. In this way they also become leaders among their peers, even the ones outside Taekwondo.

Children’s Taekwondo is so much more than an exercise or a sport- it is a discipline, a life-long learning experience that will develop the child into a successful adult. Children, teenagers and adults can all benefit from martial arts in a myriad of ways; through the development of the body, mind and spirit, individuals can learn vital skills to prove as leaders. However, developing these traits early in children is the most beneficial in the long run, shaping them and their choices as they grow and learn about themselves, and blossom into ideal black belts and leaders of their generation.

Benefits of Martial Arts for Families

By Hope Morgan, 2nd Dan

Sharing physical activities with your kids, parents, and siblings isn’t just a fun way to get your heart pumping. It’s also a great way to build family bonds, and a great taekwondo program provides the perfect opportunity to share the many benefits taekwondo offers for families. It’s quite rare to find a sport that involves the entire family, and more often than not, someone is left just sitting on the sidelines observing. Taekwondo, however, allows the entire family to join in. Moo Sul Kwan Taekwondo offers classes tailored for all age groups, so whether you’re a younger sister or a grandfather, our taekwondo school will suit you and guarantee you reap all of the benefits, making it simple to participate in a family activity.

Currently, our taekwondo program is home to several families, and all of them agree that working out together makes things not only more interesting, but overall more engaging. Even when you’re not working out in the same class as your loved one, you are still experiencing all of the same fun, and that doesn’t even include all of the exciting events held every year ranging from tournaments to expos and camps. Our taekwondo school prides itself on being very family oriented and is therefore a safe, positive environment for your family to experience fun activity.

It’s the specialization of this taekwondo school that really makes it unique. As an adult or parent, it’s most likely that you are not looking for the exact same benefits in a sport that your child. That’s what is so amazing about this martial arts school – your whole family can participate while still meeting all of your individual needs. In their class, your younger family member will learn the importance of education, good decision-making, and teamwork while developing their confidence, focus, responsibility, and respect. While practicing all of the same material, adults are able to expand their physical fitness abilities, learn positive and healthy actions, and broaden their concentration capabilities. Taekwondo is also a great stress-reliever. What better way to unwind than to work out at a constructive and encouraging taekwondo school.

One thing our taekwondo program really tends to focus on is the significance of setting goals, something we believe is important for both younger and older students. Not only does martial arts permit the whole family to work-out together, but it’s a long-term commitment rather than just a seasonal activity. Family can really help encourage their relatives to set goals for themselves, and when your family is also involved, it makes it easier to push each other towards success. You constantly have someone to help you by practicing at home, providing you an extra layer of support and a feeling that you are engaged in their learning experience. A new level of understanding comes with mutual participation in a sport and makes sharing each other’s successes that much more special.

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

CTI Mission Statement

"To encourage and develop world-class leaders through educational excellence and Moo Sul Kwan martial Arts traditions"

By Lynne Dean, blue belt

The CTI mission statement presents a comprehensive goal with a road-map to implementation.  Colorado Taekwondo Institute’s goal is not just to develop people but to develop “world-class leaders”.  It implies drawing from the mass of participants and turning them into something special.  Not only just turning individuals into leader but a world class variety that is therefore above the rest.  Leadership is distinguished by actions that are not just determinate but actions that have vision.  In addition, world class leaders emerge as folks who not only have an idea where their team needs to go (the Vision), but are also equipped with the tools they need to communicate that vision, overcome obstacles, enable their team, and attain the vision.

But…there is more to the CTI Mission than to generically create an awesome specter of leaders – the mission narrows it with implementation focus.  The specific tools to encourage and develop these leaders come specifically through “educational excellence” and Moo Sul Kwan traditions.  Therefore, for CTI, there is focus on providing resources for their participants (future leaders) to participate in active positive “mental growth actions” that are steeped in MSK tradition.  To take it one step further, the MSK traditions imply leadership development by learning about and actively participating more in the MSK tenets of Courtesy, Integrity, Perseverance, Self-Control, and Indomitable Spirit.  These are the core of the MSK tradition and the resulting world-class leaders that CTI aspires to encourage and develop.

Moo Sul Kwan Students at Red Rocks Elementary

POTENTIAL – The Capacity to Develop, Succeed or to Become Something

By Kyle Feagans, 1st dan

At some point in our life’s we have all heard the phrases “You have a lot of potential” or “You are not living up to your full potential.”  The reason we have all heard these phrases is because they come from those that know us best and love and care for us the most.  They are the ones that can see our talents and potential when we do not.  They are the ones who can help us identify our talents of strength and which ones we need to improve upon.  Our talents and what we do with them are the foundations that help us live up to our greatest potential.

We all have those talents that come natural to us.  They are the talents that we never seem to have to work at…they are so natural that we tend to take them for granted.  Those talents of strength could be the ability to listen to those around you.  Your talent could be mentoring those around you or your ability to pay attention to details.  Maybe your talent is visionary helping you to see the big picture, the result before it happens.  Or your talent could be in your ability to set and your desire to achieve a goal or goals.  No matter what these talents of strength, they are our basics and should be worked.

Like our talents of strength we also have those talents that we desire to improve upon.  These are the talents that do not come natural to us; they are the ones that we have to work much harder at.  Talents such as memorization skills or practicing or have more patience with our colleagues at school or work.  Maybe there is a desire to improve upon leadership skills at school or work.  Whatever the talents are that we wish to improve upon we know that improving them will help us to live up to the full potential that we have been told we can live up to. Improving our talents can be challenging.  It requires discipline, desire, courage and focus.  It takes the will to win and the desire to succeed.

With these characteristics and with time, the talents we struggle with can become like those that come easy to us…they can become additions to our basics.

Responsibility

By Casey Feagans, red belt, 4th grade, CTI LeAD Team Member

1. Responsible- Taking care of your property
2. Body-  Being responsible for your arms, legs, and words
3. Actions- Be careful for what you say to others
4. Others- Take care of that person you may have hurt
5. Attitude- Taking care for what you say to yourself, others, and family
6. Control- Take control of what you do around others
7. Decision- Making the right choice
8. Mind- Be careful what you say around others
9. Heart- Be nice and lift someone up that is feeling bummed
10. Spirit- Be confident in yourself and other people that are around you

Being responsible for what you do can make a difference in your life.  Not only does it help you, you can help others make a difference in their lives.

I think it is important to be responsible at school because than you can keep your grades up if you pay attention and give 100% each day.  You also can learn more if you pay attention to what your teacher(s) is saying to you.  Being responsible can help you in many ways like learning and keeping your grades up to A’s or 4’s.

Being responsible at work helps you get your job done and makes it faster for you if you pay attention to what your boss might be saying to you.  Always be responsible for anything you participate in.

I think it’s important to be responsible at home because you won’t get in trouble by your parents or whoever is watching you.  Being responsible can be boring but sometimes you need to be responsible and just do the right thing, it’s about making good choices.

I think it’s important to be responsible at Taekwondo because it helps you say focused and helps you stay attached to what the instructor is saying to the class that he/she is teaching.

Also being responsible gets you one step closer to your next belt you are going for; for example- you might be going for Purple belt and is a blue belt at this moment.  She will try her best and give 100% each day and during class moving one step closer to Black Belt.

Why I Started

By Mike Pierce, yellow belt

My sole purpose for starting at the Colorado Taekwondo Institute at 55 is still now a mystery to me but one of the benefits has been weight loss.  Before CTI Taekwondo, cardiovascular exercise only took place  when I marched up the stairs and now it comes in the form of jumping jacks; a lot of jumping jacks.  The first time the warm ups started I thought that doing over 50 jumping jacks was sadistic but the number reached over 300 and I did not see a defibrillator nearby.  After about a month and a half I started to get the hang of it and noticed the benefits of increased stamina and a slimmer waist line.  I have now lost a total of 10 lbs. after 3 months of CTI Taekwondo and I am surprised at all the extra weight I had been concealing.

Going to CTI Taekwondo has been educational, humbling and exhausting but the benefits of getting to know some outstanding young and middle aged adults working in a disciplined environment has made the journey rewarding on many different levels.

Our Lakewood Taekwondo school will make you more confident!

I don’t know if you remember Tae Bo. Tae Bo was an aerobic exercise program that was created several years ago and it took some of the movements from Taekwondo and turned it into and exercise routine. Tae Bo was completely useless as a martial art but what you should notice about that is that there is no coincidence that there are multiple trainers from all over the world who are taking pieces of Taekwondo and putting it in their fitness routines!

Taekwondo is great for your health and if you are looking for a  martial arts school in the Green Mountain / Lakewood area that will help you get into shape then you have come to the right place! Our Green Mountain Taekwondo campus has many different benefits for your health. For example, taking Taekwondo will help you get lean, increase your cardiovascular abilities, and tone your muscles.

Our Green Mountain Taekwondo school will also help you learn to defend yourself like nowhere else in Colorado. Now hopefully you will never be in a position where you will need to use the Taekwondo skills you learn here but you never know when it could come in handy to either defend yourself or someone else.

You will also start to notice that you will become very aware of your surroundings. People who attack and mug other people are usually looking for people who are distracted or not really paying attention. They want the element of surprise. If you find yourself walking through a bad area but you are paying attention attackers and thugs will often leave you alone for someone who is less aware. Nothing is worse for a thug than drawing attention to what they are doing so they’ll leave you alone in most cases if they think they are going to have attention drawn to them or if they think they will get caught.

Once you join our Green Mountain Taekwondo school you will start to notice some other things happen that will surprise you. You reflexes will get faster and there will be times when the world seems to move slower.

For example when I first started martial arts I was standing in my kitchen. I was about 12 years old at the time and my mother reached above me to get something out of the cabinet that was in front of me. In the process she accidentally knocked the spaghetti out of the cupboard. Before the spaghetti had hit the counter I had caught it in my right hand! I was just as surprised as my mother was and I put it back into the cupboard feeling proud to know that my new martial arts practice was working! Understand that before martial arts I was not the kid who was a great athlete.

I loved my time training at the Colorado Taekwondo Institute.  I became coordinated, I got confident and my reflexes only got better. I even started to get better at sports. I used to flinch as a ball would fly toward me but once I started to do martial arts I got more confident. A ball is a lot easier to catch and not be afraid of when you are used to people throwing punches at your face.

Thoughts on the Big Picture

By: Lee Tomjack, Jeffco Middle School Teacher

The workouts at the Colorado Taekwondo Institute are not just about building up physical strength, coordination, and agility. It’s also about building up the mind of the person, as well as the body.  CTI students regularly practice positive thinking, making proper choices, planning ahead, strategizing, and helping others, both in their dojang and in their community at large.  CTI is trying to produce leaders who can help others in their learning and in the world at large as well.

Martial arts is not just about sparring and breaking boards.  It’s about making yourself into a better person who takes responsibility for their life and the well being of others.  We can fight, but we choose not to.  We could sit back and watch others struggle with their daily lives, but we choose to help others be more successful instead.  This can be by helping them with their training, improving their confidence and thinking skills, and helping them in their daily lives as well, through our food drives and other community outreach charity efforts as well.

The 40th CTI Superbowl!

The weather couldn't get us this year!  Last year we had to cancel our annual tournament, but this year the weather couldn't stop us!  Even with some heavy snow going into the weekend, our 40th CTI Superbowl was a huge success!

316 students and instructors from across the Colorado Taekwondo Institute Campuses and Clubs competed in Poomse, Sparring, First Point Wins!, Board Breaking, and Staff Poomse.  Green Mountain, Littleton, Westminster, Golden, Conifer, Craig, Red Rocks Elementary, Montessori Peaks Academy, Our Lady of Fatima, West Woods Elementary and Westridge Elementary were all represented.

The action began on Friday evening, March 7, at Alameda International High School in Lakewood, Colorado.  Friday night highlighted some of the black belt competitions, beginning with sparring, and continuing with staff, poomse and breaking.

On Saturday, March 8th, the action continued with a few black belt breaking competitions and was followed by all of the other divisions from white thru red belt.

Students of all ages and belt levels took part in the competitions from 2 to 67 years old!  This year, CTI Obstacle Sparring was featured in First Point Wins! divisions, and there also was a musical demonstration performed by the Black Belt Team at the CTI Superbowl Halftime.  Done to the song, "I Robot," by the Alan Parsons Project, the demo included poomse, basics, breaking and more!  The Superbowl was dedicated to the service members of the US and to our parents, familly members and friends.  Singer of our United States National Anthem this year was Michael Sandusky, 3rd dan, from the Golden Campus.

The CTI Superbowl is the only tournament of the year where under black belts vie for the the Grandchampionships.  Congratulations to Jennifer McKernan, Thomas Ma, Rob Sarche and Julianne Todd for capturing the Grandchampion Awards by placing the highest in their competitions.

40th CTI Superbowl RESULTS:

POOMSE

1st place
Abdu Kikhia            Hope Morgan        Andrew Madayag    Tyler Murphy  
Collin Kreutz            Holly Madayag        Lydia Lincke        Jennifer McKernan
Thomas Ma            Emily Artman         Ethan Kirschner        Ella Sidwell
Theo Lincke            Mike Dean         Ethan Trapp        Trish Nguyen
Casey Feagans            Brynn Konrad        Lauren Lundeen    Ryan Wyngarden
Zoe Dickerson            C.J,. Benton        Ben Kirschner        McKenzie Schneider
Sumay Potgeiter        Kayla Visnyei        Adolf Ordaz        Bill Schwartz
Ethan Miles            Akram Alghanmi    Isabel Shoe        Addy Milligan
Jarod Eller            Katie Dahle        Jonah Elstad        Abbey Salamera
Anya Trilk            Tatum Buenning    Taylor Allen        Julian Marine
Kylie Bickford            Lauren Dahlberg    Dillon Watson        Mitchell Oleszek
Jacob Hoenmans        Zayne Lineberger     William Maes        Sydney Brasseux
Nina Madayag            Owen Robertson    Graeme Wright        Evan Montoya
Hunter Bellegante          
         
2nd place
Kyle Feagans            Kai Wong        Zach Greaves        Michael Madayag
Erik Ondrejko            Brian Steward        Zuzanna Janowska    Dante Hulin
Charlie Smith            Keet Holdridge         Brendon Arink        Patrick Konrad
Grace Apodaca            Kenny Brancio        Elise Smith        Natasha McKernan
Jonah Sidwell            Shekina DeTienne    Rob Sarche        Rick Orton
Justin Nelson            Brecken Lusk        Lynne Dean        Race Sober
Aodhan Linehan        Daniel Nelson        Patrick O’Day        Lilly Minor
Mikael Zandin            Declan Gunther        Taryn Bilyeu        Alex Williams
Amelia Lewis            Phillip Hoenmans    Jake Seele        Gillian Boswell
Owen Martin            Mathias Bauer        Cody Jacobson        Sean Haverkamp
Alex Price            Wyatt Ayers        Jasmine Salamera    Ashton Price
Quinn Nesline            Nico Huggins         Sarah Habetler        Sean Huntley
Nathan Tate            Joshua Stencil        T.J. Tibbetts        Lance Schwartz
Braden Zack      

3rd place
Bridget Sautel            Thomas Sautel        Caleb Feagans        Jocelyn Wallen
Peyton Brauch            Don Johnson        Carl Gibbons        Marcy Feagnas
Nathaniel McKernan        Elizabeth Hawkins     Libby Girard        Taylor Dodge
Owen Hartmann        Conner Brauch        Dakota Jesse        James Healy
Sabrina Jameson        Evelyn LaMorgese    Sarah Luper        Gwen Gutierrez
Jovan Moore            Abbey Lundeen        Santi Huggins        J.J. Potgeiter
Evan Strickfaden        Shea Wright        Abrham Yehle        Andrew Smith
Alan Fernandez            Kaddie Williams    Ysabella Bellotti    Arthur LeFebure
Tessa Bries            Lindsey Boswell    Makawee Mitchell    Peyton Reynolds
Benson White            Grady Bahr        Jackson Anderson    Augusto Jerez
David Malik            Ronin Selko        Henry Bretz        Dean Gunther
Donovan Penrod        Grant Haverkamp     Kirk Otteson         Arianna Anderson  
Christian Lloyd            Tyler Gray        Mariah Cordova    Seamus Walsh  
Osso Sidwell      

4th place  
Terry Copper            Coghan Spery        Alyssa Copper        Kathleen Sautel
Chris Wallace            Andy McDaniel        Calvin Jensen        Derek Simpson
Ian Wilson            Merrick Oleszek     Maryn Probasco    Cole Reseigh
Addie Spery            Kameron Evans        Makayla Trapp        Allyse Nothstine
Alejandro Deppmeier        Ethan Priced        Bruce Dean        Raymond Bellotti
Liam Donovan            Uriah Hernandez    Tearny Kinnevy     Glen LaNear  
Arkhip Saratovtsev        Jaden Wood        George Linehan        Jason Stencil
Carson Ayers            Allie Warnick        Matthew Ordaz        Joanna Nowak
BrandonDills            Carter Reyes        Campbell Copt        Malaki McRant
Lucas Nomany            Rachel Kirschner     Jason Stencil, Jr.    Cris Fresquez
Mia Rubio            Margqux Gilbert    Sierra Buzick        Rusty Martino  
Eva Carreon            Colin Schweich     Peyton Beard        Nick Tibbetts
Sophia Lachenmayer        Zachary Allen      
     

TIGER POOMSE

1st place
Xavier McRant            Mayci Beck        Eden Valerux        Halston Kueper
David Orton            Evalin Dickerson    Emerson Reseigh    Trenton Wheat
Jack Gittelman            Lily Strickland        Gaven DiNunzio    Amadeo Sandoval
Kyle Janowski            Joseph Stano        Tyler Odom        Caleb Thompson
Ayden Lewis            Sulivan Gesso        Quynn Cotner        Jaxson Wheat
Colston Yoder  

SPARRING

1st place
Michael Sandusky        Thomas Sautel        Alyssa Copper        Michael Madayag
Kai Wong            Zach Greaves        Kathleen Sautel        Shekina DeTienne
Rob Sarche            Sam LaMorgese    Brynn Konrad         Cole Reseigh
Dakota Jesse            Jennifer McKernan    Merrick Oleszek    Thomas Ma
Julianne Todd            Ryan Wyngarden    Emily Artman        Elizabeth Hawkins
Charlie Smith            Shea Wright        Brandon Dills        Ethan Miles  
Peyton Reynolds         Kylie Bickford        Grady Bahr        Owen Martin  
Amelia Lewis            Miette Jandreau        Susan Bergstiner    Akrham Alghanmi
Zoe Dickerson            Jason Stencil        Jaden Wood        Jack Eller
Aodhan Linehan        Matthew Ordaz        Campbell Copt        Ashton Price  
Taylor Allen            Donovan Penrod    Tyler Gray        Sean Huntley  
Anya Trilk            Evan Montoya         Eva Carreon        Rusty Martino
Grant Haverkamp

2nd place
Lexi Johannes            Kyle Feagans        Coghan Spery        Nate Watkins
Hope Morgan            Erik Ondrejko        Abdu Kikhia        Devon Bagley  
Elise Smith            Zuzanna Janowska        Joshua Miller         Sean Havercamp
Lauren Lundeen        Dante Hulin        Jonah Sidwell        Karen Carreon
Connor Brauch            Sabrina Jameson        Mark Scott        James Healy
Kelsey Smith            Evan Strickfaden        Declan Gunther        Alan Fernandez  
Daniel Nelson             Mariah Cordova        William Maes        Braden Zack
Andrew Smith            Aspen Hawkins        Patrick O’Day        Lindsey Boswell
Ysabella Bellotti        Sumay Potgeiter        Tessa Bries        Jarrod Eller  
Jake Seele            Lucas Stolka        Dean Gunther        Mathias Bauer  
Karly Cockrum            Kirk Otteson        Dylan Tracy        Joshua Stencil  
Julian Marine            Osso Sidwell        Lauren Dahlberg    Cody Jacobson
Taylor Dodge                Kenny Brancio
 
3rd place
Brian Steward            Bridget Sautel        Sean Lawlor        Ian Randall
Damian Rupp            Julianne Todd        Tyler Murphy        Lydia Lincke  
Vinny Constantino        Casey Feagans        Devon Bilyeu        Jason Stencil
Marcy Feagans            Sean Konrad        Natasha McKernan    Devon Lewis  
Gwen Gutierrez            Addie Spery        Ian Wilson        Liam Donovan  
C.J. Benton            Race Sober        Abbey Salamera     R.J. Larson
MacKenzie Schneider        Isabel Shoe        Lynne Dean        Melvin Marine
Joanna Nowak            Franco Otero        J.J. Potgeiter        Abrham Yehle
Adolph Ordaz            Isaac Jensen        Luke Ball        Meryn Probasco
Henry Bretz             Zach Bickford        Augusto Jerez        Nico Huggins
Hunter Bellegante        Gabriel Dodge        Sarah Habetler        Lucas Nomany
Ella Sidwell            Mia Rubio                  

4th place
Don Johnson            Collin Kreutz        Caleb Feagans        Jocelyn Wallen
Tanner Copper            Robbie Crandell    Grace Apodaca        Evelyn LaMorgese
Keet Holdridge             Peyton Beard        Zachary Allen        Birk Strickfaden
Sarah Luper            Alejandro Deppmeier    Melodie Page        T.J. Gutierrez
Lydia Willis            Carl Gibbons        Blenness Quintanna    Arthur LeFebure
Justin Nelson            Jovan Moore        Gillian Boswell     Lance Schwartz  
George Linehan            Katie Dahle        Taryn Bilyeu        Bailey Hayes
Tearny Kinnevy            Mohale Mitchell    Jonah Elstad        Jacob Hoenmans
Malaki McRant            Libby Girard        Cris Fresquez         Noah Sisk
Mitchell Oleszek        Damon Bahr        Arianna Anderson    T.J. Tibbetts
Jasmine Salamera                  

FIRST POINT WINS!

1st place
Erik Ondrejko            Brian Steward        Hope Morgan        Peyton Brauch
Kai Wong            Zach Greaves        Lexi Johannes        Sam LaMorgese
Shekina DeTienne        RobSarche        Brynn Konrad         Cole Reseigh
Mike Dean            Jennifer McKernan    Merrick Oleszek    Thomas Ma
Lauren Lundeen        Joshua Miller        Zuzanna Janowska    Elise Smith
Ian Wilson            Jonah Elstad        Mohale Mitchell    Jarrod Eller
Peyton Reynolds         Kylie Bickford        R.J. Larson         Nico Huggins
Sumay Potgeiter        Miette Jandreau        Lindsey Boswell    Patrick O’Day
Natalie Lundeen        Andrew Smith        Franco Otero        Alan Fernandez
Abrham Yehle            Adolph Ordaz        Isaac Jensen        Zachary Allen
Taylor Allen            Donovan Penrod     Zach Bickford        Julianne Marine
Tyler Gray            Sean Huntley        Anya Trilk        T.J. Tibbetts
Ella Sidwell          Kenny Brancio        
     

2nd place
Tyler Murphy            Michael Sanduksy    Abbey Watkins        Michael Madayag
Zac Johannes            Don Johnson            Julianne Todd        Devan Bagley  
Makalya Trapp            Emily Artman        Ryan Wyngarden     Campbell Copt
Johnny Williams        Ethan Trapp            Casey Feagans        Sean Konrad
Karen Carreon            Sarah Luper            Ethan Price        Kelsey Smith
James Healy             Nina Madayag        William Maes        Zayne Lineberger
Shea Wright            Jake Seele            Ethan Miles        Abbey Salamera
MacKenzie Schneider        Makawee Mitchell    Lynne Dean        George Linehan
Adrianna Carreon        Jason Stencil            Jovan Moore        Raymond Bellotti
Arthur LeFebure        Evan Strickfaden    Jacob Hoenmans    Mathias Bauer
Libby Girard            Kirk Otteson         Dylan Tracy        Joshua Stencil  
Augusto Jerez            Rusty Martino        Eva Carreon        Evan Montoya
Taylor Dodge              
 

BREAKING

1st place
Michael Sandusky        Tyler Murphy        Kathleen Sautel        Zac Johannes
Terry Copper            Erik Ondrejko        Devon Lewis        Jonah Sidwell
Grace Apodaca            Sean Konrad         Jovan Moore        Isabel Shoe
Keet Holdridge            Rob Sarche        Thomas Ma        Karen Carreon
Julianne Todd            Ethan Trapp        Tessa Bries        Benjamin Kirschne
Shea Wright            Abbey Salamera     Kaddie Williams    Lynne Dean  

STAFF POOMSE

1st place
Erik Ondrejko            Hope Morgan        Coghan Spery        Andrew Madyayag

2nd place
Peyton Brauch            Zach Greaves        Jack Eddy        Michael Sandusky

3rd place
Bridget Sautel            Alyssa Copper        Tyler Murphy        Kai Wong

Under Black Belt 40th CTI Super Bowl Grand Champions:   

Thomas Ma, Julianne Todd, Rob Sarche and Jennifer McKernan

9 Ways Taekwondo Classes can Improve Your Health

As people sit around their houses after work watching television their bodies are deteriorating. They gain weight, their arteries are clogging and their joints are getting stiffer. They begin to lose flexibility and over time their body loses strength.

It’s even worse if they are eating junk foods or smoking cigarettes. We all know that junk food is making us fat as a society and we also know that smoking is causing lung cancer. The impact on our bodies is tremendously bad and can shorten or even end our lives if these practices are done over years.

So what is a fun effective way to improve our life styles and our health?

Taekwondo classes!

Taekwondo classes, also known as Korean Karate, are an effective way to increase flexibility, improve cardiovascular health, and build muscle!

Let’s talk about a couple of different ways that Taekwondo can help improve your health.

1) Taekwondo classes can help control weight

At Colorado Taekwondo Institute you will learn a number of different ways to get your body moving. You will be practicing board breaks, forms and sparring. The various fighting patterns and sparing will increase help you maintain your weight by helping you burn calories. The nice thing is you can do a form or two whenever you want throughout the day.

The more intensely that you perform your forms the more calories you are going to burn and the more weight you can lose.

Even if you aren’t someone who needs to lose a few extra pounds Taekwondo will help you maintain your weight as you get older.

2) Taekwondo classes helps prevent diseases and health conditions

In Colorado Taekwondo Institute we workout hard. When you do a workout your body produces more “good Cholesterol” and it will help lower your bad triglycerides. This keeps your blood flowing smoothly and will decrease your chances of having cardiovascular problems later in life.

According to mayoclinic.com working out will help your body prevent several different problems such as stroke, metabolic syndrome, type 2 diabetes and even some types of cancer. Make sure to get off of the couch!

3) Taekwondo classes can help improve your mood

After a bad day at work a Taekwondo class could be just the thing to get you feeling better. When you exercise you get several benefits to your mood through the release of various chemicals in your brain. These chemicals make you feel good. They are a sort of natural high.

In addition to the chemicals it always feels good after a bad day to punch a bag or break a board.

4) Lakewood Taekwondo practice boosts energy

Sometimes people get so out of shape that they get winded by everyday things. Things like carrying in the groceries or even just getting the mail can become chores that leave you out of breath. Taekwondo will help you to build muscles and you’ll see your endurance improving as well. 

The exercise will help more oxygen and nutrients get into your tissues and your cardiovascular system will begin to work better. When your cardiovascular system works better your energy levels will increase naturally and you won’t need the energy drinks or the coffee as often!

5) Taekwondo classes will help you get more sleep

When you are exercising regularly in your Taekwondo class your body will get to sleep more easily and you will find that your sleep is much better than it was before. Don’t practice your Taekwondo to close to your bedtime or you will find that you are unable to get to sleep because you have too much energy!

6) Taekwondo classes are fun

When you are in Taekwondo it isn’t like being at the gym. When you go to the gym you lift weights and get on tread mills. If you are like me you find those things tedious and boring. When you go to Taekwondo you are learning skills to keep yourself safe, you’re learning martial arts forms and sparring. I personally love to spar and I love to learn the forms.

For me Taekwondo is a lot more fun that moving my arm up and down over and over to inflict pain in my bicep to build muscle. Of course I am referring to lifting weights.

7) Taekwondo makes you look good too!

When you come to every class you will notice that your body really starts to get into shape. You will start to feel confident about the way you look and about the new things you’ll be able to do.

Taekwondo classes improve flexibility. If you are someone who has no chance of touching your toes then you might think that it is going to be impossible to throw a kick above your head. This is not true at all!

Through proper stretching exercises daily and through throwing kicks in your forms you too can be throwing kicks above your head in no time flat!

So the bottom line is that Taekwondo can really improve your life and the way you feel.