Oneonta Taekwon-do » Articles

Yellow belt testing, October 2009

jenniferbutler — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 16:04:51 +0000

In this video, we see Dylan and Jennifer testing together. During class, we practice with our classmates next to us. Maintaining concentration with someone performing a different pattern is challenging. With the pressure of a promotion test, the challenge is even greater. We were very pleased with the confidence and performance of Jennifer and Dylan.

Dylan demonstrates a rear leg side kick to break a board. Please note that these are not children’s boards, these are 3/4 inch pine.

Jennifer Butler had the challenge of breaking with a lead leg side kick. “It’s easy when you have momentum”, said Grandmaster SJ Kim. In this demonstration, Jennifer is asked to go from a complete standing still position and generate power and speed using only the lead leg.

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Christina, Tom, and Tyler Hill earn Blue belts

jenniferbutler — Fri, 02 Oct 2009 18:24:32 +0000

Congratulations to the Hill family for successfully earning their Blue belts on Sept 24, 2009.
For their promotion test, they were required to demonstrate basic techniques, step-sparring, and self-defense. They also performed Yul-Gok and broke two boards each with a rear leg side kick.

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David Howard, Green belt test, Sept 24, 2009

rmannion — Thu, 01 Oct 2009 18:48:30 +0000

Congratulations to David Howard on his successful promotion to blue stripe. His test required a demonstration of Won-Hyo and a rear leg sidekick to break 2 boards in addition to fundamentals and self-defense.

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Matt Goodrich, 1st Dan, Sept. 18, 2009

rmannion — Tue, 22 Sep 2009 15:11:35 +0000

Congratulations to Matt Goodrich on successfully earning his 1st degree black belt. Matt is now certified by Taekwon-Do International to be a black belt in good standing.

For his promotion test, Matt traveled to NYC with his family and fellow Oneonta Taekwon-Do schoolmate John Buck. He completed a written exam, an endurance test, and then gave a demonstration including 3 patterns, basic combinations, sparring, and 3 different board breaks.

In addition to the physical requirements, Taekwon-Do International requires proven examples of living up to the Tenets of Taekwon-Do.

Congratulations to Matt on this significant milestone. Please enjoy the video highlights below and offer Matt your congratulations next time you see him.

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Jennifer Butler promotion test

jenniferbutler — Mon, 31 Aug 2009 21:34:57 +0000

Congratulations to Ms. Jennifer Butler on earning her green stripe. Dan-Gun is a pattern with 21 movements and is named after the Holy Dan Gun, the legendary founder of Korea. All of the punches in Dan-Gun are high punches. We hope Jennifer enjoys Do-San even more than Dan-Gun!

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John Buck breaks 2 boards with alternating back kicks July 2009

jenniferbutler — Sat, 22 Aug 2009 03:19:17 +0000

Demonstrating well-balanced training, John Buck breaks 2 boards with each leg using a back kick at his promotion test in July 2009.

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Priscilla McCabe Board Breaking July 2009

jenniferbutler — Sat, 22 Aug 2009 03:10:16 +0000

Priscilla demonstrates breaking two (2) boards with a back kick.

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Terri Graig Board Breaking July 2009

jenniferbutler — Sat, 22 Aug 2009 01:53:14 +0000

Terri demonstrates a cross behind side kick to break 2 boards during the test to obtain the blue belt.

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Best advice for teaching children

Sah Bum Nim — Fri, 03 Jul 2009 19:54:23 +0000

At the age of 21, I was handed keys to a Junior High School classroom in a part of South Central Los Angeles named Watts. I became a teacher because I felt I had an innate ability to communicate well with children. I also felt I was skilled at teaching mathematics in a way that made it easy to understand.
During college, I tutored high school kids privately for extra money. I also coached a high school diving team. For 5 summers in high school and college, I taught swimming and diving lessons to children aged 5-15 at the town pool. From these experiences, I had built hundreds of memories of laughter and the pride of blossoming self-confidence on the part of my divers or tutoring clients. The look on a child’s face popping out of the water after successfully completing his first back flip is indescribable and priceless.

During my 6 week preparation for teaching, one of my mentors at Teach For America handed me the following two sheets of paper. I have kept them in a folder since I received them in 1992.

In the near future, our school will be offering Taekwondo classes to children and I decided to pass this on to our senior students in the hopes it will help them be the best teachers they can be.

The significance of these two pages is they teach us to approach children from the perspective of THEIR NEEDS rather than our own. These pages offer strategies for dealing with needy or dependent children, shy withdrawn children, as well as other useful tidbits. Sometimes the suggestions are counter-intuitive or not what you would instinctively do.

When you think back to the best teacher you ever had, the teacher probably found fun ways to make you learn and made sure that the challenges you were given were within your grasp to accomplish. Nothing is more frustrating for a child than to be given an assignment without the requisite skills to accomplish it. When children are repeatedly presented with challenges they can complete, their confidence soars and their behavior and cooperation increases.

Click here for the .pdf of the 2 pages. They are posted below as pictures. If you click on a picture, you can see it in a larger size. This was credited to Reynold Bean. Search the internet, I believe he has written a number of books.

How to Raise Self-Esteem in the Classroom Page 1

How to Raise Self-Esteem in the Classroom - Page 2

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Hiiiyaah! What’s with the yelling?

Sah Bum Nim — Thu, 14 May 2009 00:29:41 +0000

The other day, I had the distinct pleasure of practicing with two youngsters aged 12 and 13. As my master taught me, I am in the habit of yelling “Keeyup” when I hit the heavy bag or the focus pads. Tyler and Maya both thought it a little weird, but they humored me and gave it a try. Tyler and I both jumped the first time Maya let her lungs clear with a fierce “Hah!”

As evident in this cute video, sometimes people think the Keeyup is a special word or carries special meaning. In fact, it has very practical applications which I’ll explain below.

So, what is a Keeyup if it is not a special language? It is an important fighting technique.

Yelling strikes fear in the opponent.

Cats hiss, dogs bark, and lions roar. If attacked or threatened, a fighting stance with a committed yell might offer the something extra to make your attacker think twice.

Yelling forces your stomach to tighten.

Relax your stomach. Now hit yourself quickly just above the belly button! You can actually knock the wind out of yourself if you do this. Now tighten your stomach and try again. Did you notice the difference? A tight stomach will protect you from injury and prevent you from getting your wind knocked out.

Yelling makes the technique more powerful.

We learned early on that breathing during punching or kicking affects the power of the strike. If you don’t believe it, try holding your breath and punching. It doesn’t feel right, does it? Since we want to make the most powerful strike possible, we force a powerful exhale by yelling during the moment of impact. Or maybe you thought professional tennis players let out grunts on the court to amuse the spectators?

I’m sure there are more reasons why yelling is an effective fighting technique. If for no other reason, do it because a 9th degree black belt does it when he’s breaking 5 boards with the ball of his foot! Set your volume and give a listen to Grandmaster SJ Kim give us a demonstration….

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