Tae kwon do Tournaments - Illinois

Here's an upcoming USA Taekwondo tournament in Illinois that you mid-westerners may be interested in. I found this tournament listed at TKDM

Event Date 03- 14- 2009
Event Title THE 8TH U.S. OPEN JANGSONG TAEKWONDO CHAMPIONSHIP
Host & Director TAE EUN HA
Where BELVIDERE CENTRAL MIDDLE SCHOOL
8787 Beloit Road
Belvidere, IL 61008
USA
Telephone: 847-854-7835
Fax
Email: MASTER@HASTKD
URL: WWW.HASTKD.COM


Dear Instructors, Students:


I would like to welcome everyone to the 8th U.S Open Jangsong Taekwondo Championship, especially students and instructors who have come a long distance to be here.

I really hope you enjoy your day.

The U.S. Open Jangsong Taekwondo Championships has been held for Eighth years. I hope it will gain iconic status as a meaningful event.

This tournament has been especially designed for our children. It is not the goal for you to achieve a 1st place trophy, but that will be a good achievement. Our goal is for you to build self-confidence, courage, and give you a great experience by participating in a competition with your peers in a big event.

For the adults it will be a great opportunity to test your own skills and techniques and evaluate your level among others.

Our federation's purpose is to provide a fair and competitive atmosphere where you are challenged. We hope you will see it as one of the best competitions in America.

I would like to wish all the competitors the best of luck and hope you will be able to achieve your personal goals today and be satisfied with your performance.

Respectfully,


Tournament Director
Master Tae Eun Ha

Tae kwon do Tournaments-Maui, Hawaii

My family and I spent 10 fabulous days in Muai staying in the Ka'anappali area three years ago this month in celebration of my parents 50th wedding anniversary at the time.

I am longing for a good reason to go back. This tournament is a few days after my birthday. What are the chances I could talk my husband into going and using the trip as a business expense because it's tae kwon do related?

Well, I can dream can't I?

Maybe I'll see you there?

Event Date 10- 17-2009
Event Title 2009 MAUI OPEN TAEKWONDO CHAMPIONSHIP
Host & Director KIFFMANN TAEKWONDO
Where Lahaina Civic Center
1840 Hono’apiilani Highway,
Lahaina, HI 96761
USA
Telephone 808-877-4311
Fax 213-787-6790
Email info@mauiopentkd.com
URL http://mauiopentkd.com

The 5th Annual
2009 Maui Open Taekwondo Championship
October 17, 2009
Lahaina Civic Center,
Maui, Hawaii

This years' tournament will be held on the beautiful west side of Maui.
Lahaina civic center is minutes from the famous Lahaina town, Whalers' Village and the Ka'anapalli Beach Resort area. Hundreds of restaurants, shops and galleries are within your reach at this years' event.

National Team Members from Austria, Croatia, Slovenia, Canada, Philippines, India, Nigeria, and the USA have attended the Maui Open over the past 4 years. This event is open to all levels and ages.

For more info and to register online please visit http://mauiopentkd.com

Tournament Director: Master Gunter Kiffmann

Tournament Host:
Kiffmann Taekwondo,Inc.
111 Hana Hwy., Suite 201
Kahului, HI 96732
Phone:(808)877-4311
Fax:(213)787-6790
www.kiffmanntkd.com
email:info@mauiopentkd.com

Sanctioned by USA Taekwondo

Hahoe Folk Village

I had the privilege last summer of visiting South Korea with my tae kwon do school.

One of the places we visited was the Hahoe Folk Village near Andong, the North Kyongsang Province. The 600+ year old village is truly a living museum as the inhabitants have maintained the traditional way of life through generations and the historical homes are still inhabited.

We spent the morning wandering through the small streets and passed ancient houses with their modern cars parked out front. The inhabitants we met did not speak English, but it didn't stop us from having fun looking at the traditional masks and buying some hats to get away from a relentless sun.

We found a magnificent wishing tree where I left a wish tied to the string surrounding the several hundred year old tree. We also found a swing set where we took a little time off to relax and act like kids again.

You can learn more about Hahoe Village at this great website.

Staying Healthy During the Winter

By Andrew Mitchell

The winter time is often associated with staying indoors with the fireplace (or other type of heating system) roaring while people curl up in blankets and do their best to stay warm and dry. To be sure, for many, the winter time is when people are the most sedentary. This is the time of year people like to keep still. It is taken for granted that, because this is the time of year when one "babies" ones self that staying healthy is relatively easy. This is not always true. Taking care of your health is as important during the winter months as it is during the summer months. Here are some hints to help you stay healthy this winter.

1. Eat a nutritious diet. You will be tempted to live off of sweets and snacks as these are happily given around during the holidays. Instead you need to make sure that you get your daily allotment of grains, fruits and vegetables each day. Take in at least two dairy servings and don't let your diet give way to only sugar and fat.

2. Get Your Sleep. The winter time seems made for sleeping but you would be surprised how often people lose sleep during the darkest months of the year. Go to bed on time and get at least eight hours a night. You need to rest so your immune system stays strong.

3. Wash Your Hands. Use hot and soapy water to wash your hands every time you visit the loo and before each meal that you eat. Most cold and virus germs can be defeated before they take hold by simply keeping your hands clean and disinfected.

4. Exercise Regularly. Regular exercise helps keep your body in shape and your moods even. If you don't want to exercise outdoors, join a gym!

5. Get a Flu Shot. There are plenty of places where flu shots are affordable or even free. Make sure you get yours every year to give yourself extra defence against the colds and viruses that wreak havoc during the winter time.

6. Quit smoking. Everyone knows that smoking is bad for one's health. When you smoke indoors (as is often the case for most smokers during the winter months) you can risk other peoples' health as well. Second hand smoke is as bad as the smoke inhaled by the smoker himself.

7. Keep Happy. Staying cheerful and finding things that make you happy can spell the difference between being healthy and unhealthy no matter what time of year it is.

About the Author:

Andrew Mitchell, clinical editor at the Osteopath Network, writes papers about musculo-skeletal conditions, drug-free treatment, pain management and how to find a Winchester Osteopaths. He is interested in the treatment of back pain, neck pain and injury and pain management.

End A Winner, Feel like a Loser

Though articles of this type aren't written with kids martial arts in mind, because the problems the author talks about don't really happen in martial arts instruction. Something to think about.ka

By Jennifer Dumas

We teach our kids early on the importance of team sports in their lives. By the age of 5 most children a involved in a team sport or group activity. Mom, dad, I am sure you proudly recall watching your first born playing soccer at the age of 5. The rules are simple. Everyone plays and nobody loses. Funny how the game always seems to end in a tie. Your little guy chases the ball mixed into a cluster with the other children. It's wild kicking in that cloud of kids. Thank goodness for shin guards! With time and practice your child continues to improve and quickly develops some real athletic talent.

His athletic career continues to grow. He dabbles in soccer, basketball, baseball and football until he finds the one sport he really excels in. It is then that you see his passion for the game and his true desire to win. You pay for the private instruction and make the commitment to practice and play 5 days a week or more. That hard work pay off as he and his teammates win league games, tournaments and move on to their sports version of the "World Series".

Your child's team works hard to achieve championship status. As a family, you commit to raise the money to make your child's "World Series" dream a reality. You sell hot dogs, wash cars, and seek sponsors. Your friends , family and community rally around you, contributing to the cause. You have raised the funds...the team will have their opportunity to play.

You are surprised by the athletic talent of the opposing teams as you arrive at your child's tournament. It is then that you find out that this tournament allows teams to pick up "stud" players. To stay competitive with the other teams your coach feels he must do the same. The result... Your child and many of his teammates sit on the bench.

Who makes these rules and what does it do to your child's self esteem? What message does it send to your child? "You were good enough to play on our team all season, but you are not good enough to play these kids." I say come as a team, play as a team, leave as a team!

About the Author:

Jennifer Dumas is the mother of 2 skilled athletes and the founderof sportsmomboutique.com. Her business specializes in sportsmomboutique.com for the mom who is her child's biggest fan! Get a totally unique version of this article from our article submission service

Kids Tae Kwon Do

Little Tykes Get Their Kicks in Longview Taekwondo Meet is the headline of the article about a kids tae kwon do competition as chronicled by the NewsJournal.com

The article really captures the joy that kids and their parents get from martial arts instruction.

A good martial arts school offers so much to our children. The school will teach self defense which develops self esteem and sense of strength and capability. Girls especially take well to tae kwon do instruction and the great benefits of sports in a girls life that have been chronicled several times over.

Kids Tae kwon do instruction can begin as early as the age of 3 depending on the child's ability to follow directions. Definitely by the age of 5, all children can benefit from kids tae kwon do classes.

Teenagers are another group that are often overlooked by martial arts schools. A good teen recruitment program in tae kwon do or any martial art could be the difference between a lifetime of success or failure for many teens.

More martial arts schools would do well to institute cool and fun teen martial arts programs to lure at risk teens toward a set of skills that can build their feelings of self worth and success.

Most schools gear their recruitment efforts at toddlers, children and their parents with the thought that once they have kids enrolled, the same students will still be there as teens. This is not usually the case. True teen-centric martial arts instruction could go a long way toward helping our teens become productive members of society, with good decision making abilities, self esteem and a level of success earned through hard work.

ERAU Tae Kwon Do

"We of the Tae Kwon Do Club at Embry-Riddle announce our experiences at the gathering of our Chang Hon style via Taekwondo America (TA) during Jan. 23-24 in Orlando, FL."

Is a quote from a story at Avion Newspaper where you can read the whole story.

This club is part of Taekwondo America, a tae kwon do style I had not heard of before. I looked through their website but could not determine what forms they use. However, they do appear to have the usual curriculum pieces of forms, sparring and breaking.

TA, not unlike the ATA, have a standardized curriculum with uniform guidelines and procedures. This is always a good thing because it means that no matter what TA school you attend, you can expect to be at the same rank and have learned the same techniques as everyone else at that rank. This is one of my pet peeves about the Kukkiwon style of tae kwon do, formerly called WTF style.

WTF style now only refers to Olympic tae kwon do sparring, not traditional tae kwon do instruction like Taekwondo America is offering.

Taekwondo America seems like a good organization with a well thought out structure and curriculum.

Will your TA rank be accepted anywhere in the world? Probably not, but these things change with time and the quality of your martial arts study is more important.

He's 7 and He's a Black Belt

At 7, Matthew Lee of Hanover is the youngest student at So's Taekwondo to ever earn the rank of black belt. He started training at the Hanover martial arts school when he was just 3.

This is the story from The Evening Sun of a 7 year old boy who has attained the rank of black belt.

When a child under the age of 16 earns the rank of black belt we call that a poom in tae kwon do.

There is a very important reason why the distinction is made. Martial arts training is not just about being able to learn a set of choreographed movements or breaking a pine board with your hands and feet.

Martial arts training is about life lessons. It's about learning who you are as a person and what you need to improve to become a better person. We train hard to increase our physical strength and health, but this same training will eventually train our minds as well. From this mind training, we gain the ability to make better decisions, be more patient and see the right action before we have to take that action.

It takes years of training to gain these benefits which brings me back to the 7 year old black belt.

Yes he's earned a black belt because he can go through all the motions well and with ease. But he is still only a Jr. Black Belt of a poom rank.

Only an adult can earn a full black belt, also called a dan rank. This is because adults have lived enough life lessons to make the black belt training truly a part of their nature.

When our young black belt gain the age of 16, his poom will automatically become a dan. It's about time served in life as well as time served in tae kwon do training.

Burbank Tae Kwon Do Teacher Accused Of Molestation

This is a sad but all to real story out of Los Angeles CBS 2 News of a case where Burbank police say there may be more victims of a tae kwon do instructor suspected of sexually molesting two boys.

We may love tae kwon do and believe it is a very worthwhile activity for our boys and girls. But, that does not mean we should be lax in our responsibilities as parents to protect our children from all predators.

While 99.999% of all tae kwon do instructors are good people with your child's best interest at heart, there will always be that .001% of adults or other children who are sexual predators and look at any child centered activity as an opportunity for deviant behavior.

Always check out any activity you enroll your child in and please don't condemn the entire activity because of the few deviants that permeate all aspects of our culture. Think of it as an even more important reason to teach your child self defense, self esteem and good decision making skills, all of which can be learned through martial arts study.

Read the full story at CBS 2-KCAL 9

Tae Kwon Do Self Defense

This is actually a good video showing quite a few self defense techniques from a tae kwon do instructor in Norman, Oklahoma.

What's funny about this video is the write up from the reporter who is the "victim" in the piece. I've included it below the video. Check it out.

If you study martial arts, you'll look at the video and think, "Yeah I know that one", or "Ooh, good one. I've got to remember that" and the like.

What the reporter, or really camera man, was thinking, "Ouch. That hurt." and "Man, this guy did that way too hard." and "What the hell was I thinking letting this guy use me to demonstrate."

It's really funny because the instructor is not being overly aggressive in any way. It looks like very normal self defense practice to me. This camera man is a real 'p**sy'. Pardon the language.



I was supposed to meet a reporter from The Oklahoman to shoot video about self-defense, but she never showed. After about a nano-second of thought for my personal safety, I called my boss and asked if I could try and shoot the video with just me and the self-defense guy. Yea, he beat me up. I was slightly bleeding at one time.

This version is different than the one we used for NewsOK.com. The reporter's series was about women and self-defense and we didn't use this one because it might not come across well. Women and self-defense is much more serious than me (not a woman) and the fact I was mostly joking around while the guy was hitting me harder than I thought he should.

Fast Weight Loss, Drink Water and Lose Body Fat

Dont't forget there are a lot of advantages to a vegetarian or almost vegetarian diet. Drinking water as part of your daily healthy eating habits is seriously important. After all, our bodies are something like 98% water (don't quote me on that). Replenishing water is vital and can help you lose weight in the process. ka

By Ricardo d Argence

Did you know that sometimes when you think you are hungry it is your body asking for water? As a culture, we have become accustomed to not getting the recommended daily amount of water, and as such, we are in a constant state of dehydration. In some cases, this lack of water is hindering weight loss goals.

If you try drinking water instead of stuffing your face with some fattening choices your body will be equally satisfied as all it knows is that it needs liquids in some form. Losing weight is not the only reason to stay well hydrated. Your body uses water in many different ways. That's not surprising, given that you're made up of 60% water.

The main job of water in the body is to flush toxins through the kidneys. This removes all the harmful stuff from our bodies that we come in contact with everyday. When you don't get enough water the kidneys cannot function as they should, this leaves the bulk of their job to the liver.

The livers main job is to metabolize fat, this is not its only job but the main one. One of its other jobs is to pick up for the kidneys when they are not at peak performance. You can see where this is going, lack of fluids hampers the kidneys, and liver has to step up and in turn cannot metabolize as much fat.

Another reasons that make drinking water so important are: it is a large part of the blood, 92%, which is the body's transport system for vitamins, minerals, nutrients; it also assist digestion, lack of water leads to poor nutrition; lastly, water regulates body temperature.

You know that drinking water during meals can help you feel full faster, but did you know it could actually rev up your metabolism? In a study done written about in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism fourteen healthy people, half men and half women, consumed 500 ml of water a day and when their metabolic rate was measured, there was a 30% increase across the board.

By increasing the temperature of the water to the body's temperature, an increase in metabolism occurs. According to research consumption of ice water can help ramp up the metabolism, helping to burn an extra 70 calories each day. That in and of itself doesn't sound like much but over time, it can really add up.

Water is a powerful agent in contributing to more youthful skin, lessening headaches and simply making you feel good. Consuming the proper amount of water on a daily basis has been correlated to good vision.

Eight glasses every day is suggested, but taking more than usual is more than taking none. At least shoot for five to eight glasses in a 24-hour period. It can be achieved by drinking water throughout the day; an unexpected intake of 8 glasses water in single time will possibly drain out and not provide the above stated results.

About the Author:

You can lose weight, and the whole reason why you are reading this, is because you know you want to lose weight! We have the best diets and Fat Loss Systems. Servidores Dedicados

Olympic Tae Kwon Do Sparring and Choosing a Tae Kwon Do School

I found this informative video that came out just prior to last summer's Beijing Olympic games.

This interview gives a fundamental overview of Olympic tae kwon do sparring. They also discuss the different types of tae kwon do schools. For example, the school I study at is a traditional tae kwon do school in the Kukkiwon style where skills and character development are emphasized with very little emphasis on competition and sparring.

There are many types of martial arts schools out there, self defense and MMA type schools and the WTF Olympic tae kwon do sparring schools. It's important when you are looking for a martial arts school, to determine not only what style the school teaches, but what they emphasize in their instruction and training.

Enjoy this video interview, it runs about 5 minutes.

Martial Arts Fighting Tips

Honest Mind, Loving Heart, Strength in Body! The Martial Arts way of Life at The Taekwondo Network

I discovered this site through a follow on Twitter. You can follow me there by the way at http://twitter.com/kalynna

Anyway, this group is beginning to produce videos with martial arts tips suited toward fighting in the ring, MMA, UFC, kickboxing and the like. As they develop more videos, I'll keep you posted. ka

Head and Neck Reaction Drills to Avoid Being Knocked Out

Building good reactions with your head and neck is very important in protecting yourself while fighting, whether in boxing, kickboxing, MMA, or a street fight. In this episode Calasanz and his students explain this importance and demonstrate a few drills to help martial artists and fighters build these reactions.